How did I not know that .45 caliber doesn't break the sound barrier?

Makes it pretty great for suppressed guns, I was thinking of getting a service size .45 with a threaded barrel because of it (would just get one of those modernized double-stack 1911s but I don't like manual safeties).

What are the best sources you'd recommend for information about firearms and gear?

I have watched a lot of Paul Harrell and I really like his style.

Yep. I just read and watch people who seem to know a thing or two. Ian from Forgotten Weapons/Inrange TV is great too.

Another thing I do is I post on gun forums in a particular way. Basically, I disregard possibly being wrong about something and just post what I think is right in order to get people to correct me. As long as you're not embarrassed by doing that, it's a great way to get some specific information you want that might not be obtainable otherwise. Just, obviously, it's pretty important to be willing to admit when you're wrong. But at the same time, be sure to only be convinced by people who are coherent and logical. Don't just take their word for it, make them convince you. I do this for pretty much everything on internet forums though, not just gun stuff.

Need more info on the gear that is available out there and maybe some channels that are dedicated to building guns and parts.

For that kind of thing I just look up the specific sort of thing as I intend to buy it and compare multiple sources and try to find commonalities. I'm no expert myself yet either, so I still have to research any given thing a good bit before I'm comfortable buying.

Edit: Another thing is don't try to find perfection in your purchases. You're never going to predict what's actually close enough to perfect for your goals without some hands-on experience. You're going to make mistakes and regret some purchases a little. Just try to be smart with what you buy, it doesn't have to be perfect as long as it fulfills the designated purpose pretty well and you can get good experience out of it.

How did I not know that .45 caliber doesn't break the sound barrier?

Makes it pretty great for suppressed guns, I was thinking of getting a service size .45 with a threaded barrel because of it (would just get one of those modernized double-stack 1911s but I don't like manual safeties).

What are the best sources you'd recommend for information about firearms and gear?

I have watched a lot of Paul Harrell and I really like his style.

Yep. I just read and watch people who seem to know a thing or two. Ian from Forgotten Weapons/Inrange TV is great too.

Another thing I do is I post on gun forums in a particular way. Basically, I disregard possibly being wrong about something and just post what I think is right in order to get people to correct me. As long as you're not embarrassed by doing that, it's a great way to get some specific information you want that might not be obtainable otherwise. Just, obviously, it's pretty important to be willing to admit when you're wrong. But at the same time, be sure to only be convinced by people who are coherent and logical. Don't just take their word for it, make them convince you. I do this for pretty much everything on internet forums though, not just gun stuff.

Need more info on the gear that is available out there and maybe some channels that are dedicated to building guns and parts.

For that kind of thing I just look up the specific sort of thing as I intend to buy it and compare multiple sources and try to find commonalities. I'm no expert myself yet either, so I still have to research any given thing a good bit before I'm comfortable buying.