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OT - Guns
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blunderbuss Offline
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Post: #1
OT - Guns
At the risk of sounding like a little less "macho", a city boy, etc, etc.... well here goes.

I've been contemplating purchasing a handgun for a while now because I watch the news and because I have a wife and 14 month old son. There's only one problem. I wasn't raised in a family that hunted, shot guns for sport or any of that stuff. In fact I've only shot ANY type of gun maybe 10 or 15 times in my entire life. My dad was in the military and after he got out he never had any desire to be around guns again. I can understand that I guess. He did keep a shotgun in his closet for defense purposes but that's it as far as I know. I have a shotgun for the same reason but I feel a handgun would be better for my purposes.

I am in NO way, shape or form anti- handgun. Hopefully y'all can tell this by my posts. The fact is I'm fairly uncomfortable around them, mostly because it's something I don't know much about. I think it's fear of an accident at home that makes me really nervous.

At this point in my life I believe it's time to learn and get acquainted with them because the world we live in is a scary place. My wife grew up like me in a home that didn't have them around. I'd like us to both learn to shoot together.

Long story short, what advice would you give a guy like me? Are there handgun safety / beginner classes I can take? The last thing I want to do is go to a range and pretend I know what I'm doing when I don't.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Every time I put my son to bed at night these thoughts cross my mind. Thanks.
(This post was last modified: 02-06-2015 01:26 AM by blunderbuss.)
02-06-2015 12:52 AM
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HeartOfDixie Offline
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Post: #2
RE: OT - Guns
If you are just using the weapon for home defense I'd suggest you skip the handgun.

A shotgun is a better choice and it's a lot easier to handle. You won't need to spend time on a range or learn much about it. Hell, in a house you can't miss. It's also infinitely more effective should you need to protect yourself in your home.

It's also a good place to get used to firearms in general.

They are also more useful, you can take up the fun form of hunting and take up skeet shooting.

One final point, it's also safer for your neighbors etc. A handgun is more dangerous to those not being shot at. And, a person who isn't comfortable is always dangerous.
(This post was last modified: 02-06-2015 01:24 AM by HeartOfDixie.)
02-06-2015 01:21 AM
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Kaplony Offline
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RE: OT - Guns
There should be beginner courses available through local gun clubs, gun shops, etc. Going in to a gun shop and asking about it should lead you in the right direction, and usually they have courses taught by legitimate instructors rather than some self-taught badass.

Sometimes local law enforcement will offer courses, or if not can point you in the right direction.

One thing you will likely learn in this thread is everybody has an opinion as to what is the best choice for a gun, bullets, etc. The truth is there is no "perfect" gun/bullet/etc. Nearly every one you will be told about will be capable of doing what you want it to do, but the perfect one for me may not be the same for you. You have to be comfortable with whatever you choose for it to be effective when you need it. I suggest checking out several different styles of guns until you find what you are looking for. Most of the gun shops I know are more than willing to help you.

The important thing to remember both when you first get the gun and afterwards is unless you are a freak of nature it's going to take practice. Shooting is like any other skill in that if you want to perform when the time comes you have to do the maintenance. As much as I love to shoot there are still times when I dread having to go to the rifle range or loading up the skeet launcher and heading to the hunt club but it pays off later when my hunting mates talk about how they wished they could shoot as well as I do.

Good luck nd be sure to keep us updated!
02-06-2015 01:27 AM
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UConn-SMU Offline
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Post: #4
RE: OT - Guns
I have two small guns and limited experience, but a good friend of mine is a "gun nut". He has extensive knowledge and decades of experience in handling every conceivable gun. He recommends a youth model shotgun for home security. It's a shorter shotgun, easy to handle.
02-06-2015 06:34 AM
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Kaplony Offline
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RE: OT - Guns
(02-06-2015 01:21 AM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  If you are just using the weapon for home defense I'd suggest you skip the handgun.

A shotgun is a better choice and it's a lot easier to handle. You won't need to spend time on a range or learn much about it. Hell, in a house you can't miss. It's also infinitely more effective should you need to protect yourself in your home.

