looking to buy my first gun!!!! very excited

[Hypnogator]

+1 on the .357 snub.

Fairly easy to shoot with .38 target wadcutters, the .38 shot caps give good snake protection, and as you learn to shoot, you can graduate to full-power .38 Specials, .38 +Ps, and .357 Magnum loads, which stand an excellent chance of quickly stopping all 2-legged varmints, and even a fair chance against the 4-legged variety of the bear persuasion.

 

[magyvor]

Hi Marie.......

Im no expert, but a gun you should consider is a revolver chambered for 32HR MAGNUM. Based on what you wanted, its not too big, has light recoil so its easy to shoot, and holds 6 or 7 rounds. You can even load it to hold a bird shot in the first fired cylinder for snakes, small critters. Its also a decent round for Self Defense.

Thats my suggestion......BUT!!!!!!!!...... Before you buy anything, go to a shooting range and get some instruction. Contact a local Concealed Carry Instructor and take a class, even if you dont plan on using this gun for concealed carry........because this class will inform you as to laws regarding guns in your area, or at the very least give you the resources to find out what you need to know.

Congrats on your future purchse, Im excited for you

 

[Waitone]

Welcome
Advice here is plentiful and inexpensive.
You'll determine the value.

My 2 cents: Take an NRA introductory course before shopping. Take the course then head off to shop. Fact of life--you have to have a base line of knowledge in any subject before you can ask a meaningful question. The NRA basics course is how to get smart quick.

Eye protection is required and so is good ear protection.

Keep us posted on your progress.

 

[mnrivrat]

Hi Marie - Welcome !

You will soon notice that there will be no clear - this is the gun - concensus amount the members here. You will have to sort through the idea's and come to something that fits your needs.

The recommendation to handle a number of guns to see what fits comfortable in your hands I think is a good one.

I will also recommend a revolver rather than an auto . I will also go along with anything from a .22 LR to a 38 Spl . (or .357 with plans to shoot 38 Spl at least at first). The already mentioned .32 H&R magnum is also something I recommend as you can shoot 32 shorts, 32 longs as well as the .32 magnums. That gives you a range of soft to moderate recoil in a fairly light gun.

A J-frame size revolver and maybe even an airweight J-frame size revolver should be light to carry, fit well in a smaller hand, and will still be pleasant to shoot if in a smaller caliber, or you shoot lighter loads.

But it all depends on what feels right for you - good luck , and once again - Welcome !

 

[middy]

Secondly "showing a gun to an attacker" is another DUMB idea

Horsefeathers.

Most (90%) encounters involving criminals and armed citizens are resolved without a shot being fired. The citizen pulls out the gun, the bad guy goes away. This is a perfectly acceptable outcome, and much less complicated than shooting someone and the legal entanglements that follow.

Of course, one can't count on the bad guy being scared away. One must be prepared to shoot, and keep shooting until the threat is stopped.

 

[hso]

Even though I'm a semiauto person I'll support the .357 revolver consensus.
I would advise a 4 in instead of a snub for a backpacking gun.

 

[LawDog]

Dear Marie,

You state that the pistol will be used to shoot snakes and "anything that might attack your dogs." Can we get an idea of what might consider your dogs fair game?

'Possums? Coyotes? Bears?

'Possums and coyotes would be easily handled with a .32 magnum. Javelinas, you might want to upgrade to a .357 or maybe a .41. Bears...umm.

Are you located in a very rural area, or is it more urban? Rural, you can carry a pistol with a longer barrel, giving you more accuracy, lower perceived recoil and less muzzle blast. Urban, you'd probably want to stick with a snub or a compact pistol, giving you more muzzle blast and less practical accuracy.

United States, or elsewhere? In the U.S., we can give you an idea about the laws regarding pistol carry in your area, and an idea of might you might be faced with on your hikes. Overseas, it may be more than a bit difficult to get a pistol, and would definently limit what you would be able to purchase.

Have you ever handled or fired a pistol before? If so, what type, and did you feel comfortable with it? If you've been shooting your fathers M1911 or S&W 629 and feel comfortable with it, then that changes things a bit vs. if you've only ever fired a Ruger Mark II, or have never fired a pistol before.

