We're hooked....

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USA SHARK

New member
I'm new to the forum and in owning a handgun. I Have always owned a rifle and shotgun, but never took the leap into handguns. Until now....

2 months ago I bought my first pistol. Not knowing much about handguns, I went with what seemed to fit me best and had a good reputation, although certainly not the top of the line, it is a Ruger SR40. In fact, some of my friends looked down upon it as not being a very respected gun. But I will tell you it is very accurate! My very first shot was a bullseye at 7yds. The rest of the clip was within 4 inches. Not sure if it was me or the gun, but I will give the gun some credit.

My wife seemed very interested too, so I thought maybe it would be something we could do together. We went to the range a couple of times and let her shoot the .40 as well as renting several 9mm's. In the end, she really like the Springfield XDm. It was the compact 3.8", which wasn't extremely accurate for her, but she liked the feel. She actually did better with the .40, but didn't like the recoil. We had some time to kill so we stopped by our LGS and next thing you know she is now the proud owner of a new SA XDm 9mm with the 4.5" barrel. Can't pick it up for 3 days, but looking forward to getting it to the range! She already is looking at accessories and wants to add some color to the grip. Any ideas on where she can find pink grips? :eek:

But what I have quickly learned is that the guns are the smallest cost of ownership. We go back and forth on whether to spend $450, $600 or more on the guns, only to turn around and spend $300 on the ammo. Add in the $30 for the range fees each time, the cost of the targets, and next thing you know you've spent much more than the cost of the gun on all of the supplies needed to enjoy it!

Oh well, I know have one more thing to do with the wife, and there is also some peace in knowing she is learning how to handle and use handguns for protection (I travel a lot), while also being safe.

We're hooked..... :D
 
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arizona98tj

New member
Congrats on your new XDm. I have several from the XD line and enjoy all of them.

Check around and see if you can find a better deal for range time....you may find some places offer a membership for a better price. I typically shoot at an outdoor range. Fees there are $50 a year or $75 for a family. That's a significant difference from what you are paying.
 
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USA SHARK

New member
Thanks Arizona. I agree on the range fees. They are less if I am a member, but it's $350 a year for each of us to be members. Kind of pricey. I will have to look around.
 
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USA SHARK

New member
Thanks! They didn't have pink for the XDm, but they did have red, and she thought that would be cool too. I ordered them! We'll see how they look. :D
 
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Fishbed77

New member
I went with what seemed to fit me best and had a good reputation, although certainly not the top of the line, it is a Ruger SR40. In fact, some of my friends looked down upon it as not being a very respected gun.
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Your "friends" have no idea what they are taking about. The Ruger SR9/SR40 is a fine pistol indeed.
 
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LockedBreech

New member
Your "friends" have no idea what they are taking about. The Ruger SR9/SR40 is a fine pistol indeed.
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Seconded. The SR-series is a robust, quality, reliable pistol and Ruger stands behind everything they sell. I steered my friend to an SR9 for his first pistol and it ate the first 500 flawlessly, including a test box of his Winchester 147-grain RA9T carry ammo. It sits in his bedroom in a GunVault and he trusts his family to it. I have no regrets about my recommendation.
 
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Fishbed77

New member
Seconded. The SR-series is a robust, quality, reliable pistol and Ruger stands behind everything they sell. I steered my friend to an SR9 for his first pistol and it ate the first 500 flawlessly, including a test box of his Winchester 147-grain RA9T carry ammo. It sits in his bedroom in a GunVault and he trusts his family to it. I have no regrets about my recommendation.
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Likewise, my brother owns a full-size SR9. It has been 100% reliable, is quite accurate, has a pretty decent trigger for a Glock-style action, and has pretty good ergos to boot. He loves it. The fit & finish is not to the level of a Walther or H&K, but the SR-series pistols are every bit as good as a Glock or M&P when it comes to quality, durability, or reliability (maybe better, when you consider the problems with Gen 4 Glocks).

The only thing you can really fault about the pistol are some of its "saftey" features that everyone might not be fond of - the magazine disconnect, massive LCI, and thumb safety. But those are just items of personal preference.
 
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AndyWest

New member
Sounds to me like you and your love did exactly the right thing when choosing pistols: what feels best in your hand. Ruger and SA are both excellent choices. You won't regret either!
 
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jimbob86

Moderator
But what I have quickly learned is that the guns are the smallest cost of ownership. We go back and forth on whether to spend $450, $600 or more on the guns, only to turn around and spend $300 on the ammo. Add in the $30 for the range fees each time, the cost of the targets, and next thing you know you've spent much more than the cost of the gun on all of the supplies needed to enjoy it!
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You catch on quickly, Grasshoppah!

