Originally Posted by s1mp13m4n

I am in Virginia Beach, VA.

I am outside of Manassas in the western fringe of Prince William County which is roughly 35-40 miles from Washington, DC. You will find a bunch of good people down in the Tidewater area who are more than willing to help you along in a number of ways. Consider perusing opencarry.org, not so much because it is an open carry supportive website but more because you will find out a LOT about carrying in our commonwealth. The Virginia forum on that site is very active, you'll see me there as well, and you will learn a great deal. But it is devoted to open carry so keep that in mind.

I would be happy to offer any information I can so please feel free to ask. And I'll attempt to be objective so as not to introduce any preferences or biases where they are not welcome.... unless you request such. You will find that Virginia is the most lenient and gun-friendly state in the South and the carrying of a firearm is rarely a cause for concern, be it open or concealed. So ask away.

Originally Posted by s1mp13m4n

...Now we come to the fullsize 1911...My only issue with the 1911 was its size and weight...

It was exactly the size and weight of this pistol that helped you to have as much success with it as you did.

The full-size, full-weight 1911 is the perfect beginner's gun: Its cartridge recoils "softly," rather than sharply, and the pistol's weight and length tame that already soft recoil down to pretty comfortable proportions. Further, as you noted, its trigger is an easy one on which to learn control. Further yet, its safety lever forces you to pay attention to preparing to fire, and thereby helps to enforce the rules of gun safety.

About carrying its weight and size, a man wiser than I once said, "Your pistol should be comforting, not comfortable."

Originally Posted by Steve M1911A1

It was exactly the size and weight of this pistol that helped you to have as much success with it as you did.

The full-size, full-weight 1911 is the perfect beginner's gun: Its cartridge recoils "softly," rather than sharply, and the pistol's weight and length tame that already soft recoil down to pretty comfortable proportions. Further, as you noted, its trigger is an easy one on which to learn control. Further yet, its safety lever forces you to pay attention to preparing to fire, and thereby helps to enforce the rules of gun safety.

About carrying its weight and size, a man wiser than I once said, "Your pistol should be comforting, not comfortable."

I did not think of things from your point of view. I see what you are saying about the gun. I like the fact that gun gun will not fire unless you are holding it correctly and have your palm on the grip safety. The hammer must be back for it to fire, thus you have a visual reminder as well. I like that about the gun. I like the clip release being where it is and not say at the bottom of the gun near the end of the grip. Maybe I am looking at things wrong in that carrying a gun will not always be a comfy thing to do.....such as a pocket knife that you may forget you have on you because it disappears. I feel comfortable using and fieldstripping a 1911 as well.

Originally Posted by s1mp13m4n

...I like the clip release...[emphasis added]

Actually, it's a magazine.

Here's the distinction: You use clips, which one discards after use, to load magazines, which are either removable but necessary, or permanently attached.

(There are exceptions. For instance, the US M1 Garand rifle requires its user to load "en-bloc" clips, without which the gun is merely a single-shot device, into its magazine. Another is the Mannlicher clip, seen mostly in Austrian and some Italian rifles, which is loaded, like the M1's, into the gun's magazine, cartridges and all.)


When I was just about to buy my first competition pistol, my (now ex-) wife and I had also been looking at the complex-puzzle sculptures of Miguel Berrocal. After I showed her how the M1911 can be taken completely to pieces without the use of any tools except its own parts, her response was, "It's just like a Berrocal sculpture. Get the pistol instead, because it's more useful than a sculpture would be."

Originally Posted by Steve M1911A1

Actually, it's a magazine.

Here's the distinction: You use clips, which one discards after use, to load magazines, which are either removable but necessary, or permanently attached.

(There are exceptions. For instance, the US M1 Garand rifle requires its user to load "en-bloc" clips, without which the gun is merely a single-shot device, into its magazine. Another is the Mannlicher clip, seen mostly in Austrian and some Italian rifles, which is loaded, like the M1's, into the gun's magazine, cartridges and all.)

my m1 carbine and my m98 mauser both use stripper clips to load the magazines.

