Thinking of making 1st gun purchase.

Got a chance to shoot my first shotgun this past sunday. Enjoyed it. Hate to admit it but I'd never fired a gun before. Been around them, know proper safety, but never shot a gun. Got me thinking for real now about at least having a gun for home protection/defense.

What I'd be doing and be looking for....

Mostly would be kept/used as a home defense type weapon more than anything. A just in case kind of thing. Got Wife and 2 kids now, best I have is an alum. baseball bat.

Right now we live in a condo, but we're going to have to move to a real house soon, we're busting at the seams once again with a 2nd kid now.

Would try and make what other use of it I could. Find a range to shoot at and at least get somewhat familiar and a decent shot with the gun.

I know folks take guns to meets sometimes to sport shoot. So I could join in that if I wanted from then on.

Gun Choice: I would prefer a shotgun. Don't know why, just what I would prefer.

Been just starting to look around. The Remington 870 and Mossberg 500 seem very, very popular. I personally perfer the 870 to the 500 from styles I've seen so far. Almost any 870 model I'm liking, the tacticals are a bit pricier, but I still like the looks of the lesser models, which are cheaper. Appears to be a great deal of aftermarket support for the 870 as well.

.12 guage is what I'd go with. Most poplular, most common ammo.

Read a little about bird vs buck shot, more inclined to go buck after reading a little bit. The best argument in favor of buck.... "if you're in a situation where you may need to fire, make sure the other goes down" Mmkay, say no more, you've won me over.

Where would be a good place to look to purchase a gun? I'm thinking I'd like to find a used 870. I'm not Mr. Moneybags and I have no problems with used items.

Good place online to buy used shotguns?

What about gun shows? Have to wait until they come to town though.

 

Budsgunshop, gunbroker.both good sites with good prices and they ship to your local ffl. Gun shows are good, have gotten many steals there on handguns.

Dont buy used imo unless you know what to look for/buying from a friend

 

My in laws all have guns and I don't, yet. Looking at an 870, but my brother in law had what i believe is good advice.
A pump shotgun being cycled is about the most recognized sound in the dark by an intruder.
And:
Load up a non lethal round first, followed by your buckshot. If the non lethal isn't enough to send someone running, then you can put them down.
I would have a hard time sleeping if I found out an unarmed person was trying to rob my house cuz they had no money to help their dying grandmother with cancer meds, and I just killed him.
Just sayin....

 

Your alot nicer then me, someone even trys to turn my door handle and i see it their getting a few zombie rounds in their chest

 

^this

Somebody breaks into my house to steal my shit, I can guarantee bubba/jamal/juan isn't stealing to help his grandma, it's more then likely to get cash to feed his drug addiction.



As for the OP the shotguns you listed are great guns. And as with tacos you can add and build them pretty much anyway you want to. With a wife and kids you're doing the right thing having a gun, I would also try to get your wife to learn to shoot as well. The best thing I did was teach mine how to load, fire, shoot accurately and be safe. I'm gone from the house alot with work but feel very confident in the fact that she can use all my pistols, shotgun, and ar15. And a women with a gun is sexy

 

www.slickguns.com look here for best deal on shotguns

 

I was in a similar situation as you, looking for a first gun of my own (I'd shot a few others but never owned one) and was looking at shotguns. I'd go to a local shop and at least hold both the Mossberg 500 and the Remington 870 to see what feels better. I ended up buying a new Mossberg 535 at Dick's because they had the best new pricing around. I bought mine for hunting also and wanted the interchangable threaded choke barrels and the option to shoot 3.5" shells. If you have a gun range near you, you might be able to rent both shotguns and see which one you like better.

As mentioned above, if you don't know what you're looking for in a gun, don't buy used. They're cheap enough new so to me it wasn't worth buying used not knowing a lot about them and any potential problems.

 

In my Opinion, a pump shotgun is the best home protection firearm esp with young kids. It can be kept with the hammer cocked on an empty chamber which requires a push of the bolt release to pump a round in the chamber. It is not fool proof, but will slowdown any uneducated manipulation. However, being new to firearms, I will say that an automatic shotgun is much more pleasent to shoot and if you plan to do any sport type shooting (skeet, Clays, birds, etc) you will probably want one. If I could have only one gun and a limited budget I would choose a Remington 1100 or a Mossburg 930. both of these guns are reasonable and extreamly versatile.

