start with what?

B

breakthrough

Moderator
I am new to guns. Well, only just took a beginner class but besides safety he taught little else I would like to know where to start. what caliber gun of excellent quality to buy, how to maintain them , what quality cleaning and other supplies to buy. Thanks for the input.:confused:
 
right now for home defense and practice shooting at range later may be for concealed carry- do I need 2 separate guns for each purpose?
please suggest guns that will be easiest to shoot, maintain.
 
Welcome to the Forum.
1- What is your budget?
2-Have you gone to a local gun store and looked around?
3- is it for self defense or what?
4- Do you want a Semi-Auto or a Wheel?

Answer these questions then you'll get more questions for you to answer.
Doc

Sorry just saw your last post.
Self defense. Great you can use what you get for both.
 
For me the easiest to shoot and maintain is a Ruger GP 100 357.
This allows me to shoot any 38, 38 spec., 38 spec. +P and 357 ammo.
You're looking at $ 570 to $650 new.
There are other made revolvers that are in the $300 to $500 range new.

If you are on a budget that's a different story.
Doc
 
isnt capacity of revolver limited?
can you tell me how to clean and maintain this revolver? from where do I purchase the ammo from for this?
what other excellent revolvers are in that 300-500 price range?
I can spend up to $1000 if I need 2 guns.
 
Revolver can be 5 shot, 6 shot, or 7 shot. Ammo you can buy on line or from walmart,local gun store or Academy of sports.
Cleaning is easy. Get a cleaning kit for the model and/or size of your new gun. It comes with everything you need to clean it and comes with pictures and written instructions.
Doc
 
That budget you get the best you can buy. Quality always counts.
Now you're in Smith and Wesson or Ruger territory.
I'll let the pros go from here. IMHO, one gun is all you need to start.
Doc
 
Personal opinion is you cant go wrong with the Glock 19.. Super reliable and easy to shoot. Fits your budget..Its not too big or too small, assuming you have average size hands. It takes 9mm ammo which is common and cheap. Great for home/self defense. Magazine holds 15 rounds +1 in the chamber if needed. There are many other handguns that are high quality and reliable as well. Many prefer Glocks, as do I.
 
Glock 23 with a lone wolf conversion barrel for 9mm. Also an advantage arms 22 conversion. The 23 is .40sw which is plenty powerful for a concealed carry gun. The 23 is big enough to have fun at the range and also small enough to conceal carry. The 9mm conversion will give a good cheaper caliber for the range and th 22 would allow for hours of practice and getting trigger control down on the same gun you carry.

This is a great all around and versitile pistol that give up very little and covers just about everything you will ever need it to do. With the 2 caliber conversions you can have essentially 3 guns for under the $1000 price point.
 
Now that you took a safety course, you might find an indoor shooting range that rents pistols for use on their range. Try a bunch of different brands and calibers. See what you shoot best with.

I too like Glock 19's. They are accurate, reliable, light weight, have full capacity and are dime a dozen.
 
Wow, some of the responses here have been pretty complicated. I'm gonna suggest starting simple.

A medium sized gun is going to be a good starting point.

In a semi-auto, that would be something like a Glock 19, CZ P-07, Walther PPQ, and many others. I say stick to 9mm, as it is cheap and will allow you to practice more often.

If you want to go for a revolver, I would say a .357 in the 3"-4" barrel range. You can run cheaper .38s through it for practice, thus, once again keeping cost down.

The reason I recommend going with something mid-sized is because it will be versatile. It will be large enough to be a good, controllable learning gun, but small enough to be concealable, should you decide to go that direction in the future.

With a budget in the $1000 range, you can either get one expensive gun, or two less expensive, but still very nice guns. Better yet, you can get one good gun in the $400 - $500 range ( lots of options -just take a look at budsgunshop.com and you will see lots of very good guns in that price range), and spend the rest of your budget on lots of practice ammo and more training.
 
Take another firearms course and ask a lot of questions and handle as many firearms as you can (under supervision, of course!)

One thing about the firearms world, there's exceptions and extensions to almost anything anybody tells you. Somebody tells you revolvers hold 5, 6 or 7 rounds and some smart alec will post an 8 shot revolver.

http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/...75660_775655_757896_ProductDisplayErrorView_Y

Or change the caliber to something small like a .22 and post a 10 or more shot revolver.

http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/...57769_757767_757751_ProductDisplayErrorView_Y

Don't let the inconsistencies bother you. There are waaaaay too many of them!

Once again take another course and don't be shy about asking questions. IMhO the firearms world is a 'hands on' type of activity.

If you really want some more reading about guns check out this site:
http://www.corneredcat.com/contents/
Pick a topic from the list and you'll find your understanding increases dramatically.
 
right now for home defense and practice shooting at range later may be for concealed carry- do I need 2 separate guns for each purpose?
please suggest guns that will be easiest to shoot, maintain.
Click to expand...

I'd plan on buying one all-purpose handgun for now. If you get into it, you can always buy more later to serve various niches (and will).

I'd get a compact as they are carriable, concealable, and pleasant to shoot. Stay away from pocket guns and subcompacts, as they tend to be unpleasant to shoot. Full-size handguns are great for the range and home defense, but are not as easy to carry or conceal.

The easiest handgun to maintain is a revolver, but semiautos outsell revolvers by quite a lot these days for good reasons. If you are not committed to learn about how to handle and service your sidearm, get a revolver. Otherwise, welcome yourself to the 20th Century and buy a semiautomatic pistol.

Field stripping and cleaning your sidearm is easy -- find a YouTube video on your model and watch it. Most guns come with a brush and cleaning rod. All you need is bore solvent, lubricant, and cleaning patches. I would not buy a cleaning kit until you have watched a few videos and cleaned your gun with minimal materials. Once you understand the process then assemble a custom cleaning kit, which can be simple and compact.

If you get a revolver you can't go wrong if it's chambered for .38 Special +P. For a semiauto, the cartridge of choice is 9 Luger. These calibers should cost less because they are popular, and premium hollowpoint ammo is available that will penetrate deep enough to reach vital tissues while expanding reliably to maximize the damage to those vital tissues.
 
A 9mm semi-auto such as a Glock or Smith and Wesson M&P or a .357 Mag such as Ruger GP100 or S&W 686 are some of the quintessential hand guns for home defense. I'd shoot one of each first and figure out if you gravitate towards revolvers or semi-auto. Can't really go wrong with any of these.
 
Here's your decision tree:

Revolver or Semi-auto?
If Semi-auto, then what caliber. I'd recommend 9mm.
- then what action and what construction - I'd recommend a full size, steel (or ss) frame double-action / single action
- So, my recommendations would be: CZ 75B; S&W 2nd or 3rd gen stainless 9mm's (used); Sig 226 9mm; Daewoo DP51;


If Revolver, then what caliber. I'd recommend a .357 which can fire .38 special
What style - full size steel 4" barrel. Among those, I like the S&W 627 PC (holds 8 rounds of 357 or 38sp); S&W 686; Ruger GP 100.
 
If you have an extremely small knowledge of firearms and are hoping to learn more I would buy a ruger mark II or III or 22/45. They run about $300. The shoot .22lr and are extremely accurate and great for learning to shoot. Go to dicks sporting goods and walmart often and buy 22 whenever you see it, get around 1000-2000 rounds, after shooting it all you will have spent probably less that $500 total and would have established some good technique and aquired a good amount of firearm knowledge the. Look at something with a full sized caliber. At that point look at my post earlier post #12.

:)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top