Hello all. A backstory of me:
38 years old. Previously have had no desire to own a handgun as I was very active in self defense in Krav and Jiu Jitsu. Was comfortable enough to deal with a boneheaded thug shoving a gun into me by taking the pistol (or long arm) away. I was actually more afraid of knives. Still am. Deflect the end of a gun 1/2", you live. Deflect the end of a knife, well, you get cut.
Anyway, about 2 years ago, some known health issues started showing up with more severity as I aged. Mainly the scoliosis. I slipped my L4, L5/S1 discs. Healed up, only to slip them yet again about 9 months later. Going regularly for decompression has helped immensely, but I can tell I am no longer able to take my lower back for granted. I simply can't risk being thrown or doing the training I once could.
So, for a little over a year, I've been wrestling with this decision. I am comfortable with guns. Not against them in any way. I just didn't see a reason I needed or might need a handgun. Rifle? Shotgun? Yep. One of each, hanging on the wall. I was raised around them. Taught how to use them by both grandfathers. I use them primarily for predator control since I raise chickens. But, never had a need for that handgun. I have fired them a few times. My younger brother is a gun guy. He takes care of any firearm I need worked on or tweaked save for sighting in, but he often will do that as well. I just have different range requirements than he does. about 15 yards for me, where he likes 100+ because he hunts.
So, here I am. Now, finally at 38, getting a handgun. Yep, old noob here. I know very little other than what I was looking for in a firearm.
I like vintage things. Not super old where I can't use and enjoy them, but vintage as in; still can get replacement parts, and they are more durable and better made than modern offerings.
I wanted a metal gun. All-metal. I was really set on a 6906 after seeing a review of them.
Messaged my brother-"check out the 5906s," he shot back.
Checked them out.
Okay, I really like those!
Go to pawn shop. They didn't have any 5906s in stock, but they had two different 59s. I held them. A bit on the heavy side.
Now, some more about me. I'm tall, but light. 135# and 6'1. Yeah, I have a hard enough time keeping my pants on my hips. That may not be a wise decision.
The guy behind the counter shows me some 39** model 'yada-yada'. I didn't know anything about it, other than I thought it was DAO. I wanted DA/SA. I thanked him and left to think and research more in depth, trying to find the right balance of what I wanted vs what I really needed vs an acceptable weight.
Spoke with another friend who is CC. He mentioned Springfield Arms(?) - probably got that wrong. He showed me. Not a fan of multiple safeties, although he assured me they weren't a big deal. He really wanted me to understand the value of a single stack for concealability. He sold me.
Back to the interwebs for more boring reading and research. I'm so anal about getting the right *'insert what I'm currently working on here'*, that I often spend a whole lot of time reading and researching. Almost to the point of frustration. I'm a once and done kind of guy. I hate shortcuts. I hate having to go back and do what I should have done in the first place, making whatever was cheaped out on right.
Part of that comes from my dad being cheap. Not frugal. Cheap.
Corners would be cut just to save a buck, where he didn't have to cut those corners. But he did anyway, only to repeat the process until he eventually had to do it right, or my mom would get someone else to do it.
I have stories of cut-rate vacations in questionable hotels in otherwise really nice places. He wanted nice. He just didn't want to pay for it. Like really, didn't want to pay for it.
A camper will be a great idea! We'll go camping and see everything easier than if we stayed in hotels! He brings home a potential hunter's special pop up. It was bad. So bad.
We had a nice pop up. A Coleman Columbia? One trip, my mom mentioned she wouldn't mind a bit more room. He sells it, and drags the big, ancient, musty smelling, molded, potential camper's special home. Did I mention it was bad?
Anyway, that is the reasoning behind my weirdness.
Drives my wife insane.
Back to the story.
I google single stack alloy guns. Getting a bit more familiar with a few gun-related terms now. Stumble across the breakdown of S&W model numbers. Really nice chart.
Knowing The 59 was heavy and a bit big for my liking, but the sub compacts just felt too small, I zeroed in on the compacts.
I did know I liked the S&W style of firearm. Decocker/safety, the clip-out interlock, and just the overall design felt pretty good. I also wanted DA/SA. I was pretty set on that.
Lets see. 908, 3913, 3914..... Wait a minute. The guy at the pawn shop had a 39** gun. So, today, I walk back in and talk with him.
"Didn't you have a 39ish model you were trying to show me?"
"Yep. Here it is." Puts it in my hands.
A 3913.
I had just visited another local spot and indoor range. They didn't have any alloy framed offerings, but let me feel out a Glock 19. I really liked the feel. And Polymer is soooo light.
This 3913 felt the exact same. But it was all metal. To top it off, the hammer had been changed to a thumb grippable style (sorry, noob talk).
This is what I liked about the 59 series. That hammer could be pulled back for SA first fire if I so desired.
Here it was. A single stack-Alloy frame-Compact sized-Lightweight as a polymer frame-Smith and Wesson. With the one mod I liked on the 59 series installed. Plus, these things get rave reviews (I already lurked here a lot the last few days). And, It came with an extra clip/magazine (noob talk).
It is now on layaway. Mainly because I didn't want to let it get away. Hope I'm not paying too much. $495+BGC and the small amount of fees. About $515 all said and done.
My self set budget was $500
I feel I have done well.
Gonna have lots of questions in the near future. Hope to fully have it in my hands in a couple of weeks. After that, That shooting range will be my next visit to get some one-on-one instruction on introduction to handguns. Then, permit class. Then want to do both levels of advanced training (more self defense oriented).