Yes, Ted, exactly.
(I thought I'd said that. Did I leave something out?)

Thanks for the correction. Newbie mistake I think, doh.

Originally Posted by Steve M1911A1

Yes, Ted, exactly.
(I thought I'd said that. Did I leave something out?)

i liked your first response better..... and i was just backing your play steve, you did it all correctly

Originally Posted by TedDeBearFrmHell

i liked your first response better..... and i was just backing your play steve, you did it all correctly

Thank you.

(I thought that my first response could've been misinterpreted as being a little snide or snarky, so I changed it.)

Originally Posted by Steve M1911A1

Thank you.

(I thought that my first response could've been misinterpreted as being a little snide or snarky, so I changed it.)

i can take snide and snarky, my skin is thicker than the average bears..... but never know who else might make that leap....

Hello again everyone. I have another newbie question. I am curious about something and the brand name seems controversial. Is Hi-Point a quality beginners gun at not much money or is it a pure POS? I mean a .45acp gun for under $200? That seems too good to be true. I like the idea of being made in the USA, but what are they doing to make the guns at such a low price?
I saw a goofy video on FaceTube about a torture test with the brand, but it was hardly a professional review. I mean doing things properly at a range, using gun control, proper grip, etc.....would that not solve the issue of jamming due to a limp wristed grasp of the gun when shooting it? I do not really care about how the gun looks, I want a simple tool that goes bang when you practice at the range and goes bang should you ever have to protect your life with it. Thanks for the help.

Originally Posted by s1mp13m4n

Hello again everyone. I have another newbie question. I am curious about something and the brand name seems controversial. Is Hi-Point a quality beginners gun at not much money or is it a pure POS? I mean a .45acp gun for under $200? That seems too good to be true. I like the idea of being made in the USA, but what are they doing to make the guns at such a low price?
I saw a goofy video on FaceTube about a torture test with the brand, but it was hardly a professional review. I mean doing things properly at a range, using gun control, proper grip, etc.....would that not solve the issue of jamming due to a limp wristed grasp of the gun when shooting it? I do not really care about how the gun looks, I want a simple tool that goes bang when you practice at the range and goes bang should you ever have to protect your life with it. Thanks for the help.

buy a used .38 revolver

Hi Points are cheap for a very good reason. They are CHEAP! If you want a cheap gun and all you really want is to get by cheap and own a gun. Hi Point baby.
If you think a 1911 is heavy and big, you aint seen nothing like the Hi Point. Although more money, at least 1911's are made well. Almost anyone can justify the 179 buck price tag and then call others gun snobs ect if they don't like the Hi Point. It is a very viable and often repeated play. Some Hi Points work, some of them even work twice. There are those who have them and are happy with them. I assume they are not hard to please or have never shot a good smooth weapon. Or just don't like to spend money and then feel the need to justify that fact.

RCG

Try a shooters rental place if you have one where you are. Rent a few different calibers and makes and models. Get a feel for the bang that works for you then narrow it down. Truth is, as you progress, you will own a variety. I've traded, sold and changed so many times and many of those I let go I later regretted losing. But every one of them was a quality learning experience.

...And there's soooooo many more I want...

PS- I second the used .38. Simple, powerful (with +P duty loads flat out deadly) and super easy to get started on. Then you can branch out and get CRAZY man! It's an expensive habit, er, I mean hobby.

I see your point about a Hi-Point. I am just trying to learn and asking questions is a way to do that. I am trying to work out going back to the range with my cousin and do some more shooting with different guns.

My advice is to buy a high quality gun.

Go rent several high quality guns and find the one that fit's you best.

Then if a new one of that high quality gun is to expensive ... find it used to buy.

I always buy Good / High Quality guns - either used or new.

I've always been disappointed in "cheap" guns ... because you get what you pay for.

IMHO