help me pick my first gun

[Freedom 4 all]

I have never fired a round in my life and my parents never so much as let me near a loaded gun when I was a kid (My parents are Canadian Liberals who make Obama look like Ron Paul lol). I'm turning 21 soon and was wondering what would be a good gun to start out with and take lessons with. I'm looking primaraly for something that would function as a good home defense weapon. I'm not planning to take up hunting. I don't know the first thing about guns so any help would be appreciated.

 

[ghengis86]

I have never fired a round in my life and my parents never so much as let me near a loaded gun when I was a kid (My parents are Canadian Liberals who make Obama look like Ron Paul lol). I'm turning 21 soon and was wondering what would be a good gun to start out with and take lessons with. I'm looking primaraly for something that would function as a good home defense weapon. I'm not planning to take up hunting. I don't know the first thing about guns so any help would be appreciated.

.22lr is a great training gun; cheap gun, cheap ammon, no kick. not good for home defense though

home defense; 12 or 20 ga shotgun; also cheap gun, cheap ammo, but a big kick.

handgun: .380, 9mm, .40 and .45 can all be capable defense weapons with the right ammo

whatever you buy, plan on lots and lots of range time. the best thing would be to take a firearm training class at your local gun range/club; they will get you up to snuff in no time.

 

[ihsv]

For home defense, your best choice is to pick up a shotgun or a handgun:

Shotguns
Mossberg 500/590 12 Gauge shotgun
Remington 870 12 Gauge shotgun

Handguns
Springfield Armory XD 9mm

Edit: Take a gun class or have someone who knows about firearms show you how to operate them safely and proficiently.

 

[Thrashertm]

I have never fired a round in my life and my parents never so much as let me near a loaded gun when I was a kid (My parents are Canadian Liberals who make Obama look like Ron Paul lol). I'm turning 21 soon and was wondering what would be a good gun to start out with and take lessons with. I'm looking primaraly for something that would function as a good home defense weapon. I'm not planning to take up hunting. I don't know the first thing about guns so any help would be appreciated.

I'm in pretty much the same position as you - a newb when it comes to guns, though I fired a .22 at Boyscout camp a few times.

This site is a fount of knowledge - http://www.learnaboutguns.com/2008/03/30/selecting-a-gun-for-home-defense/ I myself am now in the process of acquiring a Remington 870 Express, which I have found through much research to be the beginner's shotgun of choice. If you do some Googling for the best weapon for home defense, you will most likely find that the shotgun is best, and that this gun is the most popular and reliable. The shotgun is preferable to a handgun or rifle for several reasons, paramount among them is the fact that its pellets will not penetrate through walls and you will likely hit your target.

 

[psywarrior13]

Get a 1911... there is a reason it is one of the most popular pistols here in America...

But it NEVER hurts to get a 22lr great weapons.

If you know anyone who is a gun owner, ask them to take you shooting, or find a range that will let you rent a gun, find a weapon that feels good in your hands and a caliber that you can reliably hit your target with. No need to start off with a 44 MAG if you can't hit your target.

 

[Freedom 4 all]

I'm in pretty much the same position as you - a newb when it comes to guns, though I fired a .22 at Boyscout camp a few times.

This site is a fount of knowledge - http://www.learnaboutguns.com/2008/03/30/selecting-a-gun-for-home-defense/ I myself am now in the process of acquiring a Remington 870 Express, which I have found through much research to be the beginner's shotgun of choice. If you do some Googling for the best weapon for home defense, you will most likely find that the shotgun is best, and that this gun is the most popular and reliable. The shotgun is preferable to a handgun or rifle for several reasons, paramount among them is the fact that its pellets will not penetrate through walls and you will likely hit your target.

Great site. I think shotgun is what probably what I'm looking for. It's what I kind of figured but it's always good to have a second opinion. Handguns are going to be banned soon where I live anyways thanks to the Communists in my government so that's not even an option. I'm sure I could get a shotgun though cause hunting is quite popular where I live. There's anpther thing I forgot to ask though. Is there any way to obtain tranquilizer darts or some kind of non lethal but equally effective way to take down an invader or is that just stuff that happens in the movies/video games? I seem to recall something called v rings for shotguns, do those exist or are they fictional?

 

[Pennsylvania]

Grab a Springfield XD and join the club.

 

[Thrashertm]

Great site. I think shotgun is what probably what I'm looking for. It's what I kind of figured but it's always good to have a second opinion. Handguns are going to be banned soon where I live anyways thanks to the Communists in my government so that's not even an option. I'm sure I could get a shotgun though cause hunting is quite popular where I live. There's anpther thing I forgot to ask though. Is there any way to obtain tranquilizer darts or some kind of non lethal but equally effective way to take down an invader or is that just stuff that happens in the movies/video games? I seem to recall something called v rings for shotguns, do those exist or are they fictional?

