Buying first gun, need recommendations.

[Turbo-Archie]

But as a first Cary or joint use with out lots of first hand use/practice it is not the wisest choice.

You just have to get used to people totally over looking this important factor. People just want to prove a point of how cool their gun is and how great it works for them.


Hell, if you’re going Glock, don’t forget them Homeboy sites to complete the package.


..

 

[GNBRETT]

You just have to get used to people totally over looking this important factor. People just want to prove a point of how cool their gun is and how great it works for them.


Hell, if you’re going Glock, don’t forget them Homeboy sites to complete the package.


..

lol... thats great. gotta print that out and post it tomorrow when I get to work.

Im a fan of the S&W titanium revolver 38/357 mag myself. The bullets weigh about as much as the gun.

It aint cheap but it will never jam either and with 357 mags u only need to hit once and anywhere on the human body will work cause it will blow body parts right off

 

[turbo39151]

Lots of good advice here. First go to the range and shoot.

I went to a range with some female co-workers who wanted to shoot. Some of them were scared of the guns just after a few rounds.

Something small is ideal for concealed carry. My neighbor a KSP trooper showed my his small Glock .40. I was surprised how light it was! My wife even liked it. Personally, my choice is a .45 but they're too heavy to carry unless you want the thing pulling your pants down. My dad used to carry a small .40 and my mother a smaller 380... After a while it was more hassle than anything else.

I wonder, why the sudden interest in concealed carry? Most everyone I know- yes even the hardcore gun nuts- carried with the license for a few years and then just put them away. One in particular; a true gun fanatic, always carried his custom .45. Went to a movie theater with his kids and locked it in the glovebox. Someone broke in and stole it and it has never been recovered. He stopped carrying after that. Might want to consider the reasons before making the purchase. You have to be 100% ready to go when the time comes.

Just my .02

 

[SGRIM]

I carry all the guns mentioned here at the shop. Have played with them all at one time or another...

For home defense the two shotguns mentioned are great, the Remington 870 or the Moss berg 5 series... You can add tons of goodies to them as you go and are both very affordable and you probably will never wear either one out... The siaga's are nice guys, I have them too, but I will not depend on one for my home defense weapon....

Pistols, for starters, the above mentioned S&W Bodyguard(S) with laser is an AWESOME piece. I will have either the .38 or the 380 on me at all times Trying to get the commemorative edition set with both in a "first edition" run right now for display

If you want something a little bigger, look at the S&W M&P series. I have fallen in love with these guns. All sizes and calibers are great... The Glocks are an all time favorite IMO too.

As mentioned I would go to a local store and feel some and see what feels good in your hand. Decide whether revolver or semi auto. For first time weapons I would suggest a .38 up to a .357 for a revolver, you can buy many that will fire both btw, and a 380, 9mm, or 40 cal for a semi auto. If being small and compact is a must go with the 380. If not go ahead and get a 40:biggrin:

 

[Madcat455]

If you've NEVER shot a gun before... I suggest getting a nice .22lr pistol and a 12ga pump shotgun... and shoot the crap outta them to get a feel for how a gun works, what actually happens when you pull the trigger, and actually how freaking loud they are when they go off.

After you've put a couple of thousand rounds through a .22 (that's the cheapest to shoot, and why you start with one)... THEN upgrade the pistol to a .40 or .45... then put another 500-1k rounds through it to get familiar with it.

Shotguns... a good pump with an extended tube will be all you need. Sure, the Saiga is BAD A$$ (I owned a converted .410), but they're NOT for beginners nor someone who's unexperienced in self defense.

you need SIMPLICITY in "heat of the moment" situations.. you're going to be disoriented, adrenalin pumping, nervous, and scared SH!TLESS... all at once. You're NOT going to think right... so you need to have as little complications as possible.

Pick up a small caliber gun.. shoot the barrel out of it... then upgrade.

Also... after you've put some rounds through at the range... take the ear muffs off and shoot 2 or 3. FEEL HOW IT'S GOING TO BE if you have to shoot that thing in the middle of the night.

I can't stress training enough... a .22 in the hands of somebody with years of experience is FAR more deadly than a .45 in the hands of somebody who's never shot a round.

I picked up a nice .22lr smith and wesson for my 11yr old daughter to train on. Around $300... I'd start there.

Good luck.

 

[gunslinger]

How many rounds has your wife put through it?????????

Would you want her in the middle of the night to have to pick it up and wonder if the magazine is in it. If there is a round in the pipe or do I need to cycle it..... Oh,**** is the safety on???????? Now deal with 2 distinct
different trigger pulls and still stay on target.....

