Good Gun Information?

[mport1]

I have never owned a gun before and have only been shooting a few times. Could some more experienced people point me to some good information sources where I can learn more because I would like to buy some in the near future? Also, any suggestions on guns I should look at for my first purchases that are not too expensive?

Thanks.

[RCA]

See my signature for books and websites on Guns. I'm a newbie myself, so that's about all I can do for ya at the moment.

[Objectivist]

And some shooting ranges offer lessons and also rent firearms on site.
Yellow Pages in your area or contact the NRA

Then I wouldn't recommend a hand cannon to a woman or small framed person, we'd need more info about you to make intelligent suggestions. Like what do you need the firearm for?

[mport1]

And some shooting ranges offer lessons and also rent firearms on site.
Yellow Pages in your area or contact the NRA

Then I wouldn't recommend a hand cannon to a woman or small framed person, we'd need more info about you to make intelligent suggestions. Like what do you need the firearm for?

I'm a 22 year old male, 145lbs, 5'5''. I'd use it just to shoot at a range or elsewhere and defense if it ever became necessary. Also, I'm thinking about getting two guns for now. A handgun and a shotgun or rifle.

[Objectivist]

I'm a 22 year old male, 145lbs, 5'5''. I'd use it just to shoot at a range or elsewhere and defense if it ever became necessary. Also, I'm thinking about getting two guns for now. A handgun and a shotgun or rifle.

9mm or .380 would be something about your size in pistol. I like to stay with common ammo sizes in case it ever comes to that point where you need ammo.

Shotguns are good for home defense or shooting a bird for supper. I bought the now 13 year old a 12 gauge Browning which was cheap. I also bought him a Ruger .22 and I had a few large capacity mags for him to practice with. .308 in rifle is a nice round for any number of things.(7.62 NATO) Parts are easy to find and upgrades are easy too. I've owned a Ruger 30-06 M77 that I loved shooting.

Then you probably are looking at anything semi auto in rifle I imagine.

[Uriel999]

A lot of people recommend a revolver for a first time handgun owner...I didn't follow that and got a magazine fed pistol. I don't regret it one bit.

Handguns to reccomend:

*1911s: expensive to get a good one but they are as American as Apple pie and anybody who enjoys the hobby wants at least one...and then when they get one they want a better one or at least anther. Kimber, Colt, custom made, etc...1911s are something that take a lot of research to find what you want and may be something you want to wait on but they are a great firearm and there is a reason that the 1911 is still made 100 years after the fact.

*Glocks: Ugly, but great. Essentially figure out what caliber and barrel size you want and go.

*Springfield Amory XD: I own an XD in the "Service model" which has a 4 inch barrel and comes in .45 ACP. It is my favorite firearm to shoot out of my collection. Just as I said about the glock, figure out what barrel size you want (will you be conceal carrying?) and what caliber you want (9mm, .40, .45 ACP) and your good.

As far as shotguns go just pick up a pump action Mossberg 500 for like 280 bucks and call it a day. For all extensive purposes of home defense one of those with an 18.5 inch barrel will solve all your home invasion problems. They make some really fancy variants that look super tacticool, but at the end of the day all you need is something simple.

Rifles? Man your gonna need to do a LOT of research. ARs are great but you gotta get a good brand and some are better than others. Colt, Noveske, and LMT are the closest to mil-spec and you can't go wrong with any of them. With AKs stay away from Century at all costs. Lancaster does a good job, and Arsenal is supposed to be the best but they are expensive.

There are others, your going to have to do a lot of research and actually fire some guns to figure out what is right for you.

[Pericles]

A lot of people recommend a revolver for a first time handgun owner...I didn't follow that and got a magazine fed pistol. I don't regret it one bit.

Handguns to reccomend:

*1911s: expensive to get a good one but they are as American as Apple pie and anybody who enjoys the hobby wants at least one...and then when they get one they want a better one or at least anther. Kimber, Colt, custom made, etc...1911s are something that take a lot of research to find what you want and may be something you want to wait on but they are a great firearm and there is a reason that the 1911 is still made 100 years after the fact.

*Glocks: Ugly, but great. Essentially figure out what caliber and barrel size you want and go.

*Springfield Amory XD: I own an XD in the "Service model" which has a 4 inch barrel and comes in .45 ACP. It is my favorite firearm to shoot out of my collection. Just as I said about the glock, figure out what barrel size you want (will you be conceal carrying?) and what caliber you want (9mm, .40, .45 ACP) and your good.