Glad you like the site. They have lots of other excellently written informative articles for gun newbs like you and me.

Here's another good article on the topic on non-lethal ammo for shotguns, basically saying that there's no such thing - http://www.alpharubicon.com/leo/shotgunpace.htm
That said, you can load the guns with smaller shot - 00 ("double aught") is 9 bee bees, but u can get shells with 30 bee bees. I assume that these are less deadly/penetrative than the 9 bee bees.

However, there is a school of thought that says that if you need to fire a shotgun at someone, you had better be ready to use deadly force. If you do not need deadly force, do not fire at all.

I personally own some pepper spray, but am now going to get the gun after realizing that using Pepper Spray indoors will disable me as well as any intruder.

 

[Acala]

shotgun

I'm in pretty much the same position as you - a newb when it comes to guns, though I fired a .22 at Boyscout camp a few times.

This site is a fount of knowledge - http://www.learnaboutguns.com/2008/03/30/selecting-a-gun-for-home-defense/ I myself am now in the process of acquiring a Remington 870 Express, which I have found through much research to be the beginner's shotgun of choice. If you do some Googling for the best weapon for home defense, you will most likely find that the shotgun is best, and that this gun is the most popular and reliable. The shotgun is preferable to a handgun or rifle for several reasons, paramount among them is the fact that its pellets will not penetrate through walls and you will likely hit your target.

No doubt a shotgun is a deadly weapon. Nothing beats it for stopping power. But it is far from the "can't miss" weapon some people think it is. Depending on the choke, the shot pattern from a shotgun at typical home defense range (30 feet or less) is "maybe" five inches. It is certainly harder to miss than with a solid bullet, but still a long way from "can't miss".

And that leads to the second problem with a shotgun. As with any other gun, you need to practice with a shotgun to be proficient. But it is harder to practice with a shotgun than a handgun because far fewer ranges have defensive shotgun facilities than handgun facilities. And indoor shotgun ranges are virtually non-existent. Of course trap and skeet ranges are not hard to find and although not directly intended for defensive practice, shooting skeet or trap will certainly hone you skill.

The third problem with shotguns is that they are easier for an attacker to disable or take away from you. Once the attacker gets two hands on the barrel, you have virtually no chance of using it against him unless you are well-trained for that situation because he can control the muzzle and keep it pointed away. With a handgun, it is much harder for him to control the muzzle and easier for you to still use it against him (although a semi-auto will probably fail to feed after the first round with him holding it and a revolver may fail to fire at all if it is in double action mode and he stops the cylinder from turning).

Another problem with shotguns is that they are harder to hide and harder to secure than a handgun. Can't put a shotgun in the dresser drawer. Can't put a shotgun in a lock box. There ARE locking racks for shotguns but I don't have any experience with them. This may not matter if you don't have kids or guests.

Of course handguns and rifles have their positives and negatives too. Handguns in particluar need LOTS of practice before they can be relied upon in a stressful situation. Even cops sometimes fire full magazines at close range and miss entirely.

I don't think there is any standout home defense gun. Anything with stopping power and reliability will do WITH PRACTICE.

 

[Thrashertm]

No doubt a shotgun is a deadly weapon. Nothing beats it for stopping power. But it is far from the "can't miss" weapon some people think it is. Depending on the choke, the shot pattern from a shotgun at typical home defense range (30 feet or less) is "maybe" five inches. It is certainly harder to miss than with a solid bullet, but still a long way from "can't miss".

And that leads to the second problem with a shotgun. As with any other gun, you need to practice with a shotgun to be proficient. But it is harder to practice with a shotgun than a handgun because far fewer ranges have defensive shotgun facilities than handgun facilities. And indoor shotgun ranges are virtually non-existent. Of course trap and skeet ranges are not hard to find and although not directly intended for defensive practice, shooting skeet or trap will certainly hone you skill.

The third problem with shotguns is that they are easier for an attacker to disable or take away from you. Once the attacker gets two hands on the barrel, you have virtually no chance of using it against him unless you are well-trained for that situation because he can control the muzzle and keep it pointed away. With a handgun, it is much harder for him to control the muzzle and easier for you to still use it against him (although a semi-auto will probably fail to feed after the first round with him holding it and a revolver may fail to fire at all if it is in double action mode and he stops the cylinder from turning).

Another problem with shotguns is that they are harder to hide and harder to secure than a handgun. Can't put a shotgun in the dresser drawer. Can't put a shotgun in a lock box. There ARE locking racks for shotguns but I don't have any experience with them. This may not matter if you don't have kids or guests.