Or point and click.......

and Gunslinger I agree with you 100% for a trained or working person....

I understand what you're saying. We'll agree to disagree.

I don't worry about my wife. She was in the Army, and probably has more range time than most "gun guys".

 

[gunslinger]

Everyone here has given a lot of good info. Like others have said, find a range that rents guns, and try a few out, and see what feels good in your hand. Everyone is different. Grip angle, and grip size will make a big difference in the way a gun shoots. My father loves his Beretta PX4 Storm. I don't like the way it feels.

If your wife has smaller hands, you may want to consider something with a single stack magazine. It will have a narrower grip. I would try to stay away from some of the "pocket pistols" I've found that their sight picture sucks, the accuracy suffers. I had a Ruger LCP that I absolutely hated. It concealed very well, but I couldn't hit anything past 15 yards with it.

The new "Bodyguards" might be a good way to go...they have built in lasers.

 

[BobbyBuick]

I have to agree with the revolver comments.I like the judge for family safty.
my gun is a XDM sw.40
to answer some of the questions she knows there are 4 mags 2 of the 4 are loaded one is in the gun and ready to go the gun has no safty other than the trigger safty point the laser on the target and shoot 16 times then click it out and jam the other in snap the back and shoot 16 more ........
then call 911

 

[86brick]

The S&W Airweight 642 .38 revolver is a great little pocket gun for CC and will likely be my next purchase. I have a Glock 19 that I bought used and it is really a great all around pistol in terms of firepower, weight, size, reliability, etc. For home protection I have an S&W 686 4" .357 Magnum.

 

[turbobully]

86brik, thanks for the correction it's an airweight I have not airlight. Only draw back to this for a rookie is that it's not ideal for target practice because its so light and small it will hurt your hand at the range after a few boxes.

 

[turboc87gn]

I disagree with starting with a .22 then stepping up to other calibers..I bought my first gun this time last year..I did my research and i ended up buying a full size m&p 9mm.. I have shot my friends guns sig 9mm,and smith compact 9mm my parents guns, .357 and .38revolvers,and i still like my m&p ...Buy something nice in the caliber you think youll want after shooting some rentals you wont be dissapointed...Compacts seem to have too much recoil and it makes them hard to aim..

 

[klrv6]

Lots of good advice here. First go to the range and shoot.

I went to a range with some female co-workers who wanted to shoot. Some of them were scared of the guns just after a few rounds.

Something small is ideal for concealed carry. My neighbor a KSP trooper showed my his small Glock .40. I was surprised how light it was! My wife even liked it. Personally, my choice is a .45 but they're too heavy to carry unless you want the thing pulling your pants down. My dad used to carry a small .40 and my mother a smaller 380... After a while it was more hassle than anything else.

I wonder, why the sudden interest in concealed carry? Most everyone I know- yes even the hardcore gun nuts- carried with the license for a few years and then just put them away. One in particular; a true gun fanatic, always carried his custom .45. Went to a movie theater with his kids and locked it in the glovebox. Someone broke in and stole it and it has never been recovered. He stopped carrying after that. Might want to consider the reasons before making the purchase. You have to be 100% ready to go when the time comes.

Just my .02

Daytime home invasions are happening everyday around the Lexington area now. There are many days when she is at home with the kids all day. The most recent one was four guys who went into a house in the middle of the day. There was one less than two miles from where we live and these are not area that would normally attract any type of criminal activity.

She needs something besides a phone to keep her safe.... I think the plan will be to get into revolvers for starter hand guns and picking up a shot gun or four to keep around the house.

 

[Brady87GN]

Lots of good advice here. First go to the range and shoot.

I went to a range with some female co-workers who wanted to shoot. Some of them were scared of the guns just after a few rounds.

Something small is ideal for concealed carry. My neighbor a KSP trooper showed my his small Glock .40. I was surprised how light it was! My wife even liked it. Personally, my choice is a .45 but they're too heavy to carry unless you want the thing pulling your pants down. My dad used to carry a small .40 and my mother a smaller 380... After a while it was more hassle than anything else.

I wonder, why the sudden interest in concealed carry? Most everyone I know- yes even the hardcore gun nuts- carried with the license for a few years and then just put them away. One in particular; a true gun fanatic, always carried his custom .45. Went to a movie theater with his kids and locked it in the glovebox. Someone broke in and stole it and it has never been recovered. He stopped carrying after that. Might want to consider the reasons before making the purchase. You have to be 100% ready to go when the time comes.

