Greetings from Greenwich, Ct.

[FRANKIE D]

I'm Frank DeLuca and I just signed up as a member after lurking for a while. Hard to believe how much good info is available here. Don't nobody laugh too hard but this is actually the 1st forum I've ever signed up for! I'm 56 yrs old and this is my 1st foray into handgun shooting. I'mm a long-gun shooter from way back and used to compete indoor smallbore for many years. I was pretty darn good..I could also see my sights then too.

This site is sooo huge I'm having a bit of a time trying to figure out where to hang out or get info I'm looking for...oh well, we'll get there. Any help to streamline my search activity would be welcome. Thanks to G-Manbart for some of his posts in the beginner section.

See ya 'round.

Frank

[GrumpyOne]

Welcome to the forums! You wouldn't by chance be the same Frank DeLuca from Ocala, Fl who owns the Toyota dealership, are you? What kind of handgun shooting are you interested in?

[Sarge]

Welcome Frank! You have come to the right place. It is hard to say where you should begin. I am 50 years old myself so I know what you mean about the eyes. I started in production since it is basically the cheapest place to develop skills in the sport. However some jump right into open division because optics tend to somewhat level that part of the playing field.(old eyes) But it is an expensive place to start to be sure. My advice would be to take whatever pistol or pistols you might have and match it with the right division and go from there. If you don't have a pistol then read some more about the various divisions and figure out where you want to go from there.

I would visit some matches before I did any buying at all. See if a buddy will loan you some gear. One problem with this sport is that you really need some specialized equipment to get the most from it as compared to just plinking. You will need some mag pouches, more magazines, holster, etc.

Using the Search function with any questions you might have will get you a lot of info. Read the different gun brand sub forums and make an informed choice. Same thing for equipment and gear. After a while common denominators will start to filter out.

Good luck, have fun and be safe.

[FRANKIE D]

Welcome to the forums! You wouldn't by chance be the same Frank DeLuca from Ocala, Fl who owns the Toyota dealership, are you? What kind of handgun shooting are you interested in?

Thanks for the welcome GrumpyOne. Nope, no relation to a Fla. Toyota dealer. Bet he's a nice guy though, all the DeLucas I've met over the years are pretty good. Well, here's what's up with me and handgun shooting. For the past 2 months or so I've been doing some bullseye shooting with a Ruger MkII .22 with 10" bull bbl (the "cannon") I'm getting 8 or 9 out of 10 in the black at 50'. My neighbor just recently decided he didn't want guns in the house anymore since his 10 y.o. son discovered them. I would have taught the kid to shoot like my dad did me at that age, but he decided to give the guns to me. So now i have a Ruger Security Six .357/.38 spec , a Beretta Model 84B .380 and a Beretta pocket size .25acp . Paper targets are ok but they don't yell ouch when you hit them.

While Ive been waiting on membership in our local club I've gone as a guest for target shooting. One afternoon after our practice shoot a bunch showed up for an indoor steel match. I hung out for a while and watched. I think I fell in love. Now that stuff looks like fun and I understand the group shoots in different places every week and outdoors in the summer months. I like the action and watching something fall over when it's hit.

So, I guess that's where I want to go...Practice sight picture, trigger work and breath on paper and blast the hell out of some steels for fun. Now the dilemma.. gotta get me a gun for the job. Hmmm Meanwhile I'm trying to learn shooters lingo, what the heck bullet weight has to do with anything and all sorts of stuff. Feel like a kid in first grade. Any thoughts, Grump?

Regards,

F.

[Jadeslade]

You can use the .22 for steel-shoot in iron sight rimfire. It is great fun and great because the fundamentals of trigger control, sight picture, and transitions from target to target are primary skills in any kind of action shooting. I would get a Glock 17 or Smith and Wesson M+P in 9mm , 4 or 5 magazines, a holster from one of the vendors here along with 4 mag pouches, a case of ammo-like Winchester white box or something in 147 grain and get to a match. Sometimes good packages come up for sale on this forum in classifieds. A used gun is fine. Good luck.

[FRANKIE D]

Welcome Frank! You have come to the right place. It is hard to say where you should begin. I am 50 years old myself so I know what you mean about the eyes. I started in production since it is basically the cheapest place to develop skills in the sport. However some jump right into open division because optics tend to somewhat level that part of the playing field.(old eyes) But it is an expensive place to start to be sure. My advice would be to take whatever pistol or pistols you might have and match it with the right division and go from there. If you don't have a pistol then read some more about the various divisions and figure out where you want to go from there.

I would visit some matches before I did any buying at all. See if a buddy will loan you some gear. One problem with this sport is that you really need some specialized equipment to get the most from it as compared to just plinking. You will need some mag pouches, more magazines, holster, etc.

