My new and first gun!

Good news for you! Hi-Point is working on a .45cal rifle now, it should be here by end of 2006 or early 2007, on a Hi-Point forum we often communicate with the designer of the Hi-Points so we know all the insider scoops!

It's good to know my hearing problems might only be temporarilly, otherwise it will be a hard learned lesson...

Yes...congratulations olde man on your purchase of a handgun. I agree with the poster who said ..practice practice and more practice.

I also agree hearing protection is in order. Dont do what I did years ago. Forgot my hearing protection and fired some 80 rounds of .223 out of my Mini 14 before I decided I had enough of stupid for one day.

You can get the inexpensive ones that you squeeze or roll up and insert into your ears. Or if you are willing to spend more get a pair of Ear Muffs. You dont have to get them at a gun store. The hardware stores even carry them now days for operating chain saws and loud gasoline equipment. You know..Lowes or Home Depot. If you want double protection use both types ..the squeeze roll up type and the ear muffs. Just dont do the stupid I did years ago. My ears rang for over a week.

Keep it in the X ring Ground Zero.

Thanks,
Orangetom

Hearing protection is a Must!
Thankfully they hammer that to every conscripts head over here. Even .22LR may cause severe damage if fired from a shelter or indoors. And remember the damage doesn't come from single events, it accumulates slowly.
Btw why do you think most old WW2 veterans are practically deaf from their strong hand side ear?

this is the side arm i would be using if ever i were to get one,

personally i just think it looks cool but it also can have 15 9mm rounds or 12 .40 rounds which is a good magazine size IMO.

[edit on 9-6-2006 by funny_pom]

Orange, did you have any hearing damage at all? I think my left ear isn't hearing as much as I should right now.

Hearing protection is so rarely discussed online and the first time people took me out shooting they neglected their protection as well, so after that I figured I probably wouldn't need it A) Outside B) only for 25 rounds.

Boy was I ever wrong...that .40 is LOUD...

Will earplugs protect my ears sufficiently?

To this day I have a slight ringing in my ears. THis one mostly in my right ear as I am right handed when I shoot. As I reacall someone on this theme posted that the damage is cumulative..over time. They are in the X ring on this concept. Remember that I also work in a shipyard where also exposed to loud noises. I have hearing protection...ear muffs on my hard hat.
None the less a excellent point by someone else..dont ever take this for granted.

This is also partly what got me to give up going to rock concerts and hanging out down in the crowd on the floor close to the stage. I now listen to them on disc or radio when the mood strikes me.

YOu will get some natural hearing loss just by virtue of the aging process...you dont need to help it along.

Thanks,
Orangetom

Congrats on the new addition to the family, GZ.

Edit: Here's my baby, Gen 2 Glock 19 that i've had for nearly 11 years now. She was my first combat pistol and has been treated like gold since day one. I want to pass her down with a few other pistols I own once I have children.

[edit on 9-6-2006 by vinrock]

hey good for you, i love an armed citizenry

i got a glock 17 that sleeps next to me

Agree totally with Northwolf - hearing loss is cumulative.

Damaged hearing will recover to a certain extent, but it never makes it all the way back - Tinitus or ringing in the ears is a very common, lifelong affliction for someone who has gunshot damaged hearing.

For a .22LR, foam earplugs are fine, especially outdoors, but for everything else, you should use foam earl plugs with hearing protectors over them - don't forget your eyes - wear shooting glasses (or plain plastic safety glasses if funds are a problem).

As for your gun, High Points work, you can't ask any more of them - but I think the 9mm would have been a better choice for you. With the money you'll spend on .40 ammo, you could have stepped up to a new Smith & Wesson which can be had for unbelievable prices from www.cdnninvestments.com right now.

Still, I'm happy that you have some personal protection - learn how to handle the weapon properly, take a class - they are not expensive, learn the 4 rules of firearms safety and NEVER ignore them.

Stay Safe.

Congratulations Ground Zero, As a resident in the US you are exercising your special constitutional right in possessing a firearm. Now you must carry out your duty to be responsible and learn to use and operate it with the level of skill required .

