Okay, I was thinking about this the other day.
We frequently see threads here, and I see them often on other boards I visit where firearms are more of a cross interst and not always the central topic, of "Thinking of buying my first gun" We also occasionally have topics taht involve "gave my grandnephew a sweet 20 guage LC smith shoots like a dream, wonderful gun, had it for 45 years...but he sold it for a glock!"
Of course, the first criteria for 'Thinking of buying my first gun' generally is 'what is this gun for?' as obviously 'getting into target shooting' 'deer hunting next fall' 'duck hunting' 'concealed carry' and 'home defense' or what have you all fall into very different catagories of arms needed.
Frequently, we see .22LR suggested as a first gun. Now, as a tool to learn to shoot, and especially as a tool to learn to shoot better/well, the .22 has no peer. For general learning to shoot, the lack of recoil is great, but really, not absolutely necessary. You can learn to shoot on a lot of different guns with more recoil, as long as it isn't too much. For the second, where the .22 shines is the cost of ammo.
However, I don't think this makes it an ideal first gun. It makes it an ideal 'training gun' and the two are actually quite seperate.
See, frequently the 'first gun' is required to fill a lot of rolls. Introductory firearm, fun to shoot at the range firearm, and home defense/self defense firearm. Because first gun, at least for a while is also your 'ONLY' gun.
And we all know 'If you could ONLY have ONE gun' threads have very different choices listed in them than 'I want to buy my FIRST gun'
I often think people who talk about 'Buy a firearm just for fun, learn to shoot, go to the range etc' are also in the back of their minds, also thinking 'and at least half way decent at stopping a goblin, if needed'
Truth is, that glock, makarov, used 38 revolver, 243 deer rifle, 12 guage 870 with a 26 barrel, Mosin-nagant, or whatever are not the BEST gun for taking out a goblin if needed, they will all do pretty well in a pinch, much better than a .22LR will.
I think that we need to both recongize and nurture the concept of having around a gun that can and will stop a goblin if necessary, even if a person chooses to not have a dedicated self defense gun. Still having that thought in the back of your head that should katrina 2 hit, you can slide a pair of 00buck into your over/under skeet gun and stop an intruder, that is a good thought.
Really, if someone wants to buy a makarov, glock, ruger, or some other inexpensive handgun, and goes to the range 4 times to learn more about shooting, great. If at that point they want to do more, well fine! time for a .22 trainer! If not, having a handgun or rifle or shotgun is in general a good idea, and buying a box or two of ammo and heading to the range once or twice a year is a lot better than many gunowers can do. And at that rate of ammo consumption, no, it probably isn't worth getting a .22 for 'cost savings'
This also feeds into people who give a teenaged relative or friend a cherished or special gun. For starters, if you want this person, be it son, grandson, nephew. grandneice. or whatever, to cherish this gun for what it is (heirloom, or simply a wonderful peice of firearms history, or a beautifully appropriate gun for one specific sport...ala a beautifully balanced soft recoiling birdgun) If you are going to be giving him your 28 guage double barreled dove gun, or your 25-20 marlin breakdown, or the luger gramps took from a german officer in 'the big one' you cannot expect them to value it highly if you have not taught them what it is or what it was. If you want that grandniece to appreciate that dove gun, you better bring em onto the dove fields with you. If you want that son to appreciate the soft kick of the 25-20 and the joy of seeing targets knocked down, better bring him out to the gravel pits, and not just once or twice. However, when it is all said and done, most people, for their first gun (especially males in their late teens early twenties) will still consiously or subconsiously desire somethign that will be at least a relatively effective goblin stopoper. Further, in the end, after exposing them to firearms, they may not choose your exact path of love. Maybe you love precision long range shooting, but they end up liking busting clays. Maybe you love history, but they want ISPC. And it really doesn't matter that there are a finite number of collector grade single action revolvers in this world, while companies will be making new ISPC guns for quite some time. Especially when you are 18.
You should know them, and know this. If the person is desiring to get into ISPC and you give them a colt single action revolver, extremely desireable to a collector, don't be suprised if they sell it and use it to buy a tricked out 1911 and a pile of accessories. A guns value is really determined by what only a tiny subsection of the population views it as worth.
Also, keep in mind this propensity for someone to view his first and ONLY gun, at least partally, in terms of self defense. Keep this in mind.
