First time "using" my CCW Permit :(

[Monty22 833]

The recoil on .40 pistols tends to be a bit more "snappy" than other claibers. For general plinking, 9mm will be much smoother and more cost effective.

[reyno2ac 0]

I just picked up my first gun yesterday. I ended up with a Smith and Wesson Sigma 9mm. I was just looking for something to take to the range and use up north. I should be headed out to the range for the first time with it tomorrow.

[Rustpot 1]

I just picked up my first gun yesterday. I ended up with a Smith and Wesson Sigma 9mm. I was just looking for something to take to the range and use up north. I should be headed out to the range for the first time with it tomorrow.

I love how streamlined the Michigan pistol purchase process has become. Used to need a test and a safety inspection of the firearm back at the police station.

[reyno2ac 0]

I just picked up my first gun yesterday. I ended up with a Smith and Wesson Sigma 9mm. I was just looking for something to take to the range and use up north. I should be headed out to the range for the first time with it tomorrow.

I love how streamlined the Michigan pistol purchase process has become. Used to need a test and a safety inspection of the firearm back at the police station.

There is still a 15 question T/F test, but a newborn could pass it.

[Rustpot 1]

I just picked up my first gun yesterday. I ended up with a Smith and Wesson Sigma 9mm. I was just looking for something to take to the range and use up north. I should be headed out to the range for the first time with it tomorrow.

I love how streamlined the Michigan pistol purchase process has become. Used to need a test and a safety inspection of the firearm back at the police station.

There is still a 15 question T/F test, but a newborn could pass it.

I think you can still get 2 wrong or something stupid, too.

"Always treat a gun like it is loaded" ...true

"Never shoot randomly at police officers" ....true

"It is a good idea to point a loaded gun at people and yell *BANG*" ......false?

The system they had in place before required 3 trips to the police station, and a more elaborate paperwork procedure with several forms, I think. 2 weeks ago I sat on a bench for a while, told them I was indeed NOT a fugitive from justice, wnet and bought my gun, brought the 2 bottom cards back, went to the range and killed some paper. Well, there were 3 forms at the gun store to fill out, that took for ass ever and the clerk wouldn't let me hold her until we were done.

[CapsFan 5]

Picked up my XDm 9mm Wednesday. Going to shoot tomorrow. My wife shot one of the range's employee's XDm last Saturday. It was the first time handling any gun and she put 25 of 26 rounds through the bulls-eye.

[Warriorsdman 1]

Picked up my XDm 9mm Wednesday. Going to shoot tomorrow. My wife shot one of the range's employee's XDm last Saturday. It was the first time handling any gun and she put 25 of 26 rounds through the bulls-eye.

Had to read that twice, at first I thought you said she shot a range employee

[CapsFan 5]

Picked up my XDm 9mm Wednesday. Going to shoot tomorrow. My wife shot one of the range's employee's XDm last Saturday. It was the first time handling any gun and she put 25 of 26 rounds through the bulls-eye.

Had to read that twice, at first I thought you said she shot a range employee

Ha ha, no. She shot his gun. Shooting him would have been really, really bad.

[reyno2ac 0]

Picked up my XDm 9mm Wednesday. Going to shoot tomorrow. My wife shot one of the range's employee's XDm last Saturday. It was the first time handling any gun and she put 25 of 26 rounds through the bulls-eye.

Had to read that twice, at first I thought you said she shot a range employee

LOL, I read it the same way.

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

Why is it that every time I see this thread updated my first thought is that a MSHer popped a cap in someone's ass?

[adam14 182]

because you know that one of the replies will eventually say that?

:lol:

[mrusse01 0]

Picked up my XDm 9mm Wednesday. Going to shoot tomorrow. My wife shot one of the range's employee's XDm last Saturday. It was the first time handling any gun and she put 25 of 26 rounds through the bulls-eye.

Holy shit, through the BULLSEYE? How far back was she standing? The only time I went, the 'bullseye' on our target was maybe a 2 inch diameter circle, and my buddy and I put 1/50 shots in there from 25 feet. We must have a different definition of bullseye, or else I would be a little wary of your wife's claims that she never shot before...maybe a secret agent of some kind, haha.

[CapsFan 5]

I guess I didn't remember correctly. 5 yards,25 of 26 rounds in the bulls-eye or 10 ring with one in the 9 ring. Still impressive.

[Rustpot 1]

That's a big target. I usually shoot 10 meters at a target that's probably 3 rounds wide for the 10 ring. I don't do nearly as well as I'm looking to empty my mags more quickly and I usually keep 75% or so 8 or tighter.