LawDog

 

[loose cannon]

im gonna advise against the 32mag due to ammo availability,a 38 or a 357 would be much better.practice ammo is alot cheeper and across the board the ammo is far easier to find.

if you carry a large purse and open carry in the woods is legal in your location a 4"barrel is good.a 3"barrel is ideal for a all purpose ccw/home defense gun.except as a last resort stay away from 2"bbls they are far more difficult to shoot well.

some ideas,ruger gp100 3"357mag 6shot.s&w mod 60 357mag 3"bbl 5shot.these should run less than $500 brand new.speedloaders are available for all of these or you can use the flat easy carrying bianchi speed strips for extra ammo carry.

 

[akodo]

Marie:

Couple of DANGEROUS suggestions here:banghead:
First of all if lost you dont fire 3 times in the air what goes up must come down just fire into a dirt hill or a dead log or something will do fine.

yup, i'll admit shooting in the air will result in the bullet comming down, hence firing for noise is best done into the ground.

Secondly "showing a gun to an attacker" is another DUMB idea:banghead: . If you reach the point where Deadly Force is justified (Study your State Law) Pull the gun and double tap two shots into the center of your attackers chest if he or she is still standing after that shoot them with a well placed shot to the head.

None of that OH LOOK AT MY GUN AND RUN CRAP:banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

However, I am sticking with my point here.

Most common use of guns in self defense is simply to brandish them. What's that relatively recent study that HCI conducted then tried to supress? Something like 2 million incidents of people using a firearm without firing it to drive off criminals. Most criminals don't want to mess with armed people. Also a brandished gun is a lot different than using deadly force. Hell, what's the ratio to a police officer's # of times a gun is drawn and aimed at a suspect vs actually making the decision to pull the trigger?

Now, i am not advocating running around with an unloaded gun, nor am i arguing for 'warning shots' or such nonsense.

Maybe i am misreading your message but it sounds like you are saying "Oh i am in trouble! I reach for my gun, the guy sees it and begins to retreat, well, I might as well shoot him because I already have my gun out!"

 

[Aguila Blanca]

Good advice, but let me add my thoughts to the mix anyway.

First, of course, I absolutely agree that you need to investigate the legal issues. In the wrong state, carrying a firearm on a hike could be a felony, and that could haunt you for the rest of your life. I'm hoping you live in a free state and not in California or Massachusetts.

As to what to buy: It sounds like you are not accustomed to firearms, and therefore I agree with those who suggested revolvers rather than semi-automatics. Revolvers seldom jam, and if there is a mis-fire you just pull the trigger and it moves on to the next cartridge. Some semi-automatics won't try again unless you manually cock the hammer, and those that will try again are trying to fire the same round that didn't fire the first time. If the problem is a dud cartridge, obviously that isn't likely to succeed.

So ... buy a revolver. Any gun is better than no gun, but 35 years or so ago when visiting a cousin in Arizona who (at that time) owned a gun shop, I recall my cousin telling me that he would not allow his wife to carry anything smaller than .38 Special, because nothing smaller was likely to deter an assailant. So unless there's no choice, you should probably avoid the "mouse caliber" guns. .32 Magnum is okay, but .38 Special is a tried-and-true cartridge that provides reasonable stopping power without excessive recoil.

Smith & Wesson makes a pistol designed for women. It's called (cleverly) the LadySmith. That's what I suggest you look at.

Best of luck with whatever you choose. Once you have it ... practice. Shooting a handgun is, for most people, not instinctive. Even police officers miss an astonishingly high percentage of their shots, so it is important to shoot enough that you feel comfortable with your gun and that you can actually hit an assailant before he gets so close that it's too late.

 

[GoBrush]

Horsefeathers.

Most (90%) encounters involving criminals and armed citizens are resolved without a shot being fired. The citizen pulls out the gun, the bad guy goes away. This is a perfectly acceptable outcome, and much less complicated than shooting someone and the legal entanglements that follow.

middy:

I dont disagree with the numbers you have shared I was just trying to make the point that you do not simply show your gun hoping to scare some one off if you are not justified to use deadly force and "Show your gun" you may be faced with brandishing charges. Bottom line if you are not justified in using deadly force do not "Show your gun" You are right however that many encounters are resolved this way and it would be a beter out come. One last point the hesitation between showing your gun and firing your first shot may get you killed!

 

[LIYAH]

THANK YOU

WOW!! thank you all so very much this is truely awesome. Ok i guess i did not give enough info ( i didn't realize the large response!!)
1- I just turned 30
2- I live in Phoenix, AZ
3- I will be hiking in state and national parks
4- I have large dogs ( a pointer and a mutt) besides snakes we have coyotes, havelina, they farther north i head the bigger the animal could be..
5- no purse involved i would carry either on my hip or in my hydrapac


~Marie

 

[mnrivrat]

Well there's good news and bad news !