The answer, of course, is to handload.

A Lee handpress kit, priming tool and carbide die set cost less than 100 bucks, will fit in a shoe box, and cut your ammo costs in half.

My brother loaded several thousnand rounds of 9mm practice ammo the first year he had his sR9c on a hand press kit...... now he has a bench and loads for his rifles, too.......

You will not save any money doing this, but you will shoot a whole lot more ...... probably get a gun club membership .... buy more guns, take up competition shooting of one flavor or another ..... for the same money you spent on factory ammo.
 
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LockedBreech

New member
Fishbed77 said:
Likewise, my brother owns a full-size SR9. It has been 100% reliable, is quite accurate, has a pretty decent trigger for a Glock-style action, and has pretty good ergos to boot. He loves it. The fit & finish is not to the level of a Walther or H&K, but the SR-series pistols are every bit as good as a Glock or M&P when it comes to quality, durability, or reliability (maybe better, when you consider the problems with Gen 4 Glocks).

The only thing you can really fault about the pistol are some of its "saftey" features that everyone might not be fond of - the magazine disconnect, massive LCI, and thumb safety. But those are just items of personal preference.
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Yeah, I wish Ruger made the safety features optional like on Smith's M&P. But we read a case in law school where Ruger lost a huge lawsuit because some moron shot himself, so I understand their position.
 
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tahunua001

New member
you sure are correct about the actual costs of firearm ownership. you can spend 1000 dollars on a 9mm and 500 on 45 cal but after a couple years the 9mm still comes out to be the cheaper option in the long run.

as for grips you can't change them on most polymer framed handguns with the XDM included however there are non skid patches(adhesive backed sand paper) that is designed to fit inside the ridges of the XDMs grips that I believe may come in hot pink. other options are Cerakoting which is a ceramic based paint that is baked onto your gun at low temperatures and from what I've found is pretty durable. you can also try camo dipping from places such as this where you can actually have patterns like pink camouflage but from what I understand wears off over time. it all depends on your budget and which one she likes the best.
 
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DASHZNT

Moderator
You did just fine... my philosophy is simply put, if it goes bang, it doesnt matter the brand or what you paid for it. Most all modern guns are accurate, some more than others but there are upgrades you can do to them to increase performance. Bottom line is if you like it and it makes you happy it doesnt matter what they think!

Furthermore, i would recommend learning to reload. You can create your own ammunition for a fraction of commercial ammo and way better quality which in turn give you mkre trigger tims for less money spent and that 4 inch group can be even smaller!!

Btw, i like ruger.. i have my eye on the .44 snub nose alaskan... i almost bought it yesterday! But i just cannot justify the expense currently.

DASHZNT
 
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marine6680

New member
Story seems similar to mine in regards to the significant other. :D


I hear nothing but good things about the SR series of pistols, and I recommend people check them out almost as much as (my beloved) CZ. :p


Enjoy your pistols.
 
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USA SHARK

New member
Thanks everyone for all of your replies. I really like the SR40, but kinda felt like I did when I bought a Kia. People who own all of the higher end cars look down on it, but it runs great and was a great value. I guess the SR40 might fit in the same category. It's not a Mercedes, but it does what it's supposed to do, and I actually think it looks better then a lot of "better" guns.

I can't pick up the SA XDm yet, but am looking forward to shooting the wifes new gun. I ordered 500 rounds of ammo for the .40 and 500 rounds for the 9mm form S G Ammo. Good price on the Winchester Law Enforcement ammo. The 9mm was +p ammo, but I've read that it won't be a problem for the XDm.

BTW, I did live in Dallas, TX for 5 years and would move back there in a heartbeat. Illinois sucks, other than all of our family is here. :rolleyes:

Once I get the new grips on the XDm, I'll try to add a picture, if I can figure out how to do it. :confused:
 
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marine6680

New member
If you plan on using that ammo in a defensive role, its good to run as much as you can, or feel comfortable with, through the gun.

If all you are doing is plinking, there is no reason to get the hollow point ammo. Get some FMJ. If you look around online, you can find 9mm around $10-12 a box of 50, and 40S&W $12-14 for a box of 50.

If you got the Hollow point ammo at that price point... go for it. :cool:
 
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LockedBreech

New member
Winchester LE (I'm assuming Ranger) is great ammo.

As for the snobs, I drive a Honda that frequently outranks luxury cars in reliability and safety tests, and I'd put even money on your $400 Ruger running circles around a $1,000 Kimber out of the box.
 
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