Some people shoot great right off the bat. It's just a matter of aligning the sights and keeping steady for targets, I like to challenge myself and put fast acquisition and stay-on-target ability into the mix.

[mrusse01 0]

Yeah, that's still killer...your wife is certainly a better shot than I am.

I'm itching to get out and try it again, but the hoops you have to jump through here in Canada to get out on a handgun range are pretty ridiculous. Next time I'm down South I'm going again for sure though.

[ISTOUT 0]

Spree I am glad to hear that you are alright and that the engagement worked out in your favor! Also props to you for not being the “overzealous” CCW guy who just instantly draws his gun to solve any potential hostile situation.. You showed restraint and professionalism and used the proper amount of force necessary in the escalation of force matrix to deal with the situation you had at hand! My only suggestion would have been a follow up call to the local PD to report the activity of the “turds” as well as to report how you dealt with the situation just so it was recorded and on record to potentially save your ass later on.. But again job well done and my hats off to you!

In carrying and using forearms professionally for a few years now I am a very firm believer in training how you will fight as it will save your life... Standing on the range and shooting paper with perfect conditions and slow well aimed shots is NOT realistic training for combat style shooting IMHO.

Most gun fights end up being conducted down and dirty and at very close range so in my opinion this is how training to fight should be conducted. In my personal training I work on the basics constantly with drawing the gun from the holster when it’s concealed as I am forced to move my clothing etc to get at the gun, proper presentation of the gun, proper grip( I use the 60/40 rule 60% with my strong side and 40% in my support hand with my thumps in the proper position), front sight picture, trigger control, trigger prep for the follow on shot, recoil management, magazine changes, “weak side” shooting, low light engagements, target discernment etc.

Also another thing that I feel to be very important in training is to maintain my post engagement situational awareness as just because I engage one person it doesn’t mean that all of the threats are neutralized. Proper follow threw after a shooting and conducting a good secondary scan of your area as well as “getting off the X” moving quickly and changing your current position to a tactically better one is very important and are life saving habits. This habit may save your life as in the case of Spree if that situation would have gone bad and if he had engaged one of the guys with a shooting solution there were other potentional threats around and if he were to get what we call "brain lock" and just focus on the one guy he just engaged and hopefully dumped and not focus and remember the other threats in his area and the big picture this would give the other bad guys an opportunity to potentially maneuver into a more advantages position to do bad things and hurt him thus the use of the secondary scan.

Also another point to remember in training for the fight is that when you shoot one time and make one hit it doesn’t mean that the fight is over! That only works on paper targets that don’t move and that don’t fight back.. In a real fight you shoot until your target is no longer a threat so practicing follow throuh with quick accurate follow on shots is very important… In training I see lots of new guys shoot one time and just quit with no trigger prep, no follow through no secondary scan as they think that the fight is now over and this a very bad habit and not at all realistic as most time one shot is not enough and there is again the potentional for more than one threat to be involved. This habit IMHO is created and reinforced by people just target shooting paper alone with a marksmansip only type mentality but who think they are training for the fight.

Also another training point that I have learned is that when you become involved in a shooting you WILL be under a great deal of duress so you need to see how you can add and simulate duress and stress to your training. One thing that we do to achieve this is to add a IPSC/ IDPA type timer to our training as I find a timer is a great way to simulate and induce stress as people just really geek out when you break out the old timer.

In regards to weapon and equipment choices get things that you like and that work and fit you... Holsters and a pouch to hold an extra magazine are very important and should be quality and work well! Dont skimp on your holster and equipment as IMHO they are just as important as the gun itself! To many people blow all their money on the gun and get crap when it comes to the holster and totally blow off the idea of carrying an extra mag. Another consideration which I advocate strongly is the purchase of a dedicated weapon mounted light. Having a dedicated light on the gun in a low light scenario can be the difference between life and death and in some cases even end the scenario without having to fire a shot.

Gun wise personally I find myself carrying a Glock 17 as that is what I use at work and it works for me. One of the things I like about the Glock is that it’s a very simple gun to use.. It’s like a camera you point and shoot there are no decockers or other external moving parts…This to me is a important as I like to keep it simple and as I said earlier when involved in a shooting situation you are under duress and for me fine motor skills and functions go right out the window so I want simple and I don’t want to have to mess with cocking hammers, different weight trigger pulls, decockers etc. I want to simply draw the gun, point it and shoot quickly, consistently and accurately. Glocks IMHO are great as they are a closed system as none of the firing components are exposed so they require very little maintenance to keep running as the one I used on my last deployment stayed dirty and took a beating but it worked every time I squeezed one off.

