Ahhh, the joys of being single and obnoxious...
*at the top of my lungs*
Here comes the bride!!!! Alll...
I really want one of those "I know I did something, but I'm trying to look innocent" smilies. I'd get a lot of miles out of that one...
But seriously you two. Congratulations on your engagement. Several people I know have gotten married recently so I've had the pleasure of seeing the blessings of marriage from fairly close. I hope God blesses your marriage as you get to know each other and start out on a life together.
Now, to keep this gun/knife related. Some thoughts.
Guns: There are several types of guns everyone should have. This varies with the person. I personally figure
A CCW gun (carry, duh): Glock, SIG, 1911
A .22 pistol (cheap fun): Browning Buckmark, Ruger
A good shotgun (clays, birds, home defense): Remington 870, Mossberg, Benelli
An evil black rifle (FUN, and pisses off the antis): AR15
A bolt action rifle (hunting): Remington 700 (.308 works awful well)
A good revolver and an American classic, a 1911, aren't bad categories either. So, you might want to look at what niches you'd like to fill and start with that. The CCW gun is probably a practical start, while if you don't hunt the bolt-action might not be.
For CCW, I love Glocks. Not pricey, light, simple. My Glock 23 is my magic sword. It's with me almost all the time. You shouldn't have much trouble concealing it. I always carry in an OWB Fobus paddle holster under a T-shirt with no trouble. I'm skinny, so I have lots of empty space to conceal in.
Swords: Collecting swords is a sophisticated hobby. Sort of like fine wines. And it's fun. It's even more fun if you have some expereince with swords. I appreciate my katana-style sword even more since I'm a kumdo student (like kendo, except Korean) and actually know how to use it. If you go the sword road, you might enjoy trying to find a local kendo schol or something to give you a little practical experience.
Knives: *looks at length of post*
I'll keep it short. BENCHMADE. Just buy them. You'll thank me later. Quality, sharp, lifetime warranty, dead sexy. If you want a serious critique pull up whatever the latest "What knife should I get?" post in Non-firearms is and read my reply. Stryker, Ares, AFCK are favorites, but they're all good.
For fixed blade, Ka-Bar is a quality classic. SOG makes excellent knives, but they are more expensive.
Knifecenter.com has good prices on everything.
Hope I gave you a few good thoughts. Knives are a very practical, every day place to start. And they are cheaper. But since you only get married once, milk this and get some guns out of it. God bless.