First thing, find the nearest NRA center and join up. Start off with basic beginners course . I know you know how to fire the gun but it is always better to know the best way to do it and to have the confidence that you are operating the weapon correctly. Next dont forget to enroll in the Gun maintenance course also, for many feel that this is pretty boring but they tell you some really useful tips on what to do if you get a jam etc. This info is crucial, for if you mess up you can blow your head off. Also Proper servicing of any weapon no matter its ruggedness is always crucial.

Last but not the least, never store a loaded weapon for Gods sake! Keep loaded clips if you want but keep them separate.

Common sense all this I guess but just friendly advise from one owner to another.

edit: Oh yeah, another thing; since you have a .40 I think you need to try getting some ear plugs or risk partial deafness.
[edit on 9-6-2006 by IAF101]

[edit on 9-6-2006 by IAF101]

I have been hearing for about a week now that the US Government is buying up as much of the cheap Wolf ammo in 7.62X39mm that they can get all across the country.

Today..just about 45 minutes ago I came back from my local gun store where I buy my ammo in this caliber in 200 round lots. The cubboards are bare. They dont know when they will get anymore in stock. The guy told me they have some 300 cases on order for thier different stores but they too have no idea when they will get their orders filled. I did not let on that I knew about the Government buying up huge lots of this ammo.

Have any of you heard any stories about this. Why would the Government be intrested in such huge amounts of this stuff if the stories are true,

I just know that the cubbords are bare on this. I may call around to different stores in this area to find out if the cubboards are bare there too.

The guy told me that they had Remmington 7.62X 39mm ammo in 20 round boxes at twice the price. Just no Wolf class ammo. I may wind up buying this stuff in smaller lots if this goes on as long as I think it will go on. Other than that I many have to institute my reloading plans sooner than I had forecast.

Any of you know anything about this??
Thanks,
Orangetom

Originally posted by orangetom1999The guy told me that they had Remmington 7.62X 39mm ammo in 20 round boxes at twice the price. Just no Wolf class ammo. I may wind up buying this stuff in smaller lots if this goes on as long as I think it will go on. Other than that I many have to institute my reloading plans sooner than I had forecast.

Any of you know anything about this??
Thanks,
Orangetom

Cheaper Than Dirt has some Wolf ammo in stock, not sure if it's exactly what you were looking for though.

124gr Military Classic 1,000rds for $149.97
122gr HP 640rds in sealed tin for $114.97
154gr SP 500rds for $89.97

Originally posted by orangetom1999
I have been hearing for about a week now that the US Government is buying up as much of the cheap Wolf ammo in 7.62X39mm that they can get all across the country.

Have any of you heard any stories about this. Why would the Government be intrested in such huge amounts of this stuff if the stories are true,

I just know that the cubbords are bare on this. I may call around to different stores in this area to find out if the cubboards are bare there too.
forecast.

Any of you know anything about this??
Thanks,
Orangetom

Orangetom

There is still plenty out there on Cheaper than Dirt, Midway, J&G etc etc

BUT - I just finished reading about the real problem, which relates more to Wolf than to the shortage caused by the government purchase. Apparently Wolf were being gouged by their steel supplier and switched suppliers. As they are the major manufacutrer of 7.62x39 this gap in supply was the result, and they are now working feverishly to fill it.

Rumor has it that normal supplies will resume shortly, same applies to 9x18mm.

Ive been hunting with my dad since i was 10, and i had my first over and under 12bore when i was 18. But i have to say im not comfortable around pistols and americans seemingly relaxed gun laws make me very nervous. Dont get me wrong i'm a normal bloke and I think there cool, I just dont think thats the right reason to own one.

Originally posted by scepticsteve
Ive been hunting with my dad since i was 10, and i had my first over and under 12bore when i was 18. But i have to say im not comfortable around pistols and americans seemingly relaxed gun laws make me very nervous. Dont get me wrong i'm a normal bloke and I think there cool, I just dont think thats the right reason to own one.

