Advice for a first gun purchase.

[jrhines]

So a friend wrote me an email asking my advice on a first gun, to wit:

" Do you still think XXX is a good solution for a rarely used gun for home protection? Do you have any advice as to XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX?"

Now, I had recommended a XXXX as a low maintenance, pull the trigger and it goes BANG, solution. But I included my thoughts on guns in the house in general:


Sam - A XXXXXXX would be my choice to start out with. I hope you mean rarely used for defense but often used for practice. I always recommend at least 50 rounds down range each month and 2 or 3 short periods of "dry fire" each month. The safe and effective handling of a pistol is a perishable skill and the time to hone it is NOT when someone is kicking your door in.
Because you have minor kids in the house, you'll want to look for a secure storage safe, but one that gives you rapid access to the LOADED weapon. Again, if a bad guy is caving in your back patio door you don't want to be looking for the safe combination (was that 4 turns right and then 3 to the left, or ...). Both you and your wife should consider taking a basic pistol class (including some range time), and make sure the class covers your states legalities of using deadly force in and on one's own property. As for the kids, 10 or so is a good time to make them firearms aware and that they know how to render the gun safe (magazine out, chamber empty, slide locked back). If they want to learn how to shoot that's a plus, some do, some don't.
Not to be preachy, but bringing a first firearm into the home is a pretty significant step and takes a serious commitment on the part of the adults to make it positive asset and not a horrible mistake.

So, is that to heavy? I'm an FFL and have guns all over. They are simply a constant part of the household my wife and I live in. But I wanted to give him something to mull over and to not take lightly. Your thoughts....

 

[CoRoMo]

Your thoughts....

Shotguns make formidable home protection tools. A fine working 870 can be found used for half the price of a Glock.

 

[walker944]

I agree with CoRoMo!! Especially if it's going to be "rarely used", which reads...not practiced with much at all.

 

[lowerunit411]

i absolutely agree with the shotgun solution.

 

[Ghost Tracker]

IMHO, anyone's FIRST gun, especially when home defense is the priority, should be a long gun. Just as fixed-winged aircraft are easier to learn to fly than are rotor-winged, so rifles & shotguns are easier to learn to use/shoot effectively than are handguns. A youth-sized Remington 870, a Winchester or Marlin lever gun (even in a pistol caliber) would, to me, be a wiser First Gun choice. If there's another unmentioned reason why a handgun better suits this individual, then it's very tough to disagree with the logic of a GLOCK G17.

 

[Gunnerboy]

Ill be the first to say you definately need a Mosin Nagant it dont get much better than a m44 its got a bayonet for close quarters , if you miss shooting if there within 15ft youll burn off every hair on there body with the flame ball and if you do hit em youll need a shovel and a 5gal bucket

 

[Bubbles]

For that customer I would recommend either a 12 ga pump shotgun or a .357 revolver. Both can be loaded up (for defense) or down (for practice) as needed.

 

[bottom shelf]

I think you want our thoughts on your message, not on what they should or shouldn't get, right?

I think your message is spot on. It say's what it needs to say without a lot of fluff and sugar coating. Very good advice, especially training that includes a section of legal use of deadly force. They're lucky to have you. Now, if they'll just listen...

 

[BLB68]

Have them take the firearms training first. Have them shoot a variety of hand guns and long guns in the course of the training or afterwards. Then pick the one they shoot the best with and feel the most comfortable with.

Chances are, regardless of how strongly you emphasize regular practice, they won't do it. So, whatever they shoot best first time out is likely to be what they'll always shoot best. Some guns are better fits for some people than others, and a casual shooter isn't likely to practice enough to adjust to a gun that's not as good of a fit for them.

 

[leadcounsel]

For the uninitiated wanting only home defense, a 12 or 20 gauge shotgun with 00 buckshot is the answer.

If they also wanted a handgun for travel or just because, then a .38 or .357 revolver.

 

[mortablunt]

i absolutely agree with the shotgun solution.

Seconded!
_____
I I think you've just about hit all the bases. +1

 

[Ghost Tracker]

...your thoughts?

bottom shelf, I thought our thoughts was what he wanted.

Do you still think a Glock is a good solution...

No, IMHO, I don't think so, for the reasons I've said. But you may be absolutely right, the OP may have wanted our input only on his "post-purchase" gun advice. If that's the case, I apologize to all for the hijacked "which gun?" tangent.

 

[BLB68]

Edit: This is in response to post 10. A couple other posts slid in between while I was typing.

