All,

Ok, I will place a toe into this sub-forum. Question please: I want to get into target pistol shooting at a local, Houston, TX, USA gun range. Not quite sure how to start? They do rent pistols and have instruction? My background in shooting: raised by WW II generation, VFW small bore target shooting, college Army ROTC shooting team (Olympic style), life long trap and skeet shooter, deer and elk and bird hunter... but it has been a long time.

Always wanted to get into pistol shooting and not deal with the heavy Anschutz target rifles (and damn expensive), or shooting trap. My dad held the expert pistol badge in WW II, and yep his Colt .45 Semi-auto saved his life during the Battle of the Bulge, December, 1944 somewhere near St. Vith, Belgium. He was a phenomenal pistol shot.

I want to try a variety of pistols out before purchase. Not sure on caliber. Self defense does cross my mind, calling for something like a 9MM semi-auto with stopping power. My hands are small, and I am 65 years old, and wear bifocals with excellent corrected vision. Last pistol I owned was a bear defense gun while living in Alaska: sold it when moved away.

Thoughts? Recommendations?
Grazie

More than 50 warnings to the FBI and CIA about Saudi nationals taking flight simulations, and plane flight training on the very planes they flew into the towers. 15 million only spent on the investigation compared to the 60 million on the Clinton blow job, i guess a white wash is cheeper. Then the blame was put onto the wrong country, and they were said to be hoarding WMD. All while the country of origin of the terrorists goes Scott free. You tell me how hard your Gov tried to protect its peoples from this. Then theres the multi billion dollar insurance policies taken out on floor levels and leases of the twin towers by Berstien months before 9/11, then the interview where Bernstein say "pull it" for Trade 7 building, a term used for demolishing buildings. Then finally the new law passed by Bush called the PATRIOT act, passed months after the event, but years in the planning. You tell me how hard your country tried to prevent a terrorist event like 9/11. But the one thing that stood out was when Bush announced when attacking Iraq "this is a crusade" Religion and the protection of oil supplies are they worth more than US lives, I'm asking you.

Wow, just wow.

So it’s everyone’s fault except for the Muslims who did it. Unbelievable.

I can only imagine your response if Christians coldly murdered nearly 3000 people. I bet it would be significantly different.

@lucydad ..



I've been shooting target pistol for +30 years, started out by joining a pistol club, and using their club guns, which were all .22LR's at the time. I used the club S&W Model 41 quite a lot, as I recall.

Starting out with a .22 Auto is the way to go, its cheap to buy even a decent target gun, buy used!, .22s never really wear out, my Walter GSP is +40 years now, and chugged through more than 100000 rounds of Eley Pistol Match. ( 2 x 50 rounds a week on and off since 1989 + competitions) --

A .22 target gun will teach you how to hit with a pistol better than any other way I know of. Start off with two handed single shot aimed target practise, and occasionally test yourself by shooting one-handed, UIT style.
One needs to be a master of controlled trigger pull!! you will NEVER hit anything with a handgun at more than 5 feet distance unless you AIM and SQUEEZE the trigger, without jerking.

As soon as you can put a consistent 5-shot group on target (That is you CAN actually discern a "group" as opposed to scattered holes all over the paper) you can go purchase a larger caliber handgun -- I have shot A LOT of 9mm Para, but I very much like the 45ACP .. and would choose this if I felt the need for a "defensive handgun" -- which fortunately I do not
I shoot "Field target pistol" and Steel Challenge, mostly for the fun, but once took my sport seriously enough to take a National championship gold medal.
--

@DaveNZ: In 2013 I visited your beautiful country, I spent almost a month trekking through Conservation land, with backpack, tent and a long range rifle. Best and most exhausting month I ever spent in my life, in the unbelievable rough and beautiful mountains of the South Island. I arrived in Christchurch, with 2 hunting buddies, and I can honestly say I have never felt more welcome, bearing arms, anywhere else! .. I really only met friendly Kiwi's, openminded and helpful.. But! .. there IS a "but" --



I have friends and family who had their eyes set on NZ, they wanted to go there to work and live, to contribute to what they saw as a fantastic place to live. They never got to fullfill that dream.. You can not just move to NZ, unless you are exceedingly wealthy, NZ does not "welcome" any poor immigrant .. the people I know could not come up with the sum of money required to settle in your country ..

NZ has taken only a fraction of a percent of the asylum seeking refugees that my country has, even though we have roughly the same population ... How it compares to the US I have no idea, but not favorably I guess..

You simply do not have the problems that other countries have with Immigrants or refugees from muslim parts of the world, the ones you have are rich, moderate, non-fanatical muslims, not the hate-filled, radicalized, racist, bigoted religoius fanatics that have been allowed to enter many countries in Europe.
Unfortunately the irrational hate and rage of the "right wing, racist bigots" have only been fuelled by the religious fanatics we also have here...



To put it short: NZ just had a wake-up call of the BAD kind -- to the changing geo-political situation that is happening al over the globe. - For a place like NZ, that must have hurt!



