Getting back in the saddle

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  • FN509Fan

    Ultimate Member
    I bought my very first firearm in 1990 when the house my first wife and I were general contracting in a fairly isolated area in a far west Chicago suburb got burglarized shortly before we moved in. Illinois required we get a Firearm Owner's Identification Cards (FOID) from what I thought at the time was a highly restrictive state. As soon as my FOID arrived, I headed to the next gun show and bought a NIB Sig 226 for $600. The wife headed to a breeder and picked out a beautiful white German shepherd puppy who wound up weighing in at 125lbs fully grown. What started with the SIG turned into a 300 round a week shooting habit for me and the ex for several years and me getting into reloading with a Dillon Square Deal and picking up other shoot'n toys.

    Fast forward to 2006, I moved to what my brother calls the People's Republic of Maryland (he's lived here for decades) where I met my 2nd wife who can't believe she hooked up with a guy with a NRA sticker in the back window of his pickup. She's fairly anti gun (and anti NRA) and as of this year, I hadn't been to the range in 15 years or more. With all the political turmoil of late, wife #2 expressed an interest in learning to handle a gun and be able to defend herself. During the COVID lockdown, I've been teaching her gun handling and safety with my trusty SIG 226, we've been reviewing gun safety videos on YouTube and I've been scoping out our next acquisition.

    I learned about the HQL requirement, searched for the least expensive options to fulfil the requirements. Though I didn't really need to take the training as an exiting gun owner, I wanted to do the class together with my wife. I found MSAR offered a bare minimum class (no extra shooting or range time/training) for $30 in person or $40 via Skype. We opted for Skype followed by a trip to the MSAR range to fire a single shot from a S&W 38. Woo Hoo! Finally back on the range. I forgot how cold it can be at the range shooting in the winter time. We got fingerprinted by the Rockville PD for another $40 each, and you know the rest.

    You can guess from my handle what our latest acquisition will be. The wife is kinda ambidextrous so I wanted a fully ambi gun for her to decide which she wants to use a her dominant hand and to "qualify" on and build up her muscle memory on. This will be our self defense gun. She's been dry firing with the SIG, but as soon as the 509 arrives, it will be the only gun she fires till she is real comfortable with it. I wanted to get her the 509 midsize, but it seems to be almost impossible to find and goes for more than MSRP when you do find it. I happened to wonder across an auction at GunBroker.com where a 509 Tactical had a starting bid of $500! I had to get in on that action, and while it didn't go cheap, it was well below the regular retail price.

    I'd never done an FFL transfer before but the guys at United Gun Shop in Rockville turned out to be great to work with. A great price for the transfer ($40) and no charge for holding the gun till our HQLs arrive.

    If the wife adapts well to the 509, I've told her that as soon as I spot a 509 Midsize at a great price, she'll be getting a new gun and we'll have his and hers 509's. I've never had a tricked out gun, I'll do the trigger and put a red dot sight on it and retire it from being a defense gun. Maybe add a compensator.

    At work I sit in front of a computer for 10 hours a day, so I'm not up for spending much time on the computer at home. But I hope to utilize the forums to find the best places to go shoot, and maybe do some socializing once this COVID crisis is over. Back in Illinois, my ex and I were part of a small cadre that went shooting every Saturday and pizza afterwards. It would be great to find that again.
     

    Johnny5k

    Ultimate Member
    Nov 24, 2020
    1,021
    Welcome and congrats on the 509. I picked up a 509C tactical and I love it. I put in the flat faced Apex trigger and love that as well. I also added the Apex striker. It is not a hard job, but the locking block pin has caused many people some serious problems, there are stories of cracked frames from removing that. I have had to do it a few times, as I made some mistakes during the initial process, but it's not hard if you take your time. I'm glad I solved the issue before making a post here, or calling FN, but I had been shooting a couple times with an error in assembly. I have the Apex disassembly jig too.

    Someone local had some 509s in stock, but I can't remember who. I want a second one, but I couldn't pull the trigger on that, in MD. I would recommend calling around to some Va or Pa stores and finding one in stock there. Take the bag and all the magazines, and only transfer the pistol itself, that way you can get the standard capacity magazines. Otherwise, I do not know how the MD FFL will handle the magazines. I suppose best case scenario, they get pinned to 10 rounds, usually at an additional cost, if you didn't buy the 10 round mag version, which is even harder to find. The cost to transfer would be less than the cost of new standard magazines, especially since you still need to find them in person in another state, which is no easy feat. Its hard enough to find them at all.
     

