Newbie here, looking for some advice! :-)

[1911JMB]

A 12 gauge is roughly 10 times more powerful than a handgun. Bar none, 12 gauges are the most powerful practical up close firearms. Living in the PRK, you couldn't carry a pistol anyway, so for home defense, I'm a +1 on getting a 12 gauge.

 

[TheSaint]

Perhaps I've been watching too many movies out of Hollywood over the years, but from the voices here it sounds like a shotgun isn't as hard to handle as I've imagined. Maybe the size/handling in my mind is playing tricks on me.

That means getting them together, behind you, with you covering the door waiting for the police, not sneaking around the house like some sort of wannabe ninja.

Point taken and remembered. I don't have a martyr's complex, nor that of a vigilante. God willing, you'll never see me on the news as 'another crazy gun owner' that the media likes to lambaste.

All of the gun owners that I've known throughout my 23 years have been ultra critical (and rightly so!) of people employing the use of guns in a careless manner. Not following safety rules or letting your ego get the best of you gives the rest of the community a bad name.

I'll try and live up to the code. There's much more reading to do it appears.

 

[Browns Fan]

I am suprised this thread has gotten this far before someone mentions the 4 gun safety rules!

1. Always treat a gun like its loaded. Almost every time an accidental discharge (AD) occurs, the response is, "I thought it was empty!"

2. Dont point the gun at anything you dont want to destroy/kill.

3. Always be sure of your target and what's behind your target. Bottom line- know where that bullet is going to stop.

4. Keep your finger off of the trigger until your sights are on target and you are ready to shoot. Another response to an AD is the gun just went off. WRONG! The gun went off because your finger was on the trigger. This is perhaps the most violated rule by noobies, because it is just a natural thing to put your finger on the trigger when you pick up a gun. Dont do it! Practice placing your finger along side of the frame of the gun.

 

[Eleven Mike]

Perhaps I've been watching too many movies out of Hollywood over the years, but from the voices here it sounds like a shotgun isn't as hard to handle as I've imagined. Maybe the size/handling in my mind is playing tricks on me.

A combat shotgun usually has a short barrel, 18 - 20 inches, so it's probably shorter than the guns your buddies are into - about forty inches, overall. It might feel clumsy at first, but you may get used to it.

Try as many guns as you can, and buy whatever appeals to you. Being confident in your ability to wield the weapon is pretty important by itself. It's also important to get something that you will want to shoot often, so that you will get better at shooting and so that handling and operating it become second nature.