In closing I am again glad for Spree that you came out of this ok physically, emotionally and financially and I hope that you guys on here that do carry and shoot continue to practice, train and push yourselves hard just the same as you would do in your hockey game as in this game it’s “big boys rules” and it’s your life that’s at stake…

[Goalieboy#1 1]

^ longest post of the year? :P

[Fire0nIce228 1]

Holy Moly :)

[Eddie20 0]

Having lived in a state that was fighting for CCW, I've heard enough arguements against it. You never hear of stories like spree's, which are far more common than one might believe. It seems pretty obvious that his CCW proved its worth here. And from the sounds of things, spree handled everything very well. I'm glad there are folks like him carrying. It shows that everyone out there with a CCW isn't just some crazy gun nut.

[ISTOUT 0]

^ longest post of the year? :P

Sorry about that guess it was kinda long :) Its just the topic being discussed is one that I feel very strongly about as your training in this arena can be the difference between life and death..

[lotus 2]

Recent happenings around the area here make me think more and more about wanting a Gun in the future...

Across the street from my school last night there was a driveby shooting, a teammates house down the road was broken into on the same night and cleaned out. And just a few hours ago some kids were held up in their residence halls at gunpoint.

Lovely little school I take $50k in loans a year to go to.

[Ital79 0]

Recent happenings around the area here make me think more and more about wanting a Gun in the future...

Across the street from my school last night there was a driveby shooting, a teammates house down the road was broken into on the same night and cleaned out. And just a few hours ago some kids were held up in their residence halls at gunpoint.

Lovely little school I take $50k in loans a year to go to.

Ask yourself this; do you want to be a victim or a criminal? The old adage 'better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6' should apply. Remember, you and your loved ones have a right to life. Unfortunately, politicians glance over this in order to get a few more votes.

College campuses are not always a safe environment. Liberal policies and aggressive social engineering have turned many schools in Illinois & elsewhere into a gang infested shit holes where walking home from the library is not a task for the meek. The university I was a researcher at used to be a nice place in the late 90's and now is ghetto. I lived 1 mile off-campus and was robbed once, next-door neighbor was mugged at gunpoint, shootings happened frequently, and the police blotter in the newspaper was full of gang-banger activities that happened the night before.

Cops? They're more worried about speeding & DUIs. Frequent 911 calls to report gunfire & fighting would result in a police officer arriving 10 minutes later....I can ride my bike to the police station in under 5.

So what did I do to prevent thugs from ending my life or beating me senseless b/c I don't have the same skin pigment as them? Easy; I bought a Heckler & Koch .45 USP Compact Tactical (very cool threaded barrel!!!)

Other colleagues of mine also shared the same scenarios at other Universities throughout Illinois. Once a nice place - now full of crime. While that may not comfort you, just know that transferring schools is not the answer. Take summer classes & 15hrs a semester so you can get the hell out of there as soon as possible.

I doubt New York is gun friendly and I know your school is not...but that hasn't stopped the crime now has it? If you buy a gun, pray you never have to use it. Don't show it off, don't tell your g/f you have one (huge No-No...crazy bitches will narc you in a heartbeat), and don't take any risks you would not take if you didn't have a gun. You are not invincible b/c you have a gun...so don't act like it.

Keep a low profile, don't respond to thugs, and if you can run to avoid a confrontation - do so. This was my mantra even though I had a hand-cannon on me at all times. Was it illegal to carry? Oh, you betcha! But if some nut ran into a room I was lecturing with a gun -or- if someone thought they could use my wallet more than I...well...they'd have another thing coming. When the shit hits the fan, you're all alone - police didn't help anyone at Virgina Tech or Northern Illinois. Know what would have? A student or teacher carrying a weapon. They would have been in violation of the law, but lives could have been saved.

Ultimately, the decision is up to you. You're an adult & you are responsible for your own life & safety...not the police. If you'd like to press your luck and not be able to defend you life - that's your call. If you would like to be able to defend your life at the expense of breaking an unconstitutional law - that's your decision.