Just my .02

The best advice I've heard so far. We can recommend guns all day long but the big picture is being lost here. You can't just give someone a gun and a few hundred rounds of target practice and expect them to become combat shooters. It's like taking a weekend self-defence seminar and telling someone they are now proficient in hand to hand combat. It's nothing but a false sense of security, you are either that type of person or you aren't. It takes a lot of mental conditioning and putting a few guns in an everyday household is a recipe for disaster.

Take some time and really consider why exactly you want to arm yourself and your wife. Your intentions aren't being questioned but I'm not sure about your rationale. If some meth head comes crashing through the back door of your house it would take a pretty salty dog to be able to deal with the situation. I think there are a lot of dead mailmen and meter readers because of people arming themselves...

MAYBE some gun safety classes??? I think that says it all my friend.

 

[VADER]

go rent some guns and try them out, cant go wrong with a pump shotgun like a rem 870, but its prob too much for most women, any sig pistol is a good choice, i also like the S&W 686 for its reliability, slower to shoot than a semi auto though.

practice, practice, practice thats what really matters

 

[SPOOLN]

Ruger

I like the Ruger 1022LR for home defense. You get a drum or a 30 round clip for it. Its cheap and effective plus walmart sells them. A 22 round is very nasty and will really hurt the intruder. No big shot gun blast recoil that will destract you and allows you not to panic.

 

[charlief1]

Gonna add my comments now. Get a pump shotgun in 12 gauge (prefered) or 20 gauge. Load it with bird shot not bigger than number six shot. 3 rounds and 2 buck shot after that. Number 6 shot will penitrate 2 sheets of sheet rock and die off where buck shot of any size will go through the walls and hurt some one in the next room. If you have kids you could hit them and then you will be totally devestated. Side arms are for the professional or those of us that have used them for a very long time. I have been using fire arms since I was 12 and have learned how to use them in combat and at home. These are not toys and not for those that are not willing to train with them constantly.

Just so you know I have a CAR15 beside my bed, a 9mm under my pillow, a .380 on the top of my dressor, and a 12 gauge beside the front door. My neighbor was attacked a couple of years ago and the only reason he's still with us a a neighbor saw something funny. Needless to say, the bad "guy" didn't get away that day.:biggrin:

 

[Fachie Motion]

Just so you know I have a CAR15 beside my bed, a 9mm under my pillow, a .380 on the top of my dressor, and a 12 gauge beside the front door. .:biggrin:

You should make that a bumper sticker

 

[charlief1]

You should make that a bumper sticker

Why would I want advertise what obomout wouldn't like. LMAO!

 

[83turbomon]

Gonna add my comments now. Get a pump shotgun in 12 gauge (prefered) or 20 gauge. Load it with bird shot not bigger than number six shot. 3 rounds and 2 buck shot after that. Number 6 shot will penitrate 2 sheets of sheet rock and die off where buck shot of any size will go through the walls and hurt some one in the next room. If you have kids you could hit them and then you will be totally devestated. Side arms are for the professional or those of us that have used them for a very long time. I have been using fire arms since I was 12 and have learned how to use them in combat and at home. These are not toys and not for those that are not willing to train with them constantly.

Just so you know I have a CAR15 beside my bed, a 9mm under my pillow, a .380 on the top of my dressor, and a 12 gauge beside the front door. My neighbor was attacked a couple of years ago and the only reason he's still with us a a neighbor saw something funny. Needless to say, the bad "guy" didn't get away that day.:biggrin:

wow... you scare me, only weapon i got are the two at the ends of my arm, and the "chick Chick" sound i can make with my mouth in the shadows:biggrin: was thinking of getting a 10 guage dual trigger, twin barrel shot gun, 75 bones, might saw it off, I cant trust myself with a gun. I had guy offer me an AK47 with a hit on it

WHAT KIND of gun is this?????

 

[SGRIM]

Daytime home invasions are happening everyday around the Lexington area now. There are many days when she is at home with the kids all day. The most recent one was four guys who went into a house in the middle of the day. There was one less than two miles from where we live and these are not area that would normally attract any type of criminal activity.

She needs something besides a phone to keep her safe.... I think the plan will be to get into revolvers for starter hand guns and picking up a shot gun or four to keep around the house.

Listening to your needs, I would suggest the Remington 870 or the MossBerg for the shotguns.

For the revolver, if mainly for self defense the little bodyguard with the laser is awesome. If for house and person, go ahead and get a .357 that will fire .38 rounds to practice with and become familiar with the gun with...

Let me know if I can help bud!!!!