Ok, so.22LR Ruger 22/45. .22 Magnum, pass.
380 ACP. Pass
9mm. CZ, Glock, 1911, choose your flavor.
45 ACP. 1911
In 1911s, Tisas, Bul, Dan Wesson
12 Gauge. Benelli M2, Winchester SXP
223 Wylde. JP, Stag, Radical
.308 Winchester. Ruger, Bergara
None of those are the cheapest, but reasonable, durable offerings a working man can obtain. If you want a sexy gun, do it with a bolt gun or a 1911 and get one semi-custom that checks all of YOUR boxes.
Personal Defense, mostly as well as cost efficiency. I don't hunt but I'm not apposed to at least trying it once.Rojack79 can I ask what the intended purpose will be for each?
Reason I ask is that some of the calibers on there lend themselves to a multitude of uses. For instance
12 gauge can be for shotgun sports (skeet/trap/sporting clays), upland hunting, turkey hunting, waterfowl hunting, deer/bigger game hunting, pest control (albeit over chambered depending on the pest), personal defense, and or range fun. Any or all of these uses could be filled by one or many guns depending on how specialized you want to get. A Remington 870 could be used for everything listed but may not be the best tool for any of them but would work. On the other hand if all you are looking to do is trap shooting there are potentially better ways to spend your money than an 870 even though it could get the job done assuming. But even that begs another question.
In the case of 12 gauge for shotgun sports I would have to ask at that point your preference for pump, semi auto, or overunder/SXS.
Then price point. In an overunder you can spend many thousands of dollars or be well under $1000. Also each shotgun sport has certain specifics that can and lend a certain gun to that specific discipline such as high ribs for trap.
Calling out specific brands for each of the rounds you called out is also fairly open ended. I would tell you that for an all round 9MM pistol a Glock 19 is a great gun. I think it would be a poor choice for a dedicated race gun in most disciplines. The Glock 34 can make a great competition gun but can need some serious aftermarket work to be competitive depending on the division you are shooting. If you are looking for a competition 9MM ready to go right out of the box I think there are better options.
And at the end of the day this is all my opinion anyway and I have not tried, looked at, held, or purchased the vast majority of guns out there. I can tell you what I have used and purchased but again use, price point, and some particulars can go a long way towards helping offer useful opinions.
Alright, thanks for the advice.Boy, obscure rounds. But I'll play.
22 LR/Magnum - Ruger Single Six with both cylinders, assuming you want both. But here's a hint: Drop the magnum. Ammo is expensive, and for most folks' need for a 22 pistol, good old 22 LR is the ticket. Really expands your choices.
45 ACP - Get a 1911, your budget, your choice. If I'm shooting 45, it's 45 Colt, but I did have a Springfield Range Officer. No complaints, and I got my money back when I sold it. Of course, you can get anything from Turkish pistols to Les Baer and beyond.
12 gauge - For practicality and multiple use, find a Remington 870 or a Mossberg 500. But if you run into me hunting, I'll be carrying an Ithaca or Hunter Arms double. This is one case where they really don't make them like they used to.
5.56 NATO, etc. - Since you state NATO, I assume you're looking for an AR, of which there are about 600 makes and more opinions. I'm not an AR guy, but I do have a Doublestar which has functioned flawlessly and shoots 1" groups with my hand loads. Of course, you can buy parts and assemble your own.
308 - Pick the bolt action that pleases you (and fits you) and meets your budget. I don't think you can go wrong. I have two, an old Mauser that I rebarreled and a new Remington ADL that I restocked. Both shoot well.
And I might need a Duty Pistol if my dream job of becoming a police officer pans out.
Oh, ok then. I guess I'll have to wait and see. Thanks for letting me know.If it does, then you will either be issued a pistol, or told which pistols your dept. approves.
Buying one now might result in a fine pistol your dream job does not approve for duty carry.
Oooh, awesome, thank you for the Recommendations. I'm going to go through this list ASAP.Not enough info.
Do you want a 22 rimfire rifle or handgun.
Rifle:
https://ruger.com/products/1022Sporter/specSheets/31167.html
Accurate enough to come close to a target rifle. Light enough to carry at 6.4 lbs. Plus the fun factor of a semi-auto.
