Looking to pick up first firearm.

[voiceofreason]

Like people have already stated, you can't expect one tool to do every job. It's like asking for a car that can tow a heavy load, fit a lot of stuff in the bed, go off roading, do 0-60 in under 5 secs, top out at over 200, have excellent fuel economy, and be easy to insure... while looking stylish and fitting 7 or 8 passengers.

Like everything else in life, each gun is a tradeoff. For starters, any gun that will somewhat reliably stop an attacker is going to have a significant amount of recoil that will require training and practice to use effectively AND the ammunition for practice will not be as cheap as .22LR.

+1 to what Mick81 said about generation3 Glocks (17 & 19), I would argue that the M&P in any caliber full size is good as well, though the Glock design has been around much longer and thus had more time to weed out the bugs. If going with a handgun, I would recommend 9mm to start. I've been shooting a long time and am decently proficient and I am sticking with 9mm (owned .40, 10mm, .45), as it's the easiest and cheapest to practice with and accuracy is my priority after reliability.

I would add to the chorus of people telling you to start with a .22 rifle like the Marlin 60 (tube fed), Marlin 795 (magazine fed), or Ruger 10/22.

You'll get the most bang for your buck with a .22 rifle. NOT optimal for defense duty at all, but better than nothing. Given the price will be around $150 + extra magazines if you go that route, you might be able to afford to save up for something else pretty quickly.

When buying ammo, avoid Blazer, yellow & green box Remington. Make sure the nose of the .22 round is plated with some type of metal as opposed to simply soft lead.

I've been recommending CCI AR Tactical for .22LR and people have been very happy with it. Very few malfunctions compared to the crap ammo.

If/when you get a larger caliber firearm, stick with the following companies for ammunition: Federal, Remington, CCI, Speer, Winchester. I like Speer Lawman for practice as it's the cleanest and most accurate ammo for me. Federal American Eagle is pretty good as well.

[Quickdraw559]

Thanks for all of the replies, guys. Every post had truth to it, which is what I like. It wasn't just a bunch of mumbo jumbo posts, there was actual substance! I'm likin' the forum, already. Many opinions were to start with a .22, and while I agree that it's a great first firearm, I just don't think it's the ideal first purchase for someone in my shoes. It is a cheap, reliable gun, which is what I'm aiming for, pun intended, but I just don't know about protecting my home and my family with a .22lr.

I say this because I really think the most important function of my firearm is going to be home defense. A .22 would be a great choice if I did a LOT of plinking, but seeing as I live in the city, I can't just go out and pop off rounds whenever I'd like. I currently use a Crosman 2100 pellet/bb gun for my plinking, hahaha, but I do have a bit of experience shooting .22, .22lr, .223, and a lever-action .357 that my grandfather had stolen from him.

Considering home defense is my first priority, I think I'm going to go with a .357 mag or a .20 gauge. Like someone said, a gun is a tool, and you can't always drive in a screw with a hammer, or fall a couple trees with a wrench. A .357 is a nice choice due to the ability, as previously mentioned, to fire both .357 and .38sp. If I go handgun, I'll probably pick up a .357 revolver.

If I were to pick up a shotgun, how do you guys feel about 12 vs 20 gauge? I feel 20 gauge is adequate, but I'm not a shotgun expert, whatsoever. Also, do you guys think a full choke is a bad idea for home defense?

[Duranimal]

Why not 12 the recoil os perfectly manageable and cant beat 00buck for defense. Amd contrary to popular belief u dont want a big spread for hd. That more rounds leaving th target that you have to account for. A full choke will get more hits on target and stop the threat.

[joe_gman]

For home defense as the main priority, nothing beats a shotgun. 20 gauge has less recoil and is very easy to shoot. Defense loads are readily available for either the 12 or the 20. I prefer my 12 gauge to a 20, but that is because I have a nice 410 if I want more of a challenge shooting skeet. The Mossberg is a great first shotgun, plus you can purchase it with 2 barrels. One for home defense and one for the range. I have a Remington 870 Mag that has been reliable for decades. As for handgun as a home defense gun, I tend to shy away from them. It takes time to master a handgun. Hours at the range to learn and then more hours at the range to maintain proficiency. Again, defense ammo for a handgun is best, otherwise you might put a round through walls you don't want to penetrate. For home defense you want to think about ease of use for both you and your spouse. A shotgun is just point in the general direction of what you want to hit and pull the trigger. Handguns need to be aimed. Plus, the sound of a round being chambered in a shotgun has got to be one of the most intimidating sounds around.

[joe_gman]

Double post

[voiceofreason]

If you're a male over 150 pounds, I'd recommend a 12 gauge for sure.

I personally use Federal Tactical 00buck reduced recoil with the Flightwad technology. Not a gimmick, the stuff groups tighter than most other loads from almost anybody's guun.

Federal #1 buck: LE 132 1B

This is most likely the best load available on the market in theory. Almost any load in 00 buck will work nicely.

12 gauge with reduced recoil works nicely if you go shotgun. I believe the largest buckshot you can get for 20 is #2, which isn't bad.

NEVER use birdshot. Ignore the people that tell you to.



