Introduction & my wake up call story

[NateCody20]

Hey all, really glad I found somewhere that shares my love for canik pistols! So I’m a very novice gun owner from Terre Haute, Indiana. Introduced to handguns by my dad at a younge age and rarely would go to the range. I know very little but since moving out, starting career/getting married, I really wanted to learn how to properly protect my family. I had plans to buy a handgun after graduating college asap before moving into my new house in downtown Indianapolis. Being 23 and moving to a new area in my actual first house and all the expenses that come with that, getting a gun fell on the back burner. Fast forward one year later at 1am on a friday night, my wife and I were watching a movie as a stray bullet comes through my wall. It was approximately 7-8 inches from my wifes head and we had no way of defending ourselves if there was more to come. To this day it haunts me that I put off getting protection sooner. I now have the Canik TP9 SA desert thanks to a good friend of mine. I’ve put roughly 500-600 rounds through it and haven’t had a single jam or hiccup. Canik has made me a lifetime owner of their handgun and I know if another emergency happens I have no doubt my gun will fail me. Thanks for reading my sappy long story and introduction! I can’t wait to hear from the canik experts on how to improve and maintain my gun. *Pics below of the stray bullet*

[ncjw]

Welcome!

Interesting story, but no gun will help with stray bullets flying through the house. FWIW, if it happened to me (and I have a reasonable number of guns) I would immediately start looking for a new neighborhood, usually one out in the suburbs or even the country.

[Bfgloki]

I agree. I am relieved that the stray missed and the family is safe. There is no substitute for avoidance. Bad areas or errant dumb people are sometimes unavoidable. You have a great tool for protection and with consistent practice/training if that stray bullet ever becomes a forced entry, you will be prepared hopefully. Welcome to the community!

[LT USN (Ret.)]

Welcome aboard the forum from a part-time Hoosier. I lived just south of Bloomington (Bedford) for 4 years.

You've come to the right place; besides a wealth of knowledge on Canik's, there's a butt ton of knowledge on guns in general. Feel free to ask questions as needed.

[NateCody20]

I do live in one of the “good” neighborhoods idk how good indy is tho and yeah sadly not much can prevent a stray bullet. At the time I didn’t have a gun and didnt know it was a stray. My first thought was a gun fight outside and someone could shoot my door handle and entering my house for somewhere to hide idk lol. In this day in age I feel you have to prepare for the worst! Than

[Janik]

Welcome to the forum. The TP9SA is an excellent handgun, and with proper maintenance it will do it's job. As for improving, there's really not much that needs to be done to a Canik to improve it. My only suggestion would be a set of decent night sights, such as the Night Fision brand, and possibly a weapon mounted light or handheld flash light. Welcome again, and glad to hear your situation didn't end in tragedy.

[LT USN (Ret.)]

possibly a weapon mounted light

Check out the posts here on Olights; I have two, the price is right (always wait the the 40% off sales) and, they hold up very well.

[runeight]

First.

Get a concealed carry permit.

Second.

Buy your wife a gun.

Third.

Practice, both of you.

Fourth.

Welcome.

[zeda3000]

This is very interesting story. This is happens sometimes in Turkey also. Unknown bullets could be hit people at home.

Unfortunately not Canik , even not RPG could protect you and your wife from this situation. But as other users , move to new neighborhood isnt bad idea.

But for protection and shooting , you could Trust your TP9 . It is kind of hellfire. You could trust to Canik.

[Lgaam]

Welcome.

There's a wealth of information and experience here, with very little of the "mom's basement commando" mentality.

[TL1000RSquid]

Only one shot? Neighbor probably had a ND.

[tolofrhr]

Welcome!

Interesting story, but no gun will help with stray bullets flying through the house. FWIW, if it happened to me (and I have a reasonable number of guns) I would immediately start looking for a new neighborhood, usually one out in the suburbs or even the country.

Even the country has problems. This happened several years ago.


Looked like .223. I'm not farm land country but still away from city life. Out here in unincorporated territory its legal to shoot guns just for the hell of it....

[qballbandit]

Welcome, and certainly glad that nobody was injured in your house.
As mentioned above - Practice, Practice, Practice!
Educate yourself on dry fire practicing at home - fundamentals first, then add some challenge to your practice.
If you are interested in home defense, and defense as a whole, yes - concealed carry is a leap forward - but, only if you continue your practice and defensive training.
I have immersed myself in professional training for this purpose - CCW, Holster Draw, Defensive Handgun, Home Defense, and I am signing up for some Force-On-Force training for later in the summer.
I am also lucky enough to have an indoor range that has "scenarios" built in to the computer panel that controls your target/pully system.
Having moving targets (even though the shooter is still standing still), turning, advancing and stopping at pre-programmed distances, etc., adds to the challenge when shooting defensive drills.
Having a gun, or guns and shooting at the range is one thing (and should be just plain fun, if nothing else), but never let it lull you into a false sense of security. Real life defensive shooting is a whole different ballgame, as I am sure many of the seasoned shooters here can expand upon.
That all said, have fun as you grow - I know I am!

Neil

[NateCody20]

I just went to Top Guns new indoor range in Terre Haute, Indiana and their range had those same features. Was also built into the computer panel that controls your target/pully system. First time there, so I didn’t use it much but I could definitely tell that would be really useful in the future. Only bought an hour and took my time with my shots and got through 200 rounds. I was hitting bullseye at 20 yards,then maxed their range at 25 and maybe hit the middle once lol.

[LT USN (Ret.)]

I was hitting bullseye at 20 yards,then maxed their range at 25 and maybe hit the middle once lol.

Just my opinion, if you shoot at the bad guys at that distance, some DA is going to think about charges.

For defensive shooting, 7 yards and closer is more realistic. When at the indoor range I work back & forth between 5 & 7 yards. Outdoor range, I practice the close in stuff and then more to the 25 yard plate rack to humbled.

[HeliarcLee]

Get very proficient at the closer ranges before pushing out to 20-25 yards. I am a new shooter also, as I have only been shooting for a month or so. Find some drills online, and print out their targets. I did the dot torture drill twice through on my way home from work on Thursday. It said to start at 3 yards, and do it at that distance until perfection then move to 5 yards. The dot torture has two handed, strong hand only, weak hand only, reload, target transition all built into it.

Maybe some more experienced shooters have a different opinion, I just wanted to throw my 2 cents in there.

[Janik]

Find some drills online, and print out their targets.

We have, or had some dot torture test drills for download somewhere on this forum. Probably in the skills/drills section. Dot torture tests are definitely challenging, but fun.

[HeliarcLee]

Find some drills online, and print out their targets.

We have, or had some dot torture test drills for download somewhere on this forum. Probably in the skills/drills section. Dot torture tests are definitely challenging, but fun.

Very challenging, even at 3 yards. I only have about 450 total rounds fired in my life, so I knew it would be tough. I got a 45/50 at 3 yards, most of my misses on the last dot after the fast reload. I just didnt give myself enough time before squeezing the shot off.

[ncjw]

For defensive shooting, 7 yards and closer is more realistic. When at the indoor range I work back & forth between 5 & 7 yards. Outdoor range, I practice the close in stuff and then more to the 25 yard plate rack to humbled.

I agreed completely (although I use 7 and 10 yds). An instructor once told me that most gunfights are the 3-3-3 rule, three shots in three seconds at three yards.

[ncjw]

Also, most cities have a crime map system similar to this where you can filter only shootings and homicides to get an idea of exactly how dangerous your area might be:

https://www.crimereports.com/agency/indymetropd#!/