As far as shotguns go just pick up a pump action Mossberg 500 for like 280 bucks and call it a day. For all extensive purposes of home defense one of those with an 18.5 inch barrel will solve all your home invasion problems. They make some really fancy variants that look super tacticool, but at the end of the day all you need is something simple.

Rifles? Man your gonna need to do a LOT of research. ARs are great but you gotta get a good brand and some are better than others. Colt, Noveske, and LMT are the closest to mil-spec and you can't go wrong with any of them. With AKs stay away from Century at all costs. Lancaster does a good job, and Arsenal is supposed to be the best but they are expensive.

There are others, your going to have to do a lot of research and actually fire some guns to figure out what is right for you.

This is good advice, and I have similar stature to the OP.

The 1911A1 can worn really well for the smaller stature guys. For a less expensive entry level model, there in the Rock Island Armory 1911A1. It is made in the Phillipine Islands, and is not respected by all of the .45 snobs, but my first round downrange was two inches left of dead center, and is a fine weapon.

On ARs, your main decision is barrel length - 20" rifle for getting velocity from the round, or the carbine length for compactness of carry. The other consideration is twist rate - almost everything out there is 1 in 9, but if you are going to fire the heaviest rounds, the 1 to 7 is better.

[Cowlesy]

One of the main considerations at the current time is when you buy a pistol, make sure you can buy several boxes of ammunition for it. You will most likely not be able to find .380 ammunition (I haven't seen any for months). Last time I was at the gun store, they were out of 9mm and .45 too, but were going to be getting more in.

If I were doing it on a budget, I would get a .45 (even though it's hard to find, it's a common caliber and you will eventually be able to find ammunition for it). I imagine your purpose is self-defense, and a .45 is going to leave a big hole. You might want to consider the Smith & Wesson M&P .45 -- the grip might be better for your hands. A pistol like an H&K USP 91 requires you have bear-paws for hands.

For a shotgun, I would go with a Mossberg 500. An affordable, reliable pump, self-defense shotgun. If you feeling like splurging, go with the Benelli M4 Super 90

[Charlie41]

Start your research here.....http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/theboxotruth.htm

This will tell you about home defense rounds, and what they penetrate. (don't shoot your neighbor)

As far as a hand gun. Go to any gun store and hold a few of them. One of them will fit very nicely. My recommendation. Try the CZ 75 compact (9MM) for fit. If the hand gun fits like you want it to. Then do research on this weapon. If all your searching does not show you your pick is a bad weapon, then buy it.

Home defense. Most popular is the shot gun, because you can use different types of rounds in this weapon that do very different things very well. Just don't make the mistake of thinking bird shot will do the trick.

Good luck in your choices.

[Uriel999]

One of the main considerations at the current time is when you buy a pistol, make sure you can buy several boxes of ammunition for it. You will most likely not be able to find .380 ammunition (I haven't seen any for months). Last time I was at the gun store, they were out of 9mm and .45 too, but were going to be getting more in.

If I were doing it on a budget, I would get a .45 (even though it's hard to find, it's a common caliber and you will eventually be able to find ammunition for it). I imagine your purpose is self-defense, and a .45 is going to leave a big hole. You might want to consider the Smith & Wesson M&P .45 -- the grip might be better for your hands. A pistol like an H&K USP 91 requires you have bear-paws for hands.

For a shotgun, I would go with a Mossberg 500. An affordable, reliable pump, self-defense shotgun. If you feeling like splurging, go with the Benelli M4 Super 90

Really you can't get 9mm and .45 still? I have not had that problem in months. Once I gave up on Walmart I found at least 3 places that have ammo. I bought two boxes of Federal loose pack 250 round boxes just yesterday. Cost more than I would have liked but DAMN Federal has just won me over. I should just over 200 rounds and my gun wasn't even that dirty and the bullets were very accurate (more than the operator that is for sure). Then again the best grouping I have ever done was with some craptastic PMC (lol).

[Pete]

I'm also looking into buying firearms for the first time and am in the process of researching and selling my wife on having guns. As a fellow noobie, I just wanted to point out some discoveries that have been particularly interesting to me:

• A 20-gauge shotgun delivers about 75% of the punch of a 12-gauge with only half the kick. The downside is that ammo choices are more limited, and ammo costs are higher. Still worth checking out, though, and I suggest that you watch some YouTubes to get a feel for the kick issue.
• If you are not out to impress anybody, Hi Point makes pistols and carbines that are heavy and inelegant, but are also quite reliable, accurate enough, and incredibly cheap. The owner of the company seems to have a sense of mission about making decent guns that are affordable for anyone. The pistols are rather bulky for concealed carry.

