I want to buy a weapon.

[miles]

No, not a semi-auto big game killer. A handgun for target shooting and home defense. The last time I fired a weapon was with my FIL many moons ago. It was a 44 Magnum which was like shooting a cannon and doesn't seem to be practical. From what I've learned revolvers aren't as reliable as semi-automatics and appear to be less expensive. I'll definitely take lessons.

Advice?

 

[CandiCame]

Maybe just a little .38 or something? Hell, if you want something small, you could go with a .22- I've got a tiny little .22 that I've had forever, it was my first gun, and yeah, it's a revolver, but it's not UNreliable- as in, the shots don't pull or anything. And it's got a decent distance on it, not huge, but- I'm a really bad judge of distance... I was going to say we shoot down to the creek without losing power, but you have no idea how far away that is, and neither do I...

Honestly, if you want a small gun, I'd go with a .22, a .38 or a 9mm. You won't kick your shoulder off, and it's good for being on the small side. A lot of it comes from what you're comfortable with. I've always been pretty lucks in that I've never really bought a gun that I didn't have someone who knew more then me look over first. And if it doesn't suit you, take it back and keep trying.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I own a 12 gauge shotgun and a 357 revolver. I'd like to get a Ruger LPC 380, cuz its small and conceals well.

 

[Liar]

I know squat about guns, but a friend of mine swears by the Ruger SP101 as a reliable, no-frills revolver. Google it or something.

 

[ChinaBandit]

If you want to go cheap, but very good and reliable, get a M1911.

It's a semi that fires a .45cal bullet.

M1911's served as the standard military sidearm until the mid 80's.

There are lots of them around so finding one is not a problem. Although a .45, it is easy to handle with little recoil and also compact enough to well conceal. A perfect weapon! It will stop any personal threat stone dead.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

If you want to go cheap, but very good and reliable, get a M1911.

It's a semi that fires a .45cal bullet.

M1911's served as the standard military sidearm until the mid 80's.

There are lots of them around so finding one is not a problem. Although a .45, it is easy to handle with little recoil and also compact enough to well conceal. A perfect weapon! It will stop any personal threat stone dead.

Nonsense. Its large, heavy, and you gotta use it as a club to hurt anything. Point it at the noon day Sun and youll shoot your foot.

 

[unregistered]

 

[RobDownSouth]

Another jealous husband coming around, adultery boy? Hmmmm?

 

[chillywilly2]

Just a question here.

Do you really live in a neighborhood where you need a gun to guard your house?

 

[CandiCame]

Just a question here.

Do you really live in a neighborhood where you need a gun to guard your house?

Where do you live? I mean, there are panthers, bears, cyotes and shit up here. I wouldn't make do with just a revolver, I think that's a little underarmed... But he said he wasn't worried about game.

 

[Bob Waters]

No, not a semi-auto big game killer. A handgun for target shooting and home defense. The last time I fired a weapon was with my FIL many moons ago. It was a 44 Magnum which was like shooting a cannon and doesn't seem to be practical. From what I've learned revolvers aren't as reliable as semi-automatics and appear to be less expensive. I'll definitely take lessons.

Advice?

A quality revolver is actually a bit MORE reliable than a semi-automatic handgun - but if you're buying a modern design in a semi-auto the difference is minimal. The big advantage a semi has over the revolver is magazine capacity. In a revolver consider a Smith and Wesson in .357. You'll be able to shoot either .38 or .357 out of it. In a semi-auto consider 9mm. Lots of people will tell you to go .40 but I find it has an odd recoil impulse that can be hard for new shooters to get used to. 9mm is cheap, easy to get and with a quality 124gr hollow point round as lethal as you'll need. .45 is a great caliber but they're huge so you've got smaller magazine capacity off the bat, a larger frame and the most common style chambering it, the 1911, can be ammo sensitive - it is a 101 year old design.

 

[Bob Waters]

If you want to go cheap, but very good and reliable, get a M1911.

It's a semi that fires a .45cal bullet.

M1911's served as the standard military sidearm until the mid 80's.

