# First time gun owner. The Liberal Gun Club is tiny. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 7, 2016, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-time-gun-owner-the-liberal-gun-club-is-tiny/751404 "2016-04-07T02:15:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2016, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-time-gun-owner-the-liberal-gun-club-is-tiny/751404/21 "2016-04-09T21:20:25Z")
When you clean it try not to soak it in oil. A few drops on the shiny parts will do you. The shiny parts are shiny cause that’s where the movement rubs. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2016, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-time-gun-owner-the-liberal-gun-club-is-tiny/751404/22 "2016-04-10T04:14:57Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > Purchase made. Illinois has a 72 hour wait period, so picking up on Sunday. Tomorrow is the day! Here in CA we have a 10-day waiting list. Looks like a nice subcompact: [XD® Series Handguns - Springfield Armory](http://www.springfield-armory.com/products/xd-mod-2-3-sub-compact-9mm/) Let us know how it goes, **SeaDragonTattoo**. You may be having too much fun to post tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![SecretaryofEvil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@SecretaryofEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SecretaryofEvil)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2016, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-time-gun-owner-the-liberal-gun-club-is-tiny/751404/23 "2016-04-10T12:26:04Z")
Welcome to the club of firearm ownership! Also welcome to the club of having political beliefs that don’t fit into the mold of the two party system. Your first duty is to make completely reasonable political statements which piss off people on both the left and the right. Try some of these out for size: “I support the right to bear arms and the right to self defense… and I also believe that all firearm sales should be conducted through licensed dealers who perform background checks.” “Because the government already pays for so many Americans’ health care via Medicare, Medicaid, and benefits for veterans and other government employees, it would be more efficient to switch to a single payer system… and the aforementioned healthcare system would be completely untenable in a society with no meaningful restrictions on illegal immigration.” “Protecting the environment is critically important… which is why I support nuclear power.” ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2016, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-time-gun-owner-the-liberal-gun-club-is-tiny/751404/24 "2016-04-10T14:03:56Z")
> [@Lacunae\_Matata](#): > > I am a left-leaning gun owner. My right wing nut friends think I’m stupid because my guns live in the safe (“What are you going to do when the bad guys get there?” “I’m going to call 911, because a good mom with a gun would prefer to be robbed than for the 4-year-old to get hold of a gun. My dogs are for protection and deterrence. The guns, I inherited.”) > > I like guns. Grew up with them. They are nice tools to have. Kind of fun to use. But I don’t have any illusions about my ability to be Rambo or Chuck Norris. I’m just a woman who owns a few guns. This “right-leaning” gun nut finds absolutely nothing wrong with keeping the firearms unloaded and safely locked away; it’s my various firearm’s “default mode.” Basically, my philosophy is that, “If I live somewhere where I feel the need to be armed, for personal protection, _inside of my own home, then I’m living in the wrong damned zip code._” By the same token, I also firmly believe that, age/maturity dependent, kids in the household should be exposed in a serious, educational, and instructive way to the household firearms; I think that it takes some (if not most) of the “forbidden fruit/mystique” out of them, and they learn, seriously, that firearms are _ **not** _ toys to be played with, but potentially lethal tools when used/handled improperly. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2016, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-time-gun-owner-the-liberal-gun-club-is-tiny/751404/25 "2016-04-10T14:06:26Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > You just wait until Obama tries to take your gun away!! The Chicago-centric Illinois political machine will pose a bigger threat than any sitting President. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2016, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-time-gun-owner-the-liberal-gun-club-is-tiny/751404/26 "2016-04-10T14:55:53Z")
I’m a centrist Democrat which qualifies me as a flaming liberal in these parts! I have a few guns and shot up a couple hundred rounds of .22 yesterday. I’m a supporter of the Second Amendment but I can understand and to some degree empathize with those that feel differently. I’m a fan of [Bore Snakes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4oPY6ILQsY) They do a pretty good job getting the barrel cleaned out in between more thorough cleanings. They come in shorter versions for pistols. