Gun Suggestions

With martial law most likely coming up soon, people will need to have some type of firearm in their household to protect themselves and their family.
I was thinking of purchasing a firearm, but I don't know that much about guns. I know of a place near where I live where I can buy a pistol or rifle.
I'm probably going to buy a pistol. I don't know what type of pistol though.

Any suggestions? I was thinking maybe a Ruger MK II or a Beretta 96 Centurion(.40cal).

You are always going to be better off if you are not VERY familiar with firearms, to go with a Revolver if you are set on a Handgun.

The good old always faithful Shotgun is your best choice overall however.

With a Semi-Auto like the Beretta, if you get a (Heaven Forbid) bad bullet, you will dies if you can't "Slap, Rack, Clear" fast enough and under pressure. Get a bad bullet in a revolver, pull the trigger again.

Semi-Auto's are "Cool" and the "In" thing, but all of that counts for exactly SQUAT when your life is on the line. I am extremely experienced in firearms, and my home weapon of choice is a Ruger GP100, 357mag.

Then get some "Speed Loaders" and practice, practice, practice.

A good solid 4in 357 will be very accurate at well over 25 meters and with full house 357 rounds, a very effective weapon.

Still consider the shotgun. Best survival and personal defense weapon made.

Semper

My first handgun was glock 9mm, I love it. Its very simple and accurate. One down fall however is they don't have any safeties on them. Once you charge the weapon and have a round in the chamber that gun will fire if you pull the trigger. The only real safety is to not put a round in the chamber until you know youll need it. They are real easy to take apart and clean, they dont require much maintness.

Originally posted by semperfortis
You are always going to be better off if you are not VERY familiar with firearms, to go with a Revolver if you are set on a Handgun.

The good old always faithful Shotgun is your best choice overall however.

I own a Ruger .357 and a Browning 12 gauge. I think it is a good combination. After all, if the SHTF you might or might not want to be walking around obviously armed. You might want the convenience of carrying concealed and it isnt as easy to carry a shotgun concealed.

Really, what weapon you need depends most upon how you envision it being used. Lots of gun owners own multiple weapons because of this. I plan to get a rifle in the not so distant future, as they do things neither of my current guns do well.

There is no "one right type of gun" and I personally would dump my shotgun in a heartbeat if I had to choose between it and my revolver.

I do agree that semi-auto's are not all they are cracked up to be. My first gun was a Glock 20 (10mm) and I loathed it. However some people just love them. You really just need to get out and try a few and find one that you like. I would say it is far better to own a gun you enjoy and fire well, (accurately) even if it isnt popular or cool, than to own the latest thing that you really just dont fit well with.

Edit to add; My Ruger is the GP100 also. Great gun. Absolutely love it.

[edit on 1-2-2009 by Illusionsaregrander]

Nothing is quite as versatile as a .12-guage shotgun. I strongly recommend a pump as it is just as fast as an automatic, and isn't nearly as finicky as an automatic. Nothing like a bit of control over shell feed. And that noise alone is enough to make some criminal rethink their intention.

And not nearly as much to break as on an automatic.

You'll probably get more bang for the buck with a Remington, but if you can afford it, look at the Browning BPS. You'll note that water, rain, and crap can't easily get into the action. All the action happens underneath.

I agree that a first handgun should be a wheelgun. Try a bunch. Shoot them. Talk to friends. Don't get in a rush, and you'll make a better decision. Stick to name brands and you'll get a good piece that feels comfortable to you.

Remember the larger the caliber, the bigger the grips, the easier to control a handgun.

But whatever you get, get a bit of instruction, and lots and lots of practice. You run into a bad situation, you can't be thinking about operating the weapon. That part should come natural-like.

Good luck, and good shooting.

Something that I was taught years ago by an EMT is that many people who aren't familiar with firearms, get a shotgun for self defense, and make the mistake of getting the biggest shot they can. 00 buck shot sounds good, but what you are getting is bigger shot, but less of it, thus less chance of hitting something if you aren't used to shooting and/or are nervous and shaking. This EMT said the nastiest wounds are from smaller shot which equals more pellets. He said medium sized shot made a pretty nasty wound, and a shot gun blast right in the face, of course, will stop any attacker.

Oh, get the pump, there's nothing like that sound to get attention!

I'm sure not a firearms expert at all, so anyone feel free to correct me if this information is wrong.

The Remington 870 12 ga. can't be beat. It's versatile, use it for defense or to go get dinner, ammo is plentiful and cheap. Its reliable, and parts are easy to find. Like the last post said - don't worry about bigger shot - the smaller the shot the wider the pattern, the greater the chances of hitting.

Very good point. You load up a .12 guage with #6 shot, for example, and at under fifteen feet, it ACTS like a slug, the target hit dead center will absorb all that energy, and yet it won't blow through multiple walls, possibly endangering your neighbors.

Now that I know what gun I'm gonna get(revolver), The only other problem is getting parental and legal permission. I'm only 14 so I can't buy a gun on my own. I would need an adult to buy it. And I would need licenses.

I have no idea where I would get the licenses. If I do get a license the authorities would know I have a firearm, and they would search my house for the gun when Martial Law sets in. Any suggestions there?

The REMINGTON 870 12ga. is one awesome lean mean killing machine. Also buy a slug barrel and a sling. Good to go!

reply to post by CNRHKick


14? Well thats a whole different ball game now, you should have mentioned that in your original post. I don't know what to tell you. Maybe suggest to your parents to buy a firearm and then you can all go to a range and practice together. As far as I know assuming you live in the U.S. there is no loop hole to exploit for a 14 year old to buy a gun. However I wish you luck in your quest.

Well, any modern era semi automatic firearm that you wish to purchase will soon be illigal. Understand that before you make the purchase.

If your seeking a weapon thats best for home defense i would say a .45 automatic, and like the rest of us have said, you cant really go wrong with a 12ga pump action shotgun. If you're woried about getting in a real firefight than i would recomend some sort of civilian version combat platform (SKS, M1 clones ect. ).

Any thing you wanna buy, you gotta do it now. And since you said you're inexperienced with guns I recomend you get some reading material on safety from the NRA or similar organizations. And (at least in my state) Handgun safety Cards are required to purchase and pistols.

Guns are like golf clubs, you need the whole bag.

get them in this order.

Rem 870 12 ga.

ruger 10/22

glock 17

rem 700 .308 with good scope

ar-15 or ak-47

Originally posted by semperfortis

and my home weapon of choice is a Ruger GP100, 357mag.

Wow, that's crazy! I randomly stumbled upon this thread and I just happened to buy my first gun recently, which was a Ruger GP-100! lol.

I got the Blued 4" barrell model.

Next up I'll probably get a shotgun.

If your like me and can't afford anything fancy, i would recommend a ruger 10/22. ##snipped## Good for hunting small game. Its not the best, but it will do some damage!!