Now that Im married and have a child I think its over due for me to get some personal protection for the house. Danielle is playing the stay at home mom role for a little while and I wanted to get something that she could shoot in the time of need. Hopefully that day will never come but just in case. So I went gun shopping last night with my boss who has way more knowledge about guns that I do and looked at and held a Ruger SR9c 9mm Compact that was really nice and in my price range.While talking to the sales guy and after he tried to sell me a AR-15 he told me that the best thing that he could recommend for me was a revolver. Thoughts and input?
i know nothing but didn't want to view and not reply or is this worse? Contact Scoobaru..he's pretty knowledgeable w/ guns and usually has some (legally owned) on hand.
i'm almost in the same situation. from the advice that i've solicited recently the concensus is that if you want stopping power with 1 shot, go straight to a 45. get a 9mm or smaller to practice with at the range and IDPA. but if you're ever in a situation to have to use it, you want the stopping power. there's a ton firearm dudes on here that'll have better input. me personally, i'm looking at a 45 to keep at home and a 9mm to carry. go to a range and fire a whole bunch to see what feels best in hand
Im not sure that I want to get more than one gun. But if/when I do that AR-15 he showed me was quite nice.
For Home defense the shotgun is really the way to go, plus its easy to use. If you must have a handgun then revolvers are great especially if you have a female that is not into guns and wants to do the minimum required to learn to use it. If you want Semi-Auto then shoot as many as you can and buy the one you are comfortable with. I prefer 45 but in a home setting chances are that the person you are shooting at is going to be less than 20 feet away and all of them have pretty similar stopping power at that range.
He did say like a shotgun with buck shot would be easy to use as far as aiming and hitting your target. The reason that I was thinking a handgun is that I know that I could easily keep it in a small safe.
Easy to use in scariest situation of your life? Revolver. You want one shot and stopped intruder? Shotgun. Everyone who has access to use the gun willing to go the range and train AND stay proeficient with everything? A semi auto of your choice(good idea anyways, but most semis easily confuse even people who have shot before for atleast a split second when initial handling after a long break). Pro tip: the ammo you buy is just as important as your gun. Find the nicest self defense ammo possible for your firearm. Pro tip 2: any 9, 40, 45 pistol will never be the one shot one stop firearm most people think they are. As Matt said, regardless of what uncle bob told you, ALL the calibers provide similar ballistics at the ranges they are intended to be used. If that's the case, go get a 9mm, it will be cheaper and more fun for newb to shoot and learn on. If you go the range often enough, it wouldn't matter what caliber you were using anyways bc the mf'er wouldn't have eyes left after 2 quick and skilled shots. Remember, a pistol is always a backup to a rifle or shotgun. Not just bc the pistol is easy to store elsewhere, but bc it can't provide near the power of a proper long gun. If you don't care about any of this, I say a .357 mag revolver with the best .38 special ammo you can find in it. Beautiful mix of low recoil, very affective round for a handgun, and point and click ease of use.
simple ole 38 snub nose will do, just make sure she goes to the range with you otherwise it's pointless.
home protection: shotgun otherwise you're going to be putting rounds in the neighbor's house. get a remington 870 and teach danielle how to rack it,put it on safe, and shoulder/fire the weapon. teach her how to do this by feel, IN THE DARK. I can't stress this part enough. when your kiddo becomes of an acceptable age, teach her to respect firearms and how to properly handle them getting into a spergin' circle jerk about stopping power and calibers is pretty useless in this scenario
I just don't see her in the time of need pulling out a big shot gun. I think that she would be more comfortable with a handgun. I am all for the stopping power of the shotgun though I'm just thinking about what would be easier to hide from the baby with out getting a huge safe.
If you are looking for pure home protection, get one of these. http://www.shotlock.com/ShotCart/Default.asp Mount on the wall of your closet. Very easy quick access. If you go with a handgun get one of those bedside four finger combo safes, I've used one, it's pretty slick and you can do it in the dark.
Yeah, you have to keep in mind what is on the other side of the wall when you are shooting at in an emergency situation. Is you child on the other side? Is your neighbor? Shotguns are pretty much point in the direction and shoot. 99% of the time, when the person hears you rack a round into the chamber, they will be running for the closest exit.
