Some tips for those wishing to buy a gun
 

Sometime in the future, I plan on buying a gun, but I don't really know much about anything. I was wondering if any of you have any suggestions on anything. Be it brand, calibre, barrel length anything.
Thanks

First thing we need to know is what you plan on doing with your gun?

Will you be going hunting? If so, what will you be hunting? Do you want it for home protection?

A little more info and the responses will be pouring in.

Home Protection and for the range.

For home protection your best bet is a 12 gauge shotgun. I reccomend the Mossberg 590, though there are many othe good models such as the Remington 870 and the vaunted Ithaca Deerslayer (if you can find one).

For the range, buy yourself a .22 pistol. Ruger makes a very good one.

Regardless of what you buy, practice with it as often as you can. If you have to use a weapon you are unfamiliar with in a tense situation (home defense) you are going to get hurt.

Take a firearms safety class at your local range or from your local PD before you get one.

are you serious? i would think a pistol is fine for home protection because in a tense situation i would think a pistol would be easier to manage. also, i would think it would be better to have your protection gun the same as your range gun so you get used to it and know how to handle it expertly

You have good point about knowing and using it properly, but he should practice with the shotgun at the range as well (I know it sounds silly).

A shotgun has several advantages over a pistol in home defense.

First, the noise. Most intruders will be on the way out of your house well before the characteristic sound of the pump cycling has finished echoing through your house.

Second, you have a wide range of ammunition that you can select from based on your situation. If you have kids, you can go with a 4 shot to cut down on the penetration. If you live alone in the country you can go with the 00 3" magnums.

Third, they are easier to hit with, not because of the spread (which at ranges of 10 yards is minimal) but due to the longer sight radius.

Range guns do not good protection guns make (unless you like paying out the ass for ammunition).

If you simply cannot tolerate the very good idea of a shotgun, try a medium frame revolver. Revolvers tend to be easier to learn manual of arms on and easier to maintain. They also tend to have a bit more mass, so they eat up felt recoil better.

If you have a range withrental guns, go and try a few. Even better is if you have friends that shoot. Try out a number of different things until you find what is comfortable. Once you reach a comfort point with firearms in general, then worry more about specific guns.

If I had to limit myself to one gun only, it would be a .357 magnum revolver with a 4" barrel. If you are worried about overpenetration, you can use .38 special in it. If you need more range, you can load it with full-on .357 magnums. A 4" barrel is a good compromise between length for accuracy, and handiness.

debaser has it summed up in my opinion. If you are strictly looking for home defense, a 12 gauge in a pistol grip w/o a plug is the way to go, either in a pump or auto. I would use #7 1/2 or 6 ammo for first two shots, then go to heavier stuff for last 3 of the five. Theory being as follows:

Don't want ammo to make it through walls for collateral damage on neighbors or sleeping kids.

Sound will make home intruder shit his britches.

If person is close, bird shot will punch a 3" dia hole in a person and loose force quickly.

If you want to continue shooting at the bastard as he runs from your property, slugs, T-shot, BBB's, or 00 will have the knock down power to due the job.

For the range a .22 is cheap to shoot and enjoyable with no recoil. If you want something a little heavier, I enjoy my 9mm Glock for this.

I use the 9mm Glock personally. I have it loaded with hollow points. Don't know if the hollow points would make it to neighbors house, but I can't hit shit with it and need the 10 shots with extra clips. This is my choice for single gun as others are not within reach of bed.

Id say get the .22 for the range (rifle) Ruger makes some really nice ones. SHotguns are fun as hell on the range, and no one can really argue with 12 gauge 00 buckshot...

what about using a pistol with a glaser safety slug load?

I've been to the range a couple times, but I still don't really know anything about guns - like for instance the terms you guys are throwing around for the different types of shotgun "shells" don't have any obvious meaning. Any hints on good resources on line for beginners?

I really enjoyed shooting at the range when I've gone - I really like revolves, and I seem to be a lot more accurate. Is this because of action being simpler?

I think he's right about getting a .22 for the range. One thing that many people looking into firearms don't realize is that ammunition can get really expensive, really fast. .22 LR (Long Rifle) is cheap, fun, and sufficiently powerful to have a good time shooting with. Shotgun ammunition is also failry cheap, $3-$4 for 20 or 25 shells for the cheap stuff.

Also, like debaser said, theres nothing like the sound of a shotgun being racked to scare the shit out of someone. For home defense, get a pump shotgun with a short barrel, preferably 24" or less. If you've never shot a shotgun, the action is a *lot* lounder than one would think from just watching TV or whatnot. Plus, assuming its light enough and the barrel is short enough, its pretty hard to miss with, especially in the small confines of a home. I would look at either a 12 guage or a 20 guage. 20 is smaller and has less kick, so if you are a small person, or if you want your wife or kids or whomever to be able to use it in an emergency, that may be a good idea--it will also likely make follow-up shots easier. If you get one, take it to the range. Try skeet or trap shooting with it--while not necessarily "training" for an in-home emergency, it certainly will teach you how to shoot the gun quickly and accurately, and how to make follow up shots.

