I bought my first gun

[Scythian]

I finally broke down and purchased my first gun for home protection.

It's the Mossberg 500 12 gauge. It has a short barrel and is great for in the home use. It even comes with a pistol grip but I wont attach that unless it everything goes all "beyond thunderdome" on us.

Going to take my wife out and make sure she knows how to handle it. I felt a shotgun was better and safer for an in home protection mechanism in our case. Heck, just the pump-action noise is enough to send someone packing.

Anyway, in for a penny in for a pound. I set aside money for 3 purchases of different firearms. I feel safer knowing we have it, just hope to never do anything with it.

[Scythian]

You might also want to pick up a .22 rifle for general firearms learning and training.

Ha, funny you should say that. My son's been begging for a 22, going to get a bolt action Ruger 22. It's a great looking gun, very customizable.

[driftdiver]

‘Nothing like the “rack rack” sound to get the attention of a bad guy.”

The boom works better but is a tad messier.

[Lurker]

That Mossberg is a fine choice. For a personal defense shotgun I prefer it over the Remington 870.

You mentioned purchasing two more firearms so I hope you’ll accept a bit of unsolicited free advice.

You need a handgun and I recommend a decent used .357 magnum revolver. You should be able to find one by S&W, Taurus, or others for less than $400 or so. If you can find a Model 19 S&W for that price, life is very, very good.

Then you need a rifle. I’m going way off the usual reservation here and will recommend a quality, used bolt action rifle by Winchester or Remington chambered in either .308 or 30-06 caliber. Have a qualified gunsmith look at any used firearm before you purchase. It’s worth the small fee.

I think you’ll find if you go this route you’ll have perfectly serviceable defense weapons and you’ll have saved a ton of money that you can put into ammunition and, more importantly, time at the range.

Now for that Mossberg see if you can scare up some of the Federal Low Recoil Tactical buckshot loads. At close range, where you’d use them, they’re devastating.

For slug loads get some of those Federal Copper Solids. You’ll want some standard #6 birdshot rounds for inside the house. Trust me, they’ll stop an intruder dead, and I do mean dead, in their tracks inside of about 20 feet and won’t overpenetrate your drywall.

Now get thee to an instructor and learn how to use that thing!

Best,

L

[WayneS]

On November 5, 2008?

[Lurker]

And throw that pistol grip in the trash. Just trust me.

[Monterrosa-24]

Yes, Collections have a way of growing-disappearing-growing again-disappearing...

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

The Mossberg 500 12 ga. is my choice, as well. I put the pistol grip on it the first day I got it, because that makes it shorter, and more wieldable in an inside environment. I actually taught myself to shoot it from the hip and have become pretty accurate at hitting targets up to about 50 feet out that way.

[fwdude]

Good rule. I’ve got the handgun (H&K USP Compact .40) and shotgun (Winchester 12-gauge) and am in the process of completing my AR-15, which I am buying and assembling piecemeal right now.

[Envisioning]

Nothing like the “rack rack” sound to get the attention of a bad guy.

Why would you want to give away your advantage?

The first sound the bad guy hears should be the last sound the bad guy hears.

[thackney]

My son's been begging for a 22, going to get a bolt action Ruger 22.

Out of curiosity, why the bolt action over semi-auto? I went looking for a bolt-action myself recently to teach the kids and ended up with a Ruger 10/22.

[MHGinTN]

Mossberg now has a really good, heavy barreled .22lr called the Plinkster. It comes with a ten round mag, but the company is producing a 20 round mag now, too. The action on it is very similar to the Marlin 795, but the Mossy caosts around $100 and has a better ergonomic grip. They also make an M-16 like .22lr w/20 round mag, but it is rather pricy. You can buy two Mossberg .22lrs for the price of a stainless Ruger 1022.

[Scythian]

Wow, don’t think I’ll ever own that many guns, nice collection though (of course, it’s more than a collection).

[ßuddaßudd]

Congrats on your new scatter-gun purchase. ▲

[Las Vegas Ron]

Excellent choice, picked one up a couple of months ago my self.

Check out YouTube for some videos/tips on cleaning and maintenance, you'll be glad you did.

[familyop]

"It has a short barrel and is great for in the home use. It even comes with a pistol grip but I wont attach that unless it everything goes all "beyond thunderdome" on us."

In my experiences, pistol grips on shotguns are only good for defense, where there's not much room to maneuver (small travel trailers, mobile homes, where such weapons are legal in vehicles, etc.). With elbow room (e.g., regular house), a full buttstock is better for safety and target acquisition.

Be very conscious of safety (books, articles, maybe even a low-cost course), and relaxingly follow every safety step on the range. And may I suggest low recoil loads (~ 1150 fps instead of 1325 fps for 00 buck) for the wife to practice with. She might have a much better perception of the experience before the next range expedition. Progress to regular loads, if she likes, after firing many low recoil loads.

As for the pistol grip, regular 2 3/4 loads will cause some pain and a lump between the thumb and forefinger after about 5 loads. Holding a pistol-gripped shotgun in front of the face for aiming can also cause injuries. Best to use low-recoil loads, aim from the hip, and use a firm grip for that.

[GGpaX4DumpedTea]

“I lost all my guns in a boating accident”

LOL...that’s a good story to tell ‘em when THEY come to confiscate your guns.

[moehoward]

I’m jealous. A Mossberg has been on my to-do list for years.

[Scythian]

Out of curiosity, why the bolt action over semi-auto?

Well, a bolt action seats the same everytime and is supposedly therefore more accurate. Also, I think it teaches decipline rather than just tap, tap, tap until he hits the target, it slows him down. Of course, he wants the semi-automatic, but he's coming around, I'm not dead set on the bolt action though. We're going to look at them this weekend. I'll let you know which one we purchase ...

[familyop]

You made the best choice for the first defense weapon, IMO. Learn as much about safety as you can, and use repetition a lot to make safety steps second nature.

[thackney]

You’ll want some standard #6 birdshot rounds ...won’t overpenetrate your drywall.

I think you might be surprised by testing this theory.

Here is #4 penetrating 6 layers of drywall. I would not expect #6 to be stoped by 2 layers.

The Box O' Truth #3 - The Shotgun Meets the Box O' Truth
http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot3.htm