There are lots of them around so finding one is not a problem. Although a .45, it is easy to handle with little recoil and also compact enough to well conceal. A perfect weapon! It will stop any personal threat stone dead.

I have a wonderful 1911 and it is all you say, but it IS an ammo-sensitive design. A 1911 is like a sports car - you need to know how to drive it and maintain it. I honestly wouldn't recommend it as a first gun for a newer shooter. A Glock, a SIG, an H&K, an M&P, a M9 - something more modern for a first timer.

 

[chillywilly2]

Where do you live? I mean, there are panthers, bears, cyotes and shit up here. I wouldn't make do with just a revolver, I think that's a little underarmed... But he said he wasn't worried about game.

35 years of living in the woods and I never carried a gun unless I was actually heading out to kill something.
20 years in the big city and same deal.

 

[JoeRockStar]

If you want to go cheap, but very good and reliable, get a M1911.

It's a semi that fires a .45cal bullet.

M1911's served as the standard military sidearm until the mid 80's.

There are lots of them around so finding one is not a problem. Although a .45, it is easy to handle with little recoil and also compact enough to well conceal. A perfect weapon! It will stop any personal threat stone dead.

Agreed, love my Kimber Pro Carry, very reliable and easy to shoot.

 

[CandiCame]

35 years of living in the woods and I never carried a gun unless I was actually heading out to kill something.
20 years in the big city and same deal.

I never know if I'm actually heading out to kill something or not. And you don't always have to shoot to kill, sometimes you're a weak, girly man who sucks at not getting his ass kicked and wants something to fall back on. See, I'm a coward, and people scare me.

 

[coachdb18]

I never know if I'm actually heading out to kill something or not. And you don't always have to shoot to kill, sometimes you're a weak, girly man who sucks at not getting his ass kicked and wants something to fall back on. See, I'm a coward, and people scare me.

You should love the next iteration of ObamaCare, where the government, knowing better than you what's best for you to protect your health, now requires you to carry a concealed weapon, for the protection of your health, or you must pay an IRS fine for not doing so. It's a little deeply buried in a 20,000 page health care mandate based on the commerce clause that nobody bothered to read, because they had to pass it behind closed doors in the middle of the night to find out what's in it! God how I love government!

 

[CandiCame]

You should love the next iteration of ObamaCare, where the government, knowing better than you what's best for you to protect your health, now requires you to carry a concealed weapon, for the protection of your health, or you must pay an IRS fine for not doing so. It's a little deeply buried in a 20,000 page health care mandate based on the commerce clause that nobody bothered to read, because they had to pass it behind closed doors in the middle of the night to find out what's in it! God how I love government!

That would be awesome.

See, I like to run my mouth, but I don't like to have my organs stop working because people puncture them. And with guns, there are two kinds of people, people who will draw guns, and people who will shoot guns. And they're really easy to tell apart. With a fight- or, in my case, an assault, because I'm useless in a fight-it's not really a fight, I'm just going to get hurt. That's the long and short of it. Notsomuch in a gun fight.

 

[coachdb18]

No, not a semi-auto big game killer. A handgun for target shooting and home defense. The last time I fired a weapon was with my FIL many moons ago. It was a 44 Magnum which was like shooting a cannon and doesn't seem to be practical. From what I've learned revolvers aren't as reliable as semi-automatics and appear to be less expensive. I'll definitely take lessons.

Advice?

I've been shooting both long guns and pistols since I was a child, learning on my grandfathers farm. I qualified as expert on both the M16 and .38 in my time in the military, and now shoot pretty much every weekend, for fun as well as proficiency. I can and do put a group in a 4"circle at 20 yards with my 2" barrel .357 Magnum, which kicks like a mule, and I love it dearly as my defensive carry. I mainly own and use revolvers, to include the Ruger Redhawk .44 Magnum. If you plan to stop an assailant, you need something with some stopping power, and that is definitely NOT a .22! You may make the guy bleed to death, but in the meantime, he's got the day to beat, rape and generally get even with you for stinging him with your pea shooter. I wouldn't carry anything lighter than a 9MM (I own a Beretta Px4, a very nice weapon), but nothing lighter than that. Bottom line with any gun is to make sure you can hit what you want to hit, and that requires proficiency. It also requires access, so you have to decide how you will carry it. You must also make arrangements to obtain your conceal carry permit, and to know the laws as to when and where you can use it, where you cannot carry, how to maintain this new tool, and how to handle it safely.