[Kbeaubs]

The ammo shortage is minimal now. Pretty much anyone that wanted to stock up has.

I agree with the Glock comments. It's arguably one of the most reliable handguns for the price. I have several of them as well as Beretta, Walther, and Colt for pistols.

You may consider starting with a .22 for a couple of months. I mention this for several reasons.
#1 - You can afford to shoot it. Trust me when I say that you second guess yourself shooting your handguns when you think about how much it's going to cost for 10 minutes of fun/practice. With a .22 you can plink away all day for pennies.
#2 - You WILL shoot it, and it's an excellent practice tool.
#3 - As you shoot, you will be able to meet others with several different calibers. We always allow people to use our guns when asked, and everyone is proud of the guns they own.
#4 - Your wife will enjoy starting out with a .22. It's not "scary" like a 9mm, .45, etc.

I've seen so many people start out with a .45 only to never shoot it. $10 bucks goes fast. Not shooting/practicing makes gun ownership worthless in my opinion.

Other things to consider. What do you want the gun for? Is it home security? If so, you may want to have several guns by the time all is said and done. Someone mentioned shotgun earlier. I agree a shotgun can be an excellent home defense tool. I also have a Colt LE6940 AR!5 for primary home defense.

The first gun I ever purchased was a Beretta FS92. It's a fantastic piece - still carried by most police officers and military, but it absolutely worthless as a conceal/carry due to its bulk. My carry gun is a subcompact Glock 30. Many conceal/carry instructors will flat out tell you that a revolver is the best carry gun. I tend to disagree, but it's most likely personal choice and feel.

Another thing to absolutely do before you purchase a gun is to purchase a safe. Be safe when you have kids in the house especially.

[Kbeaubs]

I should have also mentioned a bit on caliber choice.

9mm is by far the most popular (I'm ignoring the .22), but it does have the weakest stopping power. As far as larger sized ammo, this is the least expensive, which most likely adds to its popularity. You can get some excellent hollow point rounds that can really do some damage. I have some hollow point rounds for the 9mm that cost me $2/piece, but they still won't do the same type of damage/have the same stopping power as a .45 cal.

For that reason, and assuming you won't be plinking with this gun purchase often, I suggest that bigger is better.

A small summary of my opinion:

1) Buy a .22 first
2) Buy something other than the 9mm if it's for home defense.
3) (often most important) Buy a pistol that "feels" good in your hand and is the right size.
4) Buy ammo!! Unless you like cleaning your gun often, avoid dirty ammo (i.e. Aluminum casings, etc.)

[fr33domfightr]

I agree with other posters:

Buy a .22 first, unless you really feel you don't want this caliber. I like the Ruger 10/22, but any semiauto rifle should suffice. The Ruger used to be cheap, but now it's gotten much more expensive. Although, the ammo is cheap, and you can plink away. You might even consider buying a used one to lower the cost of entry.

If you don't want the .22, and can afford it, consider an AK-47, or the equivalent but inexpensive Chinese-made SKS. These are 7.62mm, and due to there design have low recoil. They are a blast to shoot. Some ranges may not allow you to use Chinese made ammunition if it's steel jacketed.

I actually recommend the 9mm because the ammo is plentiful. Many others have 9mm too, so ammo can be shared in a pinch. I'd avoid the .357 Magnum or .44 Magnum. They kick like a mother and will probably make you flinch...hehe.

Shotguns are nice for home defense because you can just point and shoot. With a handgun, you'll waste time trying to aim.


FF

[fisharmor]

I'd recommend checking out clubs or NRA events in the area. One thing I'm sure you've noticed is that the range is generally the most polite place on earth - for obvious reasons - but we like to share as well. There's been more than one occasion where I've gotten to shoot something new because I took an interest and asked what it was like, and I've done likewise for others.

I also haunt thehighroad.us once in a while - this is a good forum site specifically for gun issues. The tone there is very different from other popular sites like glocktalk or ar15.com.

Mas Ayoob is considered pretty much the man when it comes to defensive use, and he blogs at
http://backwoodshome.com/blogs/MassadAyoob/

I really appreciate Jeff Quinn's articles at http://www.gunblast.com/

For web-based window shopping, I like http://www.thegunsource.com

I hit at least one manufacturer's site a week, like kel-tec-cnc.com, glock.com, ruger.com, etc...