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2016, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-time-gun-owner-the-liberal-gun-club-is-tiny/751404/27 "2016-04-10T19:39:25Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > Tomorrow is the day! Here in CA we have a 10-day waiting list. > > Looks like a nice subcompact: [XD® Series Handguns - Springfield Armory](http://www.springfield-armory.com/products/xd-mod-2-3-sub-compact-9mm/) > > Let us know how it goes, **SeaDragonTattoo**. You may be having too much fun to post tomorrow. [aside] Amusing that they had to print “Grip Zone” on the… grip. “Really guys, we knew that” (I know, I know, probably some trademark for a specific gripping design but still, looks silly.) [/aside] ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-time-gun-owner-the-liberal-gun-club-is-tiny/751404/28 "2016-04-11T00:02:08Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > [aside] > Amusing that they had to print “Grip Zone” on the… grip. “Really guys, we knew that” > > (I know, I know, probably some trademark for a specific gripping design but still, looks silly.) > [/aside] If its not comfortable to you, if memory serves (because it was a Really long time ago) its less than $50 for new grips. From there, it is two screws loosened/ two screws tightened to change them. But always save all the old screws/parts to maintain the resale value. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-time-gun-owner-the-liberal-gun-club-is-tiny/751404/29 "2016-04-11T00:35:31Z")
**SeaDragonTattoo** welcome. I hope you send many joyous rounds down range. I hope you can find a range or a set of hours at the range you are currently going to where the annoying buffoons who think if you have a gun you are automatically “one of them” are sparse, or at the least don’t feel compelled to include you directly in their conversation. The same goes for the asshats that seem to think the “little woman needs help with her gun”. Again, welcome, Happy shooting ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-time-gun-owner-the-liberal-gun-club-is-tiny/751404/30 "2016-04-11T00:42:31Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **Martini Enfield** : > > You don’t have to get involved with any of the political aspects that some people think accompany shooting if you don’t want to. Hopefully, at least. One of my friends back in Montana was quite annoyed that the best shooting range in the area tied membership to the range with membership in the NRA, and he didn’t at all like supporting them. ---
**Author:** ![Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba8739/32.png) [@Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Backwater_Under_Duck)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-time-gun-owner-the-liberal-gun-club-is-tiny/751404/31 "2016-04-11T00:47:27Z")
I’ve always enjoyed guns, but I have no real use for them in my life. The only merit badge I ever got was for marksmanship. Carried around my dad’s any my rifles and shotguns for years. Mom bought me a .22 when I was fifteen. The only thing I have left is a really nice 1903 Colt .32 automatic. Serial number says it was built in 1922. I haven’t paid for a full Colt search because, quite frankly, it’s probably hotter than hell. Mom got it from a guy she was married to for about a year. Kind of a grifter. Hasn’t bee fired since before, at least, 1958. But I love it and can’t even think about trying to get rid of it. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-time-gun-owner-the-liberal-gun-club-is-tiny/751404/32 "2016-04-11T01:24:54Z")
Another welcome. And a warning. Some people can confine themselves to a single firearm, but they’re usually the ones who inherit them but don’t feel the need to rid themselves of it. The ones who buy into it on the other hand… 😃 Big fan of [Snap Caps](http://www.amazon.com/Tipton-Snap-Caps-9mm-Luger/dp/B0048KFEQI) that you and others have mentioned. The spring loaded ones. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-time-gun-owner-the-liberal-gun-club-is-tiny/751404/33 "2016-04-11T02:39:52Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > Tomorrow is the day! Here in CA we have a 10-day waiting list. > > Looks like a nice subcompact: [XD® Series Handguns - Springfield Armory](http://www.springfield-armory.com/products/xd-mod-2-3-sub-compact-9mm/) > > Let us know how it goes, **SeaDragonTattoo**. You may be having too much fun to post tomorrow. Yes! Whew, just got home about an hour ago. Range wasn’t busy, no wait, so we used up an hour, sent a hundred rounds downrange. Then went to Cabella’s, then went to a new (to us) pub with great food for dinner, then an hour drive back to the city. We’re having a private lesson on the 21st and neither of us can wait to get some solid instruction since we both have issues and need help with grip and stance. I worked a little more with trigger control and got better with that (keeping trigger pressed after firing and feeling for the release). Her Ruger jammed again - the bad kind that required assistance with pushing the round out (not sure, but could have caused a fired double feed?) - and the attendants fell over each other to get to her lane first. He cleared it with no incident, but recommended a different kind/brand of ammo that will agree with her gun better. Had a good group in our module today (range has three modules, 25 lanes) - people next to my friend were playing target Battleship, there was a couple on my left with the wife looking uncomfortable but they were being safe, and a guy to my right who was grouping everything very nicely but comes to the range alone because his wife won’t come. He doesn’t own a gun and always rents. Can anybody tell me why I got a little paper envelope from the manufacturer with an empty casing in it? Initialed and dated in pen by a person, sealed with tape and a mark to indicate it hasn’t been opened. Proof of successful test fire? ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-time-gun-owner-the-liberal-gun-club-is-tiny/751404/34 "2016-04-11T02:47:31Z")