If you go with the latter...I highly recommend HK products. My .45s shoot so soft & feel so natural that the paper plates & pizza boxes I hunt have no chance :)

[lotus 2]

Yeah my GF would freak...I've fired guns before, I have a respect for them and know how to not be a general idiot about it. However, this campus really isn't the safest around, good school....bad area. I don't bring my car here, I share my girlfriends...turned out to be a good idea. Three weeks in she had a brick through the window and a bunch of shit stolen. Including the POS radio. I've seen people breaking into cars and trying to break into dorm rooms. (The kids held up at gun point a few days ago was from a drug deal...4 kids in a suite told a dealer to come sell them drugs there, THEY held him up, and then duct taped and tied him up, and then they held up the RA who came to check out all the noise.)

If someone ever tried to break into my room while I was in it, I'd have to hack them to death with my Super Tough Synergy. Or stab them, but I'd probably cut up myself in the process :P

[gxc999 7]

Recent happenings around the area here make me think more and more about wanting a Gun in the future...

Across the street from my school last night there was a driveby shooting, a teammates house down the road was broken into on the same night and cleaned out. And just a few hours ago some kids were held up in their residence halls at gunpoint.

Lovely little school I take $50k in loans a year to go to.

Ask yourself this; do you want to be a victim or a criminal? The old adage 'better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6' should apply. Remember, you and your loved ones have a right to life. Unfortunately, politicians glance over this in order to get a few more votes.

College campuses are not always a safe environment. Liberal policies and aggressive social engineering have turned many schools in Illinois & elsewhere into a gang infested shit holes where walking home from the library is not a task for the meek. The university I was a researcher at used to be a nice place in the late 90's and now is ghetto. I lived 1 mile off-campus and was robbed once, next-door neighbor was mugged at gunpoint, shootings happened frequently, and the police blotter in the newspaper was full of gang-banger activities that happened the night before.

Cops? They're more worried about speeding & DUIs. Frequent 911 calls to report gunfire & fighting would result in a police officer arriving 10 minutes later....I can ride my bike to the police station in under 5.

So what did I do to prevent thugs from ending my life or beating me senseless b/c I don't have the same skin pigment as them? Easy; I bought a Heckler & Koch .45 USP Compact Tactical (very cool threaded barrel!!!)

Other colleagues of mine also shared the same scenarios at other Universities throughout Illinois. Once a nice place - now full of crime. While that may not comfort you, just know that transferring schools is not the answer. Take summer classes & 15hrs a semester so you can get the hell out of there as soon as possible.

I doubt New York is gun friendly and I know your school is not...but that hasn't stopped the crime now has it? If you buy a gun, pray you never have to use it. Don't show it off, don't tell your g/f you have one (huge No-No...crazy bitches will narc you in a heartbeat), and don't take any risks you would not take if you didn't have a gun. You are not invincible b/c you have a gun...so don't act like it.

Keep a low profile, don't respond to thugs, and if you can run to avoid a confrontation - do so. This was my mantra even though I had a hand-cannon on me at all times. Was it illegal to carry? Oh, you betcha! But if some nut ran into a room I was lecturing with a gun -or- if someone thought they could use my wallet more than I...well...they'd have another thing coming. When the shit hits the fan, you're all alone - police didn't help anyone at Virgina Tech or Northern Illinois. Know what would have? A student or teacher carrying a weapon. They would have been in violation of the law, but lives could have been saved.

Ultimately, the decision is up to you. You're an adult & you are responsible for your own life & safety...not the police. If you'd like to press your luck and not be able to defend you life - that's your call. If you would like to be able to defend your life at the expense of breaking an unconstitutional law - that's your decision.

If you go with the latter...I highly recommend HK products. My .45s shoot so soft & feel so natural that the paper plates & pizza boxes I hunt have no chance :)

+1 for an excellent, excellent post. Guns don't hurt people, idiots hurt people and if you aren't an idiot, you're probably better off having one and knowing how to use it than counting on some cop who's asleep in his car instead of responding to your pleas for help.

[lotus 2]

actually, Ital, your idea that depending upon police is a no no is actually a very very good point. It reminds me of all the times where there will be 6-8 cops at some bullshit that only one cop is needed for. Don't get me wrong, I have a ton of respect for (most) cops, but all too often have I seen how long it can take for police to arrive somewhere. The only reason I personally hesitate about owning a gun is that I know, firsthand, that if I am in an altercation, I view it as your life versus mine. I don't think I'd be trigger happy, but if someone came at me with a knife, I'd fire away. If someone came at me with their hands, I would show them my gun, and if they did anything but walk away, I wouldn't hesitate there either. I don't know, maybe that is trigger happy. I guess I've always been pretty good at running :P