I kid you not, I heard a guy ask to see a desert eagle when I was in to buy my pistol.

I settled on an H&K P30 (their newest 9mm model) and picked it up on friday. I'll snap some photos in case you like gun porn and post em up later today or this week. After a weekend with it, I have a nasty pinch from when I released the slide during field strip.

A few noob questions.

1) Anyone wear glasses & also use wrap around eye protection? If so, what do you use? The guy at the store didn't seem to have a clue, and I need wraparound protection for my upcoming safety/usage classes.

2) Dry firing. Is it bad for the gun? I've heard people say that it is, but there's nothing about it in my manual. In fact the manual says to dry fire in order to relax the springs for storage & transportation. And my pistol has a de-cocker.

3) Best cleaning materials out there? What type of gun oil? Barrel brush? etc?

4) Any other tips I'll not find out for myself or otherwise learn the hard way? Such as keep your goddamn finger away from the slide when you let it go?

As far as eye protection, any old pair of impact-resistant sunglasses or safety goggles will work. Get tinted if you're shooting outside, or yellow if you're shooting inside (lower light). Just get whatever is comfortable for you.

Dry firing -- there are several schools of thought here. I don't do it if I can help it. If you're going to dry fire a lot, buy yourself some snap caps: http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templ ... stid=93497

Hoppes no 9 is what I use. It's a great solvent, and has been around for years. It cleans things nicely. Regular old rem-oil will work. You can get it in spray cans or drip-bottles. For a handgun, a drip-bottle will work fine. Pick up a metal bore brush and a cloth swab hoop to clean your barrel. For the best possible performance and life of the firearm, disassemble everything every time you shoot and clean it until it looks new. Oh, and if you have any old blue-jeans -- denim works great as a cleaning material. You can probably go buy a yard of it pretty cheap at some girly-ass store and a yard would last you forever.

As far as crazy tips -- the handgun looks rather idiot proof. Just keep your hands away from any part that moves when you fire it. Start out firing with both hands on the grip until you're comfortable enough firing one-handed. If you're new to firearms, read the owners manual front-to-back twice, and have a seasoned shooter accompany you when you decide to go shoot it.

I use CLP Army based oils for my weapons. It's never let me down, and I've heard that dry-firing can F*CK your weapon up, but honestly, if there's CLP in the chamber, and around the firing pin and star chamber, it should not be an issue. Don't put too much, though otherwise, you'll never get it clean. Basic rule: Always do function checks after cleaning, and always clean everything, even the firing-ping. Gman knows more about pistols than I without a doubt, but I've got an assload of experience with m-16 a-2's, m249's, 50-cal, m240b, and the MARK's.

Yeah, its really important to use eye protection when firing a gun. The way the lenses protects your eyes from stray bullets is amazing. Now I know why the pope has been safe all these years. Glass is bullet proof!

Best gun I have ever shot is a Taurus Raging Bull 6 1/2 inch barrel .454 F*CK your desert eagle with no lube. Best gun to ever use is a glock. Eli in the Book of Eli had one and his glock went through multiple nuclear blasts and 30+ years after and he was still able to kill 8 people. AND HE WAS BLIND!

dry firing is good your first time so you can get a good feel for the pull on the trigger and kano F*CK the glock good gun but also pu$$y stopping power

1.) I only wear glasses when I remember to bring them. Always wear ear protection or you will go deaf. I didn't start wearing ear protection until I was 20. I am paying for it now, my hearing is fucked.

2.) Dry firing depends totally on the gun itself. If its a rimfire don't dry fire, there are exceptions to dry firing rimfires that I'm not going into. 1911 style pistol should be dry fired, you will do more damage by not releasing the tension fully. Follow Gman's advice, get some snap caps. They are cheap and will save you a hassle in the long run and will not hurt the gun at all. I just don't dry fire my shit anymore, you won't either the older you get.

3.) Again back to Gman's advice. I have been using Hoppes for years. A few honerable mentions. Mirachem is a great degreaser that doesn't F*CK with the finish. I have used it on my Sig with great results. Militech is another new company that I think is just a fad. I haven't tried militech yet as my shop doesn't have it in. When it comes in I will try it.

Free Mirachem 4oz sample here http://www.mirachem.com/services/sample ... sample.htm good stuff, especially when its free

4.) Firearms safety course, if you can afford it. If not spend some time on youtube. Most people that play with guns practice good safety. Watch movies like Red Dawn, Die Hard and Shooter to feel like a real bad ass. You can always shoot the bad guys on tv with an unloaded pistol.

Eli was using an HK 45. http://www.imfdb.org/index.php?title=The_Book_of_Eli

.454 is a gnarly round. Buddy of mine has one in the Thompson. 6 1/2 barrel is for pussies.

His many shots is what led me to believe it was a glock18. good job on the website HOMOSEXUAL