Hello
@Luminita200 -
My apologies for the length of this post. I write word-walls to begin with
, but as I am trying to address all of your questions at one go, this is going to be somewhat even more dense than usual. I'll try to break things up a bit to make reading easier, but be forewarned!
Before I begin, I'd like to say that as a first-generation immigrant myself, I want to welcome you to this hobby/sport, and that as a shooter, I applaud your courage in getting back on the gun even after such a disastrous initial experience!
RE: the 1911 -
Count me among those who actually really like your gun selection.
The 1911/2011 is a wonderfully "soft" shooting platform, particularly in 9mm format and with a heavy, full frame. That and the straight-back trigger path just can't be beat. Even for many good shooters, the platform is still considered something of a cheat.
That said, I would urge you to become well-trained with the thumb safety. There was a time when Rob Pincus - a well known firearms trainer - and his disciples offered a standing challenge to waive course tuition for any 1911/2011 user as long as the shooter did not once bobble weapons manipulation during the course of the class. There's a reason why he and his made such a dare.
While many in the community do favor the soft-shooting AR15 as a primary home-defense weapon, the truth of the matter is that it is a "scary looking" - if not also scary sounding, without suppressor - gun. That said, I would like to gently urge you to give it a try when you feel comfortable. As encouragement, I will simply leave this section of the post noting that when I asked my then 11 year old daughter what she'd rather "hold the fort" with, a 9mm handgun or the .223/5.56 AR15, she chose the latter without hesitation, specifically because it is so soft-recoiling and controllable.
Ostensibly, the AR in our safe-room is for her (while the 12-gauge is for me), but the counter to this is that the AR does *_perhaps_* require a bit more training -and physical strength- to employ in a dynamic manner.
Also, it should be said that as
@Bassbob noted, the 1911/2011 platform tends to, on-average, run as "ammo sensitive" and is perhaps also a bit more maintenance intensive versus the average striker-fired handgun. To draw an analogy that's often heard in the gun-world, if a Glock is a Honda or Toyota, a 1911 is a Porsche. The increase in performance comes hand-in-hand with things like the need for premium fuel (which we can liken to ammo-sensitivity, which I'll explore with you in just a second) and maintenance.
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RE: guns "liking/disliking" ammo -
As others have noted, based on your intent to use this weapon for home-defense, it's important for you to now look to test out different cartridges to see what "your gun likes."
Everyone's unique weapon is just that: unique. Your 1911 Ronin 9mm isn't quite the same gun as your husband's brother's cousin's 1911 Ronin 9mm or the 1911 Ronin 9mm that your favorite instructor owns. Yours - much like you as a person - is the one with that unique serial number inscribed on the gun. Even with the exacting tolerances of today's modern manufacturing processes and the stringent QC/QA that a high-quality gun undergoes via a highly-respected manufacturer (and the same can be said for ammunition), the real-world phenomenon of tolerance-stacking can and will occur. And every once in a while, those tolerances stack unfavorably.
Towards the specific-ammo (i.e. make/type) -to- unique gun relationship, as you try different makes (brands/manufacturers) and types (both bullet construction and powder load) of ammo in your gun, keep a record (a notebook is fine, but a modern spreadsheet on the computer is worth the time/trouble, if you're so inclined) of how the gun takes to that particular ammo. There can not only be differences in terms of how the round prints downrange (its "external ballistics," how the bullet behaves once it's left the barrel - "does it go where you aimed it?"), but also -and perhaps even more importantly- in how it functions your weapon (does it fully cycle the slide in a robust manner? or is it rather weak in doing so? and if it's the latter, does it cause a "jam" - a stoppage or malfunction).
Ammo that doesn't properly function your weapon may be a joke, embarrassment, or possibly an annoyance when on the practice range, but if it doesn't work the gun properly when it's used in a defensive situation, that's going to be bad, bad juju.
For training/practice, the cheapest ammo that will properly function the gun is what most of us use:
"range fodder." If we expect to be shooting for more demanding accuracy/precision, we'll likely use range fodder for which we've vetted the accuracy/precision of.