It's also a good place to get used to firearms in general.

They are also more useful, you can take up the fun form of hunting and take up skeet shooting.

One final point, it's also safer for your neighbors etc. A handgun is more dangerous to those not being shot at. And, a person who isn't comfortable is always dangerous.

(02-06-2015 06:34 AM)UConn-SMU Wrote:  I have two small guns and limited experience, but a good friend of mine is a "gun nut". He has extensive knowledge and decades of experience in handling every conceivable gun. He recommends a youth model shotgun for home security. It's a shorter shotgun, easy to handle.

It depends on the situation. If your house is older and has smaller hallways a shotgun is a hindrance with it's length, even the youth model. Not to mention in a close quarters situation the length of the weapon could be used against you as well. I know if I'm within arms reach of a shotgun I'm grabbing it and either twisting the muzzle away from me or using it to throw you off balance so I can take it away from you.

You also have fewer areas to securely store a shotgun where you can still quickly access it in an emergency compared to a handgun. It does no good as a home defense weapon if you can't get to it quickly when you need it.

As for safer for others, just like a handgun it depends on the ammunition you use. Anything more than low brass #6 loads in a shotgun and you are pushing your luck, and as the distance to target grows the effectiveness of the birdshot loads decreases. They make ammunition for most common handgun calibers that is designed to not over penetrate yet still retains it's lethality at a further distance than the birdshot loads.

And finally the myth that you can't miss with a shotgun only applies if you are at a far enough distance for the shot to begin to spread. In the typical home defense situation you are looking at a typical distance of 10 feet or less (I believe it is around 70% of all gunfights happen in this distance but it's been a few years since I took the class). At that distance the shotgun load isn't going to expand enough to be a no miss situation. Now if you do hit the subject it's going to be nasty, but if you miss it will be a clean miss.

Finally there is the old saying that in home defense you use the handgun to fight your way to the shotgun. The reasoning being you are going to be able to get the handgun in action long before the shotgun.

Personally I use both, but unless I am standing within arm's reach of my shotgun I am using my handgun first.
02-06-2015 07:31 AM
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UConn-SMU Offline
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RE: OT - Guns
True dat.
02-06-2015 07:43 AM
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EverRespect Offline
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Post: #7
RE: OT - Guns
(02-06-2015 12:52 AM)blunderbuss Wrote:  At the risk of sounding like a little less "macho", a city boy, etc, etc.... well here goes.

I've been contemplating purchasing a handgun for a while now because I watch the news and because I have a wife and 14 month old son. There's only one problem. I wasn't raised in a family that hunted, shot guns for sport or any of that stuff. In fact I've only shot ANY type of gun maybe 10 or 15 times in my entire life. My dad was in the military and after he got out he never had any desire to be around guns again. I can understand that I guess. He did keep a shotgun in his closet for defense purposes but that's it as far as I know. I have a shotgun for the same reason but I feel a handgun would be better for my purposes.

I am in NO way, shape or form anti- handgun. Hopefully y'all can tell this by my posts. The fact is I'm fairly uncomfortable around them, mostly because it's something I don't know much about. I think it's fear of an accident at home that makes me really nervous.

At this point in my life I believe it's time to learn and get acquainted with them because the world we live in is a scary place. My wife grew up like me in a home that didn't have them around. I'd like us to both learn to shoot together.

Long story short, what advice would you give a guy like me? Are there handgun safety / beginner classes I can take? The last thing I want to do is go to a range and pretend I know what I'm doing when I don't.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Every time I put my son to bed at night these thoughts cross my mind. Thanks.