For the uninitiated, the answer is to get initiated.

Pump shotguns can be short stroked. Double or single barrel shotguns require a lot of practice to reload rapidly. Semi-auto shotguns require knowledge of clearance drills.

Revolvers can be damaged by novice handling habits. Not everyone shoots a revolver as well as they shoot a semi-auto. Double action trigger control takes practice to learn.

Now, I'm not saying there aren't plenty of examples of folks with little or no training successfully defending themselves. There are. But a little basic training goes a long way.

 

[Bubba613]

The shotgun is grossly over-rated as a home defense gun.
My choice would be a used Smith Model 10 in .38spc or something similar.

 

[Ghost Tracker]

BLB68, you respond like nothing ever happens to the autoloading handgun. They get stove-piped & require clearance drills. They require reloading. if the guy gonna' get trained, he can defend his home with any weapon he feels best with. If it's his first (and only) gun then I still think the learning curve is shorter with a long gun.

 

[BLB68]

Ghost Tracker, I don't think I suggested an auto loading handgun over other options.

My first point is that you need to get some training with whatever you shoot, and to emphasize that while some weapons do have shorter learning curves, they still require some learning. My second point is that you need to hit the target. You may only get your first shot after all.

As far as a long gun being easier to learn, I tend to agree, because you have more points of stability with a long gun, etc, etc. But the fact is, some people have a lot harder time shooting a long gun offhand than they do a handgun.

I think there's a lot of merit in your position (or leadcounsel's the post I was originally responding to), and I don't mean to be argumentative. There's certainly nothing wrong with a long gun for home defense, or a revolver. I was just pointing out that at the end of the day, it's good to get the training before making the purchase, and it's got to be up to the shooter. Flat one size fits all statements should, IMO, be examined more closely.

Anyway, I think it's great that the OP is helping bring a new shooter into the fold. That's always a good thing.

 

[hso]

Good advice.

It lean towards suggesting the new shooter find out what fits them and points naturally before even worrying about make/model/caliber when looking for a first handgun. When they ask about a firearm for the home I always tell folks to consider investing in hardening their home against break-in before investing in something to deal with someone having broken in. That's not glamorous, but I'd rather the BG waste their time trying to get in through my $500 worth of security improvements than have to deal with them in my face. After that I suggest the look at handguns, lighter shotguns and light carbines before making up their minds. Unlike cop/combat shows their job is to get the family in a safe place and fort up like the settler instead of trying to be the cavalry and ride out to engage the enemy. More unglamorous advice, but defensively sound.

 

[rcmodel]

If he is going to "rarely shoot" it?

A Glock would be as bad a gun as he could possibly own.

In fact, any gun would be as bad a gun as he cold own.

I'd suggest a Giant Economy size can of Pepper Spray.

At least he won't kill one of his family members when he accidently shoots one of them in the face with it.

rc

 

[BLB68]

Pepper spray backed up by a blunt implement isn't an entirely bad option.

 

[Dr.Mall Ninja]

I agree with RC, if I was going to rely on a weapon to defend me, I would at least need shoot it enough to understand all the functions and be natural with it.

 

[flatlander937]

Are you able to take your friend to the range to experience shooting many different kinds of guns?

That is what really got me into it... and wanting to go back to the range week after week after week.

 

[mortablunt]

^ The report from firing a gun is addictive. You spend $80 on your first rifle, a beaten crappy Mosin. 12 months later, you've spent 1/3 of your total annual income on guns, ammo, mags, accessories, reloading, and ranges. You've gotten tinnitus, you have a THR membership with over 1000 posts, and you've just finished ordering the entire Jeff Cooper book series off of Amazon.com.

 

[flatlander937]

Exactly.

I blame my friend, Ken for diminishing my bank account for my Colt and a 91/30... not to mention all the stuff that I want to buy that my wife doesn't know about

 

[mashaffer]

Glock is a fine weapon but not sure that trigger is the best for this situation. I think a traditional DA revolver would be a better choice for a non-gun-geek (tm) to handle in a stressful situation. Caliber .38spl or .44spl or .32 if physical limitations warrant. Shot guns are great but can be rather unwieldy. Of course a Zulu spear would be quite stealthy and no muzzle blast.

mike

 

[jrhines]

Recast to clarify the question.

I'm sorry if the question I posed seemed to be asking for a recommendation on what type/make/model/caliber gun would be preferred for home defense. What I was asking for were your thoughts on the caveats I mentioned as to the change in a household when a first firearm was added.