Got my PAL/RPAL.....now wish to purchase

I would say that you have to book another delivery. I could be wrong but I doubt that you have any authority to move the gun from your residence until you get an ATT or LTATT as applicable. I think you must take possession at your residence and no where else. I will be corrected very quickly if wrong:)
 
The gun should come with a temp att but you could call the cfo and ask if you would need a temp att. I also started shooting a .357. A ruger GP100 and I loved it for about a month. Ammo is very expensive. 9mm was my other choice at that time but since I just blew the cash on the ruger I couldn't afford a decent 9mm. I then decided that I would start reloading to keep costs down. So I asked around and was told 45 is easy to reload and low pressure so is safer for newmies so I bought a norinco 1911. After reloading and shooting 45 I sold the 357. It was fun and looked cool as #### but for accurate, and competitive shooting the double action pull was no good. I have since been through several other guns and would do things differently. I will now always recommend a .22 to start learning. I had developed a serious flinch shooting 357 and 45. The only way to stop this was shootong cases of .22lr. I would pick either a CZ 75 with a .22 kadet kit, or a Glock 17 with an Advantage Arms 22 kit. This is the cheapest way to shoot and the best way to become really good at shooting your centerfire. Practice with essentially the same pistol just don't pick up the bad habits like flinching and pushing the muzzle down that you will experience with the bigger calibres. Ok I'm done but really listen to the guys who have been in the same boat. Experience counts for eveything when were talkin shooting sports.
 
Fortunately I haven't YET developed a flinch; yet being the operative word as it can happen and has to people much more experienced. It is like the "yips" that plague golfers and that problem which is similar as it is very difficult to control has destroyed many promising careers. I have seen it in shooters in the short time I have been in the game and it can be terribly discouraging. I really enjoy the recoil of bigger calibers but it can mean that accuracy and or speed will be compromised. For me, if I can't be accurate and making steady progress, I get quite unhappy. IPSC and similar shooting sports are a blast but you have to be able to get that second and subsequent shots on target or both speed and accuracy go for a walk and it will be very difficult to be even moderately competitive with shooters who are really in control.
 
You guys have given me food for thought. I hadn't considered I might develop bad habits by using a larger calibre as a newbie. I can see it being more expensive than .22 or 9 mm. Obviously I've got some homework to do on this, thanks for everyone's advice I do value your opinions.

Wow RedDuc, that's an extensive how-to list. I'll have to print it out/bookmark it for when the time comes to purchase one. Jump for joy....:p - still laughing. When I set out to get my license I had no clue how long & involved the whole process would be from doing the safety course thru to actually shooting something (legally anyway). I hear you on kissing all my spare money good-bye. I wouldn't be surprised if they charged me a fee for the LTATT, or dare I ask.... :jerkit:
 
Yeah man, if you're not loaded with $$$, kiss your spare $$ good bye. I probably spent $2500 on reloading equipment and enough supplies for 2000rds of 9mm and I still haven't fired anything yet. I'm at my last phase before I can shoot as much as I want - LTATT. That said, it can't really shoot as much as I want... My wallet will run dry if I shoot too much 9mm, even for reloads.

Now, I'm looking into casting 9mm boolits since I plan to cast 44mag anyway. Mine as well try this out too. I have 150lbs of unprocessed wheel weights (free). Currently cost me ~$7.50/50rds (factoring in free brass). Casting boolits would bring cost down to $2.50/box, or $3.50 if lead is bought. If my sig shoots good with cast boolits, I will solve my $$$ problem and ROI will be achieved in less than 6 months. LOL! Shoot 9mm for the price of .22lr is priceless. My lead blood levels will probably shoot up.
 
Just a question though, what if I'm not home when the F/A is delivered by CP, will I just pick it up at the nearest CP office (will there be ATT issues for me going there?); or CP will arrange for an appointment to deliver it again on my doorstep?

There are tons of lenghty discussions on this in the past. I have not yet concluded on anything concrete except that 1) you will get a different answer every time you call CFO and 2) if you do get STATT to pick up parcel at post office. You are suppose to follow transport rules as per your ATT. That would mean opening up parcel at the PO, making sure that the parcel is indeed the said firearm, prove it safe by ya know, racking it a few times, put on trigger lock and lock up box in locable container and bring it home.

If by any chance my parcel ends up in the PO, I will treat it as a parcel and bring it home and then open it. If it turns out to be a firearm, then good!
 
I wouldn't be surprised if they charged me a fee for the LTATT, or dare I ask.... :jerkit:

You pay LTATT fees in your taxes. Thats enough.
The only other fees are:
- to the CFO for your PAL
- the club for member fees and club safety courses
- the CSSA for an annual membership

Then be a good club member and police your brass and treat the range with respect and good housekeeping, which only costs in time not $$ ;)

Being a member of a club that has club guns will enable you to shoot a .22lr pistol so I would personally buy what you really want and can
realistically afford.

