Got my first gun

I finally got to shoot it for the first time!!!

Tis a good feeling.

It took 3 shots to sight it in. I then nailed a heart shot 3 times in a row on a paper target 50-60 yards away.

My friend, who has been hunting for many years was impressed.

He said "Think you're good huh? Try and shoot this." He took a spent slug shell and placed it on a small branch about 70-80 feet away. Told me to shoot it standing up. One try.

I nailed it, right between the plastic and the brass with a slug shot.

Man.... I LIKE it!! Can't wait till hunting season. Gonna have a lot of scotch bonnet spicy venison jerky.

I'm happy you are enjoying your purchase, to be honest I am quite a bit jealous since I don't have the money at all, i'm saving up for my first purchase, and saving 20 dollars at a time is pretty damn slow lol...

By the sounds of it you are an excellent shot! even though I have little experience in actually shooting TARGETS with shotguns, I am still quite impressed about the spent shell shot!

Just perusing this thread and it appears that most if not all posts are from guys, so I would like to lend a woman's perspective on the subject. A recent subject in fact in our household.
I have been urging my husband to buy a gun for years. We did have a shotgun prior to our son being born and then my husband wanted to get rid of it.
Now I live in a nice neighborhood in the burbs of Minneapolis Minnesota so nothing much to be afraid of. HOWEVER, I still believe in having a weapon to protect ones self and loved ones and so I began nagging my hubby to get one.

Recently, he was invited to go hunting (his first) with a friend and lo and behold he went and bought a 12G shotgun.
Ok yes, I did want a shotgun but this thing has a 26 in barrel and is practically bigger than me. My best guess is that I could perhaps bludgeon someone with it if need be.

He and I went yesterday to the store and look at more fitting shotguns for me. More youth style which is a much smaller barrel. You should have seen the guys and they were all men at the counter looking at the girl with a shotgun in her hands. It was pretty funny to see their reaction but I am an advocate of having them around. You never know in this day and age when God forbid you may have to protect yourself.

Happy Hunting....

Now that you are a proud gun owner, you will, of course, want to join an organization that supports gun ownership. You should find a suitable one among these.

www.nracentral.com...

nra.org...

nra.org...

www.gunowners.org...

www.jpfo.org...

www.ccrkba.org...

www.saf.org...

www.pinkpistols.org...

www.wagc.com...

www.a-human-right.com...

www.ar15armory.com...

www.azcdl.org...

www.blackmanwithagun.com...

www.concealcarry.org...

www.directedfire.com...

www.federalobserver.com...

www.friendsofliberty.com...

www.gunlaws.com...

www.guncite.com...

www.guned.com...

www.inlibertyandfreedom.com...

www.keepandbeararms.com...

www.leaa.org...

www.liberty-belles.org...

www.saveourguns.com...

www.womenshooters.com...

www.gunssavelives.com...

www.2asisters.org...

www.madison-society.org...

lol great thread guys, been reading it because although i am only 24, I feel like I have the same attitude towards guns as the threadstarter.


I live in the middle of philadelphia, soooooo, the issue of owning a gun for self protection is a serious one indeed.



p.s. I think what that person who was just mocking you guys was trying to say was that if you ran into trouble (in ebonics: static = trouble, problems) you could grab it from the car. Indeed mocking, yet where i live, once again a reality.



good luck with your new weapon. Hope you don't ever have to use it.


p.s.s. what would you guys suggest for inner city home protection. I've read through the pistol vs shotgun argument in this thread, but I just don't know if a shotgun is a good thing where I live.

if I had to shoot an intruder in my apartment i wouldnt want the shotgun blast goin through my crappy apartment wall and killing my neighbor

not sure if a shotgun is best in urban dwellings. thoughts?

If you've had any practise at all with a shotgun, I think you would find that light bird shot will work. I used #8 in my shotgun when I lived in an apartment complex. Unless you are right against the wall the shot shouldn't go through. An intruder certainly would feel it though.

There are differing opinions on this of course.

Originally posted by Philadelphite
if I had to shoot an intruder in my apartment i wouldnt want the shotgun blast goin through my crappy apartment wall and killing my neighbor

Frangible Bullets are available in virtually every pistol caliber and are a good option when over-penetration is a concern.