Using the Search function with any questions you might have will get you a lot of info. Read the different gun brand sub forums and make an informed choice. Same thing for equipment and gear. After a while common denominators will start to filter out.

Good luck, have fun and be safe.

Ya know, I think I'm going to enjoy this site/forum/place - better when i figure out how to post, reply and all that other fun stuff. Thanks, Sandman, for your thoughts. How about that, I put up a hello and 2 guys welcome me. It's a nice feeling. I really appreciate your thoughts. You're probably right about developing some skills first before making much of an investment on a real cool open gun - but they're sooo pretty!! Don't have the funds for anything like that now anyway - business is a bit off and I'm struggling some.

I've got 4 guns which were given to me but I don't think they lend themselves to what I want to do. I think I want to do practical shooting if that's what it's called (I'm trying to learn handgunners lingo). Does that include steels? That stuff looks like fun. I have a Ruger MkII .22 10" bull bbl - a Beretta Model 84B .380 - a Ruger Security Six revolver in .357 mag/.38 special. I have the feeling these might be ok for paper but not much else.

Do you have any feeling about buying pre-owned as a means of getting a better gun at a better price? I've done a little research on the different USPSA divisions. I feel like I might be comfortable in Limited but need a gun to shoot it.

I'll take your advice and keep on researching manufacturers and this forum for ideas. Like you said, I will eventually start to make sense. I added you to my friends list (the only "friend"). Hope you won't mind If I query you on occassion for some advice.

Thanks again,

Frank

[Sarge]

Not a problem at all Frank. Also you will get plenty more welcomes before its all said and done. This is a great bunch of folks. If you have a club that shoots steel matches that is a great place to start. I second the comments about a good 9mm for steel. However, if you think you want to shoot limited in USPSA, without complicating things too much, you might want to get the same type of gun mentioned but in a 40 instead of 9mm. The drawback there is that the ammo costs more until you get into reloading, which I sure hope you plan to do. Much cheaper way to keep the gun fed. You can't hardly go wrong with a 9mm though. As for used guns. If you buy from somebody you know or from this forum you can probably trust it to be just fine. Many gunmakers will repair a gun free or cheap even if you are not the original owner. I like to buy new stuff myself though and either the Glock or M&P can be had for around $5-600 if you shop around.

Your steel shooting guys should have a rimfire division for you to bust out the Ruger on. Good luck

[G-ManBart]

I'm Frank DeLuca and I just signed up as a member after lurking for a while. Hard to believe how much good info is available here. Don't nobody laugh too hard but this is actually the 1st forum I've ever signed up for! I'm 56 yrs old and this is my 1st foray into handgun shooting. I'mm a long-gun shooter from way back and used to compete indoor smallbore for many years. I was pretty darn good..I could also see my sights then too.

This site is sooo huge I'm having a bit of a time trying to figure out where to hang out or get info I'm looking for...oh well, we'll get there. Any help to streamline my search activity would be welcome. Thanks to G-Manbart for some of his posts in the beginner section.

See ya 'round.

Frank

Welcome!

My dad's side of the family is all from Greenwich. My grandparent's house was on Rodwell ave not far from the Hamilton Ave middle school and I spent a lot of time there as a kid. They sold that place and move to FL after the first round of condos went in at the old dump. R,

[FRANKIE D]

I'm Frank DeLuca and I just signed up as a member after lurking for a while. Hard to believe how much good info is available here. Don't nobody laugh too hard but this is actually the 1st forum I've ever signed up for! I'm 56 yrs old and this is my 1st foray into handgun shooting. I'mm a long-gun shooter from way back and used to compete indoor smallbore for many years. I was pretty darn good..I could also see my sights then too.

This site is sooo huge I'm having a bit of a time trying to figure out where to hang out or get info I'm looking for...oh well, we'll get there. Any help to streamline my search activity would be welcome. Thanks to G-Manbart for some of his posts in the beginner section.

See ya 'round.

Frank

Welcome!

My dad's side of the family is all from Greenwich. My grandparent's house was on Rodwell ave not far from the Hamilton Ave middle school and I spent a lot of time there as a kid. They sold that place and move to FL after the first round of condos went in at the old dump. R,

Hey G-man thanks for the response. Before I joined up i had read a number of your posts. YOu're certainly prolific and informative. I particularly thank you for leading me to a post describing the various divisions of USPSA. This ought to help me figure out how to buy a good gun that I can shoot without too many restrictions. All I need now is money - we'll find some somewhere. Appreciate your "newbie" stuff. I may be a long time shooter with a serious hiatus but I'm really new to handguns. But I can't wait to really get into this and start having some serious fun.