I don't plan on being in the U.S. for the rest of my life, but i'd never even consider living in a country with gun laws as restricting as the UK's. It's pathetic that a country's citizens cannot trust one another with regards to what type of firearm they posess.

The criminals who have the pistols probably feel like superheros and I wouldn't be suprised if there were much more knifings going on.

THere is something very sinister about a country with laws against guns. Countrys again which will allow you and train you to handle a gun in defense of the country and government but then when you get out of the military service ...you cannot own or use a gun without extream restrictions.
This smacks of class warefare. Class distinction...feudalism...which is abborent to
Americans. This is however the difference in cultures which have a Soverign and those with Constitutional rights. The difference in Rights and Priveleges.

I am a machinist by trade with a particular sub skill or training in nuclear refueling.
There is something very immoral about a government which would trust me with a nuclear fuel rod ..but not a handgun or a rifle. Only education can dumb a people down sufficient to not recognize this association or thinking. I am not singing my praises here in this line of thought. How about a bus driver/operator. They have the lives of hundreds before them every day when they operate a bus. Cabbie??
A foundry worker. Very dangerous occupation. High tension lineman. Doctor. Farmer. All occupations where you can get killed or kill or injure others. WE dont ordinarily think this way but this is around us all the time ...we just tend to filter it out and not think about what is really involved.

In spite of popular politics and drama conditioning by the body politic. The advent of permits here to carry concealed weapons has not increased the death rates or killings among law abiding peoples. It has not resulted in increased death among the general populace. No wild shootings in wild west style. Most of the shootings which have happened are among the non law abiding public...criminal elements...or those living on the fringe. Popular media is wont to group all of these together for the purposes of the body politic..and make us into Europeans. Feudal with a Soverign over us. Most Americans dont want this type of thinking though you will never find this type of view taught or proposed in the media or public education..they will only tell one side of the picture.

Well this is a quite a bit off topic but it happened to come up in the course of the Congratulations to Ground Zero and his acquisition of his first gun.

Once again..congratulations To Ground Zero in thier acquisition and be safe. Use hearing protection.

Thanks,
Orangetom

You can say what you like about freedom and trust, but it when all is considered the US has the highest shooting rate in the world. Really no one needs a hand gun. If you want to shoot at targets in your back garden fine, but really I see no valid arguement to own a gun. Protection is the main arguement, but in britain the worst thing that is likely to happen is either your house is robbed, you are mugged or you are raped. A relaxation of gun laws would not arm and protect the public but rather, increase the likelyhood that the mugger/rapist/robber was armed, whilst at this time although guns are availble on the blackmarket, it is incredibly rare that they are used in any of these attacks. I was talking to a mate the other day about what would happen if someone broke into their house. He said he would grab a knife, I said I would grab something blunt and heavy, because a knife is the same as a gun, theres to fine a line between death and injury. It would never willingly do harm to another human unless I had no other option, having a gun or similar weapon just provides a quick no-brain solution.

vinrock, are you so cowardly that you would not consider living somewhere where you could not own a gun?

Someone was also saying that most shootings occur among criminals, does that mean that you believe they deserve to die because they have fallen into a criminal lifestyle?

You are so wrong Sceptic, I am from the gun-grabbing country of the Netherlands and we have a HUGE abbundence of ILLEGAL black firearms from all over the place, most of these are made out of parts that are stolen from gun factories in Belgium and Germany and we are being flooded by armed criminals from Poland, Turkey, Morrocco and the Antillians and in some lesser extend from the Surinames but I generally have no problem with them.

We can own firearms but are heavilly restricted and most definitly can not use them in civil defense.

Anyway, I DID NOT want to turn this into a discussion about gun laws.

BACK TO TOPIC: I got ear plugs, muffs and safety glasses, they are of industrial standards so i'm sure they will serve me well.

as for training, I am already quite familiar with the subject of guns and gun safety, I was thought ex-military that happened to be part of the family, if I can find a NRA course I most definitly will go to it but there will likely be little for me to learn since I am already knowledgable on how to clear a jam and how to maintain a firearm.