We can help you out right here, just ask away.

Shotshells are coded by number, the higher the number, the smaller the shot inside. So a number 7 load would be used for killing birds, while a 0 or 00 would be used for deer. The length of the shell affects how much powder/shot you can fit in it, larger being more powerful.

The single action trigger pull (where you cock the hammer back with your thumb first) on a revolver is a lot more accurate than most modern automatic pistols, which have a sloppy feel to the trigger due to design. You can overcome this with practice, I shoot just as accurately with my Glock as I do revolvers now.

31046 Model 88 Security features a 3" chamber, 8-shot capacity, 20" Cylinder Bore fixed choke and a non-ported barrel.
Works like a charm for keeping bear out of your camp or people out of your house.
The important thing is practice, practice, practice.
A gun safety class is always a good idea.
And always make sure you have a backstop.

Dude, you've got some folks who know what they're talking about around here that's for sure.

Home Defense=Shot Gun. No doubt about it.

As for you getting a weapon, I would shoot everything you can get your hands on and attend every class or shooting function you can. Two things will happen, you'll begin to understand how they work, what they can do, how they feel, and which ones you like. The weapon you buy will reveal itself naturally this way. You will also discover exactly what you want the weapon to do for you.

Effective markmanship can only be achieved with practice, and it must be maintained. Learn the fundamentals, and you will be thankful.

Agree that the shotgun is a good one for home defence, note that the noise factor will effect you as well- Friend of mine is ex marine, marksman, said that firing a shotgun in a small (bedroom sized ) room can rupture eardrums- suggested going out to middle of nowhere, finding abandoned, falling in type house, trying some practice shots in there.. havent done that yet myself, still using .38 special ...

Re: Some tips for those wishing to buy a gun
 

First of all take a ' HUNTER'S SAFETY COURSE '.
Then proceed to your local gun shop . No one can tell you what pistol to buy ... it is a very personal preference . The pistol has to fit properly into your hand and be appealing to your eye . As far as caliber/Bbl. length ... it's up to your shooting needs . Talk to the firearms dealer he will suggest the correct one for you .

Yeah, my vote goes to the shotgun for home defense, for all the before mentioned reasons. Besides, if you run out of ammo, you can always beat the shit out of the guy with the shotgun, if you get close enough to him :)

Ya

You should definitely go down the the range and try out the guns that they usually have for rent.

See which one feels the best, and which ones you like and go from there.

Take it from a redneck from South Georgia.

A Remington 870 pump 12 guage shotgun is what you want.

Cut the barrel down to 18" and install an 8 shot magazine extender.

If that SOB is dumb enough to keep coming after you rack the first shell, you're gonna need the firepower the shotgun has to offer.

Another thing that hasn't been mentioned is that the length of a shotgun will make it harder for a child to hit himself if he were to manage to shoot it.

Don't bother w/ a hunters safety course unless you want to hunt. Instead take a basic rifle/pistol course. These courses are aimed towards beginners and teach safe gun handling techniques, as well as marksmanship.

A hunters safety course is only classroom instruction, w/ no hands on shooting.

Shotgun length is an important factor. I have a Mossberg 590 Special Purpose. It is a loooong gun. My 5'1" wife really has to work to rack the slide as it is so far out there and fairly stiff. When I saw this, I was actually happy. It meant that it made the gun that much more difficult for a child to operate. I still store it safely, but it is a factor.

As an aside, I went out and bought my wife a smaller autoloading shotgun. She loves it that much more because the gas-operation takes the bite out of the recoil.

I would like to buy a 12 ga. shotgun and a 9mm. Glock for home protection. Full size Glock costs about $600 with tax
so is there any other handguns similar to a Glock with it's polymer construction that might cost around $400. ? OR
what do you recommend for me to buy?

Glocks are boring and reliable. A solid choice for a range toy, carry piece, or home defense (if you'd rather use a pistol than the more advisable shotgun.) Bear in mind the demand-based shortage of ammunition and the fact that defensive pistol ammo has doubled in price recently, if you can find it. You can find shotgun ammo anywhere ammo is sold, and it's still relatively cheap since commodity prices have dropped.

You should be able to find glocks for $400 easy if you poke around for a little bit. Dealers offer specials all the time.

Thanks Guys for the advice. Looks like a shotgun is the best one for me.

Good, now pick a 12 gauge:
- Mossberg 500
- Remington 870
- Winchester 1300

...

Try the Winchester 1300. It's the hotness.

Are you right- or left-handed? The Ithaca 37 feeds from the bottom, so it could be useful if you're left-handed.

a note on the shotguns- do not go with the cool looking pistol grip only setup- a pistol grip with a stock is good, but pistol grip alone makes it damn hard to aim at anything, if you like your face in its current configuration.... about the only thing a pistol grip pump is good for is coming around the corner and shooting a bad guy 3 feet away- and that is pretty limited- likewise, be careful of the assorted folding stocks, as they seldom provide the needed support for accurate shooting, or are just plain uncomfortable.....

+1 what fire put out.