So, you've got family ties to Greenwich. I live about a mile from the Ham. Ave. School. Man, you never know who you're gonna meet on-line. SO where are you living? And what are you shooting? Like I mentioned earlier, I'm thinking of shooting steels in Limited or whatever people shoot at in limited class. As an aside, I cannot believe how little I know about the world of handgun shooting. Heck, I don't know a darn thing! I'm not trying to sound like I know what I'm talking about but I am trying to acclimate myself to the language of the sport. Not that easy!

I hope you're ok with me adding you to my "friends" list for questions and advice and the occasional PM. At this stage of my shooting career I could use all the help and advice I can get.

I'll keep in touch and thanks again for your kind reply.

Frank DeLuca

[chrisa006]

Frank,

Their is a group of USPSA shooters who stay in practice at the range in Greenwich. Email don and get the schedule

daugus38s@optonline.net

I think it is Monday nights

[FRANKIE D]

You can use the .22 for steel-shoot in iron sight rimfire. It is great fun and great because the fundamentals of trigger control, sight picture, and transitions from target to target are primary skills in any kind of action shooting. I would get a Glock 17 or Smith and Wesson M+P in 9mm , 4 or 5 magazines, a holster from one of the vendors here along with 4 mag pouches, a case of ammo-like Winchester white box or something in 147 grain and get to a match. Sometimes good packages come up for sale on this forum in classifieds. A used gun is fine. Good luck.

Hey Jadeslade:

Thank you so much for your welcoming. I'm so glad I signed up with this forum. I feel like I have a thousand new friends. How cool is that! Now all I need is more time to spend on the forum, more money to spend on guns, and more of an idea of how I want to shoot and what I want to shoot with.

Thanks for your suggestions on gun choices. I'll try to match my budget with firearms and divisions and keep looking around the site for ideas. The classified section looks pretty good too so I'll be keeping an eye on that. You know, I've always been a Type A, try to be good at everythng, kind of person. I feel so lost at this sport right now having no experience. I'll get through it but in the meantime I feel a bit lost.

I'll add you to my friends list if it's ok with you and we'll be in touch. thanks for your thoughts

Frank DeLuca

[Jadeslade]

Sure. It probably will take you two weeks to catch up on all the threads. That's if you go at it all day. The information is here. Use search ; i.e., "Glock in Limited" and you will find a plethora of things to read.

[G-ManBart]

Hey G-man thanks for the response. Before I joined up i had read a number of your posts. YOu're certainly prolific and informative. I particularly thank you for leading me to a post describing the various divisions of USPSA. This ought to help me figure out how to buy a good gun that I can shoot without too many restrictions. All I need now is money - we'll find some somewhere. Appreciate your "newbie" stuff. I may be a long time shooter with a serious hiatus but I'm really new to handguns. But I can't wait to really get into this and start having some serious fun.

So, you've got family ties to Greenwich. I live about a mile from the Ham. Ave. School. Man, you never know who you're gonna meet on-line. SO where are you living? And what are you shooting? Like I mentioned earlier, I'm thinking of shooting steels in Limited or whatever people shoot at in limited class. As an aside, I cannot believe how little I know about the world of handgun shooting. Heck, I don't know a darn thing! I'm not trying to sound like I know what I'm talking about but I am trying to acclimate myself to the language of the sport. Not that easy!

I hope you're ok with me adding you to my "friends" list for questions and advice and the occasional PM. At this stage of my shooting career I could use all the help and advice I can get.

I'll keep in touch and thanks again for your kind reply.

Frank DeLuca

Hey Frank,

Glad you found some of those posts helpful I'm just outside of Detroit (just moved here) and shoot mostly Open, but throw in a little Limited, SS and Prod as well. Feel free to shoot me a PM any time you feel like it! R,

Bart

[Youngeyes]

Additional welcome from Newtown, CT. This is a great forum. If you check the search engine here you'll get more hard learned info than you've ever wanted. Tough to find a question that has not already been discussed. All new info and questions are welcomed, even some of the dumb stuff that I'm capable of asking. If I can be of any help please let me know.

[Duane Thomas]

Frank,

Honestly, you don't really need any more equipment than what you already have. You could have a lot of fun on steel with that Ruger Security Six and some inexpensive .38 Special handloads. I would hazard a guess that your local steel matches don't entail drawing from a holster, so no need to cough up for one of those. If you want to make reloading between strings easier, you might (or might not, for that matter) want to invest in a few speedloaders. The HKS and Safariland designs for the Smith & Wesson K-frame will also work with your Ruger.

On down the road, if you absolutely must have a different gun, you can get into a used Glock 17 for around $400, and spare magazines cost about 20 bucks a pop. Factory 9mm hardball is even more affordable than .38 Special handloads. This doesn't have to be a hideously expensive hobby.

