Choosing Your First Gun (Updated for the handgun freeze)
It’s Update Time!
We’re revisiting our advice around buying your first gun considering the announcement of the handgun transfer freeze. It looks as though Bill C-21 will pass into law sometime in October 2022, meaning you have until then to buy (note: the CFO of each province say they will process any transfers submitted before the law goes into effect - more on this further down).
If you were thinking about the slow and steady approach to purchasing… you’re probably in the process of throwing that approach out the window. So, let’s dig in on some tried and tested advice for buying as well some new additions thanks to the current Canadian firearms landscape.
Common Questions
As your licence eventually arrives and you start your search for the right gun, you may be thinking, “What’s easiest to learn with? What’s the best caliber? What’s a good price?” …and if you’re like this author, you’ll be thinking, “Why shouldn’t I buy a Desert Eagle?!”)
Also keep in mind the following:
What do I plan to use it for? Keep in mind your Hunting Course. What species do you plan to hunt? Or are you planning to shoot handguns at a range? Are you target shooting as more of a collector? Or as someone who is serious about getting into competition? There is a spectrum here from choosing a gun for its end use to choosing a gun for its impact on your skills development.
How much experience do I have? There are guns that are easier on beginners than others. Larger calibers are going to be harder to control and potentially more expensive to shoot and maybe even less enjoyable to shoot (though this is personal). This also isn’t all about accuracy or reliability, but also ease of cleaning and maintenance. We don’t suggest buying a fixer-upper as your first. We also suggest buying something that is easy to field strip for a quick cleaning.
Do I have any brand preferences? There are indeed brands which are inexpensive and of quality. A Canuck shotgun is going to do the job today reliably for a good price. A Benelli, however, will do the job for a lifetime reliably, while costing you a fair bit more (of course, both require maintenance).
What is my budget? Remember the gun isn’t the whole cost. Where will you shoot it (gas and membership fees)? With what ammunition (The Desert Eagle 50 cal is expensive…)? With which safety supplies? How will I store it? All of these impact the budget.
Let’s Go Shopping
1. Go To A Physical Store
We always recommend going to brick and mortar gun stores. The biggest reason is a good gun store is going to have pretty knowledgeable staff. It’s a specialist position, ideally, and they tend to know a lot more about guns than your average retail employee knows about, say, electronics. They’ll have a keen sense of what’s right for the purposes you have and can share what other customers think about a particular gun. Has it been reliable? Can it take a beating outdoors? Are replacement parts easy to get?
Handle The Firearms
At a physical store, as a licensed buyer, you’re going to get to handle a bunch of potential firearms so you can see what feels right. This often includes used firearms. There is a huge secondary market for firearms and this means savings for you. A reputable gun store has inspected and vetted - possibly even made a repair or two - and is invested in seeing you happy and satisfied with your purchase. That said, if you aren’t the kind to troubleshoot maintaining something used you might want to stay with new.
Something in between is the surplus market. Usually surplus has been lightly used by military or law enforcement and redistributed to the civilian market. Surplus can be a nice way to save some money and buy something with a bit of history to it. Just be sure you’re asking the store how it was inspected and what condition it is in because usually they won’t stand by it later. Be sure you understand what their answer means so you know what you’re getting into.
And of course, you can handle all the latest new models and get a feel for what kinds of actions you prefer or how different models feel in your hands.
Warranty And Customer Support
A reputable gun store will usually offer warranty and customer support. Whether buying new or used you want to understand what support you’re likely to need, and what the terms and conditions are of the warranty. This is all going to be a lot clearer to you if you go to a store and have a conversation. Visit a few and see where you find knowledgeable staff you can have an easy conversation with.
**New** Ask About Shipments
Most of the time buying a gun in Canada is not like going to the supermarket where you can assume most supermarkets have most items. Gun stores are dealers for some brands but not others. You might need to look around a bit. You’ll quickly get a sense of what the landscape looks like, what models are popular and plentiful and which are popular and rare. If you see some bare walls right now — especially regarding handguns — ask the store if/when they are expecting a new shipment. This can help you figure out when to visit them again to see the best selection.