 

Mossberg 500 cruiser with buckshot. If you're worried about wall penetration they make special home defense shells that are not as hot with smaller shot. I got the pistol grip and added a folding stock. Lots o fun to shoot.

 

Keep watching your local sporting goods stores for sales.....Dicks, Big 5, Wal-Mart. Also go to the ranges in your area and look around. Some commercial shooting ranges/Trap & Skeet clubs have retail stores.

 

Don't get too set on the 12ga. There is nothing wrong with it and I own a few myself but also look at a 20ga. The ammo for a 20ga is cheaper than a 12 and a 20 will but a bad guy down just as good as a 12 if you are using it for home defense and are within 10 yards of the guy. It is also more forgiving on the shoulder if you decide you want to teach your kids to shoot some day. And 20s are just plain fun to shoot. a 20 is also very usable for hunting and trap/skeet if you at some point you decide you want to use it for recreation. I have killed a turkey and countless rabbits and squirrels with a 20.

As far as selection, I would stick with a good pump gun like you mentioned. One thing to look at is what kind of shells it can take. make sure that if it can only take 3" shells you do not accidentally get 3 1/2" shells. any shotgun to my knowledge can take 2 3/4" shells though

 

Not going to work if any sort of clay sports is on the agenda.
Re-read first post.
Remington 870 20ga is just fine.
Mossbergs are pretty rough, not that lower-end Remingtons are that much better.
You should be able to find one locally, new, for around $250.
Gives you sport, defense, and not as hard on the shoulder.
Have fun with it.

 

I hate using my 1100 for trap or sporting clays, it doesn't cycle the weak trap rounds very well if at all which leaves me with a missed bird. For duck and geese hunting I love it because the much more powerful rounds cycle the action perfectly.

 

What ever firearm you choose please do yourself a big favor and get professional training so "if" the times comes and you are in the situation of taking a life, you will be practiced and competent in your actions and intent. Lethal Force is a decision that you will have to live with for the rest of your life.

 

I think this just sealed the deal for me.
I'm also in the market for my first shot gun and I have pretty much rounded it down to a Remington 870. But when it came to 12ga or 20ga I didn't know. I wanted a 12 because that's what everyone has. It seems like the traditional thing to do. When you buy a shotgun, you buy a 12ga. But when I went around to my local sporting goods stores there is absolutely NOTHING in regards to 12ga shot but there was a shitload of 20ga laying around. So I started asking questions. Everyone I talked to said for what I want to do with a shotgun(skeet shoot and eventually start hunting dove/quail/smaller game) a 20ga will get the job done. And as for home defense a 20ga is still going to kill someone deader than shit, if it ever came down to that. The obvious advantage of the 12ga is that it has more "kick" behind it and a wider spread of shot. So as for duck and waterfowl, birds that tend to fly a little higher and are tougher you might be at a disadvantage with a 20ga.

I'm assuming everyone is having the same problems with limited ammo around the country?

 

For me I need all the extra advantage when shooting ducks/geese so I went for the 12ga. But for home defense a 20 will get the job done just fine. I don't think the criminal is going to say, "hey I think he just shot me with a 20ga, I'll be fine."

 

if you like the 870 id suggest a NEF Pardner Pump its a knock off and way cheaper...add a shorter barrel(or saw yours down to 18.5 inches) and add an adjustable stock

 

Shooting an intruder with non-lethal ammo is a bad idea. Say you shoot them with non-lethal, and then accidently shoot them again with the buck shot and they die. At the time you shot them with the non-lethal round, one could argue that the threat was eliminated, and any consecutive shots would be unwarranted. Not smart. Either use all buckshot or all non-lethal.

 

Love my 870 pump, I have the express in all synthetic black, good shotgun, shot a lot of clays, turkey and a few pheasant with it, I've moved on to another shotgun for clays but I still love my 870!