[dtjobrien]

hey there,
I am the proud owner of an XD-40, my first gun, and have been reading the forum for a while. Great place!

I have not shot the gun yet, just learning all I can first, and familiarizing myself with the weapon. Have not even put a loaded magazine into the gun until I get my first lesson in a couple of days. Don't want to take any chances!

My question to the experts is, is one 1 hour lesson enough to get me started? I know the things I need to cover such as, safety, loading, unloading, shooting techniques, holstering, cleaning and oiling, but is one hour enough to properly deal with all of this, or should I take more lessons than that?

I will be using the gun primarily for home defense, and feel like there is a lot of stuff there to learn. Should I also take home defense training?

Thanks for any input!

 

[Dwweeb_5150]

Welcome to the forum. Hope you enjoy your Xd.
I am no expert but I would say to take as many
lessons as you need to feel comfortable using
your new XD.

 

[Eric_Oh]

Congrats! I'm actually in the 10day waiting period to get my own xd40 service. Its my first gun as well. I have 8 days left and i'm dying.. hahah.....

U can tell i'm anxious cuz i...
-already went and paid for membership to my local indoor range for the year(covers that location and its 2 other chain locations)
-WEnt to walmart and picked up 300rds of WWB
-spend all my waking time not working on this website. hahaha.....


Do i think u can get by with an hour? i don't think thats even enough time to cover all those things u mentioned. Is it a private session or a full class? I'm in a class rite now that i'm takin as a part of my Crim. Justice curriculum and it takes us forever to do anything because some of the people don't have a fundamental grasp of common sense, which obviously makes things more complicated when u try to teach them basic handgun safety.

Safety items are fairly straight forward and jsut common sense i think. As for the other things, i still don't think they are all that complicated. but definitely will take more than an hour for you to learn everything, practice shooting techniques and get some range time, and learn to tear down and clean the gun.

Congrats again... can't wait to get mine....

 

[aiformula]

hey there,
I am the proud owner of an XD-40, my first gun, and have been reading the forum for a while. Great place!

I will be using the gun primarily for home defense, and feel like there is a lot of stuff there to learn. Should I also take home defense training?

Thanks for any input!

If you are intending to use it as a home defense weapon, get VERY familiar w/ that gun. Take as many classes as you need to feel comfortable w/ the pistol, then spend a lot of time at the range so you know how to work everything on the pistol cold. Then go take a few more classes (personal defense type) and learn all the really bad stuff people can and do pull off w/ guns. Suarez int'l is out your way, check them out.

 

[Lumberjack98]

Welcome to the forum. Hope you enjoy your Xd.
I am no expert but I would say to take as many
lessons as you need to feel comfortable using
your new XD.

+1

Take as much time as you need.

 

[manygunner]

Ok, one hour is definately NOT enough. My first basic handgun safety course was an 8 hour course with at least two hours of live fire exercises. All of my defensive handgun courses were at least 16 hour long with at least 12 hours of live fire range time and 600+ rounds fired. Learning to draw and fire will take at least two days to get just the basics down and to get anywhere near a basic skill level where you won't kill yourself in the process. Not that the basics are hard to learn, just it takes many repetitions to get basic muscle memory to work for you. These defensive courses also include malfunction drills so you know what to do if your gun jams (BTW, all guns jam, usualy at the worst time). If some joker at your range is offering a one hour course to teach you everything he is an idiot and a con artist and should not be allowed to teach. Find a professional firearms academy (go to another state if you have to) and get training there.

HOme defense training is an etirely different ball of wax. I beleive that a basic home defense and tactics course shoudl again take at least 16 hours to ahieve basic competencty. Again use a professional firearms academy for that. It may cost more but is not the life of you and your loved oens worth the investment?

 

[dtjobrien]

Thanks so much for the advice so far..great stuff.

I'm getting a private lesson from a reputable indoor range, and it's just to start things off. The instructor has not attempted to tell me that he can cover all of that in an hour, and it sounds like it's worth taking as much instruction as possible, which I will do. I'm way into safety, and making sure I practice and know everything I can about the gun.

But right now I'm so excited to get to the point where I can shoot it! I've read great stuff about this gun, and feel like I made a good choice in picking it..

 

[manygunner]

OK, if this is an ongoing private instruction by the hour thing, it may be OK. I still prefer the full weekend courses that academies offer. Did you do a check on the guy's credentials? Most the people who teach at the academies I attended are ex-military spec-ops and/or LEOs and do instruction for local, state and federal govt. as well as civilians. Once you feel comfortable with your gun I would highly recommend taking a course there.

