There is a gun show in my town tommarrow. I have been wanting to pick up a used pistol for home protection. I know nothing about guns. Can anyone suggest something I should look for. Looking to spend no more than $300. Is that possible. thanks
You registered back in 2004. You've posted 351 times since then. Has ANYTHING about this place given you any inclination that we are a "gun" authority?
Hey Paul. Ya I have been reading posts here for a long time. I was just hoping someone could give some type of insight on this subject. Sorry man. I'm not a gang banger or looking to stash a gun for something they are not intended for. Just looking for some protection for my family and I thought some one here could help.
It's cool. I often thought about the same thing. Guns (legally) are expensive. I used to date a girl who's sister was a correctional officer. She would buy a 357 for $750. That's above me lol.
Smith & Wesson, Glock, Heckler & Koch, Fabrique Nationale, Sigma, Walther, Kimber, Beretta, Browning, Taurus, Springfield Armory, Colt, Israel firearms, Sig Sauer....there are so many.
You can choose from many of those
But stay away from really cheap pistols. If it is too good to be true...holds a special meaning to firearms so be careful.
But the question is....what are you comfortable with? Have you shot a pistol before? Go out to a firing range first and rent a handgun to get a feel for it.
If you are a novice, it will be very easy to talk you into something cheap and more than likely unreliable.
But if you want something for home protection, get a shotgun. A handgun is too dangerous to keep around the house and the bullet keeps going unless it hits a body or something more solid. It goes through walls and very dangerous if you do not know what you are doing, you are liable to kill someone in your own household if you miss the target.
A shotgun tends to be more confined to the room you are in...but not always.
To acquire a gun legally and safely you'll probably have to register it with your local state. They just don't let you buy a gun and walk out of the store with it anymore.
Thanks Berny, yes I am a novice. I will be getting the proper training at a local range. This is kind of a last minute buy. I heard about the show about an hour ago and will be going tommarrow. Please assume I will have proper training because I plan to. I would like to get some type of pistol though. 9mm .45 dont know. I am serious about this. There was a breakin down the street last week. I need to be able to protect my family if need be.
I don't mean to preach, but like I said, if you really want home protection I suggest a Mossberg Shotgun. You are an easy mark for the unscrupulous handgun seller. You are currently scared and probably a little paranoid. You are liable to believe anything they may want to sell you. So be very careful.
A Mossberg is reliable and the sound of that thing charging in the middle of the night in the dark is enough to scare anyone away. A basic point and shoot weapon, it will hit anything in the general area you are pointing at.
You say you will be getting "proper training", what do you consider proper training? A one day course is not going to prepare you for what may lie in front of that handgun. How sure are you of your shot? Do you have any idea how to assess a target under pressure? Do you have any idea how your heart rate is going to affect your judgement and the way you hold the weapon to your target?
Dude, a handgun is no easy weapon to use under pressure. It is cool to look at, a lot of fun to shoot, but there so many factors that play specially in home defense, and they are never like the movies.
Paul, Here is a question for you then. Where do you think is the safest place for you to put a handgun away from your child and yet easy to access? How easy do you think it is for a child to carry a pistol? How easy do you think it is for that same child to carry a much bigger shotgun? Let us say they can easily carry both...how long are their arms? You know where I'm going with this? It takes a lot for a child to learn firearm safety and you should start early. Under lock and key is still the best.
Again, it is a matter of safety. A shotgun pellet will slow down considerably when it hits a dry wall. When you shoot a handgun, it takes more mass to stop a bullet. Let us say you miss...and I can almost guarantee that you will when faced with incredible pressure, do you know where or who in your family is going to stop that bullet? Heaven forbid, it might be your 2 year old. I've seen that stuff happen and the grief that the father had to go through is not anything that I would wish on my enemy...and I've faced a few of those.
Some of the reasons Berny listed as well as others, are why I personally don't like guns, even for home protection. The statistics speak for themselves, and I don't have any on hand to throw out right now so i don't wanna make up numbers, but i know it's pretty common for people to end up hurting themselves or loved ones or innocent bystanders WAAYYYY too often. And although a lot of people wanna dismiss that and say it's due to irresponsible use, it isn't always.
You ALWAYS have to worry about your kids getting there hands on the gun(s). And people under-estimate the level of curiosity kids have about things their parents don't want them getting into, and the lengths those kids will go to, to explore them.
Plus people's minds play tricks on them in intense situations. You hear something downstairs late at night, you don't know if it's a family member getting a midnight snack, or a relative/neighbor who has a key to your house who let themselves in for w/e reason, or w/e else.
A dog has far better instincts in these situations. Because they know immediately just by smell whether the intruder is a stranger or someone who's welcome.
Not to mention a dog is probably the best fire alarm you could ever have!!! Plus they offer a lifetime of companionship, loyalty, hard work, and will happily ferdalize your lawn daily!!!
I mean if you live in a place with a lot of violence, gang activity, drugs etc. then maybe you feel like you have to have one. But if you live in a relatively ok area, and there has just been a couple break-ins recently, a dog will more than take care of that.
burglars don't want to get caught. if a burglar is trying to get in, and sees lights turning on, or hears a dog barking like crazy, they're gonna run for the hills.
When I dated a girl from Kentucky she told me how her father taught her the dangers of guns. He took her out in the woods and shot one of their rabbits right in front of her. She couldn't have been more than 7 or 8. It showed her first hand what they'll do.
Not that I agree with that method at all but it taught her something, and it didn't cost her an arm or leg or worse.
I've been scared out of my skin b4 with my own kids. I don't own a gun but I have plenty of tools that will do plenty of harm. When my daughter was 4 she turned on my table saw in my shop. I was in the living room when both my wife and I heard it. Yes the blade was down and the noise probably inflicted a trauma on her to never wander into my shop again but accidents happen. Thank god there wasn't one. Both my daughter and I learned something that day.
not that I don't completely support everything yall are saying, but dog sh1t doesn't decompose, so it's actually bad for your grass did you know in texas you can shoot someone dead, as long as all of their body falls on your property. but if you dog bites them or you shoot them and they don't die, that's assault with a deadly weapon, regardless of whether they were burglarizing your home or trying to murder you then they can sue you
I have both guns and dogs. No kids right now to worry about. But the neighborhood I live in has a gun in almost every house because this is a hunting community. Just knowing someone has a gun will deter most burglars. As far as buying a handgun, a .40 S&W caliber is good, not as big as a .45 but much better stopping power than a 9mm. I don't have one but my friends really like their Glocks (Cops, Sheriff), pricey though.
I really like Heckler and Koch weapons. Had a chance to buy my friends HK93 but he sold it without telling me. I have a Beretta 92f 9mm. I'll probably get a Glock 22 or 23 sometimes this year.
I saw this sweet gun in a mag, can't remember the name but its a revolver that can shoot either .45s or shells from it. Gonna have to find it tonight, I want one.
