Fear.
Oh yeah, fear is a great salesman when people think someone is going to take something away. The last administration was horrible for arms sales.
Got a safe, where to start?
- Thread starter KrisZ
- Start date
The AK-47 is so simple to operate and easy to use it's the default rifle of every third world, illiterate armed force in the world.
Very solid advice. I should buy 2 and about 40 magazines and several cases of ammo.
I took and passed my logic courses in college.
That safe is a good place to start a gun collection. Yes if someone tries hard enough they will get in eventually, but it's a far better safe then one of the cheap stack on lockers. And definitely kid safe.
Cheap shotguns are a lot of fun. I shoot clays with a Turkish made semi-auto that didn't cost much.
Best way to not get your home broken into by gun thieves is don't put a browning sticker (or AK47 sticker) on your truck that's parked in your driveway.....The less others know about your guns the better.
Cheap shotguns are a lot of fun. I shoot clays with a Turkish made semi-auto that didn't cost much.
Best way to not get your home broken into by gun thieves is don't put a browning sticker (or AK47 sticker) on your truck that's parked in your driveway.....The less others know about your guns the better.
AZjeff
$50 Site Donor 2023
Yeah agree with that. Why? I had one and hated it. Not nearly accurate enough and the overall quality of a shovel. " Hey Boris, are we making da shovels today or da stupid AKs?"
Sorry, but that's just absolutely false nonsense. I can take any of my AK47s or AK74s and ring a pie plate gong at several hundred yards reliably all day long. How "accurate" do you need for a intermediate self defense / battle implement throwing 125gr pointy copper jacketed lead? If you cannot hit at 200-300 yards, the inherent gun design is NOT the problem.
"Quality of a shovel." Again, absolutely moronic statement. Go look up the specs of even the formerly low end Romanian WASRs. Case hardened tool steel bolts that would run 100,000 rounds without failure. Hammer forged barrels. Modern PSAs are made to extremely good tolerances and properly hardened, with FN forged chrome lined barrels. Excellent weapons that will shoot 1.5 MOA all day long.
Claiming they're "shovel quality" is absolutely ignorant bias.
AZjeff
$50 Site Donor 2023
I can hit at 300 with average ARs, not with average AKs. Ability isn't a problem. Sights, trigger, stamped & riveted no thanks. Biased but not ignorant . Thanks for the lesson.
any safe is better than no safe for valuables and firearms. i would cover it with an old sheet as its browning logo is a dead giveaway to prying eyes.
where to start on gun buying is like asking where to start on car buying: use, location, budget are determinants, except one practices with a car daily to become proficient. to address this discrepancy i suggest starting with a firearm that most americans of a certain age did: a 22lr rifle. ammo is (normally) cheap and plentiful. recoil is low. practice is allowed at virtually all indoor shooting ranges. despite what “tactical” folks say, a well aimed 22lr can deter most threats that a normal suburban dweller may encounter. a 22lr handgun works too. 22lr is more readily accessible to family members who aren’t into guns, but should learn their way around them safely.
a $200 ruger 10/22 is the altimax tire of semiauto 22lr rifles. marlin 795 is close, followed by budget rifles made by rossi, mossberg, savage (a rebranded canadian cooey, since o.p. is from canada originally). henry is an excellent lever action rifle if living in texas brings on a cowboy urge.
a $200 ruger wrangler single action revolver is an excellent by the numbers learning tool. a heritage roughrider is a cheaper alternative.
i’m not a fan of getting a shotgun initially unless one is a hunter, sporting clays shooter or has access to an outdoors venue for regular practice. same with an ar/ak centerfire rifle, will you shoot it enough to become proficient? a firearm isn’t a talisman, it is a tool to be used safely, proficiently and comfortably (on your shoulder as well as your wallet).
a taurus 38sp revolver is inexpensive (not cheap), easy and reliable if one wants a more powerful handgun for protection, get steel not alloy frame for recoil mitigation.
after these suggestions the sky is the limit. invest in proper training in use and safety. try different rental guns. remember that hits with a humble 22lr always trump misses by a bigger caliber, always. when buying take into account ease of fieldstripping and cleaning. there are many firearms videos on utube, i like sootch, paul harrel, 22plinkster... finally, please appreciate our precious second amendment at the ballot box. cheers.
