Please pardon a noob and his questions

[Kromey]

imported post

ixtow wrote:

Kromey wrote:

we'll see where my comfort zones end up being -- I certainly won't be carrying until I feel like I can handle my firearm well enough to not be a threat to those around me

I'm not going to get in your face and tell you that if you aren't OCing 15 guns, including a legally registered M16, that you're not good enough...

I am going to tell you that, just like everything else, you comfort zone is where you put it. Nothing is really comfortable until you do it a while feeling uncomfortable about it and realize there is no reason to continue feeling uncomfortable.

I encourage you to do what you don't feel comfortable with, until you do.

I appreciate your prudence and functioning brain, as described elsewhere in your post. Don't let it get hung-up.

No, you're exactly right. What I'd meant to say wasn't that I was going to wait until I was comfortable carrying before I carry -- because you're right, how can you become comfortable with something until you've done it? -- but rather comfortable with general handling and use of my firearm itself. Yes, RTKBA is a right, but it carries with it a responsibility to ensure that in exercising our rights we are not endangering those around us. While I'm not new to shooting or handling guns, it has been a while since the last time I had one in my hands, and no matter what gun I buy (unless it's a used Ruger .22 Mk I) it will be unfamiliar to me and will require some handling to gain a level of comfort with the firearm that would make me feel like I'm safe enough with it to carry it around others.

Ammo doesn't "go bad." It's not a dairy product... Store it out of humidity (guess what, ammo cans are called ammo cans for a reason) and it'll outlast you and your grand kids.

Perhaps not. Although my understanding is that older ammunition is more prone to FTF, or even delayed fire.

Could be that you're right. Could be that there is no real need to cycle ammunition at all. Humidity certainly ain't an issue around here -- it's frozen out of the air for 9 months out of the year here! -- so it could very well last a good long time in storage. But when I go to the range I'll fire my loaded mags, then reload 'em and fire 'em some more. When I'm done, I'll load 'em back up and go on home.