Hey guys!
I'm finally getting to the point in my life where I can fulfill my life long dream, owning a firearm. I've been window shopping for years now but now I feel ready to actually start seriously considering options and as ready as I thought I was I'm now drowning in a sea of options. I've narrowed it down to three options but I cannot find a forum where the three options were discussed in reference to my situation.
I'm looking for something specifically for home defense. I'm a poor college kid so my options are fairly constrained by a lack of funds. I've decided to build up a budget of 1000$ and for that I'd like...
The gun, obviously
A cleaning kit
Hearing protection, not gonna skimp here
50 rounds of premium top notch brand name defense load ammo.
3 magazines (2 for training, 1 painted red and only loaded for defense)
Whatever is left over worth of junk training rounds (Tula, Wolf, etc.)
Mounted flashlight? (The gamer in me is worried about telegraphing my position)
Here's some things I'm not looking for.
A hunting gun - I don't like nature and it doesn't like me
A concealed carry gun - I don't leave home often but when I do the places I go frown upon CC
A competition gun - I'm engaging targets at 20 feet at the most. I don't need to pay 100$ for a the ability to aim a .01 inch closer to center of mass
A 22lr gun - I understand that many people preach that 22lr is THE first gun for anyone but I don't want to take chances, I don't want to assume an intruder's state of mind, I want him physically out of the fight. I don't want to compromise my budget on training.
A revolver - I don't want a magnum round and the auto loaders I've selected shouldn't leave anything to be desired in terms of reliability. Ammo count and rapid reloading is probably worth the money.
Anything overly idiot-proof - While simplicity is a virtue in a defensive gun I don't need anything that compromises performance for people who aren't going to give their gun the time, attention, and training it deserves.
Here are some of the options I've considered.
Mossberg 500/Remington 870 (depending on what I can find for cheaper)
The pump action shotgun is probably the king of self defense guns, but
does it live up to it's reputation? Looking at 12 gauge models, I live in
Minnesota so I think the popular deer cartridge will be much easier to find.
Glock 19/Beretta 92FS (Depending on what fits my grip better)
A 9mm pistol is another very popular defensive weapon and one that
generally caters only to two legged threats. Ammo is cheap and easily
found and the pistols in 9mm typically have larger magazine capacities
as well as manageable recoil so I'm mainly looking at something in that
caliber but I am asking for advice so it's not a set in stone decision.
An AKM variant (possibly polish)
This choice worries me that I'm letting apocalypse fiction corrupt the
purity of my decision, not to mention my love of cold war history. Still
30 rounds of 7.62 and legendary reliability isn't bad, right?
So there's my situation, I hope you can offer some great insight and since this is my first post on THR I hope we can all have some fun!
I'm finally getting to the point in my life where I can fulfill my life long dream, owning a firearm. I've been window shopping for years now but now I feel ready to actually start seriously considering options and as ready as I thought I was I'm now drowning in a sea of options. I've narrowed it down to three options but I cannot find a forum where the three options were discussed in reference to my situation.
I'm looking for something specifically for home defense. I'm a poor college kid so my options are fairly constrained by a lack of funds. I've decided to build up a budget of 1000$ and for that I'd like...
The gun, obviously
A cleaning kit
Hearing protection, not gonna skimp here
50 rounds of premium top notch brand name defense load ammo.
3 magazines (2 for training, 1 painted red and only loaded for defense)
Whatever is left over worth of junk training rounds (Tula, Wolf, etc.)
Mounted flashlight? (The gamer in me is worried about telegraphing my position)
Here's some things I'm not looking for.
A hunting gun - I don't like nature and it doesn't like me
A concealed carry gun - I don't leave home often but when I do the places I go frown upon CC
A competition gun - I'm engaging targets at 20 feet at the most. I don't need to pay 100$ for a the ability to aim a .01 inch closer to center of mass
A 22lr gun - I understand that many people preach that 22lr is THE first gun for anyone but I don't want to take chances, I don't want to assume an intruder's state of mind, I want him physically out of the fight. I don't want to compromise my budget on training.
A revolver - I don't want a magnum round and the auto loaders I've selected shouldn't leave anything to be desired in terms of reliability. Ammo count and rapid reloading is probably worth the money.
Anything overly idiot-proof - While simplicity is a virtue in a defensive gun I don't need anything that compromises performance for people who aren't going to give their gun the time, attention, and training it deserves.
Here are some of the options I've considered.
Mossberg 500/Remington 870 (depending on what I can find for cheaper)
The pump action shotgun is probably the king of self defense guns, but
does it live up to it's reputation? Looking at 12 gauge models, I live in
Minnesota so I think the popular deer cartridge will be much easier to find.
Glock 19/Beretta 92FS (Depending on what fits my grip better)
A 9mm pistol is another very popular defensive weapon and one that
generally caters only to two legged threats. Ammo is cheap and easily
found and the pistols in 9mm typically have larger magazine capacities
as well as manageable recoil so I'm mainly looking at something in that
caliber but I am asking for advice so it's not a set in stone decision.
An AKM variant (possibly polish)
This choice worries me that I'm letting apocalypse fiction corrupt the
purity of my decision, not to mention my love of cold war history. Still
30 rounds of 7.62 and legendary reliability isn't bad, right?
So there's my situation, I hope you can offer some great insight and since this is my first post on THR I hope we can all have some fun!