What that means, is if I want to pass an LC smith 16 guage to my nephew, who has been out shooting once or twice, enjoys skateboards, blockbuster movies, ipods, cellphones, videogames, and cute girls, he probably won't appreciate it, at least not for a few years to come. I would probably be better going down to wallyworld, getting a synthetic 870 12 or 20, combo package (26-28 bird barrel, shorter iron sighted slug barrel) which is really a much more generalized weapon, which can appeal to his desire for home defense, is a great starting platform to make into something much more tactical for either tactical type competitinos, or because videogames makes it seem cool, and is a great duck and pheasant and gobbler gun. Later on, if he takes up skeet, birdhunting, or whatnot, I'd give it to him. If he goes into 3 gun matches, I'd probably look for another candidate for a 16 guage, or wait until he is 30 and explain that I want him to have it to pass onto another, even if it isn't his cup of tea.
I know from personal experience, I inherited a winchester model 52 with a bull barrel, beautiful gun, irreplacable really. However, I already had access to two different bolt action .22LR, and had a 10/22 of my own. In my youth and ignorance, it had no real value to me. Once I found out it was worth about as much as a brand new centerfire rifle (I grew up in .22LR rifle plus 12 guage shotgun, and that's about it area, so a centerfire rifle was something that was new and exciting...plus if I ever moved out, would I want just some old 22 bolt if some goblin was pounding on the door and screaming?)
Luckily as I was well under 18 my parents didn't let me sell it, and between 18 and 21 I was either living at home or at a college dorm, and at 21 I had enough money to buy a used taurus 357 revolver soon after moving into an apartment...so I didn't part with that sweet old gun in my hasty youth. And now that I am over 30 I can truely appreciate that gun for what it is.
so I guess after this rambling story my points are when you are dealing with a first and only gun, understand that not all cards may be on the table, they may hesitate to name self defense as a critera. Sometimes we must protect both ourselves and our loved ones from the silly decisions all young adults are prone to make, and we also have to remember that people don't all value the same things we do. Rather than look at it abstractly 'what is the best possible gun for condition X Y and Z' we are much better off knowing who that person really is and what they value.
We frequently see threads here, and I see them often on other boards I visit where firearms are more of a cross interst and not always the central topic, of "Thinking of buying my first gun" We also occasionally have topics taht involve "gave my grandnephew a sweet 20 guage LC smith shoots like a dream, wonderful gun, had it for 45 years...but he sold it for a glock!"
Of course, the first criteria for 'Thinking of buying my first gun' generally is 'what is this gun for?' as obviously 'getting into target shooting' 'deer hunting next fall' 'duck hunting' 'concealed carry' and 'home defense' or what have you all fall into very different catagories of arms needed.
Frequently, we see .22LR suggested as a first gun. Now, as a tool to learn to shoot, and especially as a tool to learn to shoot better/well, the .22 has no peer. For general learning to shoot, the lack of recoil is great, but really, not absolutely necessary. You can learn to shoot on a lot of different guns with more recoil, as long as it isn't too much. For the second, where the .22 shines is the cost of ammo.
However, I don't think this makes it an ideal first gun. It makes it an ideal 'training gun' and the two are actually quite seperate.
See, frequently the 'first gun' is required to fill a lot of rolls. Introductory firearm, fun to shoot at the range firearm, and home defense/self defense firearm. Because first gun, at least for a while is also your 'ONLY' gun.
And we all know 'If you could ONLY have ONE gun' threads have very different choices listed in them than 'I want to buy my FIRST gun'
I often think people who talk about 'Buy a firearm just for fun, learn to shoot, go to the range etc' are also in the back of their minds, also thinking 'and at least half way decent at stopping a goblin, if needed'
Truth is, that glock, makarov, used 38 revolver, 243 deer rifle, 12 guage 870 with a 26 barrel, Mosin-nagant, or whatever are not the BEST gun for taking out a goblin if needed, they will all do pretty well in a pinch, much better than a .22LR will.
I think that we need to both recongize and nurture the concept of having around a gun that can and will stop a goblin if necessary, even if a person chooses to not have a dedicated self defense gun. Still having that thought in the back of your head that should katrina 2 hit, you can slide a pair of 00buck into your over/under skeet gun and stop an intruder, that is a good thought.