[GrumpyOne]

<!--quoteo(post=1135218:date=Jan 17 2010, 01:54 PM:name=GrumpyOne)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (GrumpyOne @ Jan 17 2010, 01:54 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1135218"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Welcome to the forums! You wouldn't by chance be the same Frank DeLuca from Ocala, Fl who owns the Toyota dealership, are you? What kind of handgun shooting are you interested in?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Thanks for the welcome GrumpyOne. Nope, no relation to a Fla. Toyota dealer. Bet he's a nice guy though, all the DeLucas I've met over the years are pretty good. Well, here's what's up with me and handgun shooting. For the past 2 months or so I've been doing some bullseye shooting with a Ruger MkII .22 with 10" bull bbl (the "cannon") I'm getting 8 or 9 out of 10 in the black at 50'. My neighbor just recently decided he didn't want guns in the house anymore since his 10 y.o. son discovered them. I would have taught the kid to shoot like my dad did me at that age, but he decided to give the guns to me. So now i have a Ruger Security Six .357/.38 spec , a Beretta Model 84B .380 and a Beretta pocket size .25acp . Paper targets are ok but they don't yell ouch when you hit them.

While Ive been waiting on membership in our local club I've gone as a guest for target shooting. One afternoon after our practice shoot a bunch showed up for an indoor steel match. I hung out for a while and watched. I think I fell in love. Now that stuff looks like fun and I understand the group shoots in different places every week and outdoors in the summer months. I like the action and watching something fall over when it's hit.

So, I guess that's where I want to go...Practice sight picture, trigger work and breath on paper and blast the hell out of some steels for fun. Now the dilemma.. gotta get me a gun for the job. Hmmm Meanwhile I'm trying to learn shooters lingo, what the heck bullet weight has to do with anything and all sorts of stuff. Feel like a kid in first grade. Any thoughts, Grump?

Regards,

F.

I know what you mean about the steel! It's what got me hooked about 7 years ago. And, as far as gear goes, that Ruger security six will get you going on the steel, don't let anyone tell you different! While you might not be the fastest with it, it will get you started down the right path. Anyone who says you can't compete with a revo in todays game, needs to look no further than Jerry Miculek.

[Jadeslade]

You know, I never thought of using my Security Six for steel. What a great idea!! Can always learn something new.

[GrumpyOne]

When we shoot steel, we have people shooting dern near anything that goes bang when you pull the trigger. I've shot it with my Python before.

[RowdyOne]

Greetings from a fellow Greenwich person! Grew up in Cos Cob. I am also a member at CCRRC. There are a few members of CCRRC on this board.

I shoot on Monday nights where they do some of everything, USPSA, Steel and once in a great while IDPA. Show up on a Monday and talk to the ROs and they will be more than happy to walk you through. DO NOT be intimidated by the guys that sound like they shoot full-auto. Everyone there is more than happy to talk guns, equipment or anything else for that matter. It is a good group!

-Dennis

Edited January 21, 2010 by RowdyOne

[zipper046]

Frank,

Welcome to BE and to shooting. I am the former VP at CCRRC. A few of us are here. If you have any questions, feel free to give me a shout via PM here.

Good luck and again welcome!

Z-

[Soi]

Greetings from Northern Finland, at close quarters of Santa Village.

-SOi

[ogiebb]

Welcome to the Forums.....

i used to shoot at a small indoor club in CT ..great bunch of people

[FRANKIE D]

Frank,

Their is a group of USPSA shooters who stay in practice at the range in Greenwich. Email don and get the schedule

daugus38s@optonline.net

I think it is Monday nights

Hey Chris: Thanks for your ideas. I'll contact Don and see if I can visit and shoot at their matches. Sorry my reply is a bit late...working lots of hours and getting home pooped. I'll keep in touch.

thanks

Frank D.

[FRANKIE D]

Sure. It probably will take you two weeks to catch up on all the threads. That's if you go at it all day. The information is here. Use search ; i.e., "Glock in Limited" and you will find a plethora of things to read.

Tell me about it. This site is huge. But I'll work it and make some friends, get some good ideas, and really get started in this sport. I love the smell of gunpowder in the morning.

Frank

Edited January 21, 2010 by FRANKIE D

[FRANKIE D]

Additional welcome from Newtown, CT. This is a great forum. If you check the search engine here you'll get more hard learned info than you've ever wanted. Tough to find a question that has not already been discussed. All new info and questions are welcomed, even some of the dumb stuff that I'm capable of asking. If I can be of any help please let me know. <img src="http://www.brianenos.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cheers.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="cheers.gif" />

At age 55 where did you get the moniker "new eyes"? Just a joke! Thanks for your greeting. We newbees need it! Since you're a "local" guy perhaps we can get together sometime and do some shooting. Let's pm a bit

thanKS

frank d.