[bedbugbilly]

Bezoar - this is not to start anything . . . but, if you will read the OP's post, not only is the revolver new to him but he is new to guns as well.

In 50 years of shooting, I have seen way too many people purchase a firearm, with the best of intentions, and never get any instruction in the safe handling of it. Bad habits are easily established early on. I still see it today on ranges where I shoot from so called "experienced" shooters.

Reading a book is fine and watching a video is fine - but some of the videos I have seen out there are put out by folks who don't know the first thing about firearm safety and it shows . . . so how do you guide the new handgun owner to the right ones and the wrong ones?

There is no substitution for a good firearms safety course - it gets a person started out right. Yes . . there are bad instructors and there are good instructors. . . . some are more "semi" oriented and some are more "revolver" oriented . . . but the same safety rules apply. An instructor who passes the NRA certification program is supposed to be profficient upon completion of the instructor program.

I don't care how long a person has been shooting - they can always learn something. Anytime I get the chance to take a different course . . I do. And even though I'm an "old dog" . . . I always learn a "new trick". The only problems I see is when a person takes the class and they "know it all" . . . usually they have developed a few bad habits along the way. You have to keep an open mind and listen and learn. That's the best thing a person who is new to firearms can do. Yea, watch the videos and read the books but nothing will substitute for a "in person" class to teach the proper safety and the basics of shooting with some range time. They are the blocks on which to build.

I took a class last Saturday. I didn't "need" it but I had heard a lot about the instructors and how good they were. What I heard was correct. I went in with a "blank slate" and I picked up a lot of good things - especially at the range time. However, the fellow who shot next to me was completely new to shooting - his first gun. He'd gone out and bought a fancy Kimber .45 and unfortunately, he hadn't even read the manual. Even under close supervision of the instructors, he was what I would call "an accident waiting to happen". By the end of the class, he was much better and had a clear meaning of the safety and what his responsibilities are. Sorry to rant on the safety issue and the training, but in my 50 years of shooting and in my experience of working fire, rescue and ambulance, I have seen far too many things in regards to "accidents" - some of them deadly - by people who don't have the proper training and knowledge of the proper safety.

OP - congrats on your entry in to an enjoyable hobby - do your reading, do your watching but also, take a good course on handgun safety and shooting. There are good courses out there and good instructors. It will help you develop the good safety habits you need to acquire as well as give you the basics of handgun shooting that you can build your skills on.