I hope my experience will serve as an example for future gun owners.

Thank you for the replies, I am proud to be part of this great nation (United States) and excercize my constitutional rights.

My hearing is almost back to normal aside from some slight ringing.

As for my choice on the .40cal, I would have preferred the cheaper 9mm guns but I was dead set on getting a full-frame pistol not a compact pistol like the C-9, I will get a 9mm for my wife however, but I more than likely will end up shooting it alot my self.

I am planning on getting her a Walther P-1, she seems to love it and I quite like it my self.

Hey Vinrock, how much are you selling that Glock for? I might have a friend that is interested...well if you are expecting childeren that is...

[edit on 6/10/2006 by GrOuNd_ZeRo]

THink again about what you are saying. Think about the very nature of people from which the Government cannot protect you no matter how much they promote themselves in public schools or in the media or among politicians.

Once again I do not promote myself because I am not alone in this kind of endevour or occupation. I build ships for a living including nuclear work. I take risks for my moneys. I dont get something for nothing. It is a very olde fashioned process called work. It involves risk. Risk of the type many people have no idea. Obviously someone wanting the things I purchase with my moneys wants it without risk or they would already have such a job.
I am not the kind of person that tolerates someone getting my posessions without risk. I too do not want to kill or injure someone to keep my posessions. I also do not want to consider myself expendable or disposable that it is my social obligation to hand these posessions acquired at great risk to my safety to someone else with out equivalent compensation or risk. Meaning I dont want to have to work twice or more times for someone with "feelings " like yours to keep what I own. I'll say that again..I dont want to work to take the dangerous risks ..two or more times to replace stolen posession and put ointment on your feelings on the subject with a position which makes me and others disposable and expendable. This also includes the police and legal profession.
I know how to use a baseball bat..a knife..I am also trained in Judo and Ju Jitsu.
I just happen to have guns. I dont appreciate someone elses view that I am expendable to their standards to put ointment on thier political feelings at great risk to me...not necessarily immediate physical risk but the kind of insidious political risk that would make me work dangerousely two and more times over to support such dumb politics concerning my posessions.

When people like me earn thier moneys we sometimes take great risks for said moneys. We know what risk means..intimately. We are not impressed with the latest amusement park ride...the latest scores by our local or professional sports teams...what is on television..etc etc etc. This doe not impress us because we know we will be going back tomorrow for more risk. In like manner we are not impressed with the body politic to promote such ignorance under the guise of making us a better people by disarming us. We already know and are on intimate terms with danger. This does not make us better than other peoples ..it makes us very different. A difference "feel good types" are wont to ignore in lieu of "feel good politics" We are all good people as long as we are disarmed. Rubbish. Hardly.
This means we Stow our emotions in order to work in the face of this danger. We dont appreciate politicians of any ilk promoting fear among us under the guise of looking out for us when we know they can do no such thing.
This is soon going to bear itself out in England and Europe. By the way..to show you the face of politics...the most gun violence recently was and still goes on in the former Yugoslavia. A whole generation has been killed in these countrys by guns. And in a Civilized nations too. Imagaine that. The civilized nations of Europe stood by and did nothing. A whole generation of people in many of these areas of the former Yugoslavia between the ages of 18 and 40 totally gone ..missing. Most Americans dont know this so it is easy to promote guilt on them about the way we live.
Dont ever presume to tell me about violence or gun violence ...I know the history of Europe and the UK. Europe and the UK have been a bloody mess for millineums before this country. IN places it continues to be so. And its coming again.
Only Americans trained in public schools in dumbness and ignorance about history can get this kind of guilt pulled over them without even a whimper.
No free passes by Europeans on this topic here in the States. Not by me. Sorry SepticSteve.
I dont feel guilty about the way we live and I dont ever want to be a Englishman or a Continental. Ive been to both places...not impressed.

Sorry for the rant. This was not the proper place for this post but it was coming eventually.

Thanks to most for a some great posts. Once again GZ Congratulations on your purchase. Keep it in the X ring.


Thanks,
Orangetom