Looking to buy my first gun

I turn 18 this summer, always wanted a shotgun/rifle to shoot around with, with dad and his best friend.. big target shooters. But i have a few questions... i was told you can't buy a handgun before you're 21? also, what would i have to do to buy a shotgun or rifle while 18 - like any classes or what not? If it helps... i live in Maryland. Thanks in advance..

 

I know in Pa, as long as you can clear the phoned in background check you can walk out with the rifle/shotgun. I don't know the laws of Maryland.

 

not sure about your local laws but yes, 21 for handgun, 18 for long gun. Just go to said gun store and pick out the prettiest one you can find, fill out paperwork, they will do a background check and you will get your gun. Some states have a waiting period after you do the background check I believe.

 

Thanks guys, well i am positive i will pass any background check lol.

 

Lol guess i should preview the thread before i post.. FOR EVERYONE JUST NOT READING (MESSING AROUND WITH = SHOOTING TARGETS )

 

maybe, unless your on the FBI terror watch list

 

last time i checked i wasnt

 

Go for a basic AR-15 set up. Loot at Bushmaster, DPMS or Smith and Wesson. They all make awesome AR platforms which can be customized in as many ways as a Tacoma.

 

I vote shotgun. It's the most useful weapon I own. You can bird hunt with it, varmit hunt with it, even deer hunt with slugs and it's awesome for home protection. If I could only keep one gun I'd keep my old Remmington 870.

 

Well, they're not toys. And it's not bullshit. Safety is the NUMBER ONE RULE in gun ownership. But anyways.

I think the best first gun should be a Remington 870. You can pick youself up a nice 12ga for around 300 bucks. They are pretty universal. Target / Clay shooting, hunting, home defense, the works. Even if you have grown up around guns, it's always a good idea to take a safety class. It couldn't hurt to take a hunting safety course and pick up a few pointers. Good luck and enjoy shooting, SAFELY!

 

A shotgun would be the best 1st gun to get. As the people above have pointed out, the shotgun is the most versatile gun out there. A lot of shotgun manufacturers make several barrel combinations to accommodate them. Remington, for instance, makes barrels for slugs, trap, skeet, and hunting using various choke combinations.

 

Both posts are awesome info!

 

first of all you should take a Hunters Safety Course. Then You may want to get into Trap or Skeet with a shot gun. With a Rifle or shot gun you could get into Cow Boy Shooting. where you have life like targets that pop out. Then at 21 move into pistol.

 

Get a shotgun, take a hunter's safety course, get you a license and go hunting this fall. Have fun! http://www.dnr.state.md.us/nrp/education/

 

i also live in maryland and recently (december 09) bought a shotgun. I got a remington 870 express. All my friends have one, so I wanted to be a little different and thought about getting a mossberg 500. after visiting bass pro shops and examining both, I was unimpressed with the 500. The finish looks too "plasticy" and the sales person showed me the biggest sale killer: take the 500 and grab the fore-end. wiggle it back and forth. it is very loose and wobbly, something that i thought made the gun lack in fit-n-finish. i opted for the 870 and got an additional slug barrel. all in all, it cost me right around 400 bucks. i would advise not purchasing at BPS because they are high priced. the gun at bps was like 330-340. i got mine at dicks, list was 319 and they had a promotion on remington so i got it for 289.

remington vs mossberg is the ford vs chevy debate of the shotgun world. you won't go wrong with either, but i highly enjoy my 870 and see why its the quintessential pump gun of (pretty much) all time.

i waited 5 minutes for the background check and they walked the gun to the checkout line, i paid, then they handed it to me outside the store. you can go to a range to shoot trap, skeet, or sporting clays without any legal credentials (safety courses, liscenses, etc) but to hunt you need to take and pass the hunter safety class and purchase a liscense. the class is very informative and presents how to handle a lot of situations safely. I just passed the class this saturday and am looking forward to this fall.

my buddy just bought a browning silver hunter 12 ga semi-auto and that thing is baaaad. but i suggest starting with a pump. 12 ga if you've got the dice

 

Buy a 22lr rifle and learn to shoot with iron sights.
22 ammo is cheap, fairly accurate, and you won't develop a flinch, and you learn respect for firearms.
Everybody...yes EVERYBODY should learn to shoot on a 22lr.
Forget these other responses.

 

.22 is a fun rifle to plink with, Every one should have at least one. Like thinking man said its ammo is cheap. Shotguns are fun too, you can do different things with it. Its a free country (for now) pick one that will give years of good service. But get safety training from a knowledgeable and responsible gun owner before even thinking about loading which ever firearm you purchase.

 

In some states you can carry a handun at 18, just not buy one due to federal law.

 

I thought it more than a little ironic that I carried a .45 in the Army for three years before I could legally buy one.

Edit: I just looked at the Maryland handgun laws. They are pretty strict and, in my opinion, rather intrusive. For instance, all handgun purchases have to be registered with the state police and the manufacturer has to provide a fired shell casing for the state ballistics database.

 

If you want low price and incredible accuracy check out the .17HMR caliber. I have a Savage 17, and can ring a doorbell at 150 yards over and over. Ammo is cheap and plentiful, no recoil to speak of. Every time I go to the range I have people telling me how they would love to shoot the .17

Yes I know you higher caliber shooters can do the same thing with your (whatever) at 1000 yards but he wants a good first rifle.