Really, if someone wants to buy a makarov, glock, ruger, or some other inexpensive handgun, and goes to the range 4 times to learn more about shooting, great. If at that point they want to do more, well fine! time for a .22 trainer! If not, having a handgun or rifle or shotgun is in general a good idea, and buying a box or two of ammo and heading to the range once or twice a year is a lot better than many gunowers can do. And at that rate of ammo consumption, no, it probably isn't worth getting a .22 for 'cost savings'
This also feeds into people who give a teenaged relative or friend a cherished or special gun. For starters, if you want this person, be it son, grandson, nephew. grandneice. or whatever, to cherish this gun for what it is (heirloom, or simply a wonderful peice of firearms history, or a beautifully appropriate gun for one specific sport...ala a beautifully balanced soft recoiling birdgun) If you are going to be giving him your 28 guage double barreled dove gun, or your 25-20 marlin breakdown, or the luger gramps took from a german officer in 'the big one' you cannot expect them to value it highly if you have not taught them what it is or what it was. If you want that grandniece to appreciate that dove gun, you better bring em onto the dove fields with you. If you want that son to appreciate the soft kick of the 25-20 and the joy of seeing targets knocked down, better bring him out to the gravel pits, and not just once or twice. However, when it is all said and done, most people, for their first gun (especially males in their late teens early twenties) will still consiously or subconsiously desire somethign that will be at least a relatively effective goblin stopoper. Further, in the end, after exposing them to firearms, they may not choose your exact path of love. Maybe you love precision long range shooting, but they end up liking busting clays. Maybe you love history, but they want ISPC. And it really doesn't matter that there are a finite number of collector grade single action revolvers in this world, while companies will be making new ISPC guns for quite some time. Especially when you are 18.
You should know them, and know this. If the person is desiring to get into ISPC and you give them a colt single action revolver, extremely desireable to a collector, don't be suprised if they sell it and use it to buy a tricked out 1911 and a pile of accessories. A guns value is really determined by what only a tiny subsection of the population views it as worth.
Also, keep in mind this propensity for someone to view his first and ONLY gun, at least partally, in terms of self defense. Keep this in mind.
What that means, is if I want to pass an LC smith 16 guage to my nephew, who has been out shooting once or twice, enjoys skateboards, blockbuster movies, ipods, cellphones, videogames, and cute girls, he probably won't appreciate it, at least not for a few years to come. I would probably be better going down to wallyworld, getting a synthetic 870 12 or 20, combo package (26-28 bird barrel, shorter iron sighted slug barrel) which is really a much more generalized weapon, which can appeal to his desire for home defense, is a great starting platform to make into something much more tactical for either tactical type competitinos, or because videogames makes it seem cool, and is a great duck and pheasant and gobbler gun. Later on, if he takes up skeet, birdhunting, or whatnot, I'd give it to him. If he goes into 3 gun matches, I'd probably look for another candidate for a 16 guage, or wait until he is 30 and explain that I want him to have it to pass onto another, even if it isn't his cup of tea.
I know from personal experience, I inherited a winchester model 52 with a bull barrel, beautiful gun, irreplacable really. However, I already had access to two different bolt action .22LR, and had a 10/22 of my own. In my youth and ignorance, it had no real value to me. Once I found out it was worth about as much as a brand new centerfire rifle (I grew up in .22LR rifle plus 12 guage shotgun, and that's about it area, so a centerfire rifle was something that was new and exciting...plus if I ever moved out, would I want just some old 22 bolt if some goblin was pounding on the door and screaming?)
Luckily as I was well under 18 my parents didn't let me sell it, and between 18 and 21 I was either living at home or at a college dorm, and at 21 I had enough money to buy a used taurus 357 revolver soon after moving into an apartment...so I didn't part with that sweet old gun in my hasty youth. And now that I am over 30 I can truely appreciate that gun for what it is.
so I guess after this rambling story my points are when you are dealing with a first and only gun, understand that not all cards may be on the table, they may hesitate to name self defense as a critera. Sometimes we must protect both ourselves and our loved ones from the silly decisions all young adults are prone to make, and we also have to remember that people don't all value the same things we do. Rather than look at it abstractly 'what is the best possible gun for condition X Y and Z' we are much better off knowing who that person really is and what they value.