> [@Count\_Blucher](#): > > If its not comfortable to you, if memory serves (because it was a Really long time ago) its less than $50 for new grips. > From there, it is two screws loosened/ two screws tightened to change them. > > But always save all the old screws/parts to maintain the resale value. The XD is a polymer handgun. The letters are molded into the grip. There are no grip panels to replace. I have a first-gen XD-9 subcompact and it’s been nothing but reliable when I fired it. Very utilitarian, almost like an improved Glock. The additional safety features are welcome, though unnecessary if you follow the Four Rules. It’s a good gun at a good price. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-time-gun-owner-the-liberal-gun-club-is-tiny/751404/35 "2016-04-11T02:52:28Z")
The enclosed shell casing is to submit to the authorities if you live in a state that wastes its money on a ballistic fingerprint database. If you don’t then it’s meaningless. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-time-gun-owner-the-liberal-gun-club-is-tiny/751404/36 "2016-04-11T02:53:19Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > [aside] > Amusing that they had to print “Grip Zone” on the… grip. “Really guys, we knew that” > > (I know, I know, probably some trademark for a specific gripping design but still, looks silly.) > [/aside] > > > [@Count\_Blucher](#): > > > > If its not comfortable to you, if memory serves (because it was a Really long time ago) its less than $50 for new grips. > > From there, it is two screws loosened/ two screws tightened to change them. > > > > But always save all the old screws/parts to maintain the resale value. Heh. Yeah it’s a little silly to me, too. But it’s one of those things, when looking at different guns to rent, after the first three the guy handed me this one and as soon as I wrapped my hand around it I went, “ooh.” My friend took it from me and made the same “ooh” sound when she got her hand around it. The counter guy did the nod in agreement and said, “yeah.” Nearly all the reviews I’ve seen seem to agree on the same thing; whatever Springfield did with this grip is exceptional. One of the points of this grip is that it really doesn’t need to be changed. Like, if you’re the type to always change your grips, either this is the one you won’t need to, or maybe a different model for a lesser price would be a better choice. And all also agree the “Grip Zone” logo on the side is goofy, but it’s good, so we’ll live with it. For 530 bucks, I’d not be happy if I didn’t love it out of the box, you know? But I will be changing the fiber optic sight from red to green asap. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-time-gun-owner-the-liberal-gun-club-is-tiny/751404/37 "2016-04-11T02:58:32Z")
Here’s a tip your coach might not think to tell you. I’d recommend you avoid low cut or very unbuttoned tops while shooting. I’ve seen some women shooters catch an expended hot casing between their breasts. Not on purpose. I don’t know if the shrieks are more from surprise than pain or not, but it’s a situation easily avoided. ---
**Author:** ![ChickenLegs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecc23a/32.png) [@ChickenLegs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChickenLegs)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-time-gun-owner-the-liberal-gun-club-is-tiny/751404/38 "2016-04-11T02:59:30Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > Can anybody tell me why I got a little paper envelope from the manufacturer with an empty casing in it? Initialed and dated in pen by a person, sealed with tape and a mark to indicate it hasn’t been opened. Proof of successful test fire? Some states require the FFL to send the spent case to the police, where they keep it on file to…solve crimes or something. At least theoretically. Maryland required this for 15 years, spent millions, and never solved a single crime because of it. So they finally abandoned the practice last year. Welcome to the goofy world of gun control. Much, much more to follow with your new hobby. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-time-gun-owner-the-liberal-gun-club-is-tiny/751404/39 "2016-04-11T03:05:48Z")
Thanks, **Airman Doors, USAF** and **ChickenLegs** , no one mentioned it so I’ll toss it. I stuck it behind the foam in the case for now. > [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > Here’s a tip your coach might not think to tell you. I’d recommend you avoid low cut or very unbuttoned tops while shooting. I’ve seen some women shooters catch an expended hot casing between their breasts. Not on purpose. I don’t know if the shrieks are more from surprise than pain or not, but it’s a situation easily avoided. Heh, yeah we already learned this the hard way! She got two in her bra a couple weeks ago, and even though I use a scarf I got one somehow caught under the scarf (but high up where even a crew neck t-shirt wouldn’t cover) and it blistered. Believe me, it’s pain! ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-time-gun-owner-the-liberal-gun-club-is-tiny/751404/40 "2016-04-11T05:44:47Z")
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