Same situation here. I have one gun locked in the console of my wife's car with the clip detached. We snagged it from an alcoholic relative that we worried would do harm to himself. With a 6 year old, I have no interest in bringing it in the house. The only safe way to do it would be to get a safe and lock it up. That would defeat the purpose. I am pro-gun, just not for us, at least until my son gets older and we'll probably look into starting hunting. I'm not really worried about our safety where we live. Obviously anything can happen anywhere, but I like the odds of my son or one of his friends getting into it more than the odds of getting invaded by a bad guy.
(This post was last modified: 02-06-2015 08:24 AM by EverRespect.)
02-06-2015 08:21 AM
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South Carolina Duke Offline
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Post: #8
OT - Guns
As Kaplony said, look in your local area for some training. You'll be fine

For home defense 18.5 inch barrel on a 20 gauge Mossberg 500 or Remington 870 pump will do the job. Check into a Shot-Lock lock ( brand name ). You can get them at Costco or on line.

As for handgun. Go to a range and rent a few different types from .38 or .357 and then a 9mm semi auto.

Revolvers are reliable and dummy proof , but more expensive as compared to a polymer framed 9mm.
Look into a Gun Vault ( brand name) of a hand gun safe for your night stand. I'd stay away from a battery operated and certainly NOT a " biometric" opening device. A mechanical pin lock mechanism is the simplest.

Basic right to be able to defend your life and property.


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(This post was last modified: 02-06-2015 11:02 AM by South Carolina Duke.)
02-06-2015 08:46 AM
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Fo Shizzle Offline
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RE: OT - Guns
Just bought a Taurus 111g2...9 mm. Small enough to carry concealed yet big enough to get a good 3 finger grip. Lots of safety features also. (maybe actually too many) Eats any ammo I put in it and has had zero failures with about 300 rounds put through it so far. My wife also likes it because of its sub compact size. It is also pretty inexpensive. I bought it new for less than $300
(This post was last modified: 02-06-2015 09:44 AM by Fo Shizzle.)
02-06-2015 09:44 AM
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LSU04_08 Offline
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Post: #10
RE: OT - Guns
I'm not an expert, but I've been around guns my entire life and have a .357 revolver, fully loaded, in my night stand. My 8 year old saw it last weekend so I'll move it under my mattress this evening. I've let them hold it (unloaded of course) so they won't be scared of a gun. They all have BB guns that they'll shoot anytime it's nice outside. Like I said, I'm not an expert but I know what I'm doing. I would suggest a .38 with a short barrel. My mom has one and it's really easy to shoot. My dad, however, has a .44 Magnum with a 10 inch barrel, it'll bend your elbow and make you pop yourself in the head if you don't hold on to it good enough and keep your arm tight, although I'm not too sure you'd feel the pain after the sound blows your ears out temporarily. He has a 9mm too and it's pretty easy to handle but has a hair trigger and that would scare me in an intense situation when my adrenaline is rushing.
02-06-2015 09:58 AM
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Lord Stanley Offline
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Post: #11
RE: OT - Guns
There will inevitably be a lot of advice in this thread, most of it probably good.

(And there is nothing macho about owning a gun and there is nothing unmanly about not owning a gun. It's your actions while in ownership of a firearm that proves your manhood. Just throwing that out there because firearms are tools, nothing more.)

My advice to you is to start small, .22 caliber, and work your way up from there. The only way, the only way, I have ever convinced anti-gun friends and family that guns are not evil is by starting them at a .22 The one time, the one time, I let someone who had never fired a gun shoot a shotgun as her first shot, well, she wasn't convinced as she has never shot another round in her life.
02-06-2015 10:26 AM
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South Carolina Duke Offline
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RE: OT - Guns
My 9 year old son loves shooting his 22 rifle. He can put up a 2.5- 3.0" group at 15 yards with open sights. He prefers a 22 pistol to a 9mm, understandable for him

But if he can handle a Smith M&P Shield 9mm, Blunder will be fine starting with that, because a 22 is not going to be the weapon on his nightstand.
02-06-2015 11:39 AM
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Kaplony Offline
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RE: OT - Guns
One thing I meant to post earlier is don't make the mistake that many parents do and "demonize" the gun to your children. IMO that only makes it that much more desirable to them to sneak a look at if the opportunity presents itself. It's the forbidden fruit phenomenon...you always want what you are told you can't have.

