I am ready to buy my first weapon to protect myself and my home. I don't plan to carry it on my person, but I plan to get my handgun permit next month. I need to buy one very soon. Once I have it, I expect I will practice very often at a nearby shooting range and eventually upgrade my weapon of choice as I get more knowledgeable!

A friend has recommended a Glock 19 to me for it's simplicity, accuracy and low maintenance requirements. Another has suggested a Ruger brand new model SR22.

I know NOTHING, so far, except what my friend has shared with me who has two unregistered guns. He is taking the same class with me next month to get our handgun permit.

What type of handgun would you recommend I buy?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Also, I've been referred to gunbroker.com and armslist.com as reliable online resources to buy a used gun. I don't see the logic in buying a new gun when I am likely to want to change or upgrade. I need to make a purchase by next week so I can start my one-on-one gun lessons in early February. Any advice is appreciated!

I think 9mm is the smallest caliber you should consider for PD and HD so that would rule out the SR22. If it is going to be used primarily for HD you might think about getting night sights if you can afford the extra expense. The Glock does not have a traditional safety lever as the safety is in the trigger and some people are uncomfortable with this. It is strictly personal preference and it doesnt bother me as I have a Glock 23 as my carry weapon.

As far as buying a weapon, if you buy online, you will need to factor in shipping and FFL costs when determining how much it is going to cost you. The weapon will have to be shipped to a Federal Firearms License holder which may cost around 15-25 dollars. If you buy from a gun shop always try to see if they will come off of their advertised price.

My BFF has a Glock22, Glock23, a sig226 and a sig228 ....when I talk to him next I'll ask him what he suggests.

(01-24-2012 06:08 PM)missjtiger Wrote:  My BFF has a Glock22, Glock23, a sig226 and a sig228 ....when I talk to him next I'll ask him what he suggests.

I've got a Glock 22 and enjoy it a lot. Personally, if you're buying it for protection I want a caliber that begins with a '4', but that's just me. Ruger is great, Sig-Sauer is great, there's a lot of good guns. I would strongly recommend a speed loader to help load magazines; I hit my hand the last time I shot, although I loaded about 400 rounds. If you want to shoot sometime, let me know, the cheapest place is the TWRA range, 8 bucks for an hour.

I carry a S&W .38 with Hornady Critical Defense +P rated shells around my ankle.

You can call it a girl's gun but it works just fine and it's extremely light. I like it, but I wouldn't spend too much time at the range wasting shells with it as the stress on the recoil takes its toll after a while. I usually go every few weeks with a box of 50-75 shells and that is more than enough for my hand/wrist.

My next buy is going to be somewhere in the range of a .40 to keep around the house and to keep in my bedside table. I don't like not being able to get to my shotgun in my office closet.

Just what daddy taught me. Never, EVER, point it at anything you don't intend to kill.

And there's no such thing as an unloaded gun. It will wait until you're not looking and load itself.

(01-24-2012 06:12 PM)TigerBill Wrote:  I've got a Glock 22 and enjoy it a lot. Personally, if you're buying it for protection I want a caliber that begins with a '4', but that's just me. Ruger is great, Sig-Sauer is great, there's a lot of good guns.

Excellent advice.

Other advice... when you take the handgun safety course required in TN to get your carry permit, LISTEN.

Listen to everything they tell you. Good safety advice that doesn't have anything to do with guns.

Also, know the 4 rules and teach them DILIGENTLY to any children who will be around 1) your house or 2) your gun.

Children need to grasp exactly how dangerous a real gun is. They have to know to NEVER touch a gun if they see one. No matter how strong their curiosity is.

Stop.
Don't touch.
Leave.
Tell an adult.

.380 here. small, light, and will put a hole in someone.

(01-24-2012 07:30 PM)neillis Wrote:  I carry a S&W .38 with Hornady Critical Defense +P rated shells around my ankle.

You can call it a girl's gun but it works just fine and it's extremely light. I like it, but I wouldn't spend too much time at the range wasting shells with it as the stress on the recoil takes its toll after a while. I usually go every few weeks with a box of 50-75 shells and that is more than enough for my hand/wrist.

My next buy is going to be somewhere in the range of a .40 to keep around the house and to keep in my bedside table. I don't like not being able to get to my shotgun in my office closet.

Good advice. I'm trying to find the right gun for my kid, she's 23 and my Glock is too big for her, which rules out a Desert Eagle.

(01-24-2012 09:38 PM)TigerBill Wrote:  

(01-24-2012 07:30 PM)neillis Wrote:  I carry a S&W .38 with Hornady Critical Defense +P rated shells around my ankle.

You can call it a girl's gun but it works just fine and it's extremely light. I like it, but I wouldn't spend too much time at the range wasting shells with it as the stress on the recoil takes its toll after a while. I usually go every few weeks with a box of 50-75 shells and that is more than enough for my hand/wrist.