The bad news is I'm too old , too fat , and too far away to join you for a hike.

The good news is that AZ is an open carry state so if you keep a firearm in view on your hip there will be no legal problem . You will have to check on carry within the parks however. I don't think it is allowed in the national parks, and not sure about state parks. BLM land should be OK and not a problem.

Havelina can be some nasty little critters and here is where I think your need for power is above the .22 RF cartridges. Therefore I recommend a 357 mag revolver. You can shoot 38 Spl's in it , but will also have the cabapility of working up to the magnum loads. There is a wide range of 357 wheel guns available from Ruger, Smith, and Taurus. There will be a trade off to decide how light of a gun VS recoil . I think you should be able to handle about anything you make up your mind to use. Ruger SP 100 ? pops to mind as something to take a close look at.

The first round or two could be shot loads for snakes, and the rest for bigger critters.

 

[BothellBob]

Firearm education is never wasted time. Advice to sign up for one of the NRA classes is very hard to argue against. You live in Arizona, so if you decide to get a CCW you will need the course anyway. Trying a number of handguns is another activity that is never a waste of time. Finding a range in the Phoenix area that rents guns should not be a problem, but can get mildly expensive if you want to try a lot of them (you can NEVER try too many guns, even after you own so many that you have lost count). Put out the word to your friends, co-workers, neighbors (you live in one of the most gun friendly parts of the nation). I suspect you will be amazed at who offers to take you shooting, and from people who have more handguns than you can reasonably try in an afternoon. (There are lots of us around who keep a very low profile.)

And...even though you want a handgun (and for very good reason), start your training with a 22 rifle, then go to a 22 pistol/revolver, and work yourself up to the larger calibers.
-BothellBob

 

[f4t9r]

Marie:

Lots of good info above. I agree that a 38 special revolver is a good choice unless you are willing to hit the range once a month then I would move you to a 9mm. If you want to start with a 22LR then I would recommend a Browning Buck Mark you simply cant beat them.

Here is something else to think about. I think your Dad must be a smart man recommending that you carry a gun to protect yourself while in the back country. I do the same but I think it is even more important to protect yourself in the urban area's as well. More thugs, rapists, robbers, murderers etc.

Listen to advice above and KNOW THE LAW!

Good luck and spread the 2nd amendment word expose others to safe and responsible gun ownership.

I agree try a 38 in 4" so you do not miss one of those snakes

 

[GoBrush]

Marie:

You are probably tired of all this advice but it is a very interesting thread and 99.9999% of all gun owners love to help new people in the sport as long as they are safe and willing to learn.

I am sticking to my guns here go with the 357 revolver but shoot 38's to begin with you are a full grown up and should easily be able to start with 38's no problem just get good instruction.

I realize lots of people like snake shot for snakes but you should be able to get good enough to step back and still hit a snake with regular ammo. I just dont like the thought of my first shot being snake shot if serious danger needs to be dealt with. You can always walk around a snake but might not be able to avoid a havelina I vote for sticking with regular ammo and recommed that you carry Got Dot for your regular carry ammo.

Good Luck

 

[mnrivrat]

I realize lots of people like snake shot for snakes but you should be able to get good enough to step back and still hit a snake with regular ammo.

My thought :

If you have the time to safely step away then you don't need either shot or slug . I been close enough to feel I had to shoot rather than move and believe me when I say that you don't want to depend on being that accurate . Now that's just my opinion from the two or three encounters I have had . Getting a quick kill shot with a single slug means head shot to me, and that head ain't standing still !

I've also encountered more snakes at close distance than I have Havelina and feel that second cylinder with a slug can come up right quick if need be. Again - just my opinion.

 

[1911Ron]

Howdy and welcome Marie, You have gotten some good advice so far so i'm going to give some different advice, go to Shooters World and rent some different types of pistols.
When you have found one you like,go over to GunsPlus in Surprise and talk to Ken(the owner)or Kelly(his wife) and they will hook you up on a gun and a basic pistol class. My wife and two boys went thru this class and really enjoyed it.
Shooters World if you didn't know is south of IndianSchool on 28th ave GunsPlus is north of Grand ave on Dysart on the right hand side(east side). PM me if you have any questions or go shooting with me and my family

 

[22-rimfire]

Thoughtful advice so far, I think. My recommendations fall into two groups (357/38spl or 22 LR), both with revolvers for their simplicity of operation and safety. I would suggest you go to a nice gun shop and look at revolvers manufactured by Ruger (SP101 and GP100 models), and Smith & Wesson (J-Frame) in 357 mag or 38spl+P. I would shoot 38spl's through whatever revolver you buy whether it be rated 357 or 38spl. The 357 just gives you more flexibility in ammunition, but at a price of an increase in the overall bulk and weight of the firearm. Your choice will be to buy something that is small (with short barrel) that is concealable or buy a larger gun with a 4" barrel that is less concealable but easier to shoot accurately.