The .22lr conversion kits (Advantage Arms - glock/1911 or CZKadet or Sig classic etc..)
are a good choice if not a bit expensive. You get to shoot the same gun in 2 calibers so when you run out of centrefire you can still shoot the same gun.
You get a lot more range time with the gun you like that way. I do that with ARs, my Glock and one day my CZ. Plus your newbie friends will appreciate it.

I started at this in Dec. 2008 and have a ton more to learn but so far it's been way more +'s than -'s.
 
If my sig shoots good with cast boolits, I will solve my $$$ problem and ROI will be achieved in less than 6 months. LOL! Shoot 9mm for the price of .22lr is priceless. My lead blood levels will probably shoot up.

Just make sure you have good ventilation, wash hands and face after a casting session, and don't eat or drink while casting and you'll be just fine. I always drink a buttload of water before I start a marathon casting session. Also if you can help it, do away with beards, moustaches, or goats. I learned long ago that if I was to shoot any amount at all I had to start loading. Ouch factor was, when I did, the dollar as 63 cents. My Dillon 550B cost me about $600 back then. But considering the amount of shooting I was doing, it's paid for itself repeatedly. I shoot around 700 rounds per year of .44-40. To load it with cast bullets and Trail Boss powder runs me around 14 cents per round even figuring in brass wear. The last box of .44-40 I seen was $59.99 for 50. So even with just the one caliber, the press has paid for itself. I could buy the brass new, load it, shoot it, leave the brass lay and still be ahead. Th ultimate irony is that what you save in ammo costs, you buy in equiptment, but as a good friend of mine always says, "It's better than pissing it up against a wall."
 
I'm currently sourcing for molds. Higginson has Lee 6 cavity mold truncated cone in stock. Only thing I need now is Alox... I will cast 44 mag for sure so Xlox will not go to waste. I read that Sig P226 can eat cast boolits well. Beats me. I will try with bare bone equipment first. If it works, I'll invest more. All I know is, my break even point is around 6k rds of 9mm cast boolits. After that, even if I shoot 2000rds a month, and will only cost me around $50-70. instead of $700 for cheapest factory ammo. Now that is what I call affordable!

I thought casting was hard. It doesn't look that hard to me anymore. 1/2 days work and I may have thousands of rounds to play with. Good deal!

Alas, I will not know how much smoke 9mm cast boolit loads with alox will generate. I'll be shooting 'em in indoor range.

I shouldn't be worrying about lead poisoning at home (well, casting outside). What I"m worried about is shooting 1000-2000rds/month at an indoor range. LOL!
 
The range should have a ventilation fan. What I would suggest is that you forget Lee Alox lube exsists and use something less messy like Lyman Orange Magic, Rooster Red, or SPG. I can't comment on the Lee moulds, but the only thing Lee Precision has ever turned out that I didn't find to be a POS is the priming tool they make. I've made it my life mission to turn shooters away from the false economy that Lee offers. :D

As for the casting process, I love doing it. Read all you can, ask questions. I've realized shooting is a hobby that contains many other hobbies. It's the sizing and lubing process I hate.
 
Thanks for the tip but I think I will have to stick with Alox or Xlox for now and may try to keep the tops clean. I might even just hand dip them one by one instead of lubing them in a bucket. I hate the idea of lubing through a luber/sizer or with DIY wax mixtures.

I'll see how my first batches of cast 9mm work out in the near future. I'm going to purchase the Lee 6 cavity /w micro bands (supposedly do not need to be resized). I'll see how my Sig eats them and go for there.

Hey, CookieMonster, sorry for changing subjects on you. But hey, if you plan to shoot a lot, RELOAD! Good info already in your thread about this to get your started. :)
 
Hey, CookieMonster, sorry for changing subjects on you. But hey, if you plan to shoot a lot, RELOAD! Good info already in your thread about this to get your started. :)

I hear you on that, thanks again for all the helpful info. This site is a goldmine of information, wish I had more time to read up on everything.....never thought I'd get my firearms license much less make my own ammo, I'm happy to learn all I can.:)
 
I hear you on that, thanks again for all the helpful info. This site is a goldmine of information, wish I had more time to read up on everything.....never thought I'd get my firearms license much less make my own ammo, I'm happy to learn all I can.:)

I always planned to reload, but never thought about casting my own bullets until recently. I have to give this a try! I already melted down a 5 gallon bucket of wheel weights. That was relatively easy with all the info you can get from the net on this subject. I think I have 100+lbs of lead now. I spent about $80 to get to this point. I already broke even with my first score of free WW. I'm pretty sure next bucket will cost me, but it don't matter. If casting works for me, I don't think I won't be buying bullets again. LOL
 
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