45. I've BTDT with 1911's. I'm done with them
https://www.smith-wesson.com/product/m-p-45-m2.0-4-inch-compact-thumb-safety
You get a lighter gun holding 10+1 rounds with a 1911 style safety. Unless you spend big money for a target grade 1911 the Smith has a better trigger and is more accurate than typical out of the box 1911's
12 ga.
Get an 870 for the most value. The new RemArms guns are good-to-go. If you want semi-auto and money isn't a problem, Benelli M2.
5.56
https://ruger.com/products/ar556MPR/specSheets/8514.html
This one will compete with most bolt rifles for accuracy. The 18" barrel is a good compromise between a 16" carbine and a 20" rifle.
308
https://choose.tikka.fi/usa/code/JRTXE316
The lightest, most accurate rifle you will find under $1500. I ended up with 2. I recently chopped one's barrel down to 20" and use it with the factory extended magazines as my pseudo Sccout rifle.
Ok, I've found a good 45 for around $430, I know there's a shotgun, I believe a Mossberg 88, at my local gun shop for around $200, if I can find an AR in the $400 range that would be great, as for a bolt action, yeah but I like to train with a wide veriaty of types of firearms. If that means getting a bolt action in order to better learn the manual of arms then I'm game for that. Thank you for the help, I'll see about looking for these guns at these prices and get a list together..22LR/Magnum.
380 ACP. ✓
9mm. ✓
45 ACP.
12 Gauge.
5.56 NATO/223 Remington/223 Wylde.
.308 Winchester.
Ok then since self defense is your specific need.
22 LR/22 Magnums - would not recommend for the task unless you have no other option. I like 22 WMR personally but I agree that from a cost perspective its hard to recommend compared to 22LR although I do find in pest control there are advantages to stepping up. In a self defense scenario while the Keltec CMR and PMR 30 are great guns I still would not recommend if self defense is really the only use. Both are great range guns. In 22 LR I would look at the Ruger 10/22 for a rifle or the Ruger Mark pistols. Until the Mark IV taking them apart was a chore but they can be found cheap. I've also had a lot of luck with the Taurus TXP22.
45 ACP the 1911 is an easy recomend due to mag interchangeability and some makers selling solid performing models for under $500. There are some polymer framed designs that might be more cost effective but I own 45 because I like the 1911 platform not the other way around.
12 gauge - Remington 870, Winchester sxp, Mossberg 88 or 500, Benelli Nova - all would serve you well for a self defense shot gun. I know the 870 and 500 have after market barrels that allow you to increase the usefulness of the platform. I'm not sure if the others offer aftermarket barrels. I have shot all of those I mentioned and I think they are all good options although most people prefer one on that list and will swear the rest are junk.
556 - 80000000000 or something AR makers out there and several non AR style rifles. Ruger American for a dark horse option. Bolt gun. Cheap, Reliable, Accurate. Bolt guns are not great options for some self defense scenarios but they worked great for a lot of years before the advent of the semi auto so why not consider them. Outside of that you can get ARs from ATI down in the $400 range and custom built AR's can be tens of thousands. Pick a price range and shop around. Options abound and at a price point most will be so similar you could not tell the difference if the logo was scrubbed.
308 - this one is tough because again bolt option is going to be the most economical option and in a hunting platform easy to find. In a self defense tactical role semi auto will be expensive IMO. Again I would consider a bolt gun and Ruger American, Savage Axis, Mossberg Patriot all have offerings that would fit the bill.
Huh, ok now that's interesting. I'll look into that as well. Thanks for the tip.One thing to consider with .223/5.56 choices might be whether you can get a .22LR conversion. Then practice can use the less expensive .22 than centerfire cartridges. About 200 will get a conversion for AR rifles in .223/5.56. They won't be tack drivers because of bullet diameter differences but are worth consideration.
Also a number of 9mm or 45 frames can accept a .22 conversion for less expensive practice and some of these are quite accurate as they use a purpose built barrel.
Awesome and thank you. I should probably take off the 380 & 9mm seeing as I already have Pistols for both of those Calibers.I’ll bite!
22LR/Magnum - CZ 457
380 ACP. Kahr CW380
9mm. S&W Shield Plus
45 ACP DW Valor
12 Gauge Caesar Guerini INVICTUS IX SPORTING
5.56 NATO/223 Remington/223 Wylde. Larue…your choice
.308 Winchester. Gap Precision full custom