Your first gun?

My first gun was given to me by my Daddy. I was 6, and the gun was too damn big, but my father never was good with pleasantries, or friendlies. The gun was a model 19 S&W; which is a 357 magnum, and six shots.

Could I shoot it?? Yes, and no. I almost took my fathers foot off with it, but I did shoot it. I learned how to use it, and well.

The first firearm bought was a M1A.

S&F for providing a thread with lots of interest.



[edit on 18-9-2009 by sanchoearlyjones]

First gun I ever shot: Uzi 9mm semi-auto when I was 11. Thinking back on that now, probably wasn't a great decision on my uncle's part . . .

First shotgun I ever owned: Remington 870 walnut stock, circa 1960's, inherited from my grandpa when he passed away. Still use it for hunting every year.

First rifle I ever owned: Remington 6mm, gift from the same uncle as above

First rifle I ever purchased: Savage semi-auto .22lr

First handgun I ever purchased: H&K USP in .40S&W. Still my favorite handgun.

My first gun was a Ruger Mini-14. About a year later, I bought a Norinco AK and foolishly decided I didn't need the Mini. I sold it to a friend, and have regretted the choice ever since.
That said, the AK was a better buy and a better gun. But I miss my Ruger.

My first pistol was a Springfield 1911. Awesome gun.

My first shotgun was a Mossberg 500 (the kind with a short barrel and an M4-style stock). Great shotgun, but I had to by a second barrel to be able to hunt with it. My dedicated hunting shotgun is now a Remington 11870.

BUT, my FAVORITE gun is my Winchester 30-30 lever gun. Cannot beat it.

I'm thinking about getting my first gun. Main use will be range fun and self defense. With limited budget what should i go for first?

rifle or shot gun?

For shotgun, i narrowed it down to remington 870 or mossberg 500. what do you think?

For rifle, i'm not sure yet. I want an AK-47 but I'm in CA. any recommendations?

reply to post by joedirtii


Shotgun.

Since you're in CA, forget about an AK. Although you could probably get an SKS is in CA. But Im not entirely sure on the laws, you should look into this if you are interested. The only AK's that I know that are legal in CA are pump actions. And yes, a pump action AK is as dumb as it sounds.
Look it up on YouTube, one of the saddest sights I've ever seen.

I'd go with the Mossberg 500 Personally. I want one myself, but don't have the money for one. However from my internet window shopping, I know there's a lot of accessories you can get for a Mossy to modify it. You can easily find barrels, stocks, grips and probably mounting rails for different sights.

But here's what I'd do: Go to a gun store near you. Talk to one of the salesmen and ask about whats legal, and what isn't in your area.


[edit on 27-9-2009 by Miraj]

My first gun was a Taurus Model 66 4" barrel .357 Magnum revolver, that I still have and use regularly for target shooting, and keep loaded in my bedside table with .38 Special +P hollowpoints for home defense. I traded a Commodore 128 computer, monitor, floppy drive, and printer for her back in the early 90's. She is very versatile and easy to use for a beginner. She can shoot .38 Special or .357 Magnum rounds, and she is easy to operate and keep clean. She is showing her age, and her bluing is wearing off in areas, but she is still beautiful to me.

My first gun ever was purchased for me by my dad. It was a Ruger Bearcat 22 6 shooter pistol. He purchased the gun for me and I purchased the holster rig with my paper route money. That Christmas he purchased me my first brick of ammo. 500 rounds of long rifle Remington ammo. That was great Christmas.

My first ever gun I purchased for myself was a Mossberg 500 Persuader pump action with extended magazine for 8 round capacity 7 in the tube and one in the chamber. It is the finest shotgun for combat I have used. I upgraded it with a Zytel synthetic folding stock with extension handle on the slider. I got where I could empty that shotgun exactly where I wanted it on the combat live fire range in less than thirty seconds with accurate fire. I love that gun.

I guess that configuration might not be legal in every state so watch how you upgrade now days and check your local gun laws. I found some speed loaders for it also. They are pretty neat and I rigged an over shoulder speed holder for them to hold 2 extra loads. I could reload 7 rounds in about 3 seconds at my best. 5 seconds on average but still far faster then stuffing them in the tube one at a time.

reply to post by Replikant


I only read the first page. So I thought this might address your question a little better.

If you have never owned a gun, and are only moderately aquainted with guns, I would start with a ruger 10/22 rifle. Ammo is cheap, the gun is easy to fire, and you can learn the basics of good shooting quickly.

For hand guns I would recomend starting with something like a .32 or .380. Much for the same reasons I would start with a 10/22 for rifles.

Once you get more accustomed to fire arms I would try look for a 9mm hand gun. The main reason is that it is much easier to shoot that a .45acp so you can get the hang of it quickly. Secondly a lot of people have the same caliber. So if SHTF it will be easier to scavange ammo if need be. Of course a .40S&W chamberred pistol is also a good bet. Slightly more power than a 9mm without the high recoil of a .45 or .357sig. Plus a lot of the federal agencies are carrying them now. Again easier scavanging if SHTF.

