Hello Community!
My name is Leon, and I'm considering to get into firearms as my regular hobby (i.e. sport shooting).
I decided to get into it after a visit to a gun range with my friends, where I had a chance to try 9mm and .45 ACP handguns as well as 9mm and .223 rifles. Overall, I did pretty well for the first time (~85% accuracy).
Currently, I reside in Vancouver, BC, and planning to invest 1-1.5K into this hobby at first (including membership at a gun range)
It would be very helpful to get some suggestions regarding the following questions (some of them may be redundant for this forum, so it would be nice to get links to appropriate threads):
- I'm planning to take PAL courses (both CFSC and CRFSC). Should I do any preliminary preparation like getting free e-version of course books?
- Where would you recommend to take the PAL courses in BC?
- Any recommendations about gun range in Vancouver/BC area?
- What kind of firearm would be the best to buy at first with regards to price/satisfaction ratio? I noticed that .22 LR is recommended for beginners, however, not sure whether it will satisfy my wants since I did pretty well with 9mm and .45 (I liked the later way more)
- What is the best way/place to store a gun (e.g. at home vs gun range)?
- Where would you recommend to buy a gun: recommended shops (both online and offline) and location (Canada vs US)?
- Any other things I have to take into account before getting into shooting sport?
- What gun characteristics should be taken into account before purchase?
I would be very grateful for any information provided! Thank you all in advance!