Posted: 10/7/2009 7:27:54 PM EDT
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After almost 7 months of waiting, I finally received my NY pistol permit (of course restricted carry for target and hunting only).
Since this is my first pistol, I decided to start out small / simple with a .22 so I can practice without breaking the bank. I picked up a new walther p22....stock / black...can't wait to get it out to the range some questions for a newbee...should i clean the pistol with a bore snake or my regular cleaning rod? anyone recommend a holster for the P22? should I bother with the NRA pistol class or just get a friend / family member to give me some pointers on proper shooting? Thanks for the input. BTW, while I was at the gun shop today I picked out about 4 other pistols I want....unfortunately, I'll have to wait a while for that. |
It never hurts to get more training, knowledge never hurt anybody
It only took me 4 months to get mine, and it depends where you're from, I was required to take the NRA pistol safety class in order for my permit to be issued. The wait time for getting in a class, making an appointment at the Sheriff's Office, and actually getting a permit is now over a year in my county now. As for cleaning, I would clean it thoughly before shooting it for the first time. It will clean all the residue from the factory test firing it and and "stuff" from manufacturing and anything put on for transport and storage. Hope this helps. |
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Holster for a range/target gun? Dunno man. Lots out there. My target guns are never carried in a holster. Just hard-cased in and out. But there are probably tons of IWB/OWB options out there to fit your taste and style.
Get a boresnake. They are inexpensive. They do not clean better than a full and thourough cleaning with rods, brush, patches, solvents, and oil, but are good to run through the barrel two or three times after every 100 rounds or so in order to keep the crap from building-up in the gun. Where a boresnake will not help you with that gun is on the feed ramps. They will collect carbon as you shoot, possibly causing feeding issues. Best solution for this is to rub a q-tip on the ramp if it gets sticky. Boresnakes also do not get all the goop out of the chamber, so tight chambers due to carbon is possible, meaning you have to get the brush out. But again, the snake every so often will cut down on the build-up and increase the fun time between cleaning. A good pistol should not need to be detail-stripped and cleaned every range trip, but the snake and a little loving to the ramp will do just fine. My auto .22's will go about 300 rounds before I have to rub the ramp with a Q-tip or my shirt to get boolits moving along again, and will take about 400-500 boolits down the barrel before they show ANY signs of accuracy degrading. MANY .22 firearms shoot BETTER a little dirty.  Don't become a "cleaning nazi" It is a gun, not a tool for brain surgury.
But yeah, clean 100% before you shoot it the first time. Areosol de-greasers and gun cleaners are great for this job, but TAKE YOUR GRIPS OFF before you use them. Otherwise, they will turn ugly grey. The metal might discolor a bit on the outside at first. Rub some oil in it and don't worry about it. You didn't do anything wrong and the color WILL come back. Don't use WD-40 (here come the WD-40 flames, but he isn't repelling water so just butt out  )
Next find what ammo feeds and shoots the best.  CCI is probably going to be your safest bet to start. It is not cheap, but it is not expensive. $7 per 100 rounds. It is important that you start with reliable, accurate ammo before fiddling around with seeing what type of bulk wal-mart ammo works well. CCI is also relatively clean shooting in their copper-plated offerings. Their lead-tipped rounds have a wax layer on the bullet which melts off partially as the round is fired and causes tight/fouled chambers. The mosquito isn't exactly known for precision machining, so your chamber can either be a tight fit from the factory, or wizard-robe loose so this might not be a concern if your gun falls into the latter category. (protip: remington thunderbolt ammo sucks in EVERY gun )
The NRA class quality depends on who is teaching it. Some are super simple, some are WTF-cautious and over-serious (i.e. my course was 4 hours including the shooting portion. Some stores around here make it a 2-3 day affair for 8 hours each day not including the shooting portion). If anything, take it for safe-handling practices. You probably won't learn anything ground-breaking, but the basics prevent bad habits from developing later on. Many "lifelong" shooters who did not take the NRA course leave me  when shooting. Like they are lucky they are alive. It is important that you are familiar with modern range safety protocol and procedures. After that, what courses you take are up to you, but you will learn more early as you will only develop habits that you have to break on your own.
Have fun! Shoot a lot! |
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Congrats on your first pistol!! I think the P22 is a great choice; that was my first pistol too. It's a fun gun, and I was able to put in a lot of cheap training time before I got bigger calibers later.
I love my Boresnake; it's the only cleaning my P22 barrel has ever seen except for Q-tips. If you're just looking for a cheap holster to use at the range (since you're not carrying the gun for self-defense), you can't beat the price of the Crosman, and it will hold an extra mag which is a bonus: Crosman Holster at Amazon; fits P22 You might be able to find this holster at your local Walmart for a similar price. Here's a picture of my P22 in the holster: 
CCI Mini-Mags are probably THE most reliable ammo for your P22. If you find some, it would be good to run a few hundred through the gun before you try switching to the cheap bulk ammo. My P22 now shoots bulk ammo with very high reliability, but in the beginning you might have some issues. Classes are ALWAYS good. If you can find one and can afford it, take it. Enjoy! |