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First Guns for personal protection?

bloud222bloud222 Member Posts: 3 ✭✭
edited September 2001 in General Discussion
Hey All,My girlfriend and I have decided to look into getting ourselves hand guns for personal protection. Neither of us have ever owned nor fired a gun in our lives. We do plan on taking a training course.What I'm looking for are suggestions on what you all think is a good gun for this purpose that's not going to cost an arm and a leg. We will purchase them new. Are there any magazines are articles you have as suggested reading etc?Thanks in advance.
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Comments

  • concealedG36concealedG36 Member Posts: 3,566 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    No doubt you have come to the right place with your questions. Lots of helpful and knowledgable people on this board. I am not an expert, but I think a revolver would be a fine choice for you. They are simple to operate and clean and should not malfunction (if you get quality models). I personally like Smith and Wesson revolvers, but there are many other good ones. You'll find lots of choices on the gunbroker.com auction site, but I would recommend getting one that is comfortable for YOU (you might want to go to a local gunshop and test fire a few or at least hold them to see which are comfortable). Also, if you're going to carry concealed there are weight and concealability issues to consider. If you're talking about home protection they're not.You'll get lots of responses to this question, so I'll shut up now...Good luck!
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  • thesupermonkeythesupermonkey Member Posts: 3,905 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Bloud222,If the weapon is for Home Defense, NOTHING and I mean NOTHING beats a Shotgun. If you plan on getting your CCL(Concealed Carry License), Concealed is right, NOTHING beats a small revolver. They are simple and reliable. The most important thing is PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.
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  • edharoldedharold Member Posts: 465 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I would hold off until you take the training course, your instructor might be willing to help you decide. You might call ahead to see if you need a weapon to start the course, we don't. A lot of trainees show up with guns that might be good, but are inappropriate for the person involved. Good Luck.
    "They that would give up liberty to obtain safety deserve neither liberty nor safety"Benj. Franklin, 1759
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  • 218Beekeep218Beekeep Member Posts: 3,033
    edited November -1
    bloud222,also,say you`re out on a deserted rural highway somewhere,and these thugs,get you pulled over somehow,and your lives are seriously threatened.If you go ta blastin` em ,the auto-loader(semi-auto)will eject empty shell casings all over the place,with your finger prints on em ,the revolver won`t.I would rather have the option of just movin` on towards my vacation destination,those ejected shell casings with your fingerprints on them would force you to stick around and go through all that police questioning and stuff. JUST KIDDIN~.218
    Will the last reb to leave flarda,please bring the flag?[This message has been edited by 218Beekeep (edited 09-28-2001).][This message has been edited by 218Beekeep (edited 09-28-2001).]
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  • will270winwill270win Member Posts: 4,845
    edited November -1
    That beekeep, What a joker! Pssst..good idea Beekeep.
    If you run, you'll just die tired!
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  • DaRoostaDaRoosta Member Posts: 270 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    The people on this board are extremely educated on this subject. Do as much research as possible and talk to some reliable people. Take the safety and training course, as you've already planned. This should also allow you to handle various firearms and see which type you prefer. Your post simply asked the question of which kind of hand gun is best. You'll find varying opinions just because everyone's different. Different guns feel better to different people. Reliability is also key. Don't buy something so cheap that you can't rely on it. You might want to check on some of the manufacturer's websites to find out some of the different features offered. The manufacturers you should look at are completely up to you, but I would go along with those Dano mentioned, adding Beretta as a personal favorite. When you've narrowed down your decision, post another topic and the good people of this board will certainly try to help by giving you some pros and cons. Buying a handgun is a major investment, both in your future and your wallet; don't make it an overnight decision. Most importantly, be safe.
    JWhite2399@cs.com Southern Oregon
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  • LowriderLowrider Member Posts: 6,587
    edited November -1
    I'd go for a revolver also. If both you and the ol' lady are going to buy one get a pair of .357's. You can keep yours loaded-up with magnums and load hers with .38's for a lot less recoil.If you want something concealable, it's pretty tough to beat the SP101 Ruger.
