As a matter of opinion, what's the perfect gun to get as your first firearm?

reply to post by magilla


"We're Only Gonna Die From Our Own Arrogance"
BAD RELIGION; album: "How Could Hell Be Any Worse?" (1982)

Early man walked away as modern man took control.
Their minds weren't all the same, to conquer was his big goal,
So he built his great empire and slaughtered his own kind,
Then he died a confused man, killed himself with his own mind.
We're only gonna die from our own arrogance.

Bad Religion-great band, nice avatar.
If this thread bores you so much, why bother replying?
What are you trying to "conquer"?

Originally posted by D377MC

This is:

www.gibraltar-arms.com

Absolute #ing beauty.

Those are nice! Kind of like the Ithica of the slug-gun world... or the Kimber of the 1911 world.

Okay, speaking as an experienced shooter. If you've never owned or handled a gun, why the heck would you buy a 12 ga. I understand the deterrent and damage this gun can put out, but if you've never owned or used one, you might accidentally hurt yourself or someone else. A 12 ga has a heck of a lot of recoil depending on the load you use. I've seen 3 inch #9 shells put inexperienced shooters on their butts, men and women. Birdshot is about the "Lightest" load you can shoot out of them too, and unless your " attacker/threat" is right close to you, this load will not do. Especially in a civil war scenario.

A first gun, for everyone is a .22. Whether it be 22Short in a pistol, or .22Lr in a rifle or pistol. The recoil is light, the round is accurate, but does not have the range or cost of larger rounds. For self defense in the home a .22 is absolutely lethal if used properly, and given this is your first gun, you're going to want a round you can afford to practice with.

I think walmart carries boxes of 1000 .22lr for really cheap in comparison to any other round. I'm not going to post a price, because it may vary state to state, but I suggest you look into these things. Go look around online for ammunition prices, cleaning kits, a gun lock, replacement parts, and see what's in your range for maintenance/usage. There is no sense buying a larger caliber hand gun or rifle, if you can't afford the ammunition to practice or defend yourself.

If you are really " prepping" for a civil war, you may want to look into a .222, or .223 rifle. I'd suggest bolt action to learn on, just for the fact you don't want to keep your finger in the trigger well and let off multiple rounds and knock yourself off target or balance, learning on a semi auto.

Guns I absolutely do not suggest for a first time owner/shooter

semi auto 12 or 10 gauge. Do not, do this. It's absolutely tempting, but if you do not have the experience a serious accident could be had.

I'm not trying to come off like I think you don't know what you are doing, but the simple truth is, if you do not find someone who does to help you learn. There are far to many simple mistakes that could seriously wound/kill you or someone else.

If you do buy a shotgun, pay extremely close attention to exact cartridge dimensions. Do not use a 2 3/4" shell in a 3' shell barrel and vice versa.

I'm rambling, but i don't want you to be disappointed with your purchase, or buy something that is uncomfortable for you to learn/shoot with.

Actually, if you have your mind set on a shotgun, you could always step it down to a .20gauge. This round can still pack a lot of stopping power, and will have significantly less recoil than a.12 gauge.


Anymore questions I can help with let me know, and I can try to answer to the best of my abilities. I'll hand it over to other members with any advice.

If you are looking at defense then the .22 a lot of people are recommending ISN'T they way to go. That isn't going to take down much.

Personally the .223 semi-auto or a shotgun is your best bet....and yes, if you are a first time gun owner, take some classes and go to a firing range and get some practice shooting - you won't be doing yourself a favor if you get in a situation and you have zero practice.

Skip the .22. Go straight to a 9mm or a 12gauge. Whatever you get, practice with it. Learn to properly maintain and store it. Proper storage depends on your situation. Learn to shoot it well, that can take a lot of time and rounds. Watch videos and read articles and these posts in this thread.

reply to post by XxNightAngelusxX


Ok Ma'am, i see alot of people recomending 22lrs and what not, but your initial thought of a 12g shotgun is the one I would go with. The spread of a non-chocked 12g 3.5" will do the job of defending you and yours. You arent gonna be sniping anyone from any distance and it seems that you want a defensive weapon.
The sad truth of the matter is that these days with the proliferation of drugs, a small caliber handgun isnt going to do it.
A shotgun will produce a destructive enough wound as to render your attacker inert. Period. As I said your initial thought was the best.

Benelli m4 12 gauge.- semiauto, so it's easy to shoot.
Any woman or even a child can handle this shotgun.
Great for home defense. $1600 new.

Walther ppk .380- a small frame pistol. Very easy to shoot. Very accurate. Cheap to shoot.
$600 new.