My next buy is going to be somewhere in the range of a .40 to keep around the house and to keep in my bedside table. I don't like not being able to get to my shotgun in my office closet.

Good advice. I'm trying to find the right gun for my kid, she's 23 and my Glock is too big for her, which rules out a Desert Eagle.

Haha. A Desert Eagle would be a pretty sweet gift. I like the simplicity of the revolver, but it definitely has its drawbacks. Is a .380 acp too small of a caliber for her? I am going to get my wife one of those one day when she thinks she is ready. I was looking at this one the other day with some friends:



http://www.shophoovertactical.com/servle....78/Detail

(01-24-2012 07:50 PM)umbluegray Wrote:  

(01-24-2012 06:12 PM)TigerBill Wrote:  I've got a Glock 22 and enjoy it a lot. Personally, if you're buying it for protection I want a caliber that begins with a '4', but that's just me. Ruger is great, Sig-Sauer is great, there's a lot of good guns.

Excellent advice.

Other advice... when you take the handgun safety course required in TN to get your carry permit, LISTEN.

Listen to everything they tell you. Good safety advice that doesn't have anything to do with guns.

Also, know the 4 rules and teach them DILIGENTLY to any children who will be around 1) your house or 2) your gun.

Children need to grasp exactly how dangerous a real gun is. They have to know to NEVER touch a gun if they see one. No matter how strong their curiosity is.

Stop.
Don't touch.
Leave.
Tell an adult.

I didn't grow up around guns, so I was reluctant when I first decided to get one. But after training with it I feel much safer around it. It's extremely important to instill a sense of respect for a handgun from children all the way to adults.

Most handgun accidents usually come down to operator malfunction.

(01-24-2012 09:49 PM)neillis Wrote:  

(01-24-2012 09:38 PM)TigerBill Wrote:  

(01-24-2012 07:30 PM)neillis Wrote:  I carry a S&W .38 with Hornady Critical Defense +P rated shells around my ankle.

You can call it a girl's gun but it works just fine and it's extremely light. I like it, but I wouldn't spend too much time at the range wasting shells with it as the stress on the recoil takes its toll after a while. I usually go every few weeks with a box of 50-75 shells and that is more than enough for my hand/wrist.

My next buy is going to be somewhere in the range of a .40 to keep around the house and to keep in my bedside table. I don't like not being able to get to my shotgun in my office closet.

Good advice. I'm trying to find the right gun for my kid, she's 23 and my Glock is too big for her, which rules out a Desert Eagle.

Haha. A Desert Eagle would be a pretty sweet gift. I like the simplicity of the revolver, but it definitely has its drawbacks. Is a .380 acp too small of a caliber for her? I am going to get my wife one of those one day when she thinks she is ready. I was looking at this one the other day with some friends:



http://www.shophoovertactical.com/servle....78/Detail

Nice gun, and a .380 might be a good choice, but really, she's just got to shoot it and see what she thinks. Same with any lady, I think. If she winds up in law enforcement, she's going to have to learn to master the .40 Glock...so hard to tell. I think she just needs to shoot more and see what fits her best.

Yep. Learn how to shoot it. Don't pull it unless you are ready to use it. Keep it loaded but out of reach of kids(unloaded gun won't stop anybody). Make sure and get one big enough to do the job. A 22 will go right through and the perp will keep on coming.
A 44 will knock 'em completely down even in the shoulder.

I recommend and AR15. That should take care of whatever threat(s) you might have.

Also, your ammunition is as key as your caliber. Get the right kind. Like I said, my ammunition of carry-choice is:

Your body type and size, and especially your hand size will be deciding factors in determing what is the right weapon for you.

When you go and take your course, try and handle as many as you can to get a feel for what is comfortable.

You need to decide if you are comfortable with the Glock safety trigger (...it's lack of a conventional safety). Some people are not and want an old fashioned safety. There is nothing wrong with a good revolver. Statistics show that most self defense situations occur at a distance of less than 10 feet, and average three shots.

That being said, it's hard to beat a Glock. They are a thing of beauty in their functionality, simplicity, and quality.

The Glock 27 and 26 are the same size gun in .40 and 9mm respectively. If you are an average sized or better person, they are relatively easy to conceal in a variety of positions. Many trainers these days are advocating what is called an apendix inside
the waistband holster ( AIWB). I'm 6'2", 210, and have no problem concealing either of these with a loose t shirt in the summer using a Crossbreed Supertuck holster which I like a lot. There are slightly slimmer guns from other makers, but they have drawbacks IMO.

I bring up the 27/26 as I think you stated you will be getting a permit to carry, as well as for home defense. The .40 cal 27 has a good bit more recoil due to that caliber in a small frame gun. If you are a larger person, a Glock 19 or 22 conceals fine as well. I have about 5k rounds through a Gen2 G19 without one jam or misfire, all kinds of ammo...just a great gun.