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  • IconoclastIconoclast Member Posts: 10,515 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Here's my $0.02 - (a) Contact the training course first. (b) If it's home defense, 12 ga is 1st, last & best choice. Any rational perp will take one look & be gone. Any irrational one will also be gone, albeit in a different sense. (c) For CCW, for inexperienced people, a double action revolver is - IMHO - your best first five choices. (d) Before buying any handgun, try, if possible, as many as you can by accompanying people to the range, networking through the training center, whatever. It isn't the caliber that matters (to a point) but whether *you* (and your girlfriend) are sufficiently comfortable with the weapons to *practice.* The biggest, meanest cartridge in the world don't mean nada if you can't hit what you aim at. Once you've made that choice, *do* practice. And it's nice to know that the streets where you live will be a little safer soon. Good luck!
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  • Mom MomMom Mom Member Posts: 169 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Long Guns- shotguns are good, but might kick a wee bit too much for the fair lady. A .22 rifle is relatively inexpensive, easy to load/shoot, but requires a closer range and better aim than a shotgun. I have a fondness for M1 carbines- not much kick, true aim, and a nice little clip to play with, although then you have that sticky ejected shell problem.Handgun- my personal favorite is a Ruger .357 revolver. .357 was standard police weapon until they changed over to 9mm. They have the advantage of being able to use 38 spl rounds also, which knocks down the cost of target practice a bit, although you should also get in some practice with 357 rounds too to get the feel of them, in the event you ever actually need to use it against someone. They also tend to be reasonably priced, a good used one can be picked up for around 250-300. Don't rule out used guns altogether, either. A well taken care of used gun can be "good as new" at a lower price. And being a "rookie" NEVER NEVER NEVER buy the first gun you like the first time you see it, and don't tell the clerk your a rookie, you might find yourself talked into the highest price in the case.
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  • competentonecompetentone Member Posts: 4,696 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Most all the advice given sounds good so far (except for beekeep's--bee, don't you load you magazines wearing gloves so you don't leave fingerprints on the ejected casings?)One thing I'll suggest, which you might want to consider: Rather than going out and buying a firearm "for self-defense"; you might want to go out and by a gun "to learn to shoot". Buying a revolver or automatic in 22LR is an excellent way to begin to learn the basics of handling and firing a handgun. Recoil is mild, ammo is cheap; it's an excellent way to practice and learn about shooting.Additionally, a 22 handgun with some of the hyper-velocity ammo, is nothing to laugh at for self-defense--especially if only used for defense at home; most crooks will flee a home with any confrontation from an armed homeowner.My personal suggestion for a first handgun (it was my first) is Ruger's Mk2. It's an automatic; I get along with mechanical things just fine; if you don't like the "complication" of an auto, any of the 22LR revolvers made by Ruger, Smith and Wesson, or Taurus would be an excellent choice too.Just my 2 cents,Joe
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  • shaneshane Member Posts: 882 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I suggest 357mag. check out these http//www.rossiusa.com http//www.taurususa.com http//www.smith-wesson.com http//www.ruger-firearms.com
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  • shaneshane Member Posts: 882 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I suggest 357mag. check out these http//www.rossiusa.com http//www.taurususa.com http//www.smith-wesson.com http//www.ruger-firearms.com
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  • shaneshane Member Posts: 882 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I suggest 357mag. check out these http//www.rossiusa.com http//www.taurususa.com http//www.smith-wesson.com http//www.ruger-firearms.com
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  • shaneshane Member Posts: 882 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    oops!!!!!!!
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  • bloud222bloud222 Member Posts: 3 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Thank you all for your reply's. We are heading to a Gunshop/Firing range today to take a look and inquire about training etc.So far from what I have seen as far as a revolve goes (This is probably what I will go with) the Taraus seems the most reasonable priced brand. I've thought about the shotgun idea, but I'm think I may want to take up target shooting as a hobby. We'll see how this all feels after training etc. At this time carrying a concealed weapon was not part of the equation, but that's not to say it's always a bad idea and something I should consider at times.Thanks again for all your feeback. I will keep you all up-to-date as to what we decide.Thanks.
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  • landislandis Member Posts: 230 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Does it have to be a revolver? I really like the 9mm semiauto's out there on the market. I even bid on one recently.
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