Newbie buying a gun

[Elwar]

Ok, I've never owned a gun but I'm looking to buy one for home protection. I've always thought that I needed on, just never got around to buying one.

I've never fired a gun and most likely will not be spending much time on the range, just enough to be prepared to use it if someone gets into my house at night. I've signed up for a 3 hour beginners course where they'll be showing me all of the basics of loading and firing a weapon, I'll also be able to try out a few different styles of weapons.

My question is, what sort of gun is best for someone new to guns for home defense. I want something small so that it's well hidden and easy to fire. I also recall a friend telling me about his gun and how it had an easy visual for when it had the safety on and when it was loaded, that would be a plus.

The guy at the gun shop recommended a 9mm.

 

[Acala]

Pick two

Small
Easy to fire
Good stopping power

Pick TWO of the above. You can't have all three.

All other things being equal, the smaller the gun, the more unpleasant the felt recoil, the harder to get a solid grip, and the shorter the sight radius. That all means harder to shoot.

Why do you want a small gun for home defense? Small guns are for concealed carry. They have no other practical defense value.

And if you are not planning on practicing regularly, forget handguns entirely. You will be amazed how hard it is to hit anything with a handgun - even in broad daylight with your target standing still, no time crunch, and no adrenalin coursing through your bloodstream. Take that same handgun and try using it in the dark, against a moving target that may be attacking you, and with you in a highly stressed state. If you are not training regularly, don't expect to hit anything you want to hit.

If you really don't want to practice much, but you still want to use a gun for home defense, I suggest you buy a small rifle. Perhaps a 9mm carbine or an AR. Then put a laser sight and a flashlight on it so you can point, illuminate, and shoot.

 

[Pericles]

The smaller the caliber, the more accurate you need to be in order to be effective at a defense.

That usually means one of three choices in your situation. 9mm luger (parabellum), .40 cal, or .45 cal ACP.

You will have the largest range of choice with the 9mm, but I suggest the defense round be a hollow point, which is more expensive - so practice with cheaper ammo.

Buy the weapon that you can shoot the most accurately. When you need to use it, you will be exited, scared, and maybe just a little pissed off. Without the training of habit, you will not be as accurate as you are on the range.

 

[Acala]

And

And by the way, you don't need a device to tell you when the gun is loaded.

It is ALWAYS loaded!!!!! Unless and until you have the action open and your finger in the chamber EVERY GUN IS ALWAYS LOADED!!!!! And should be treated as such. That is how you avoid accidentally shooting yourself or a loved one.

Now say that 50 times and forget the idea of relying on a loaded chamber indicator.

 

[Pericles]

And by the way, you don't need a device to tell you when the gun is loaded.

It is ALWAYS loaded!!!!! Unless and until you have the action open and your finger in the chamber EVERY GUN IS ALWAYS LOADED!!!!! And should be treated as such. That is how you avoid accidentally shooting yourself or a loved one.

Now say that 50 times and forget the idea of relying on a loaded chamber indicator.

If it isn't loaded, it isn't ready to use.

 

[Elwar]

Why do you want a small gun for home defense? Small guns are for concealed carry. They have no other practical defense value.

Just small enough to hide away in either a compartment in the wall or something close to the bed to keep it hidden.

Otherwise I'd just get a shotgun.

 

[Call Me V]

Just get a shotgun maybe with a rail and add-on flashlight.

Point in their general direction and shoot.

 

[Elwar]

Then put a laser sight and a flashlight on it so you can point, illuminate, and shoot.

I had planned on getting one with a flashlight. I have a small flashlight right now that I got in Iraq that's used by the special forces that will blind anyone for a few seconds.

 

[Bman]

If it isn't loaded, it isn't ready to use.

Doesn't matter.

Rule #1 always treat a gun like it is a loaded gun.

 

[Bman]

The guy at the gun shop recommended a 9mm.

A 9mm wouldn't be bad for a first gun. The kick isn't real hard, and they can do damage.

Make sure to get some training if you've never fired one before.

 

[ghengis86]

remember that the 9mm is a fast, smaller bullet, and that in FMJ, will tend to penetrate very well and can pass through the assailant with lots of energy left over. so be aware of your surroundings. in a JHP, the 9mm does much better and won't tend to go through drywall after passing through your target.

.40 is a good compromise between 9mm and .45. good stopping power and capacity.