As far as rifle to buy when you get more experience... I am of a split mind. Part of me wants to say go with a .223 shooting 60gr hollow points. You can take down most animals smaller than a deer easily and it is decent protection against people. However, you will be more likely to find ammo in the 7.62 or 5.56 sizes because they are more internationally accepted for military and police service. Again easy to scavange. However, the guns and ammo are heavier and harder too shoot accurately without practice.

My first gun was a Ruger 10/22 that was given to me. I really want to buy an M1 carbine though and load it with some 110gr soft point bullets or 100gr Corbon hollow points. Great on anything smaller than a deer. At anything between 25 and 125 yards great for self protection. The gun only ways four or five pounds and the ammo is lighter than the bigger assault riffles. The down side is the ammo is rare.

As another poster advised, make sure you learn how to strip and clean your gun. Also make sure you have some extra parts in case anything breaks. My own piece of advice is to avoid Wolf brand ammo. I have seen a lot of problems with that ammo.

edit for corrections to spelling and other things.

[edit on 27-9-2009 by MikeNice81]

reply to post by Replikant


A shotgun is a great all around investment for home defense/sh-t hits the fan situations. You can shoot buck shot(little bb's) which spread out into a larger pattern and are great if you are on an adrenaline high and your aim isn't perfect, OR you can shoot slugs if you want some SERIOUS stopping power. The Remington 870 is a great choice, used by many in law enforcement, and can be had for 2-500 dollars depending on options. The drawback of course is the size/lack on concealability.

If you want a pistol, H&K, Sig Sauer, and Glock are top of the game, and used by various special forces and police units including Navy Seals(H&K) and are extremely reliable and well made. Springfield XD and others are available for less and are decent. If you are worried about recoil, 9mm is quite sufficient especially if you use hollow points.

Good training is well worth it. Not sure what is available in your area, but after you are comfortable with the basics, a tactical firearms course can be very beneficial.
Good luck.

Originally posted by joedirtii
I'm thinking about getting my first gun. Main use will be range fun and self defense. With limited budget what should i go for first?

rifle or shot gun?

For shotgun, i narrowed it down to remington 870 or mossberg 500. what do you think?

For rifle, i'm not sure yet. I want an AK-47 but I'm in CA. any recommendations?

For a shotgun I would really look at the Saiga 12 gauge. It is built on the Kalishnikov frame. A great gun with great accuracy. With Hornady TAP buckshot you would be amazed at the tight patterns.

In is semi-auto though. Might not be available to CA residents.

reply to post by LeTan


I would like to get a mini 14, but I have Never fired a gun before in my life. Is it easy to use? I plan on going to a gun range to learn to shoot, but am wondering if this is a good weapon for a beginner?

reply to post by Iseekthetruth!!!!!!!!


It is a little harder than a .22LR to use. Not a terrible amounr though. They are both considered "varmint" guns. Which is a class of lower powered rifles made for hunting small game.

Short answer is it should not be terrible to learn on.

first gun was a winchester 3o-3o lever action. handme down from father to older bros. to me.
I had been cleaning it other rifles , shot guns and other hand guns in 22lr , .357mag/.38sp/.38 , 44mag, .45long colt , and .45asp since I was 6years old or 7years old .
I never fired a shotgun/rifle/handgun untill I was 13 , and then only 10 to 20 times ...

as a person who is new to fire arms , get the single loudest shotgun you can find . you want a shotgun that , when you chamber a round , can be heard thru a window and out into the middle of the street .
you want to practice cycleing the action loudly .

the second thing you need to do , go to where you might pay a speeding tickets ... ask the clerk if (s)he can give you the jury instructions for a manslauter trial / case .
note: do not get it on line or at the libary... get it from your city clerk ... if a police officer is avalable , ask if he might have / will give you a marinda rights card .

then , the third thing to do is memorize these words :
" I was afraid for my life or the life of another , I wish to speak to an attornie befor answering any questions "

.... you should not fire any wepon that you have not cleaned personaly , and lisening to who you seem to be , I would not get a hand gun or rifle for some time ....

after getting your shotgun , the very next thing should be a NRA safty course or a conceiled hand gun permit class .

what you really need is a shooting buddy , but this person needs to be some one who has been shooting for quite some time , and is conservitive and responcible .

this may be hard to find , so go to the nearest indoor shooting range... and talk to the rangemaster or sales people there.
frankly speaking , if you are totly honest , I suspect they will embrace the chance at showing you more than you care to know.

Originally posted by MikeNice81
reply to post by Iseekthetruth!!!!!!!!