Just adding my two cents. A pump 12 gauge ( such as a Remington 870 or mossberg 500 ) is perfect for home defense. If you want to stick with a handgun, a revolver is the way to go especially for your wife. I'd recommend a ruger lcr or s&w bodyguard in .357. Both of these have smooth triggers, lighter then most wheelguns. You could also consider the Taurus judge. .410 power in a handgun. Is a bit of a cannon though. I would NOT recommend a AR15 for home defense. Unless you want your bullets going through all your walls and into your neighbors. Best bet would be to take her to a range. Try out a few different options like a 12 gauge, and various handguns. She will take a liking to something!
Oh, and as to why I reccommend a revolver. Less likely to jam, fail to fire or eject. Which in a panic situation is crucial. All she (or you) has to do is keep squeezing the trigger. Won't have to rack the slide to clear a jam. And ammo, is very important. Do your research and get some quality stuff! Honestly a firearms training course isn't a bad idea either. Most ranges offer them, and always good information to have. I know a few people with firearms for self defense, and never fire them. Much less know how to field strip and clean them.
As others have said... Go to your range of choice that rents guns and have her try them all out. See which one feels the best for her. I'm liking the recommendations for .38 snubnose or another smaller revolver. The shotgun is a great option for stopping power, I have a Mossberg 500 with fold over stock and pistol grip. But... seeing my girl even pick it up made me really nervous. Its also cumbersome for tight quarters... Get a revolver she is comfortable with and practice, practice, practice.... PS.. AR-15 is fun (I miss mine)... but leave it for the range and Zombie apocalypse only.
added the mossberg in to this. Simple, basic pump shotguns that will go boom every time. hell, just racking the thing will cause an intruder to shit themselves...
Shotgun it is. There is a gun show coming up at the end of the month that I have already taken the day off for.I just need to get my Kentucky DL first. What are some shotgun brands to look for I would like to stay under $400
A couple of people have recommended light weight revolvers and I would strongly recommend that you not buy one. A light weight revolver is great if your wife is carrying it in her purse but the recoil is much worse. She would be far more accurate with a big heavy revolver with a good size barrel. Beyond all that though, take her to the range and let her shoot everything, buy whatever she is comfortable with.
Boom. like i said, go get a 357 mag framed revolver, and run the nicest .38spl ammo you can find. The heavy duty frame mixed with the nice shooting characteristics of the .38 special. Win win win. Judge is over rated btw guys.
get her a stagecoach 12 ga! or she will be like my wife and uhhh FAIL and shooting Our god daughter! she is on par with me! or take your pick
This is one of the biggest advantages of a shotgun over a handgun in my opinion. The sound of a shotgun rack is enough to stop most people who want to continue living in their tracks. If I could only have one do-it-all gun it would be a pump shotgun. If this is your first gun, another big advantage of the shotgun vs revolver is that the shotgun has a safety and most revolvers do not. Some people think that safeties just get in the way, but especially as you are learning how to use and handle a firearm I always like to have a big "off" switch on it. However, if you ever have to use it in a life or death situation you have to remember to turn off the safety first... which is why practice and loading/unloading drills are so important. If this is a home defense gun, there are few things you will want to get with your purchase: 1. A shotgun with a shoulder stock (collapsible is fine) - shooting a 12 gauge with just pistol grips can be painful and is it hard to be accurate. You probably want something with an 18"-20" barrel. 2. You will want a way to attach a light to the gun. It is usually in your best interest to see what you are about to shoot. 3. Get some "snap caps." These are basically bullet-shaped pieces of metal designed so you can practice loading and unloading with inert ammo. 4. Get a range of ammo. The shotgun has an insanely large amount of options available to you. 00 Buck is a great choice for home defense because it will destroy anything within 20 feet that you shoot at it (and will put a 3' hole in your wall). Slugs are good to have, and I would also get some of the larger bird shot as well (especially if you live in an apartment). They even sell less lethal bean-bag rounds if that would be of interest to you. 5. Get a cleaning kit for your gun. If you are going to rely on this gun for protection, you need to keep it clean (though pump shotguns will still fire reliably even if they are dirty). 6. Most guns come with a cable lock, but you should have an idea of how you are going to secure your gun.
ruger lcr is a GREAT revolver for the ladies. Shotgun for the house and with the right round it shouldn't penetrate both sides of the wall should a stray pellet head for the kiddo's room.
http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/bul...ck-synthetic-stock-black-finish-p-122013.html http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hi0OWQCkcVc Way over your 400$ limit.. But worth it! Sorry I don't know how to embed