My wife didn't grow up around guns and had this irrational fear of them for the longest time. That only got worse when we had our first son. I was firm in how I was going to handle the gun issue with our kids and now she tells others to do it the same way.

I wouldn't even allow my kids to point toy guns at someone else. From the youngest age I instilled in them the rule that you only point a gun at something you intend to shoot, and if it is another living thing you intend to kill. When they got old enough I started teaching them how to handle guns and how to shoot. I constantly get compliments from others on hunting trips or when we shoot skeet at how responsible they are with firearms.
02-06-2015 05:57 PM
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RE: OT - Guns
a shotgun is the absolute best in home security...

if you think you hear someone in your home, just stand in your bedroom doorway, and co(k (< lol, word filter) the gun...it will clear a house quickly.

I have a Sig P229 .40 Caliber handgun, and it's great.
02-06-2015 06:03 PM
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South Carolina Duke Offline
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RE: OT - Guns
(02-06-2015 05:57 PM)Kaplony Wrote:  One thing I meant to post earlier is don't make the mistake that many parents do and "demonize" the gun to your children. IMO that only makes it that much more desirable to them to sneak a look at if the opportunity presents itself. It's the forbidden fruit phenomenon...you always want what you are told you can't have.

My wife didn't grow up around guns and had this irrational fear of them for the longest time. That only got worse when we had our first son. I was firm in how I was going to handle the gun issue with our kids and now she tells others to do it the same way.

I wouldn't even allow my kids to point toy guns at someone else. From the youngest age I instilled in them the rule that you only point a gun at something you intend to shoot, and if it is another living thing you intend to kill. When they got old enough I started teaching them how to handle guns and how to shoot. I constantly get compliments from others on hunting trips or when we shoot skeet at how responsible they are with firearms.

+1

It is truly amazing to me how many adults are terrified by the word GUN. Yet they have never even been around a weapon. Crazy!!
02-06-2015 06:28 PM
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200yrs2late Offline
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RE: OT - Guns
Take classes, buy a small caliber handgun until uour get comfortable. If its available, get a concealed carry permit, and one for your wife as well. Don't feel like you have to get a large caliber or fancy handgun out of pressure. Stick to what you are comfortable with.

As from home defense, do like others have suggested and buy a pump shotgun, preferably with a pistol grip and the shortest barrel allowed.

Pulling a gun on someone in self defense is no small matter. Its as much mental as anything.
02-06-2015 07:03 PM
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UConn-SMU Offline
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RE: OT - Guns
I've only been shooting for two years. I got a .22 handgun and a .22 rifle (both Ruger) to learn with and I'm very happy with them. I was told to start small and I did.
02-06-2015 08:21 PM
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RE: OT - Guns
Mossberg 12 g pistol grip Tactical Shotgun with 00 loads. Great spread. Won't penetrate walls. Can't miss at "in house" range.
02-06-2015 08:49 PM
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Kaplony Offline
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RE: OT - Guns
(02-06-2015 08:49 PM)WMD Owl Wrote:  Mossberg 12 g pistol grip Tactical Shotgun with 00 loads. Great spread. Won't penetrate walls. Can't miss at "in house" range.

Wrong

Start at the 3:50




Not only will 00 buck penetrate so will 0 buck, #4 buck, slugs and bird shot.



In most modern lightweight construction exterior walls aren't much more substantial than interior walls.
02-06-2015 09:19 PM
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blunderbuss Offline
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RE: OT - Guns
I really appreciate all the feedback. I'm going to check out the local shop / club near my house and ask about classes for me and my wife.

Fwiw, I have a house built in the late 70s with brick exterior. Ive got a mossberg pump action 12 gauge with a standard stock. Havent shot it in years though.

90% of my problem with shooting is finding a place to take it. Ive been moving very frequently since i got out of high school bevause of work and college. I just dont know many folks with open land anymore.
(This post was last modified: 02-06-2015 09:58 PM by blunderbuss.)
02-06-2015 09:54 PM
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