If you wanna go up to the 850-930.00 range, the HK P30 is a stellar weapon, plus it looks like something batman would carry...no jutting edges, smooth surfaces, and the best grip of any gun i have ever held. You can almost buy 2 Glocks for that price, so not saying you should...it's no better, just very cool.

Avoid anything that says Keltec.

Avoid any 1911 style pistol with a barrel shorter than 4 inches...they are proving themselves unreliable ( Kimber is having a lot of trouble with this...) due to the shorter springs. Also,1911 style pistols need to be fired 500-600- times before they are broken in and can be totally trusted...just my opinion from real world experience.

Sig used to be tops, but i would be wary of new Sigs. Their QC has gone downhill since the guy that used to run Kimber is now running American Sig. Some of the defects are quite simply...mind blowing. The older ones are among the finest handguns made.

That being said, Im just a guy on the internet, so try this...when you take your class ask your instructor the following question ( he is gonna be an IDPA member..) If you were gonna buy one handgun to protect your family, load it, leave it in a drawer for 10 years, and pull it out and know it was going to work...he will more than likely say Glock before you finish the sentence...hope this helps...stay safe!

(01-24-2012 09:12 PM)BandwagonJumper Wrote:  .380 here. small, light, and will put a hole in someone.

Yes

The Ruger .380 LCP is a great gun around $300

My next pistol will be a Sig Sauer

For home protection, a shotgun is a good bet. An Ak-47 is my next rifle purchase. I just can't legitimize buying an AR-15

Lots of good ideas here. You write that you are not planning on carrying but, if you get a carry permit, you will no doubt carry it at some point.

I prefer a S&W .38 Special lightweight "hammerless" Centennial with +P cartridges in a pocket holster for carrying. A revolver is simple and you don't have to be thinking about anything but evading and stopping the assault. If I were buying a new carry gun, I would go with the .357 ultra lightweight that is a relatively new design but still use .38 +P cartridges. This revolver is still small enough to easily conceal but is a bit more stable. Taurus also makes nice revolvers in these calibers.

I have some semi-automatic pistols in .25, 9mm, .40 and .45 ACP but I rarely carry them. When I do, it is generally open carry in a paddle holster and I am on private property. The .40 caliber S&W Sig is my favorite of those. I passed on a .50 Desert Eagle in the box that I ran across in a pawn shop about 15 years ago that I could have gotten for $800. I have always regretted not taking that deal.

The most important thing is getting the initial training offered for the carry permit and then taking an intermediate and more advanced class. This is especially true if you are not real familiar with handguns but I think anyone, even people that were reared around guns, should do this.

One thing that you should come away from in the initial class is that, if you didn't know it before, the last thing you want to do is shoot someone.

Also, for carrying purposes, you want the smallest caliber that is still effective at stopping the life threatening assault. That is probably the .38 and arguable a .380 semi-automatic. It is much easier to defend your motive of protecting yourself if you don't appear to a prosecutor and a jury that you wanted to be Dirty Harry with a .44 magnum or something like that. Some argue that a .38 snubnose is not accurate enough from more than 10'-15'. It is arguable that if you shoot someone that is further away than that, you didn't try hard enough to evade the assault. That obviously depends on the circumstances, though.

To answer your initial question, I would look at the .38 or .357 as my first handgun, regardless of whether you plan to carry it or use it as a home defense weapon. I would also read up on and ask the training instructors on proper ways to secure the weapon when it is not being carried on your person.

(01-24-2012 05:23 PM)TigerTitan Wrote:  I am ready to buy my first weapon to protect myself and my home. I don't plan to carry it on my person, but I plan to get my handgun permit next month. I need to buy one very soon. Once I have it, I expect I will practice very often at a nearby shooting range and eventually upgrade my weapon of choice as I get more knowledgeable!

A friend has recommended a Glock 19 to me for it's simplicity, accuracy and low maintenance requirements. Another has suggested a Ruger brand new model SR22.

I know NOTHING, so far, except what my friend has shared with me who has two unregistered guns. He is taking the same class with me next month to get our handgun permit.

What type of handgun would you recommend I buy?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Also, I've been referred to gunbroker.com and armslist.com as reliable online resources to buy a used gun. I don't see the logic in buying a used gun when I am likely to want to change or upgrade. I need to make a purchase by next week so I can start my one-on-one gun lessons in early February. Any advice is appreciated!

i started with a kel-tec PF9 (9mm) [DIDN'T LIKE THIS GUN AT ALL]



now a carry a Sig p229 (.40 cal)



i'm about to get a Taurus titanium revolver (.38)

Just remember, gun control means group your shots. I don't own a weapon. Just don't think I could show proper restraint in this town.