    Dave MP

    Retired USA
    Jun 13, 2010
    10,603
    Farmland, PA
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    Welcome to the jungle ...from a parolee.

    Enjoy your stay.

    Good luck finding a new crew to shoot and hang out with.

    Y’all gonna need to rob banks and or liquor stores in order to afford shooting every weekend. Wear a mask...

    I just found basic 115gr 9mm for $21/box of 50 at Atlantic Guns in Rockville, less than 1/2 what I paid for a box of similar in Laurel.

    Also, hi from Northern Prince George's County!
     

    mpollan1

    Foxtrot Juliet Bravo
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 26, 2012
    6,559
    Мэриленд
    Welcome! Looks from you choice of FFL that your hut is deep in the belly of the beast. I too am a Monkey resident. Doing a lot of soul searching regarding my willingness to stay.
     

    mlj427

    Active Member
    Sep 28, 2020
    148
    Welcome,
    Remember to follow FN’s guidelines and use the recommended striker caps whenever you dry fire it since they are known for breaking strikers.
     

    JohnnyE

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 18, 2013
    9,466
    MoCo
    Welcome from Montgomery County.

    I have my old FOID card somewhere...yeah, I'm a former FIB.
     

    trickg

    Guns 'n Drums
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 22, 2008
    14,598
    Glen Burnie
    Welcome! I'm curious to see how the missus is going to adapt to being a gun owner from being anti for so long.

    When I got together with my wife, she'd never held a real gun in her life, and the idea of real guns actually scared her. On DAY 1 on our first trip back to Nebraska where I'm from, she went from doing the basics with a .22 rifle and pistol, to shooting a fully automatic Thompson Machine gun.

    She's not into it - she's one of those kinds of people who with many things leaves it at, "well, I can say I've done that at least once," but she doesn't mind my hobby and passion with it, which is good.

    Again, welcome! Keep us posted on how things go.
     

    FN509Fan

    Ultimate Member
    Read the Manual

    Welcome,
    Remember to follow FN’s guidelines and use the recommended striker caps whenever you dry fire it since they are known for breaking strikers.

    I read up RE: 509 breaking strikers, and read the manual (pre purchase) on line. I never really liked dry firing any of my guns. I bought a pack of Snap Caps a month or so ago for my wife to practice with for her initial HG handling/training and to use with the 509 which has just arrived.
     

    FN509Fan

    Ultimate Member
    Thanks for the tip

    I just found basic 115gr 9mm for $21/box of 50 at Atlantic Guns in Rockville, less than 1/2 what I paid for a box of similar in Laurel.

    FFL transfer was to United which is also in Rockville so we'll pop in to Atlantic on the way there and see where the price is now. Now that I'm back into shooting sports, I'm checking out all the shops and ranges in the area.
     

    Michigander08

    ridiculous and psychotic
    MDS Supporter
    May 29, 2017
    7,685
    Welcome! I used to travel to Chicago often for work. I just didn't realize how crappy IL is with gun law.
     

    FN509Fan

    Ultimate Member
    Welcome! I'm curious to see how the missus is going to adapt to being a gun owner from being anti for so long.

    Again, welcome! Keep us posted on how things go.
    Since my OP, in addition to the 509, we've picked up a KelTek KS7 and most recently a New Vaquero in 45 Colt. We both deemed the KS7 strictly for home defense and not for fun but she did better with it than I did. I have trouble hanging on to the front grip. I'll probably need more practice with it than her. ;) She has launched hundreds of rounds of 9mm down range and regularly asks when will we go to the range again. We went this past Monday as it is half price at MSAR and I got to try the NV. Even at starting loads, they were a bit warm and she didn't want to try it. I'm looking through my stock of 45 ACP bullets to put together some milder 45 Colt loads.
     

    trickg

    Guns 'n Drums
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 22, 2008
    14,598
    Glen Burnie
    There's a real feeling of empowerment many women get learning to shoot - sounds like that might be happening here, which is a good thing.
     

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