Keep in mind, the Supreme Court has supported the 2nd Amendment strongly, and I would simply guide you to the decision District of Columbia v Heller, as well as McDonald v Chicago for the details of the legal basis. Bottom line, the court stated that government doesn't have the right to restrict gun ownership, that self protection is a god given right of everyone. Pretty easy to understand when you think about it like the Founding Fathers did.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I've been shooting both long guns and pistols since I was a child, learning on my grandfathers farm. I qualified as expert on both the M16 and .38 in my time in the military, and now shoot pretty much every weekend, for fun as well as proficiency. I can and do put a group in a 4"circle at 20 yards with my 2" barrel .357 Magnum, which kicks like a mule, and I love it dearly as my defensive carry. I mainly own and use revolvers, to include the Ruger Redhawk .44 Magnum. If you plan to stop an assailant, you need something with some stopping power, and that is definitely NOT a .22! You may make the guy bleed to death, but in the meantime, he's got the day to beat, rape and generally get even with you for stinging him with your pea shooter. I wouldn't carry anything lighter than a 9MM (I own a Beretta Px4, a very nice weapon), but nothing lighter than that. Bottom line with any gun is to make sure you can hit what you want to hit, and that requires proficiency. It also requires access, so you have to decide how you will carry it. You must also make arrangements to obtain your conceal carry permit, and to know the laws as to when and where you can use it, where you cannot carry, how to maintain this new tool, and how to handle it safely.

Keep in mind, the Supreme Court has supported the 2nd Amendment strongly, and I would simply guide you to the decision District of Columbia v Heller, as well as McDonald v Chicago for the details of the legal basis. Bottom line, the court stated that government doesn't have the right to restrict gun ownership, that self protection is a god given right of everyone. Pretty easy to understand when you think about it like the Founding Fathers did.

22s work well if you arent a scaredy-cat to work closeup. Shoot the asshole tween the eyes or kidneys.

The M16 is #2.

 

[off2bed]

So many good choices, you'll have to narrow down your criteria. Or just go to your local store, fondle some, and pick what fits your hand best. Then go buy one online and save a lot of money.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

35 years of living in the woods and I never carried a gun unless I was actually heading out to kill something.
20 years in the big city and same deal.

Things have changed, dear. Niggaz now got the idea theyre protected like Spotted Owls.

 

[miles]

A quality revolver is actually a bit MORE reliable than a semi-automatic handgun - but if you're buying a modern design in a semi-auto the difference is minimal. The big advantage a semi has over the revolver is magazine capacity. In a revolver consider a Smith and Wesson in .357. You'll be able to shoot either .38 or .357 out of it. In a semi-auto consider 9mm. Lots of people will tell you to go .40 but I find it has an odd recoil impulse that can be hard for new shooters to get used to. 9mm is cheap, easy to get and with a quality 124gr hollow point round as lethal as you'll need. .45 is a great caliber but they're huge so you've got smaller magazine capacity off the bat, a larger frame and the most common style chambering it, the 1911, can be ammo sensitive - it is a 101 year old design.

You're right...I had the revolver/semi-auto reliability backwards.

 

[chillywilly2]

Things have changed, dear. Niggaz now got the idea theyre protected like Spotted Owls.

I'm just lucky enough to be able to avoid their stomping grounds

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Just a question here.

Do you really live in a neighborhood where you need a gun to guard your house?

They is bums in the woods behind the house, they camp there. A girl bum and a guy bum (both wasted) came to the house and tried to push they way inside. Mister shotgun gave em a warning cough and they left.

 

[off2bed]

I'm just lucky enough to be able to avoid their stomping grounds

Afraid of brown people?