So. Howdy!
38 years old. Previously have had no desire to own a handgun as I was very active in self defense in Krav and Jiu Jitsu. Was comfortable enough to deal with a boneheaded thug shoving a gun into me by taking the pistol (or long arm) away. I was actually more afraid of knives. Still am. Deflect the end of a gun 1/2", you live. Deflect the end of a knife, well, you get cut.
Anyway, about 2 years ago, some known health issues started showing up with more severity as I aged. Mainly the scoliosis. I slipped my L4, L5/S1 discs. Healed up, only to slip them yet again about 9 months later. Going regularly for decompression has helped immensely, but I can tell I am no longer able to take my lower back for granted. I simply can't risk being thrown or doing the training I once could.
So, for a little over a year, I've been wrestling with this decision. I am comfortable with guns. Not against them in any way. I just didn't see a reason I needed or might need a handgun. Rifle? Shotgun? Yep. One of each, hanging on the wall. I was raised around them. Taught how to use them by both grandfathers. I use them primarily for predator control since I raise chickens. But, never had a need for that handgun. I have fired them a few times. My younger brother is a gun guy. He takes care of any firearm I need worked on or tweaked save for sighting in, but he often will do that as well. I just have different range requirements than he does. about 15 yards for me, where he likes 100+ because he hunts.
So, here I am. Now, finally at 38, getting a handgun. Yep, old noob here. I know very little other than what I was looking for in a firearm.
I like vintage things. Not super old where I can't use and enjoy them, but vintage as in; still can get replacement parts, and they are more durable and better made than modern offerings.
I wanted a metal gun. All-metal. I was really set on a 6906 after seeing a review of them.
Messaged my brother-"check out the 5906s," he shot back.
Checked them out.
Okay, I really like those!
Go to pawn shop. They didn't have any 5906s in stock, but they had two different 59s. I held them. A bit on the heavy side.
Now, some more about me. I'm tall, but light. 135# and 6'1. Yeah, I have a hard enough time keeping my pants on my hips. That may not be a wise decision.
The guy behind the counter shows me some 39** model 'yada-yada'. I didn't know anything about it, other than I thought it was DAO. I wanted DA/SA. I thanked him and left to think and research more in depth, trying to find the right balance of what I wanted vs what I really needed vs an acceptable weight.
Spoke with another friend who is CC. He mentioned Springfield Arms(?) - probably got that wrong. He showed me. Not a fan of multiple safeties, although he assured me they weren't a big deal. He really wanted me to understand the value of a single stack for concealability. He sold me.
Back to the interwebs for more boring reading and research. I'm so anal about getting the right *'insert what I'm currently working on here'*, that I often spend a whole lot of time reading and researching. Almost to the point of frustration. I'm a once and done kind of guy. I hate shortcuts. I hate having to go back and do what I should have done in the first place, making whatever was cheaped out on right.
Part of that comes from my dad being cheap. Not frugal. Cheap.
Corners would be cut just to save a buck, where he didn't have to cut those corners. But he did anyway, only to repeat the process until he eventually had to do it right, or my mom would get someone else to do it.
I have stories of cut-rate vacations in questionable hotels in otherwise really nice places. He wanted nice. He just didn't want to pay for it. Like really, didn't want to pay for it.
A camper will be a great idea! We'll go camping and see everything easier than if we stayed in hotels! He brings home a potential hunter's special pop up. It was bad. So bad.
We had a nice pop up. A Coleman Columbia? One trip, my mom mentioned she wouldn't mind a bit more room. He sells it, and drags the big, ancient, musty smelling, molded, potential camper's special home. Did I mention it was bad?
Anyway, that is the reasoning behind my weirdness.
Drives my wife insane.
Back to the story.
I google single stack alloy guns. Getting a bit more familiar with a few gun-related terms now. Stumble across the breakdown of S&W model numbers. Really nice chart.
Knowing The 59 was heavy and a bit big for my liking, but the sub compacts just felt too small, I zeroed in on the compacts.
I did know I liked the S&W style of firearm. Decocker/safety, the clip-out interlock, and just the overall design felt pretty good. I also wanted DA/SA. I was pretty set on that.
Lets see. 908, 3913, 3914..... Wait a minute. The guy at the pawn shop had a 39** gun. So, today, I walk back in and talk with him.
"Didn't you have a 39ish model you were trying to show me?"
"Yep. Here it is." Puts it in my hands.
A 3913.
I had just visited another local spot and indoor range. They didn't have any alloy framed offerings, but let me feel out a Glock 19. I really liked the feel. And Polymer is soooo light.
This 3913 felt the exact same. But it was all metal. To top it off, the hammer had been changed to a thumb grippable style (sorry, noob talk).
This is what I liked about the 59 series. That hammer could be pulled back for SA first fire if I so desired.
Here it was. A single stack-Alloy frame-Compact sized-Lightweight as a polymer frame-Smith and Wesson. With the one mod I liked on the 59 series installed. Plus, these things get rave reviews (I already lurked here a lot the last few days). And, It came with an extra clip/magazine (noob talk).
It is now on layaway. Mainly because I didn't want to let it get away. Hope I'm not paying too much. $495+BGC and the small amount of fees. About $515 all said and done.
My self set budget was $500
I feel I have done well.
Gonna have lots of questions in the near future. Hope to fully have it in my hands in a couple of weeks. After that, That shooting range will be my next visit to get some one-on-one instruction on introduction to handguns. Then, permit class. Then want to do both levels of advanced training (more self defense oriented).
So. Howdy!