For defensive ammo, we'll typically vet the ammo for external ballistics and check for reliability in the gun's function over the course of 50 to 100 rounds.
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RE: the range bag -
I really like the ones by MidwayUSA -
The MidwayUSA Competition Range Bag was built from the ground up to be the best range bag on the market. Perfect for competition or a day at the range,...
www.midwayusa.com
^ This one has served me well for over 10 years. While I do not shoot competitively, I am an active range-rat.
I detailed my setup (at the time) in this old post (from 2017) on XDTalk -
www.xdtalk.com
Fully loaded with guns and ammo, this bag, due to its size and capacity, can weigh quite a bit. If this weight may be a problem for you (I don't know if you're like my wife - who, while not physically a powerhouse is nevertheless a very powerful woman in other respects - or if you're like my daughter, who now at 16 is a competitive rower), a smaller bag might be more agreeable -
Designed with the competitive pistol shooter in mind, the MidwayUSA Two Pistol Range Bag is exactly what you need for your next trip to the range. This...
www.midwayusa.com
^ This would be similar to the bag my daughter uses:
Edit: Ended up going with the Osage River Light Duty bag. Extremely happy with it so far, thanks for all the suggestions! Hey guys / gals, Im in the market for a new small (compact) range bag. I just need something to hold 1-2 handguns and the usual ear protection, ammo, cleaning, etc. I just...
www.thearmorylife.com
^ Note that this thread overall had some very good bags cited as examples, and would be worth your time to explore.
Overall, you'll likely find your handgun(s) and its ammo to be the biggest contributors to bag weight.
If you can at least separate ammo from the equation, this can itself make life easier for you, here, there's a few options:
Metal US surplus ammo cans are a range staple and can be had cheap - your local "Army/Navy," gun-store, "cop shop" or even farming supply store will usually carry them. Take the time to select one that's in good shape, and it will literally serve the rest of your lifetime, and beyond. Modern plastic counterparts by the likes of "MTM" are a bit lighter to begin with and usually have closures that are easier on the hands, but depending on the specific type, their detachable grab-handles can detach at the worst times
- usually, as long as you're carrying them one-to-a-hand, they'll be just fine.
An ammo bag such as this one by Cloud Defensive -
https://www.clouddefensive.com/ammo-transport-bag/ - is yet another way to go. There are cheaper, foreign-made imitations - kinda just like the MidwayUSA bags above (which are foreign-made imitations, themselves).
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RE: Eye protection -
Look for something that's comfortable for you, if you can try-on. Many "cop shops," sporting goods stores, and gun-shops/shooting ranges now have display stands of the more popular mid-range to high-priced offerings from the likes of Magpul, Smith Optics, and Oakley.
If you go on an off-day -preferably at off-peak hours- you can likely even talk a clerk into letting you try on various lower-priced offerings that are just hanging on the shelves.
Why is trying-on important?
Because you'll want something that fits right. Comfort is one thing, but having a good fit around the ears (if you intend to wear over-the-ears "muffs" type ear protection, bring yours along with you as you shop for glasses - or if you plan to purchase from the store, ask to try on both at the same time) is critical to the earmuffs offering you the level of protection that they say they do. The earpiece of the glasses presents as a huge intrusion into that seal, and how any one person may "take" to a pair - and its interaction with the earmuffs you've selected - is highly variable.
The other aspect of fit is how the glasses perform optically. As something that comes between your eyes and the outside world, it is a medium, and low-quality glasses can present significant distortions to your vision which can not only cause you trouble sighting the weapon, but may actually induce visual discomfort as a result of eye strain.
While I won't suggest that you have to spend hundreds of dollars - particularly as a newer shooter - I would like to implore you to invest a bit of money, here, for these two considerations alone.
Finally, keep in mind that while typical Z87.1 impact standards are sufficient, jumping up to military APEL standards (
https://blog.safetyglassesusa.com/how-to-identify-ballistic-rated-eyewear/) is again something that I would ask you to consider.
I think I'm gonna need a bigger cart 
