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gmanbat

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Greetings to all!
I am 63, semi-retired and soon moving to Dade City, Florida. I live with my wife, daughter, and 2 granddaughters.

After a great deal of weighing out philosophies and priorities I purchased a S&W 38 Special 642.2 the other day at Bass Pro Shop. I have never owned a gun of any kind but feel compelled now to be in a position to effectively defend my family and to provide them the ability to defend themselves. It took a lot of self searching and prayer to conclude that I would use the weapon if I had to and justifiably so.
My problem is that I am a blank page. I have a great deal to learn. I was happy to find this forum and the mother load of experience and savvy represented here.
I was fortunate to be serviced at Bass Pro by a wonderful retired policeman who happily gave me a valuable education about self defense as well as about guns. I settled on the 38 Special because my wife had trouble with the Glocks we tried out. She couldn't pull the slide back. I think the 38 is a good first gun. I have been looking at the Glock 19.
I will no doubt be buying at least 2 more guns, my wife, grown daughter, and I need our own. We will be enrolling in classes in Florida for concealed carry licenses. We all need much education and time at the range.
Any steering you can give me especially about gun choice and where to go for education would be very appreciated! :)
 
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Welcome aboard gmanbat from the great state of Pennsylvania! You might jump over to Find NRA activities near you and enter your City and State for activities (training, etc.) close by...
 
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Welcome to the forum from Oklahoma! The 642 should serve you well and is a good choice for self defense. You may well find that you truly enjoy the sport of shooting.
 
Hello gmanbat & welcome aboard, in more ways than one eh? ;)

Any questions that you may have, just find the sub-forum from the main forum menu
that best suits your needs and ask there. I'm sure someone will give you good advice.

Nice intro!! :)
 
You have found the right pale to get your questions answered. Very knowledgeable folks here and they are always ready to help. NRA classes in your area are a great place to start.

By the way, welcome to the ante from Wisconsin!
 
Thanks for the warm greetings, folks!

I am now looking in to buying some cheap but safe ammo in bulk to fire through my 38 spec. for our learning/break-in period. I only have 75rounds at this point: 50 fmj's and 25 Harnady Criticals. Any suggestions?
 
Welcome from GA. Go back to Bass Pro and get some winchester white box .38sp. to practice with.
 
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Welcome from a fellow Buckeye. Where to start?

Gun safety. Gun ownership entails responsibility more than anything.
 
Just got back from the range with my wife, daughter, and 14 year old granddaughter. We rented another SW 38 SPL to go with the one I just bought and spread out to two booths. We had a great time. None of us were accurate, many more rounds and maybe some instruction needs to happen before we cause much fear in the targets.
I was starting to improve by the end of the half-hour, however. It seems I did better with the Harnady Critical Defense but it could be because I just got used to it.
I tried one hand shooting standing sideways and seemed to do better that way. I think I just relaxed more.
My granddaughter forgot to put her contacts in so hitting the target at all was good for her.
We will most definitely be back.
 
Welcome from Texas gmanbat. Great forum for all things S&W, have fun, learn lots, share what you know.
 
Just got back from the range with my wife, daughter, and 14 year old granddaughter. We rented another SW 38 SPL to go with the one I just bought and spread out to two booths. We had a great time. None of us were accurate, many more rounds and maybe some instruction needs to happen before we cause much fear in the targets.
I was starting to improve by the end of the half-hour, however. It seems I did better with the Harnady Critical Defense but it could be because I just got used to it.
I tried one hand shooting standing sideways and seemed to do better that way. I think I just relaxed more.
My granddaughter forgot to put her contacts in so hitting the target at all was good for her.
We will most definitely be back.

Instruction is a VERY good idea, then practice, practice, practice.
 

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