Google Search

Originally posted by Peruvianmonk
I am in no way having a go at you or the citizens of America. But is it not almost insane to allow guns to be legal in the 21st century in a modern western state.I read somewhere it is the 2nd highest casue of death in some states and the 1st in others. With the huge gang culture, drug culture and segregation you have allowing guns to be possesed with out the least bit of effort appears to be negligent behaviour of every one of your governments since the act was enacted. I am aware of the power the NRA have but surely there is some right thinking future president out there who will have the guts to ban Guns of all kinds.

Automobiles are a large cause of death, more so then hand guns... maybe the automobile is to dangerous for the 21st century western world.

The gangs would smuggle guns, seeing as you have to go through a back ground check and register your weapons, I don't think a gang member is feeling like he wants to follow the law.....

Same for drug culture...

What segregation is it that you are talking about.. I don't see segregation in this country?

The 2nd amendment was placed there to defend against invaders AND defense from our own government AND the right of self defense.

Mainly the second one. The government is to fear the people. We decided to allow ourselves to own weapons to protect against tyranny and injustice.

Originally posted by Philadelphite
if I had to shoot an intruder in my apartment i wouldnt want the shotgun blast goin through my crappy apartment wall and killing my neighbor

not sure if a shotgun is best in urban dwellings. thoughts?

pistol grip shotgun, with a folding stock if you want. Just load target rounds. Not enough pack to really go through a good wall and still have any real energy left, but enough to put someone down.

Usually though with a pump action shotgun you won't even have to fire. Just the sound of racking in a shell is enough to deter most people. With a pistol, unless you are well trained and experienced, it's easy enough to evade your poorly aimed bullets and disarm you. With a shotgun... aim is less of an issue.

Protect every man's and nations right to have weapons of mass destructions.

Americans have them, indians, russians, english, israelians, chinese, south-africans, north-koreans, french, pakistans and hell knows who else.

Me want too

Please allow me, as certified instructor, to dispell several myths. First of all, the sound of a shotgun "racking" will NOT deter an armed intruder. In fact, it is likely to make said intruder a bit trigger happy and cause him to begin firing randomly about in an attempt to hit you or deter your action against him - putting your entire family and neighbors at risk. Ergo, it is imperative that one understands that owning a gun for protection, and moreover, brandishing it against someone as a means of protection, requires that you have the proper mindset to use it! Period. Drawing a weapon as a means of deterrance is stupid and will likely lead to you getting shot or possibly killed.

Secondly, over-penetration is over-used and over-stated. ANY firearm projectile has the ballistic tendency to over-penetrate given the right circumstances. Frangible rounds certainly help to eliminate the problem, but they may also over-penetrate. The number one way to overcome the danger of over-pentration is to ALWAYS know what is immediately behind your target, making over-penetration less of a concern. Never fire a weapon without knowing what is behind your intended target - unless life and limb are in immediate danger. In that case, the risk may be worth it.

The second most effective way to handle this issue is to NOT purchase weapons or rounds that are excessive to your circumstances. You hear about all of these people buying .44, .45, .357 etc... WHY? Hunting Elephants and gorillas I guess! Also understand the ballistic characteristics of the rounds you are purchasing. Example: 9mm is a small, high velocity round making it likely to over-penetrate whereas a .40 is slightly larger and packs less grains so it would be less liekly to over-penetrate the same target. For handguns, your best self-defence weapons are your standard .38 revolver for beginners or more advanced .40 or 10mm semi-automatics for seasoned shooters. Plenty of takedown power yet still very accurate. Again frangible rounds, hollow-points, low-grain practice rounds may also help you to adjust to your shooting circumstances.

Specifically, when discussing shotguns as home defence weapons, several things need to be considered. Guage is number 1. Whether you choose and 8, 12, 20 or .410 is entirely up to you - however, take primary use into account. If you're not planning on hunting moose, an 8 guage is best left in the police riot gear locker. The recoil will knock most shooters on their keyster! Your standard 12 or 20 guage is plenty of weapon to the job for home protection. For women or men of slight build, you may benefit from the 20 guage or the .410. Your ability to recover from the shot and re-aim your weapon is critical. Over-arming yourself is more likely to get you killed than having no weapon at all. Also, there is no need to purchase magnum or super-magnum slugs - again, unless you are hunting moose! The standard 2.75" is perfect, affordable and will get the job done. I would not recommend bird-shot (#6-#10) for home defense. You are more likely to piss someone off than you are to render them incapable of continuing their assault on you or your family. Stick with double or triple ought buckshot. The higher the number, the more shot, the more shot, the more likely you are to strike unintended targets. Why? Because of consideration #2... barrel length.