Originally posted by jessejamesxx

Originally posted by unb3k44n7
As for a gun to own to use as an actual weapon if necessary, the next step up from a .22 handgun, would be a .45acp handgun. This is what I would recommend for actual usage. I've done research and the .45acp seems to be the most popular choice amongst many. It has more recoil than the .22, as it is a more powerful gun, but it's still very tolerable and easy to reset your aim quickly. There's also the 9mm. 9mm's will work too for what you want it for and can be just as good as the .45acp, but I would still prefer the .45acp amongst the 9mm IMO.

edit on 15-1-2013 by unb3k44n7 because: (no reason given)

Fourth from right is .45acp, and the last one is .22lr. There are many steps up from a .22 that are pleasant to shoot, especially for smaller people (.32, .380, 9mm, .40). The question becomes, do you want 19 rounds of 9mm, or 10 rounds of .45 in a magazine. Is the difference in stopping power enough to justify having half as many rounds?

edit on 16-1-2013 by jessejamesxx because: (no reason given)

Next step up of any gun that would be good enough for "what she wants it for" That's why I skipped the in-between guns, I did it for a reason --- You don't see cops walking around with .380s except in foreign countries, because they know it's not a good choice for "the purpose at hand" and .40s recoil is not very pleasant to shoot. Should take into consideration and mention these things to her before knocking my advice off the table... But don't listen to me I don't know anything....

reply to post by unb3k44n7


.45 is a horrible starter gun for a female, no matter the purpose. You can get mad if you want, but I brought up a valid and age old question.

The question becomes, do you want 19 rounds of 9mm, or 10 rounds of .45 in a magazine. Is the difference in stopping power enough to justify having half as many rounds?

And don't knock .380, its twice the size of .22 and packs more punch. I was merely suggesting that she try different calibers before jumping to .45. Its not the logical step from .22.

Originally posted by jessejamesxx
reply to post by unb3k44n7

 

.45 is a horrible starter gun for a female, no matter the purpose. You can get mad if you want, but I brought up a valid and age old question.

For a female? Gun choices are relevant to gender? Okay, I see. I'm out. Peace.

Originally posted by jessejamesxx
reply to post by unb3k44n7

 

.45 is a horrible starter gun for a female, no matter the purpose. You can get mad if you want, but I brought up a valid and age old question.

The question becomes, do you want 19 rounds of 9mm, or 10 rounds of .45 in a magazine. Is the difference in stopping power enough to justify having half as many rounds?

And don't knock .380, its twice the size of .22 and packs more punch. I was merely suggesting that she try different calibers before jumping to .45. Its not the logical step from .22.

The problem with a .45 is you need a good solid heavy gun, otherwise the recoil will get to you. (And nobody wants to carry around a big heavy gun all day. Atleast most wouldn't).



I have a S&W E-series 1911 with a 5" bbl in .45, and that thing shoots so smooth and crisp it feels like it has less recoil than my walther 9mm. As a matter of fact I bet it really does have less.

E-Series by S&W

Originally posted by unb3k44n7
For a female? Gun choices are relevant to gender? Okay, I see. I'm out. Peace.

I see, I should've been more sensitive to all of the Womyn reading. Fact is, like the poster said after you, if you don't want a lot of recoil, you need a large/heavy handgun.. and it only holds up to 8-10 rounds. Its not a good starter gun for anyone. Sorry, I'll try to be more PC next time.

I would've said a shotgun (the ammo choices are so varied and plentiful that it could carry one through almost any situation). However, I'm gonna throw a curve ball out there - .32 HR Magnum. Ruger has a small frame SP101 chambered for that in a female friendly package. Recoil is very good (tried one for my sister) compared to .22 lr and .380 (which is nothing) and it packs a bigger punch. Only question is the ammo (availability and price), but hey you might've just found yourself a new hobby - reloading!

reply to post by ecoparity


Alot of good benifits come from a small 22. Hide ability. Its quiet. The fact it bounces around make it great for cheast shots. Try this put one in a pillow and fire it. It sounds like a small fire craker. I guess maby because i grew up in da hood. I am coming from carrier abillity. Quiet if used so u can walk away. In this day in age defense seems to be used aginst you. So even when thinking about it its wise to think about how to get away with it. I dont think if i got jacked and i had to defend myself would i even consider wating around for the cops. Seen and heard of to many people getting charged for self defense. Especially in a dangerous place like where i grew up. Not carrying something in your pocket is quite stupied. Its like all this gun stuff on the news where i grew up people got shot daily. Even to this day but thats not on the news. I guess gun toting kids is not news worthy unless it happens in a white collar area. Because back home you could get a pice anywhere cheep. And if you started talking about taking away our only defense on da streets. It would get proven quick it was done with a hot pice. And btw people will just start making there own guns if they get taken away. Rember in the 1800sright we where making out own guns gunpiwder and ammunition. So if they take guns away people will still be making them and selling them on da streets. Its just the white collars will be defenseless.
and if you want your 22a bullets to turn to shrapnel just cut an x into the head. Now its not a piercer its a shredder.

reply to post by pathwalker777

And in every case i have seen. When you hitthe someone with a bullet they stop. They ether run away or fall to the ground run around trying to get help ect. Unless there some dreanged person wacked out on meth ect. Then as you can see online they keep coming even well past the point of death.

reply to post by RandyBragg


I agree with this. However, it depends on what you're gonna be using it for. For home defense, I would recommend a shotgun. For home protection as well, or hunting, or having to walk the roads in search of a better place to roost, an AR-15. Also, a good pistol to keep on you at all times. Just go handle some and decide which feels better to you. A Marlin semi-auto.22 rifle will go a long ways for hunting. It's one of the most important guns in my collection besides my AK-47. You also need a good knife. A hunting knife with a leg strap. Or you could hide it.

Any gun will give you defense. You can hunt with any gun. It's just that the right type for what you intend on using it for, will make it better.