The 22LR revolver makes a very suitable gun to carry in the woods for general purposes. You aren't going to kill a bear with it, but it is great for snakes, target practice, or just plinking. I would suggest you look at the Smith & Wesson line of 22 revolvers and get something with a 4" barrel. There are lots of very fine used 22 revolvers. I lean toward Colts and Smith & Wessons for overall reliability and fit.

No one gun provides for every possibility. If ultimate flexibility is your purpose, I would lean toward a 357 mag revolver and then shoot mostly 38spl ammunition through it. But it gives you the ability to shoot the higher powered 357 loads which have a fair amount of recoil. Smaller the gun, the more recoil.

I believe that you will discover that you are not "legally" allowed to carry a gun in National Parks even in a backpack. Many hikers do for protection, but they keep a low profile and have the guns in their backpacks concealed. Concealed means illegal unless you have a concealed carry permit; but guns are still illegal in National Parks regardless of a carry permit.

 

[CatsDieNow]

Well, I am young and female. I can tell you how I got started - all this took place over about three years:

1. Trusted friends of mine from college (who are coiencidently members of this board) took me with them to the shooting range.
2. I declared the .22 target pistol "mine" after shooting it for a couple hours.
3. Actual owner of said pistol suggested I buy my own - which I did several weeks later. I was not interested in carrying a gun at this time.
4. Eventually, while living alone in a new state, I bought my first 9mm pistol and took the concealed carry class (from a member of this board).

I suggest you take an NRA beginner class first, find a range that rents guns next, then take a concealed carry class (if AZ requires one).

As for the guns, I am a big fan of Kahr. More expensive than others suggested above, but it is a very solid little gun. The link is for a PM9, which is a lighter polymer frame. I have an MK9 which is the same size, but a steel frame. Kahr makes full size ones as well. I have little hands and Glocks and others just don't fit me - the Kel-tecs always felt like cheap toys. I personally never cared much for revolvers, but they are good guns too.

Besides, Kahrs are just good looking. We girls must have cute guns, right?

 

[middy]

I prescribe a Ruger SP101 in .357 mag with a 3 1/16" barrel.

It's small enough to conceal, yet heavy enough that you should be able to shoot magnum rounds in relative comfort, and the 3"+ barrel will wring a few more fps out of your loads.

Also take a look at the 4" GP100, the extra round and extra barrel length are worth it if it's not too big for you.

 

[hso]

Marie,

Thanks for providing additional information.

As to National Parks, you can't carry a firearm. Get a BIG bear sized pepper spray and a stout staff if you want to comply with the legal restrictions.

I can't speak to AZ state parks rirearm carry.

You don't need to shoot a snake if you're not paralyzed. Just walk away. I've encountered plenty of rattle snakes while hiking and never needed to kill one to avoid being bitten.

If you're going to carry hiking, carry in the open and don't stuff it into your pack. If you need to use the gun, you don't want to be fumbling around in your pack for it.

 

[beaucoup ammo]

Marie

Not having read the entire thread, I don't know if this suggestion has been offerd up: Get a .357 revolver (perhaps a "Lady Smith"?) and load it with .38 Caliber rounds.

Arrange the sequence so the first round fired is "Snake Shot"..(addressing the maim, hurt request) with subsequent rounds being 38 Special +P 125 Gr. Semi-Jacketed Hollowpoints.

Enjoy the great outdoors with your K-9 pal AND the added peace of mind a concealed weapon affords you!

Above all, check your state's CCW laws before heading out armed.

Take Care

 

[Ichiro]

Here's one more vote for an all-steel, SA/DA .357 mag revolver for the simplicity and the versatility.

Ruger SP-101 or GP-100.

~Ichiro

 

[JamisJockey]

I'm another one for a .357mag revolver. You can feed it .38 spcl ammo if you don't like the recoil.
Go to the gunshop and handle as many as possible. See what you like, whats comfortable, and then get some training.