where to start on gun buying is like asking where to start on car buying: use, location, budget are determinants, except one practices with a car daily to become proficient. to address this discrepancy i suggest starting with a firearm that most americans of a certain age did: a 22lr rifle. ammo is (normally) cheap and plentiful. recoil is low. practice is allowed at virtually all indoor shooting ranges. despite what “tactical” folks say, a well aimed 22lr can deter most threats that a normal suburban dweller may encounter. a 22lr handgun works too. 22lr is more readily accessible to family members who aren’t into guns, but should learn their way around them safely.
a $200 ruger 10/22 is the altimax tire of semiauto 22lr rifles. marlin 795 is close, followed by budget rifles made by rossi, mossberg, savage (a rebranded canadian cooey, since o.p. is from canada originally). henry is an excellent lever action rifle if living in texas brings on a cowboy urge.
a $200 ruger wrangler single action revolver is an excellent by the numbers learning tool. a heritage roughrider is a cheaper alternative.
i’m not a fan of getting a shotgun initially unless one is a hunter, sporting clays shooter or has access to an outdoors venue for regular practice. same with an ar/ak centerfire rifle, will you shoot it enough to become proficient? a firearm isn’t a talisman, it is a tool to be used safely, proficiently and comfortably (on your shoulder as well as your wallet).
a taurus 38sp revolver is inexpensive (not cheap), easy and reliable if one wants a more powerful handgun for protection, get steel not alloy frame for recoil mitigation.
after these suggestions the sky is the limit. invest in proper training in use and safety. try different rental guns. remember that hits with a humble 22lr always trump misses by a bigger caliber, always. when buying take into account ease of fieldstripping and cleaning. there are many firearms videos on utube, i like sootch, paul harrel, 22plinkster... finally, please appreciate our precious second amendment at the ballot box. cheers.
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I second the .22
Every range day I think the Savage .22 I got as a kid gets shot the most. It's cheap, fun, and easy to shoot.
Every range day I think the Savage .22 I got as a kid gets shot the most. It's cheap, fun, and easy to shoot.
Seventy a brick or more isn't cheap. No I can cast and load 38 Special for less!
I still have a bunch of old milk cartons full.
Ooooh! Someone touched a nerve of a Glock fan boy!!!
I would definitely support buying a .22 for my first gun. Especially since you say that you have boys. You may find that you enjoy shooting them a lot. I have six .22 caliber guns in my collection. As others have mentioned, the Ruger 10/22 is a great choice. Every gun collection needs at least one. But if you want something that would be a good choice for your boys to learn to shoot with, you may consider a bolt action.
I've been shooting for over fifty years. I have shotguns, pistols, and have had an AR-15. And yes, I have a few .22 rifles and pistols. And I still enjoy them. Some can say that you will outgrow a .22. But I know plenty of people that never do.
After you get comfortable with shooting with a .22, then you may have a better feel of what you would want next.
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It's not really fair to use current ammo prices to say that shooting .22 isn't cheap. I have a good sized inventory of .22 ammo that I stocked up on after the last shortage. So I can go shooting and burn up a 325 shot bulk box, and it cost me less than $12. You will spend that much on primers for reloading 325 rounds of .38 Special.
Well that's great and I love 22's for practice that I bought for less than $20 a brick. I'll wait to buy when people have regained their minds. But in the grand scheme of things 22's are not self-defenses rounds unless you use them to shoot an acquaintance in the leg when you are being chased by a Grizzle
Well the same thing primers are now going for what $100 a K. Well I still have primers left I paid $13.50 a K for. Not running in in this lifetime is my guess.
'Inheriting' a safe is not a good reason to start buying guns.
Also, as others have suggested, 'gun safes' may very well be the sweet spot in the (any purpose) home safe market.
I owned a Glock for about 30 days.
I decided it was too much weapon for non-professional, non-everyday thoughtful usage.
It is a gun that is always, ALWAYS ready to fire.
In my brief research, LEO unintentional discharges were typically Glocks - even for skilled users.
Also, as others have suggested, 'gun safes' may very well be the sweet spot in the (any purpose) home safe market.
I owned a Glock for about 30 days.
