So with this ‘walking into a range and firing away’ thing. Can visitors from other countries do this? When in Honolulu I saw shops with Japanese text and photos of Japanese people holding massive semiautomatics and grinning like loons. I assumed these were 'Mercan rifle ranges catering to visitors from no-gun japan who wanted to check out the land of the second amendment. Does this sound right?
I don’t see why not. The weapons are controlled by the owners and most assuredly well-documented, you usually have to leave some form of identification with the range owners, and a new shooter from somewhere else is really no different than a new shooter from the United States.
I don’t own a single gun as small as that. I’d love to see the look on your face when you fired any of mine, especially when you fired 158-grain .357 Magnums out of a 2 1/4 inch barrel.
Next time try a .357 with a six-inch barrel and load it with .38 ammo. You’ll really enjoy the controllability and lack of recoil.
You poor bastard. My wife just luuurves strip shows and always wants to go to one every time we’re in Vegas. 
Funny someone mentions Vegas. If anyone is ever out there and wants to do what the OP did there is a shop on Tropicana Blvd out towards the airport called “The Gun Store” that does on the spot rentals of just about anything you can think of, full automatics being some of the more popular. The last time we were out there I did the AK-47 on full rock and roll. Yes, there is a way to spend money faster than strippers and slot machines in Vegas, but it’s worth every penny.
Nothing I know of prevents any person from holding and firing a gun owned by someone else, unless maybe they’re a convicted felon or something. It’s ownership rules that can get tricky depending on where you live.
I got this funny story about a buddies girlfriend and the day we let her go shooting with us, using his 357 and 3 weak .38 hand loads and 3 full on .357 MAG loads… Bawahahaa
… what? :: Yeah, we was asshats back then sometimes … < VEG >
I don’t like the recoil from the 9mm. It’s “sharper” or “crisper” or something than my beloved .45ACP. I’ve been shooting for 30 years and I still avoid the 9, and since every one I’ve shot is a double-stack mag, it’s just enough too wide to be comfortable without more work than I’m willing to put into it.
.38 in a non-snub .357 is a dream to shoot, as Washoe mentioned. But a little practice and you’ll get used to whichever you prefer.
GusNSpot - shooting clay with some uncles, had to borrow a shotgun since I don’t swing that way, spent all morning with a nice little 20 gauge and was starting to get good enough to not be embarrassed, uncle with a sense of humor handed me his old side-by and, without putting much thought into it, I yelled “pull”.
Next thing I remember was wondering why I was looking at the sky and what that annoying hooting sound was. As my ears cleared, I recognized the sound as hysterical laughter, and eventually was informed that an ancient 8 gauge had knocked me on my ass.
20 year old city kids should always beware when there’s a chance they’re about to outshoot old country folk.
Hopefully she did better than this girl (safe for work):
Oh yeah baby… They’ll do that to ya. My Dad could always out shoot me wing shooting… I have fired a 10 gage but only seen a couple of solid brass 8 gage shells IRL. Mt shoulder hurts just thinking about it. LOL
Crafter_Man No, was not that bad. My friend let off the 3 .38’s and then handed the S&W to her. He stood behind her and I stood beside and to the side a little. We was ‘splainin’ ya know. < VEG >
Anywho, I think a combination of recoil and fright sent the weapon into the air and her backwards. Friend kept her from falling and I caught the weapo before it hit the ground.
This was junior year in high school IIRC and later a couple of years, she never would marry him. I don’t know if this was part of the reason or not. I’m still to chicken to ask. he he he