I Bought my First Handgun Today and a Question

[Nova]

I live in Northern VA and I went to the gun show in Chantilly today to pick up my first handgun.

I bought a Springfield XD45 full size. Picked up a very inconspicuous OWB leather holster that is custom made for the XD45.

My main question is:

How much ammunition should I buy? I picked up 75 rounds of hollow point Federal Hydra-Shocks for self defense purposes - I don't plan on shooting them at the range. I also grabbed 300 rounds of PMC FMJs.

I went to the range today and popped off 75 of the FMJ rounds today. My suspicion is that these FMJs will not hold me though. How many rounds should I have available at any given time?

The gun worked perfectly at the range and I'm very happy with it. The safety features are excellent: grip safety, double trigger, round in the chamber indicator, cocked slide indicator. A lot more than the Glock, which is the main reason I got it.

One of my goals is to become very proficient with it. How do you get to the point where you can shoot off a lot of rounds quickly and accurately?

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[retsupt99]

Asking how much ammo should I buy, is kind of like asking a rural mechanic, 'somewhere in Egypt', "How much is that car repair going to cost me?" (His answer will be, "How much you got?")
OMO

How much ammo? How much extra cash do you have?
Ammo has probably increased 50% in the last 18-24 months...and it's not getting any cheaper.
If you are planning on taking a SD pistol course (and you should eventually get into one), you'll need approximately 500-1000 rounds over 2-4 days.

Stay armed...plan ahead...stay safe!

[jfl]

Training, training and training; after you become more familiar with shooting your gun, get some formal training.

I shoot 75-100 rds in a range session some single handed, some with my weak hand.

I usually have at least 1000 rds of training ammo and a few hundreds of SD (self defense) ammo.
It is crucial that you train also with your SD ammo.

If there is a IDPA club in your area, check it out it is a lot of fun.

Good luck and have fun !!!

[archer51]

There is no right answer to your question. Buy and keep as much as you think you'll need. A lot will depend on if the range you shoot at allows you to bring your own ammo, or if they require you to purchase theirs. If required to purchase their ammo, you won't need to stockpile your own.

As far as defensive ammo, 75 rounds are not near enough. Before deciding to stake your life on it's reliability you should run at least 100-200 rounds of your carry ammo through your gun to make sure it feeds properly. In a life and death situation is not the time to find out your gun doesn't feed hydra shok ammo reliably. There are many excellent defensive loads on the market now. Federal Hydra Shok, Federal HST, Winchester Ranger, Winchester Silvertips, Gold Dot, just to name a few. Each gun is different, so you need to see which your gun prefers.

[Nova]

Another question I have is about work:

Do you ask your boss if you can carry concealed to work or do you just do it? I want to protect myself but I also don't want to lose my job if the boss finds out I'm carrying to work.

[NY27]

Like others stated practice as often as you can. But practice properly, don't just fire off a bunch of rounds. Practice the 7 deadly sins...stance, grip, sight alignment, sight picture, breathing, trigger control and follow through.

Dry firing will also improve your shooting.

As far as your job goes....if there is no written policy, no posted signs and nothing was communicated to you verbally than I would just carry concealed. I also wouldn't tell anyone....news like that will travel like a wild fire.

[archer51]

First question is do you have your conceal carry permit? If not that is the first thing you need to do. As far as asking I wouldn't ask. I would check your employee handbook and see if you are prohibited by company policy from carrying. If not go ahead and carry. As long as you keep it concealed no one is going to know.

[KenpoTex]

If you can safely handle the firearm, go take a formal training class from a reputable instructor. This will get you started and you will form good habits from the begining rather than trying to teach yourself and ending up with bad habits.

I personally won't carry a gun until I've put a few hundred rounds of FMJ through it with ZERO malfunctions. Also, for SD purposes, don't carry ammo you haven't tried in YOUR gun...buy another 100 rounds or so to make sure your gun will eat that particular brand.

[Red82]

I agree with what everyone else said. :) I've got an XD40 so I hope you enjoy your 45. Welcome to the club.

[Hydrashok Glock]

personally i wont carry a gun without running thru 1k rds and no hiccups. IMO

[BeefyBeefo]

personally i wont carry a gun without running thru 1k rds and no hiccups. IMO

My personal "quota" is 750, but yes somewhere around there. Also, make sure you run at least 75 or 100 of the SD rounds through the gun at the range before totally relying on them. Just my .02

-Jeff-

[cwblanco]

Another question I have is about work:

Do you ask your boss if you can carry concealed to work or do you just do it? I want to protect myself but I also don't want to lose my job if the boss finds out I'm carrying to work.

If you ask if you can carry at work, then you are violating a fundamental rule -- that is, revealing that you ordinarily carry concealed.

While I discourage your asking such a question, I still suggest that you use good judgment and common sense in your decision to carry or not to carry at work. The fact that you feel that maybe you should ask, suggests to me that you have some serous concerns about carrying concealed [at least at work anyway].

[AVIVIII]

I'll echo what everyone else has said. ~800-ish rounds, 100 at a time in various positions, grips and "situations" with no malfunctions. Since factory SD ammo is so expensive, I realistically put 60-80 (depending on mag capacity) down range during practice/proving/break-in. I'm good with that as long as everything functions. Start mixing in snap caps (or empty brass) to practice some tap-rack-bang's towards the end of your proving.

Also, as you practice continuously and regualrly, shoot a mag or two of SD ammo here and there, just to make sure you remember the difference in the ammo; POA/POI, recoil, action speed, etc.

[firestarplus]

our employee handbook says "no weapons" carried on premises. I carry anyway, its worth the gamble IMHO. Others may feel differently however, and they wouldnt be wrong (just maybe dead)

[boscobeans]

"" Also, make sure you run at least 75 or 100 of the SD rounds through the gun at the range before totally relying on them. Just my .02 ""

Add my .02 to Beefy's advice. At least a hundred or more. I would like to be sure that my SD ammo would go BANG every time without any problems...
bosco