my first gun

Colin, this is something I wrote for new shooters. I attempted to outline my opinions regarding new, adult, shooters just beginning in the shooting sports. I hope that you find it helpful and informative.

I have been shooting competitively for nearly 10 years now and have been a safety officer for more than half that time, and have supervised shooters at just about every skill level with just about every firearm you could imagine. The above is based on my experience doing same, as well as my observations while attending multiple training classes as a student, and working for over two years in a small gunshop while in college.

 

You could also look into the FNH handguns. The FNP 9 and 40 are both good guns. I think you can find them somewhere around $400. They have a new model coming out so the price on those might drop.

 

Ruger 9mm! I have a P95 and love it. I've had it for years and it's never failed me.

 

I don't think I'd buy a pistol for under $350 unless it was a used XD or Glock etc.

 

1. It's not even a 9mm
2. Ruger stabbed the 2nd amendment in the back and will never receive any of my money.
http://www.thegunzone.com/rkba/papabill.html

 

at least they are still made in America.

one of Ruger's guns was used in this incident: http://www.thegunzone.com/11april86.html

he was doing what any capitalist would do.

 

If you are looking to carry a pistol you wont be able to do it for another 4 months. I know it is based upon county but the more populated the county that you move into the harder and longer it will take to get your permit. Pistols are great to have as home defense, but in my opinion if you want a cheap way to scare someone off just get a cheap pump 12 gauge. Just cycling a round will scare an intruder off. Also you have a less chance to miss during a home invasion. Also most state laws I know NC, if you shoot a pistol within city limits you get arrested even if your not at fault. If you shoot a shotgun you get a slap on the hand. Just something to think about. I personally have a .45 and a shotgun for home defense.

 

This is clearly only my opinion, but my recommendation would be to first begin with which caliber you want. From the sound of it, the two main purposes of the gun will be for range and home defense. If you plan on doing a lot of shooting I would stick to something that has less expensive ammo. Let's face it, this can be an expensive hobby. 9mm ammo is inexpensive and can effectively be used for home defense. .45 has great stopping power, but unless you're planning on reloading, it's very expensive ammo.
Once you've narrowed down the caliber, check fit. See which pieces fit your hand. Depending on the size of your hand, some frames will just feel awkward (too big or too small). Once you've narrowed that down test fire the choices. At this point, the choice should be fairly easy.

I personally went with the Magnum Research Baby Eagle (9mm). It fit my hand, it's comfortable to shoot, ammo is inexpensive, and it's accurate.

Stick to quality manufacturers like Browning, Beretta, SIG, Glock, etc. I personally am not a fan of the Ruger centerfire pistols. I do love my Mark III Competition though.

Take the time to research the proper pistol and buy with knowledge and you you won't be sorry.

 

Please don't propagate this kind of nonsense. Racking a shotgun is just as likely to get you shot through a wall as it is to scare anyone off. Guns are not devices to be used for intimidation and threats, they are tools to be used to end a violent confrontation.

Additionally, at typical indoor ranges and with any kind of ammunition worth using for defensive purposes, the shot exits the barrel in a tight group and still must be aimed to achieve the desired effect.

Starting a new shooter off with internet myths and gunshop legends is counter-productive IMHO.

 

For $350, you should be looking at a 12ga. Mossberg 500 series.. or Remington 800 series.. You could move into either for that kind of money. Good home defense weapons.

 

WOW, gone for the evening and a ton of new info! appreciate it all guys!

that's a great site, it's bookmarked and i'll be looking back to it frequently.

yeah, i hear it can take a while. i'm in no rush to get the CC permit, it'll just be something convenient to have if i ever need it. fortunately though, it's not a very densely populated county in florida where i'll be getting it.
I had thought about a shotgun, and may get one down the road, but i believe a pistol will serve me better right new as it is will be a little more versitile and fit my needs better.

yeah, you nailed it with what it'll be used for. and being as going to the range is both good practice, and just plain fun, a cheap round sounds good to the wallet. a 9mm is indeed seeming like the way to go right now. a .45 may be a little overkill for me right now and better suited for second pistol later on.



once again, thank you for all of the advise and suggestions on different guns, it's making my research process much easier

 

I would prefer to never shoot that is why first you always warn the intruder. If you think its propaganda your dumb and have no reason to even own a gun. Most state laws require that you first tell the intruder you have a gun before you are allowed to fire. So you can go ahead and tell them you have a gun or you can tell them and rack and round so they believe you. If I could own a gun and never have to shoot someone its what I would prefer to do. You sound like someone that is looking for an excuse. A gun is never a solution to an issue.

