New to guns and forum.

[vip718]

I been checking this forum for the past month and actually got alot out of it so i figured i'de sign up and join the discussions. I Just picked up an SD40 VE. I have not shot it yet hopefully sometime this week I will. I want to pick up some jhp for self defense, is it true you cant shoot them at an indoor range ? Im in the Orlando area of Florida. I want to buy a decent cleaning kit, are "bore snakes" the best route for cleaning the barrel ?

Any and all advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[BBed54]

Welcome and I am also new to this forum since I only resently purchased an SD 40 also. As far as I know you can shoot almost any kind of 40 at a range. Just think any kind of 40 round is not going to be worse then a 44 and you can shoot that in the same lane. Best is to call and ask if there is any limit on what kind of ammo you can bring. Just beware of a FTF (failure to feed) issue that you will have with a cheap ammo, specificly PMC. You will find many threads from SD owners that have issues with that ammo. Stick with winchester, federal and/or remington and you will be fine. There's a fix for the FTF but you have to send your gun back to S&W and they will correct it.
As for cleaning I own several different handguns and rifles. What I did is purchase a good universal rifle kit. The cleaning rod comes in sections and you can just add one section for a pistol. And by doing this I can also clean my rifles so it works for me. The kit will come with lube and a oil/cleaner. You should also get some cleaning pads. What you then can do is purchase a "mop" and "brush" for your specific calibers. They run around $2 to $3 each. I would also grab a can of blast off (a cleaner in a can that looks like a WD40 can). You can use this to spray down your whole gun and down the barrel and wipe. I also stock some Q tips for getting in the small spots. If you do it this way you can have a universal cleaning kit for around $30 and just need to add $4 each time you add a new caliber. As for the barrel snakes I only use one for my shotgun since it has a 28" barrel. I just buy mops and brushes for anything else. This is my suggestion.

 

[gboling]

Welcome again.

I have shot at ranges that permit only full metal jacket ammo as they reduce or eliminate lead dust and contamination. I have also shot at a range that permitted only lead or copper plated ammo. This range was of an older design and the assumption was that jacketed ammo would damage the concrete butts. This range also had a strong exhaust fan to remove lead dust.

You will have to check with each range you shoot on. If you have the wrong ammo the range will sell ammo. I have found that most ranges sell reloads that are less expensive than your factory loads. I have never had problems with reloads but I have no SD or Sigma. My semi autos are 3rd generation.

 

[doublestack]

Welcome aboard... I'm a new 40 owner and still new to this forum myself. There is a good bit of info on here. It's a helpful place.

 

[Zjnovak]

My range will allow them, but some will not. I would use cheap full metal jacket for breaking it in. Then use your hollow points after the break in, so that way you are not wasting them. As for what kind of hollow points to buy, I would go with Winchester PDX1 +P or Federal HST.

 

[J Rich]

I been checking this forum for the past month and actually got alot out of it so i figured i'de sign up and join the discussions. I Just picked up an SD40 VE. I have not shot it yet hopefully sometime this week I will. I want to pick up some jhp for self defense, is it true you cant shoot them at an indoor range ? Im in the Orlando area of Florida. I want to buy a decent cleaning kit, are "bore snakes" the best route for cleaning the barrel ?

Any and all advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

There is nothing wrong with a bore snake although there is more to clean than the bore. Give it a cleaning before you take it out for the first time. Get all that factory crud out. CLP Breakfree is a good cleaner/oiler.

 

[BBauer927]

Welcome aboard. Hope you enjoy your new SD40. It is a great gun i own the 40 as well. Aside from some FTf issues with certain low recoil ammo (such as PMC bronze) then It is a great feeling and shooting gun for the price. Good news is in SD situation you should be using a hotter load which are not likely to have the same ftf issues as the range/target ammo. Some owners have been able to eat any ammo flawlessly so don't expect to have any issues right away. But they did have a decent amount of guns manufactured with the feed chamber a little tight. If you have issues it can be fixed by good cleaning, lubing, and breaking in(shooting a few hundred rounds). Mine shoots a ton better after putting 300 through it. And if it is still catching a little S&W has one of the best warranty departments and will send it back to you smooth as butter.

Happy safe shooting and check back in with a range report after you take it out!

 

[vip718]

Thanks for all the feedback, it is greatly appreciated. I will update after I put some rounds through it.