.45 is a great defensive weapon and the recoil is not bad in a full size frame.

contrary to what some people think, the smaller .38 snug nosed revolvers buck back quite a bit and can be loud as hell. but revolvers are great from the standpoint of ease of use, maintainence and reliability.

shoot as many types as you can in your class and pick the one that you're most comfortable with and make sure a good self defense round is available.

and if you're going to use it as a home self defense weapon, always have it loaded. and when its not loaded, even when cleaning, handling, etc., treat it like it is loaded.

i have a Rem 870 12 ga, with a pistol grip and shorty 'riot/police' barrel loaded with alternating slugs and buck shot. doesn't take up much room at all and would be my recommendation. they're cheap and effective. and you can mount your flash light to it for a nice night weapon combo.

just my .02

 

[chudrockz]

My two cents.

I agree that the ideal weapon for home defense is a shotgun. Ours is a 12 gauge Winchester Defender, and I LOVE it.

If you insist on a handgun, be sure of one thing: should you need to fire it, are you AT ALL concerned about the round going through a wall? (Do you have children, for instance, in a room adjacent to your bedroom?) If that is the case, buy a shotgun!!!!!

The only handgun I own is a Glock 30, .45acp subcompact. For what it's worth I absolutely ADORE it. The recoil is honestly not bad at ALL. And it will ALWAYS go boom when you squeeze the trigger.

But if it's a handgun, I'd strongly suggest testing several at a range before buying.

 

[Acala]

hidden or secure?

Just small enough to hide away in either a compartment in the wall or something close to the bed to keep it hidden.

Otherwise I'd just get a shotgun.

Are you trying to keep it hidden (as in not in plain sight) or secure (as in locked up) or both?

By the way, shotguns at typical inside home defense range, are not "can't miss" weapons. The spread on the shot pattern is minimal so they must be aimed just like any other gun. But they ARE unbeatable stoppers.

 

[RedLightning]

If you insist on a handgun, be sure of one thing: should you need to fire it, are you AT ALL concerned about the round going through a wall? (Do you have children, for instance, in a room adjacent to your bedroom?) If that is the case, buy a shotgun!!!!!

Gotta remember, if it's powerful enough to kill a person it's powerful enough to go through some walls.

 

[Steeleye]

You've never fired a weapon but you've been to Iraq. Air Force? Contractor?

 

[Jack Parsons]

"Air Force" haha.

Even the Air Force has to qualify in order to deploy! I had to shoot M-9 and M-4 before going to Kuwait, and I don't even carry a weapon unless I go off base.

But yeah man the home defense description you gave just screams remington 870. That shotgun will be perfect for your needs.

If you buy a handgun you SHOULD spend plenty of time at the range (i can't resist, I love it). Precision handgun shooting is an art, and practice can save your life.

My first handgun was a CZ-75 in 9mm. I still shoot matches with it to this day.

 

[youngbuck]

To answer your question succinctly: SHOTGUN

but, since I read your subsequent post, I'd say get a Glock 9mm with high quality hollow points for home defense, and use cheap FMJ ammo for training.

Trust me, you want to train more than whatever you're telling yourself at this point.

 

[Elwar]

You've never fired a weapon but you've been to Iraq. Air Force? Contractor?

Contractor...we weren't allowed to have weapons. I was worried when going over there, but being surrounded by soldiers with plenty of weapons put my mind at ease.

 

[Conservative Christian]

You definitely want a HANDGUN. Also get a concealed carry permit, so you can carry a gun on your person or when you're in a motor vehicle. The chances of being attacked when you're out in public, are noticeably higher than when you're in your home.

Concealed carry on one's person isn't for everybody, and sometimes it isn't possible, but at least keep a gun concealed in your vehicle whenever you're away from home.

I recommend a M1911 in .45 ACP, with 3" barrel. Kimber and Springfield Armory both make very nice ones in a variety of models. Small, easy to fire, AND good stopping power.

Yes, you CAN have all three.

 

[Acala]

Not small

You definitely want a HANDGUN. Also get a concealed carry permit, so you can carry a gun on your person or when you're in a motor vehicle. The chances of being attacked when you're out in public, are noticeably higher than when you're in your home.

Concealed carry on one's person isn't for everybody, and sometimes it isn't possible, but at least keep a gun concealed in your vehicle whenever you're away from home.

I recommend a M1911 in .45 ACP, with 3" barrel. Kimber and Springfield Armory both make very nice ones in a variety of models. Small, easy to fire, AND good stopping power.

Yes, you CAN have all three.

I don't consider a 1911 small. I've got three, two government models and a colt commander. Even the Commander isn't small by handgun standards. Of course "small" is a relative term. So I guess a 1911 is small compared to a Desert Eagle but not small compared to 99% of semi-auto handguns out there.

But I agree that a .45 has adequate stopping power (for a handgun) and the 1911 is easy to shoot. But a truly SMALL .45 would NOT be easy to shoot.