 

[dtjobrien]

OK, if this is an ongoing private instruction by the hour thing, it may be OK. I still prefer the full weekend courses that academies offer. Did you do a check on the guy's credentials? Most the people who teach at the academies I attended are ex-military spec-ops and/or LEOs and do instruction for local, state and federal govt. as well as civilians. Once you feel comfortable with your gun I would highly recommend taking a course there.

Thanks for that valuable information. I will certainly check into that.

 

[TomSwift]

Go to the NRA website and check out instruction courses for your area.
The NRA stresses safety.
The link below is directly to the Course program inquiry page.
NRA Instruction

 

[dtjobrien]

Go to the NRA website and check out instruction courses for your area.
The NRA stresses safety.
The link below is directly to the Course program inquiry page.
NRA Instruction

ok, I'll check the NRA as well. Thanks.

 

[mermaidchaser]

Congrats on your purchase! and I commend you for recognizing that you want expert instruction. You answered your own question tho, you will have had enough when you are comfortable with the routine operation and firing of your weapon, and are proficient with accuracy and with any potential problems(and as mentioned, they do occur, at inopportune moments). Best wishes for good shooting and many years of an enjoyable sport; and may the only thing any of us have to kill is a sheet of paper with rings printed on it

 

[dtjobrien]

Congrats on your purchase! and I commend you for recognizing that you want expert instruction. You answered your own question tho, you will have had enough when you are comfortable with the routine operation and firing of your weapon, and are proficient with accuracy and with any potential problems(and as mentioned, they do occur, at inopportune moments). Best wishes for good shooting and many years of an enjoyable sport; and may the only thing any of us have to kill is a sheet of paper with rings printed on it

Thanks! And I agree, hopefully the only home defense I will have to deal with is ants and roaches... :-D

 

[TheMaineMan]

You seem to have the right frame of mind. You have to respect a firearm of any kind. As stated, all those things combined in one hour would be a very very very speedy course

 

[simonsay]

Once again I'll say to get the book. Read it through and let it supplement your personal instruction. Although written for games, the fundamentals are the same and anyone at any level can get their money's worth. www.brianenos.com

 

[Bonzer]

I agree with most of the others.You won't learn enough in an hour.
Keep your ammo in another room. Take down your pistol (for cleaning)
and reassemble it many times. That will help you understand how it
functions. Read the directions on it's operation, and if you have any
questions, ask these guys. They're pretty brite.

 

[vlaho]

Not enough people commended you on being aware of the responsibility you now have in your hands. I respect that.
On the other hand, there's no reason to be afraid, as long as you understand every detail of the gun's operation thoroughly and follow all safety rules religiously. Mainly, the three main rules: 1) the gun is *always* loaded; 2) the gun is *always* loaded; and, 3) the gun is *always* loaded.
No, I'm not trying to be funny. If you always keep in mind these three rules, I guarantee there'll be no reason to worry.
BTW, if you're ever in the Burbank area, let me know.
BK

 

[manygunner]

Ok, OK. I commend him on wanting proper training too. Sorry, it slipped my mind. When I got my first gun my wife made me keep it locked up and unloaded until after we had our basic pistol course. Was a long three month wait. I am glad we did it though. Kudos and donuts all around.

 

[cubicle]

I would think an hour at the range shooting and getting comforatable, just BY YOURSELF would be alright to become familer with the gun (though not expierenced), EVEN if you do not have any expericence. Guns are fairly simple tools.

just remember the four rules of gun saftey.

1)the gun is always loaded
2)always point the gun in a safe direction
3)never put you finger on the trigger until you are ready to destory you target (this is my personal problem)
4)Always be aware of what is behind you target.

As to becoming good enough to surive and encounter in you house......I would suggest some trianing just to make you aware of the tactial possiblities and leagal possiblities of using a gun.

 

[HVAC-TEK]

WELCOME to the exciting world of responsable gun ownership! Your really are starting off well. I would recomend finding some good books like

In the gravest extreme by Ayoob
The truth about self protection by Ayoob

A few rules to help you get started.

Buy Bulk ammo. Its the most expensive part of shooting, If you have it on hand, youll shoot more often.

Try shooting sports at the local ranges. Bowling pin shooting is verry rewarding.

Report pin heads to the range master. Never ignore dangerous horseplay.

Get used to cleaning and oiling your firearm.

Never oil the firing pin. Too much oil can make it stick and cause the gun to fire.

Never fire a bullet that does not look right. odd shape, dented, or seated too far into the brass. Verry dangerous.

Thats all the odd balls I can think of at the moment. ( Good advice no one ever tells you.)