Gun shop legends?

obviously you don't spend enough time at the skeet range and too much in the indoor range. Depending on choke size and distance of target (far enough to still do damage) you can increase your spread pattern from 1ft to 8 ft.

 

Just wondering if you have looked at the Taurus line, they make some wicked defense guns.
As for the rest of what your talking about a 9mm is the cheapest and easiest to shoot, and a .45/.44mag will stop anything but costs a lot to shoot. A .40 is a nice compromise for both with stopping power and cost of ammo.
But... keep in mind it dosn't matter how many bullets your gun holds its the place you put them.

You can also shoot .38 special in a .357 so thats like getting two guns for one price... (many other brands can shoot different things as well)

 

This is absolute nonsense. I've never heard of having to warn someone first. If it's a gun day, it's a gun day.
If you are simply speaking of confronting an unarmed intruder, then fine verbally command them, but don't think for a second that you need to have some conversation with an armed intruder.

I can think of a number of reasons not to rack a shotgun for effect. The main one being that you give away your position, and you give too much info to the bad guy

 

you shooting a taurus right now? i don't know much about their reputation as I don't hear about them as much as some of the other brands. i just checked out their website as well as some gun retailer sites that sell them though, and they do have a great lineup, and even some pretty good prices. the 809 9mm caught my eye. very simple design, and about the size i'm looking for....i'll have to find a place to check this out in person http://www.taurususa.com/product-details.cfm?id=602&category=Pistol&breadcrumbseries=&search=809 anyone have any experience/imput on this pistol?

 

Wow, way to go bashing one of the most experienced and knowledgable shooters on this forum.

next time a bad guy breaks into your house with a gun ready to blast you, make sure you take the time to rack a round and let him know your gonna shoot
while your doing all that nonsense he could/will have already shot your ass dead. my HD weapon is ready to point and shoot. I dont wanna have to fumble with racking in a round, flipping off the safety, taking aim and shooting..

Please dont post in this thread again unless you have something usefull to say, maybe from actual experience

 

Dude, you really need to stop typing.
This is painful.
Please.
Stop.

 

x2
Unbelievable.

 

Thank you for the support gentlemen.

You are correct, I spend no time whatsoever at the skeet range. I am having a hard time figuring out how shooting little clay pots flying through the air at distance with ammunition so weak it barely cracks said pots has anything whatsoever to do with stopping an intruder in my home that intends to harm my family or I. In fact, I would argue that the indoor range has more in common with home defense than the skeet range, being that my home is, you know, indoors and all. However I spend no time at either, preferring to do my shooting at training classes and in competitive and practice environments outdoors. I typically fire in excess of 4-5 thousand rounds of rifle ammunition and slightly less in handgun ammunition per year at these events.

Just to be clear, I am not looking to shoot anyone. This is why my home defense plans do not involve racking shotguns, yelling at intruders "stay back, I have a gun!" or any other movie nonsense. We retrieve family members outside the safe room while providing cover as needed, we retreat to said safe room, and we dial 911 on the cell phone(s) once the family is present and accounted for.

This is also why, to get back to Colin's situation, the handgun is a fantastic all-around defensive tool. Not only can it be carried on a properly licensed person outside the home but it can also be easily and readily secured in a relatively inexpensive safe while still providing easy access in the bedroom or other safe room. Additionally, if one needs to exit the safe room, whether to retrieve other family members or to go looking for a fight they may regret, the handgun is far more maneuverable, far less likely to be taken away, can be held and/or operated one-handed while dialing a phone, opening a door, holding a light (you do have a light, right?), rendering aid, or assisting someone who cannot move under their own power. Not to mention training is far more readily available as are venues and events to practice and compete to keep up the skills learned in formal training environments.