**New** Refund Policy
Make sure you ask the store what will happen if for some reason a transfer is not approved by the CFO. Will you lose all your money? Is there a partial refund? Or a 100% refund?
Remember, the buying process in Canada is you buy up front from the store. Next they submit a transfer request to the Provincial Chief Firearms Office (the CFO). You wait for the transfer to be approved and then return to the store for pickup or have the gun shipped to you.
In Ontario, transfers are backed up for months. Guns bought today might not be approved for transfer until the end of the year, maybe even early 2023. As many handguns were bought in the first week of June as there were in 2021. The CFO in Ontario is backed up. So far they say they’ll continue processing any transfers that were requested prior to the freeze coming into effect (likely October 2022). If for some reason that turns out not to be true, what will the store do?
Make sure you’re buying from a store that has a clear policy on this. If you aren’t, then be comfortable potentially losing your money if things go awry. Remember, stores are working with “moving targets”. It’s pretty hard for them right now - part of their business is getting wiped out — so don’t be too hard on them if they can’t really answer the question or don’t really know… everything is changing.
New** Pricing
Pricing is a bit “all over the place” right now thanks to the freeze. When you’re about to buy, google up the same model of gun and try to understand if you’re getting a reasonably fair value (and remember USD prices often pop up, so do some conversion). Some stores are maintaining fair prices while others are gouging a little bit. In all fairness inflation and supply issues on top of the scarcity caused by the “freeze” are all factors. Just know what you’re getting into.
Avoid Private
Buying used privately is a more advanced activity. It’s tempting considering the shortages right now. You need to take into account your safety, the seller’s reliability, and be able to inspect and understand the condition of used firearms. We don’t recommend starting here when you’re inexperienced unless you’re buying from a trusted friend. Stick with stores.
Be Prudent Online - Ask About Transfers
We buy lots online. Especially now, with the rush on all things handgun, you’ll be browsing online stores. You may be wondering if some are legitimate. We get emails asking which are reliable stores, but there are many more reliable stores than we personally have done business with.
Google “is <insert store name> legitimate” and 9 out of 10 times you’ll quickly find out. Most of the first page of search results are likely going to be legitimate stores lots of firearms owners buy from regularly. That said, do your homework and make sure you know where you are sending money. Give the store a call to verify them if you need to.
One thing to watch out for: check that what you’re buying online is actually in stock and to ask how quickly a transfer will be submitted after sale. Many stores are tracking inventory carefully but we’ve heard of a couple who are pre-selling shipments that are on the way. You want to know you’re buying something that is definitely going to be there, when it gets there, and how quickly the transfer process will start.
2. Buy For “Fit”
People often have their sights set on a particular brand or the look of a particular model, and now and then they forget about “fit”. Fit is how a particular firearm actually fits with your body. Remember, becoming proficient at shooting is mostly learning and practicing certain body mechanics. You can end up standing in your own way if your firearms isn’t a good fit for your body and is therefore standing in the way of your skills development.
Here are easy ways to feel out the fit when handling firearms at the store:
Rifles: It’s a good fit usually if you can hold it up easily and manipulate all the buttons and catches without having to remove the firearm from your shoulder.
Shotguns: You should be able to shoulder and cheek weld the gun and have your eyes line up the center rib and sights. It should feel natural and line up every time you shoulder.
Pistols: It should fit well in your hands and you can reach all the buttons and catches without moving your hands too much. The less you have to break your grip the better.
3. Buy a .22LR Rifle Or Handgun
Some of you may have been doing research and looking around and want to buy that cool gun from a movie or video game you love, or maybe you’ve got a few things in the family you’re going to be shooting. Also, go buy a .22LR rifle or handgun.
.22 is the smallest and cheapest caliber of ammunition you can buy. This means you can spend hours upon hours building up the skills you need without breaking the bank. It also usually means less kick, and slightly lighter firearms, meaning you can work on the fundamental skills of accurate shooting without fighting for control all the time.
We definitely recommend starting here to build the base skills. You don’t have to hold off shooting other things. That’ll be experience-building as well, and fun! But give yourself the benefit of time with a .22 and you’ll see it pay dividends as you take on bigger calibers. A gun is ultimately only as good as the person behind it!