Mr. Trump tries to sort his rather large and extremely diverse nation, by treating an enormously complex society like his multinational corporations, focusing exclusively on Economy, and on trying to make sure that "his business" does not go bankrupt, or god forbid it: descends into "Socialism" -- I can not for the life of me comprehend the level of idiocy/ignorance that the american right wing seems to display about a political ideology, that in my version, is simply a way to make sure that rampant corporate greed is not allowed to create a devastating inequality in a society that actually needs ALL its citizens to function and thrive.. The "anti-Socialists" and most of the right wing seems to have forgotten this (or just never understood it) -- The grotesque wealth of some of the worlds "industrialists" and "businessmen" did not come out of nothing, it comes from a lot of people never having had "a small loan of a million dollars" to start them off on a business venture..



Oh.. and before people go on about "free cheese in mousetraps" that has to be the most idiotic "put-down" on Socialism I ever saw... Clearly the dork who wrote that drivel, hasn't got the slightest clue about what "Socialism" is or can be.. even Joseph "clubfoot" Goebbels wrote better and funnier propaganda than that---


And just before I let you right-wingers off the hook ... I'm NOT a socialist .. I'm NOT anti-gun, I simply believe that to be a part of a society, you have OBLIGATIONS (that you should NOT be alloed to pay your way out of!!) and you have RIGHTS, that your society should make sure to uphold, and naturally those of us who do make good money, do so because our society MAKES THAT POSSIBLE for us! To that effect I pay my rather substantial taxes with a big smile -- even knowing that some of this money is spent on "Social" undertakings that do not DIRECTLY benefit me.. or my family or friends .. They benefit my Society .. Even on things I do not personally believe is a good idea at all.. like sending MORE soldiers to Afghanistan pr. Capita than the US, and having just as many killed (Per capita) in a war that the US leaders thought was "a good idea at the time"

DK,

Much thanks, your comments are extremely helpful! Seems here in big brawling TEXAS the calibre of choice is 9 mm. Unsure why. Buy used makes a lot of sense, and semi-auto. Great advice on trigger pull and grouping. There was a time I was an expert rifle/shotgun shooter, but decades ago. The sport intrigues me, but this time with a pistol. Summer heat means indoor.

Hello DK Dravis, good read you posted. Since your trip here we have had a change of government. The Gov when you were here was our form of right wing, and their policy was to let new immigrants it that had 2million to invest or more. Its a right Gov ensuring they let in voters that may support them, its changed quite a bit since our new leader has been in, its more based on qualifications, as we need doctors teachers and trades people. Glad you had a great time here, we are one lucky country, and try hard to keep it green clean and safe, oh and some great hunting here. Ive met many America motorcyclists here, and had a lot come and stay, all have been great people, i have a great respect for Americans that have a worldly view and enjoy travelling our country. Its a shame your friends and family couldn't emigrate here, but you must realise hundreds of thousands apply to move here, i remember after 9/11 tens of thousands of Americans wanted to immigrate here, and also after Trump was elected many more 1000s wanted to move here. I think we now have a points system, and depending on your job/qualifications points are awarded. I would have gotten back and replied sooner today but i was busy.

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lucydad;
Learn to shoot target with a .22LR pistol like DKDravis said
If you want a reliable US made pistol Hi Standard is the one, through Model 104 they have a slanted grip
Afterthat the grip angle is like a 1911.....the top of the line is a 10X......I'm looking for one
9mm target pistols not many choices.....SIG P-210 and Pardini GT9 both over $3,000 and the SIG will be used
.22 target pistols I prefer the older European ones......less plastic and some are deals
Hammerli 208S, a classic but not cheap had a 215 rapid fire pistol but I sold it......quality .22 shorts are a pain and expensive
Unique DES 69UIT, absolutely love it never a misfeed in 30 years, everything is adjustable with click detent screws
wait for the picture of how you clean it......push the takedown lever up and lift the slide
Walther OSP/GSP mine is in .22 Short, .22 LR and .32 S&W long, drop in trigger groups but they're not rebuildable
recoil springs are junk need stretching every 1,000 rounds or so, when it starts misfeeding
The Hi Standard is a GO, 1st American rapid fire pistol, I added a 4" and 6 3/4" .22 LR barrels and a GD steel slide

If you get a real .22 target pistol, shoot CCI Standard Velocity in it......high velocity beats the shit out of them.....
The CCI groups <3\16" at 50 yards in my Anschutz 54 Super Match......and it's so worn cartridges rattle in the chamber
I'll PM you the Forum member's number that sells it by the case
Buy your accessories from Champions Choice.....some good old guys
There's a French guy on eBay that has deals on shooting glasses etc

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I think they did murder many tens of thousands of Muslims etc during the Crusades. Please explain to me why Bush attacked Iraq after 9/11 when 18 of the 19 terrorists were from Saudi Arabia. Just may be its because the Bush family have ties and business with the Saudi royals. Just may be. Money/Religion/oil and power, and power corrupts.