Your typical sporting shotgun in 26"+ length barrels are simply to long and cumbersome to be effective in a CQB (Close Quarters Battle) situation. Ever try to shoulder a 48" weapon in the confines of your home??? The shorter the barrel, the wider the shot pattern. Shotguns with 18" (The shortest legal barrel allowed) or 20" barrels are perfect for home protection. Other barrels can be purchased for dual-use shotguns; hunting or clay shooting. Both Mossberg and Remington make excellent home protection pieces. I recommend the Mossberg 500 or 590 (The latter being the choice of the US Army) or the Remington 870.

I could go on and on and on and on but I think you get the important points here - 1.) Don't own a firearm unless you have the mindset to use it if required. 2.) Match the weapon to the task 3.) Don't over-arm yourself; make your firearm manageable 4.) TRAINING AND PRACTICE!!! Consult a certified instructor to learn how to load, fire, unload, breakdown and clean your weapon!

Good luck and God-speed. Staying safe in America, the American way!

Originally posted by kozmo
Please allow me, as certified instructor, to dispell several myths. First of all, the sound of a shotgun "racking" will NOT deter an armed intruder.

Hmm most people I know keep theirs loaded. (As long as the guns are out of a childs reach that is) No raking sound, just take off the safety and boom they are toast.

I also find it odd that some seem to want a shorter barrel then 26" which makes no sense at all. The shorter the barrel the wider the pattern and shorter distance. I prefer a 28" or 30" myself since it is they are an all around gun.

[edit on 9/6/2006 by shots]

I don't own a shotgun and I personally don't consider one to be a suitable defense weapon for apartment dwellers, mainly because of the length. The worst thing I can think of is getting shot because I couldn't get my weapon positioned because of the cramped quarters.

I do own a Ruger PC-9 carbine chambered in 9mm as is my Ruger P-89. However, I bought the carbine when I lived in New Orleans for just such a contingency as the Katrina fiasco, but its intended use was for defending the house I lived in from, say, the front porch or an upstairs window. In those days, it was not unusual for me to keep a case of ammo on hand. I am very happy that I was long gone from New Orleans when the storm hit.

hey all,
i have been looking at getting a glock g-26 for about 6 years now for home protection.
do you know how i might find if they are legal for purchase in california?
my old french ceo said they are illegal in CA, but i just can't see that as real. was he right?
can anyone pass me links to help educate myself? i'm not getting much luck on my searches.
thanks a ton in advance.
-b

Last year, voters in San Francisco approved a ban on handguns within the city limits.

The NRA almost immediately filed suit against the ban.

The ban was struck down in court, as a result.

The city also voted to ban military recruiters from campuses at the same time that it tried to ban handguns.

I really don't know what to say about San Francisco.

The best course of action would be to contact your local legislators about what laws are actually in effect at this time.

Google Search

[edit on 2006/9/6 by GradyPhilpott]

kozmo
Please allow me, as certified instructor, to dispell several myths. First of all, the sound of a shotgun "racking" will NOT deter an armed intruder.

Yes naturally every situation has to be handled according to the circumstances. If it is dark and you are dealing with an intruder of unknown capacity, obviously the element of surprise is key. However all I have ever had to deal with are illegal aliens trying to steal my property or break into my home. I could always see them and size up the situation, and in every instance just the sound of the slide sent them running.

GradyPhilpott
I don't own a shotgun and I personally don't consider one to be a suitable defense weapon for apartment dwellers, mainly because of the length. The worst thing I can think of is getting shot because I couldn't get my weapon positioned because of the cramped quarters.

My Mossberg 500 with pistol grip measures ~29" from the tip of the barrel (18") to the end of the grip. It is supposed to be hip fired, but can be fired from any position that doesn't compromise the wrists.

thanks grady.
such a great city, but it has it's claws.
-b