 

It is a little harder than a .22LR to use. Not a terrible amounr though. They are both considered "varmint" guns. Which is a class of lower powered rifles made for hunting small game.

Short answer is it should not be terrible to learn on.

Well heck. I need something for bigger game. So is there anything you could recommend for someone like Me, never having shot a gun I mean.

For what you want, a shotgun is a great start as previously stated. It is a good defensive weapon and a great game hunting gun fo small game. Make sure you have various types of shells/ammo based on need and use. Also, after you get used to it, a good second choice is the mini-14... good for killing and for midsized game... plus, you can use the ammo off of the dead.Same with a 9 mm pistol. Versatility, ease of use, and plentiful ammo are the keys.

Originally posted by Iseekthetruth!!!!!!!!
I would like to get a mini 14, but I have Never fired a gun before in my life. Is it easy to use? I plan on going to a gun range to learn to shoot, but am wondering if this is a good weapon for a beginner?

I would be very hesitant to recommend a Mini 14 to someone just starting out. Its not difficult to use, but the range of most modern rifle rounds can get a beginner in trouble in a hurry. So can any firearm, for that matter, but bullet fired from a rifle can generally travel a LOT further in the event of a miss than can a shotgun slug or a revolver or pistol round, even fired from a carbine. Not only that, but in a more practical sense, the semi-automatic aspect can lead to the bad habit of making up for poor aim with volume of fire.

Myself, I'd recommend a 12 gauge pump shotgun. Range is only about 100 yards, but within that envelope and loaded with a slug, its awfully effective. It'll also teach you some discipline on the trigger, since you have to manually chamber a new round each time with the pump and can't just fire by pulling the trigger. Plus, its extremely versatile, allowing you to hunt virtually anything with an appropriate load, and a good shotgun can be bought new for around $200. If you go that route, get one with an unrifled, smoothbore barrel and a full stock. Do NOT buy one with only a pistol grip.

I could also recommend a lever action carbine in .357 or .44 magnum, although they do have a bit more effective range than a shotgun slug. The former is plenty for self-defense and hunting medium/large game up to the size of an average whitetail deer. I'd choose the latter if there are dangerous predators such as bear or mountain lions in your area, although I'd choose a shotgun with slugs myself over either one. If you absolutely have to have some extra range, a .30-30 will take you out to about 200 yards at the expense of a few shells in the magazine over the .357/.44. For a general purpose weapon, though, my clear favorite is still a pump 12 gauge.

The truth is, I'm kind of in the same boat right now. I learned to use a gun at a very young age, mind you, but since we've always had firearms in the family, I've never had to actually buy one. For my part, even as someone with a significant amount of firearms experience, I've also narrowed my own first purchase to the above choices. I don't care about the high dollar crap, I just need something reliable, simple to operate, and that will work for the vast majority of circumstances likely to be encountered. I'm leaning toward a Mossberg 500.

Whatever you decide, make sure you find a firearms safety class or someone who is qualified to teach you to use one safely.


[edit on 27-9-2009 by vor78]

reply to post by vor78


I am corrected , and respectfuly agree .
a .44mag lever action rifle w/ iron sights would be a logical second gun .

I failed to mention , pistol grip is not wise .

on all points I defer in agreement

reply to post by Replikant

Ruger 10-22 because it is a tack driver, ie. super accurate.

It works well and lasts a long time if you take care of it.

It can be modded a fair bit as well.

.22 Long Rifle ammo is pretty cheap compared to others,
and it can still be had at some places around the country.

It is fine for squirrel and rabbit, and other small game.

The all around favorite for reliable battle rifle is a Romanian AK-47.

The cheaper ones are pressed metal from China and other
countries, not quite as good, magazine issues, etc etc.

The range is not so good, so you might look for something
that is gas operated and has low recoil, and shoot .308
also know as 7.62 x 54r and you should be in good shape
out to 800 yards.

A lower mass person will shoot a lower recoil rifle better
unless they are using exterior stabilization methods.

Good Luck !

[edit on 28-9-2009 by Ex_MislTech]

Originally posted by Iseekthetruth!!!!!!!!
reply to post by LeTan

 

I would like to get a mini 14, but I have Never fired a gun before in my life. Is it easy to use? I plan on going to a gun range to learn to shoot, but am wondering if this is a good weapon for a beginner?

Mini 14's have a notorious problem for not being that accurate.

You would be better off with a Romanian AK-47, and
.223 aka 5.56 mm ammo is hard to come by right now.

7.62 x 39 is easier to get from overseas sources, but it is often
surplus dirty ammo and make sure and clean your weapon VERY well
after shooting it as it is corrosive.

For better range a .308 based rifle, aka 7.62mm x 54r will get you
out to 800 yards.

reply to post by Miraj
Yeah if you are in Cali then your best bet is likely a 12 gauge
Mossberg model 500.

The only bad things about a 12 ga is you will pay more for ammo.