I've known a couple people now who got the biggest, baddest hogleg they could handle, shot it for a year, and then sold it to buy a 9mm. You can't hit anything unless you practice, and you can't practice unless you spend money - and 45acp costs way more to practice with than 9mm. That is why 9mm Luger is the most popular cartridge. It has nothing to do with kick, and everything to do with economics. 45 may take them down faster, but with 9mm you literally get more bang for your buck.

I've been shooting for the better part of a decade now, and one thing I haven't managed to get is a 22. I should have done it much earlier because it is far more appropriate for survival situations - especially in the suburbs - than any larger-bore cartridge.

22 puts the rabbits in the back yard on my table. 9mm puts me in a cell.

Shotguns are nice for home defense because you can just point and shoot. With a handgun, you'll waste time trying to aim.

(edit) whoops, missed this... the only difference between a shotgun and a handgun for home defense is that the shotgun puts a 1" diameter hole in the wall when you miss, as opposed to a 0.355" hole or 0.452" hole. It simply does not spread that much. Now, it hits WAY harder. But it does not give you +5 to-hit bonuses against goblins, nor does it come equipped with an on-screen red-dot FPS auto-aim feature.

[acptulsa]

I, too, agree with the things said about .22LR. Not a fan of .22 short. The Ruger Mk III is an exceptional, and surprisingly affordable, target pistol. .22 has the advantages of accuracy, low kick and less of a report, making practice much more pleasant and a bit of rabbit hunting less noticeable.

For home defense, the stopping power of .22LR is low, and you had better be good or willing to keep squeezing that trigger. Also, it penetrates walls more, so you had also better be mindful of who's sleeping on the other side of the wall behind the perpetrator. These twin troubles talk a good many people out of using it for that purpose. The flip side is that the rimfire rounds are quite accurate, available, cheap, and will fit Olympic-quality target pistols, easy-to-conceal compacts, and very fine rifles.

Unless you are both very calm in emergencies and more talented than you now know, you probably won't want to stick to .22LR exclusively. Unless you can afford only one firearm and that's it, though, you may well want to consider starting with it.

[Kbeaubs]

Great post Fish!!

For purchases, might I also recommend www.gunbroker.com or www.gunsamerica.com

I have used them both, but also use them as a guideline to what I should pay for a specific piece.

Fish, if you really want a .22, you might consider a 22 conversion for one of your favorite guns. I have one for my Beretta. It allows me to shoot the Beretta without paying for the more expensive ammo. It's not cost effective to buy the conversion kit as you can buy a decent .22 for the same cost, but I enjoy the feel of my Beretta more than any .22 I have found.

One of the only negatives is that I get lazy changing it back to its original caliber. Another negative is that it doesn't appreciate the cheapest ammo. I have to use copper plated instead of just the lead. I did just purchase 5000 rounds of CCI 22lr copper plated from The Sportsmans Guide for a very very decent price.

[fisharmor]

I always take my 4" Ruger GP-100 with me to the range. I love shooting full-house 357's with it - it gets the attention of all the hardcore semi-auto guys.

Then they notice that the concussion is moving the skin on my cheeks more than the recoil is moving my hand. Then they want to shoot it.

The 357 Magnum medium-frame revolver is simply an outstanding package. Now, I carry a GLOCK, but the 357 is what's next to my head at night.

[KCIndy]

+1

Call me old fashioned, but no one is going to get me to give up my Colt .357 in favor of some soulless Glock.... The revolver is simple, easy to use, easy to clean, and offers no chance to jam. The .357 round has been documented to have one of the highest "one shot stop" percentages (This was in a gun magazine I read some time back, but I can't remember which one) and as mentioned, you can always use the cheaper .38 ammo for "plinking" and target practice.

[schwa]

A few guns I would recommend if you are on a budget

Ruger P95 - Accurate, dependable, and around $300 new. Downside it is bulky and magazines are expensive

Hi Point 45ACP- Accurate, lifetime warranty and around $200. Downside it is really ugly and has a cheap feel to it

Stoeger Cougar 9mm or .40 - Around $350, I love the sights on these, really well made for the price, only down side magazines are expensive and hard to find.

9X18 Makarov Exellent quality for around $200, parts are easy to find. Downside, the 9X18 round is not the best of round in most situations due to overpenetration

Hi-Point 995 Carbine One of the best home defense values you will find. Lot's of inexpensive mods. You can pick up a classic 995 for under $200. Downside would be capacity, only 10 round factory magazines available

AK74 or Polish Tantal 5.45 Ammo is cheap and packs a punch. More accurate than a AK47, I have heard that Sagia has come out with a 5.45 rifle, but have yet to see one yet.

[akihabro]

Whatever you get buy LOTS of ammo, now!