Of course handguns and rifles have their positives and negatives too. Handguns in particluar need LOTS of practice before they can be relied upon in a stressful situation. Even cops sometimes fire full magazines at close range and miss entirely.

I don't think there is any standout home defense gun. Anything with stopping power and reliability will do WITH PRACTICE.

You make good points. I think a lot of it comes down to personal preference/circumstances as well. I happen to live in a municipality with a handgun ban. Hopefully that will change in the near future, but until it does, I plan to stay within the law and get a shotgun.

 

[Pericles]

Great site. I think shotgun is what probably what I'm looking for. It's what I kind of figured but it's always good to have a second opinion. Handguns are going to be banned soon where I live anyways thanks to the Communists in my government so that's not even an option. I'm sure I could get a shotgun though cause hunting is quite popular where I live. There's anpther thing I forgot to ask though. Is there any way to obtain tranquilizer darts or some kind of non lethal but equally effective way to take down an invader or is that just stuff that happens in the movies/video games? I seem to recall something called v rings for shotguns, do those exist or are they fictional?

You need to be prepared to take a life, and with all due respect, this post indicates you have not yet prepared yourself psychologically for self defense. Anyone who attacks you, has no regard for your life, and I suggest in such a situation, you need to be prepared to react accordingly. If you are not too annoyed with me to continue, here is my advice, once you are ready.

Try before you buy - many ranges have weapons for rent - and you need to be accurate enough to do the job required, if you can get good hits on targets, get the largest caliber you can handle proficiently. The .45 was designed to put people on the ground with one shot. In all of the excitement, most shooters won't get the type of shots they get at the range ....

 

[Chosen]

How much do you want to spend?

 

[GBurr]

22lr everyone should have one

however, if you are short on cash and can only get one gun I would buy a Saiga chambered in 7.62 x 39.
A good SHTF rifle may be hard to buy in the near future and this is a good one with a real AK receiver for about $350. Ak's are real reliable and ammo is cheap.

 

[Chosen]

22lr everyone should have one

however, if you are short on cash and can only get one gun I would buy a Saiga chambered in 7.62 x 39.
A good SHTF rifle may be hard to buy in the near future and this is a good one with a real AK receiver for about $350. Ak's are real reliable and ammo is cheap.

I wish they were that cheap in the Northwest. Here in Seattle they are about $500-$600 for a WASR 10 or 10/16.

 

[GBurr]

Saiga prices keep jumping every week. Someone told me last week that they got one chambered in 7.62 at a show for 370. 7.62 and 223 Saigas are now going for about $450 and chambered in 308 they are going about $600.

I'm hoping prices will start to drop soon. Demand can't stay this high forever.

 

[Ethek]

A good compromise might need be the Hi-Point Carbine in 9MM. Get good conceal carry 9mm with hollow points.. 3-5000 rounds of 9mm ammo and the hi-point carbine and your set for close in or long home defense while using a commonly avialable ammo.

http://www.hi-pointfirearms.com/carbines/9mm_carbine/9mm_carbine.html

people like to knock hi-point sometimes.. and the thing is damn ugly. But the carbine seems damn hard to beat for its utility.

 

[youngbuck]

A good compromise might need be the Hi-Point Carbine in 9MM. Get good conceal carry 9mm with hollow points.. 3-5000 rounds of 9mm ammo and the hi-point carbine and your set for close in or long home defense while using a commonly avialable ammo.

http://www.hi-pointfirearms.com/carbines/9mm_carbine/9mm_carbine.html

people like to knock hi-point sometimes.. and the thing is damn ugly. But the carbine seems damn hard to beat for its utility.

I've heard mediocre things about their carbines, but whatever you do DO NOT buy one of their pistols. They really suck...

 

[Ethek]

A good compromise might need be the Hi-Point Carbine in 9MM. Get good conceal carry 9mm with hollow points.. 3-5000 rounds of 9mm ammo and the hi-point carbine and your set for close in or long home defense while using a commonly avialable ammo.

http://www.hi-pointfirearms.com/carbines/9mm_carbine/9mm_carbine.html

people like to knock hi-point sometimes.. and the thing is damn ugly. But the carbine seems damn hard to beat for its utility.

Im thinking about getting one and I'd have to get the replacement stock.. From the factory, its just to repulsive for my taste.
http://www.copesdistributing.net/product_info.php?products_id=796

 

[Ethek]

I've heard mediocre things about their carbines, but whatever you do DO NOT buy one of their pistols. They really suck...

The pistols do flat out suck. Not even suitable to chuck at something imo. The carbine seems to have nothing but respect from people that actually own it. Its really easy to side with negative conotations because.. its just ugly as hell.

 

[DAFTEK]

Mossberg 590 with a TLR2 and a Springfield Armory XDM or Beretta 92 FS