IMHO, for pistol I'd recommend you take a closer look at a Gen3 Glock 17 or 19 or full size 9mm M&P in addition to a .357 revolver. Understand that handguns are not very powerful and it will likely take a few shots to put down a determined attacker. It's nice to have a fast reload. Reloading revolvers is clumsy IMO. Many firearms trainers are not teaching revolver techniques anymore. I think they're great and own/carry/use them myself. I just feel they require more practice and training than semis. Yes, even taking into account malfunctions. (if a second trigger pull doesn't work on a revolver... umm...)

PLEASE don't make the typical newbie mistake of getting a small revolver thinking...

"I'm SO smart! I've chosen a gun that is small, easy to conceal/carry, simple to fix and clean; it'll be easier to shoot than the big, heavy recoiling complicated semi-autos!"

-recoil is greater (hurts in other ways as well)
-you won't want to practice on it as much
-many don't do well with too much hot ammo "+p"
-short sight radius
-difficult to see sights
-sometimes more expensive to replace sights

too tired to finish...

buy your gun, come back to the forum and share your experience

welcome to Calguns! Hope you can make it out to a shoot or event sometime!

[xoutxkastx]

I like the 870 shotgun as HD. Turners has one on sale for $299.00

[Agent 0range]

For home defense as the main priority, nothing beats a shotgun. 20 gauge has less recoil and is very easy to shoot. Defense loads are readily available for either the 12 or the 20. I prefer my 12 gauge to a 20, but that is because I have a nice 410 if I want more of a challenge shooting skeet. The Mossberg is a great first shotgun, plus you can purchase it with 2 barrels. One for home defense and one for the range. I have a Remington 870 Mag that has been reliable for decades. As for handgun as a home defense gun, I tend to shy away from them. It takes time to master a handgun. Hours at the range to learn and then more hours at the range to maintain proficiency. Again, defense ammo for a handgun is best, otherwise you might put a round through walls you don't want to penetrate. For home defense you want to think about ease of use for both you and your spouse. A shotgun is just point in the general direction of what you want to hit and pull the trigger. Handguns need to be aimed. Plus, the sound of a round being chambered in a shotgun has got to be one of the most intimidating sounds around.

I wouldn't recommend trying this. Shotguns definitely need to be aimed, especially at close range in a HD situation.

OP, I was in the same boat a little over a year ago, with the same priorities in mind. To satisfy the HD demand, just get the shotgun for now (Remington 870 or mossberg 500) and some low recoil 00 buck. You'll end up with at least one of everything eventually!

[joe_gman]

I wouldn't recommend trying this. Shotguns definitely need to be aimed, especially at close range in a HD situation.

OP, I was in the same boat a little over a year ago, with the same priorities in mind. To satisfy the HD demand, just get the shotgun for now (Remington 870 or mossberg 500) and some low recoil 00 buck. You'll end up with at least one of everything eventually!

My intention was to convey that a shotgun covers a larger area of effect than that of a pistol when using buckshot or other defense loads. One should always aim. My bad for being misleading.

[Agent 0range]

My intention was to convey that a shotgun covers a larger area of effect than that of a pistol when using buckshot or other defense loads. One should always aim. My bad for being misleading.

You're definitely right about that which is what makes a shotgun so versatile and attractive for HD. I've just heard a lot of people wanting to buy a shotgun because "you don't even have to aim it" or "I can shoot from the hip and hit anything". Wasn't trying to bash you gman, just don't want any new shooters buying a shotgun for the wrong reasons or under false assumptions!

[opie4386]

just avoid using the sights on a pistol grip shotgun!

[Quickdraw559]

Haha, don't worry guys. I won't be firing anything from the hip. I'm a fairly proficient shooter, I just haven't had the opportunity to own a firearm, personally. Just borrowing my dad's or shooting with my papa or whoever comes around.

I can and have shot a 12 gauge, so I guess I should go with that. I wanted to use it as a hunting weapon as it's secondary use, and was under the impression that a 20 gauge would be more accurate, especially considering it's low recoil. I'm 5'7'' 160 and I can definitely handle the 12, so I guess bigger is better in the home defense scenario, pending your ability to properly fire it. If I do purchase a 12 gauge, would it still be ok to purchase it in full choke? As I said, I would definitely like to take it out hunting, but HD is top priority.

Sorry for so many questions, guys. I haven't had much, "schooling," in the world of firearms. My papa was the shooter of the family as passed before I matured, so I only got the very basic shooting lessons. Due to the violence in the Madera/Fresno area, my father has been very turned off to firearms, so he never meshed with me in that way, and I've been working since I was 17 so I can't really just drop some cash on a high end instructor. I'm basically self taught in many ways, and proud of what I can do on my own, but it helps to have some advice along the way.

[joe_gman]

Both Mossberg and Remington have aftermarket barrels if you plan on using the shotgun for hunting. For home defense buy a one with an 18" barrel and then get a separate 28" or 30" barrel for bird hunting, or a rifled deer barrel for larger game. Changing out the barrels is easy. Takes about a minute on my Remington. If you really want an inexpensive hunting rifle instead of using your shotgun, you can't beat a Mosin-Nagant. You can get them for about $150 out the door after DROS and tax. The 7.62x54r round is similar to a 30-06. Great for deer out to 300+ yrds.

[SocomM4]

Lesson 1: Responsible gun owners don't keep their firearms under their mattress .

Shotgun

[BucDan]

What's wrong with using the sights with a pistol grip shotgun?