I decided it was too much weapon for non-professional, non-everyday thoughtful usage.
It is a gun that is always, ALWAYS ready to fire.
In my brief research, LEO unintentional discharges were typically Glocks - even for skilled users.
Absolutely spot on, you definitely do NOT want a capable weapon when criminals are raping your wife and daughters. Give me a really rusty old musket and make sure to store the ammo in a different zip code. Unintended discharges are universally user error. Keep your booger hook off the bang switch.
Good grief. This is like saying to only put your seatbelt on when you are having an accident...
All guns are always ready to fire. Safeties are there to save your ass only and are not to be solely relied on.
If a gun is ready to defend your life, it's ready to fire.
One that's not ready to fire, isn't ready to defend anything.
All of the LEO unintentional discharges were negligent. They all have one thing in common: the trigger was pressed by a negligent operator. Remove the negligent human in the loop, and the gun is perfectly safe.
Of the several Glocks I own, not a single one has ever fired when I didn't want it to. I don't worry about them "going off" because they're ready.
I do however, worry about a gun that appears to be ready, and then doesn't go off when it's needed. That's like a life preserver that doesn't float, or a parachute that doesn't open. Not good.
Back on topic.
OP - While a shotgun can be a fine defensive weapon, it's big, hard to maneuver in tight spaces, has a fair amount of recoil, and is expensive to feed, even in normal times. It's not really a great first gun.
Honestly, I like the .357 Magnum revolver as a first gun. It's relatively cheap to feed with .38 Sp ammo, and the recoil is modest. With .357 JHP, it's got great performance. It is also simple to use.
Short of that, a Glock in 9mm, like the Glock 19, is a great first gun. Some folks love Glocks, for example, and some hate them. Their grip angle is a bit different. Their trigger is a bit different. Neither are bad per se, but they put off some folks who grew up shooting a gun with a different feel.
I've taught a 12 year old girl to shoot with a Glock 19, and it was her very first time shooting. She was able to handle the recoil, and she managed the slide manipulation, and loading, just fine. She received some excellent simulator (simulated fire, virtual environment) instruction with a Navy Small Arms Instructor using the Beretta M9 prior to shooting the Glock, and that brings me to the last point.
Get training. Get a one on one training session with an experienced instructor. Learn the fundamentals of shooting. Learn how to manipulate and load your weapon. How to clear it. How to clean it.
As part of that training, if you're able to try out a few guns, rent a a few different types, then that will greatly inform your decision.
One that's not ready to fire, isn't ready to defend anything.
All of the LEO unintentional discharges were negligent. They all have one thing in common: the trigger was pressed by a negligent operator. Remove the negligent human in the loop, and the gun is perfectly safe.
Of the several Glocks I own, not a single one has ever fired when I didn't want it to. I don't worry about them "going off" because they're ready.
I do however, worry about a gun that appears to be ready, and then doesn't go off when it's needed. That's like a life preserver that doesn't float, or a parachute that doesn't open. Not good.
Back on topic.
OP - While a shotgun can be a fine defensive weapon, it's big, hard to maneuver in tight spaces, has a fair amount of recoil, and is expensive to feed, even in normal times. It's not really a great first gun.
Honestly, I like the .357 Magnum revolver as a first gun. It's relatively cheap to feed with .38 Sp ammo, and the recoil is modest. With .357 JHP, it's got great performance. It is also simple to use.
Short of that, a Glock in 9mm, like the Glock 19, is a great first gun. Some folks love Glocks, for example, and some hate them. Their grip angle is a bit different. Their trigger is a bit different. Neither are bad per se, but they put off some folks who grew up shooting a gun with a different feel.
I've taught a 12 year old girl to shoot with a Glock 19, and it was her very first time shooting. She was able to handle the recoil, and she managed the slide manipulation, and loading, just fine. She received some excellent simulator (simulated fire, virtual environment) instruction with a Navy Small Arms Instructor using the Beretta M9 prior to shooting the Glock, and that brings me to the last point.
Get training. Get a one on one training session with an experienced instructor. Learn the fundamentals of shooting. Learn how to manipulate and load your weapon. How to clear it. How to clean it.
As part of that training, if you're able to try out a few guns, rent a a few different types, then that will greatly inform your decision.
