Have you ever said to yourself “if I knew then what I know now…”? I find myself saying it quite often as of late. Considering this is a gun blog, I’m thinking you can guess where I’m going with this. If you’ve read the “About Us” section, you’ll remember that I was originally all self taught. I had to learn through trial and error and it was a long time before I could get formal training. I’ve made some mistakes over the years when it comes to buying guns and guns in general. Nothing dangerous, mind you. Just some assumptions I made that turned out to be so, so wrong.

Let’s take a moment to reflect on those mistakes so that you don’t risk wasting money like I did.

1) You’re not just paying for the gun.

You’ve been saving up for a gun and you were able to bargain it down from $550 to $495? Great! Now you’ll need to pay sales tax, of course. Then there’s the inevitable background check fee that some stores include in the price but most tack on an extra $10-$20 per transaction. Oh, and don’t forget ammo because you want to shoot it, right? Is this your first gun? You’ll need a cleaning kit too! Eventually, you’ll need a case for it if you’re planning on going to the range. When saving up for your first gun, make sure you hold on to an extra $100 over your estimated price to cover the inevitable extras that, for the most part, you’re not going to easily avoid.

2) Stick with the tried and true.

Sure that folding pocket .22LR derringer like 5-shot revolver is cool and cheap. It’s also not a good carry choice. Derringer? Same thing. If you’re looking for a first gun or a 2nd gun to use for your daily carry pistol, take a look at what local police carry: Glock, M&P, SIG, etc. You’ll notice that Derringers aren’t on most police department’s approved list. I’m sure there’s one or two out there but majority rules on this one. Think about it this way: the less fumbling the better. Let’s compare… Folding pocket .22LR: draw, open gun, aim, pull back hammer, fire. Glock: draw, aim, fire. The fewer steps the better, even when you get more experience under your belt.

3) Hollywood is not a good guide.

I’ll admit a deep, dark secret of mine: I started teaching myself with the Hollywood cup. You know that grip where one hand holds the gun and the other is underneath, supporting the main hand? Yeah. That one. It’s a terrible way to shoot and it’s going to not only affect accuracy but it gives ZERO assistance with recoil. Why did I do this? Because nearly everyone in movies and TV held their gun like that. There wasn’t a GunNoob.com to tell me better at the time. Every gun site had the “if you don’t know it I’m sure as heck not going to tell you (at least not for free)” mentality. I eventually learned better but still, I’m embarrassed for myself just typing that out. It does feel good to finally get that out into the open, though. It’s like a great weight has been lifted.

But I digress. Hollywood and TV are the absolute worst representatives of firearm reality. Though it’s been said many times, a .45 ACP or .44 Magnum isn’t going to blow someone through a wall and a shotgun isn’t going to magically vaporize someone. Don’t look to Hollywood for self defense advice, home clearing technique or survival methods either. It’s there for one thing and one thing only: entertainment.

I hope those help steer some of you in the right direction. What about you, dear reader? What pieces of advice do you wish someone told you back when you started? Let us know in the comments below or on our Facebook page.

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