(VANITY) What is the best gun for a beginner?

[Minus_The_Bear]

I've grown up in Oklahoma and went through Boy Scouts (am an Eagle Scout) learning to shoot various types of firearms but haven't even touched one in 5+ years. Now that I'm about to leave college I'm thinking of getting a firearm of some kinda but don't know where to start.

What should I be looking at and why?

[thefactor]

you check out J & R guns on central avenue?

[BadAndy]

"Have you been to the S&W Forum?"

Thanks, I will check it out.

[yarddog]

"If I could only have one gun it would probably be a .22 model 17 S&W revolver. " Good luck finding one!

Hey, I almost said .22 Colt Woodsman match target! Another one I wish I had back.

[WKUHilltopper]

Pistol? Long Gun? For Hunting? Need more info...

[Kokojmudd]

Glock was my first handgun. I find it very easy to use and keep clean....very reliable and a lot less maintenance than an 1911.....basically idiot proof, which works for me!

I would recommend to anyone considering buying a handgun go to a gun store that has a range and try many different models before buying one.

[Tijeras_Slim]

Good folks over there. Much of it tends to run to the collectible... registered magnums and the like. But is is a good place to research what Smiths are going for, it's a bit more 'realtime' than the annual blue book.

[lepton]

You could shoot .38 S&W in a .357 as well as Specials, but the question is why would you?

Cheaper for practice. Simply start and end every practice session with .357, and use .38S in between.

[Rummyfan]

Oh boy! A gun thread!

For all you NoVa Freepers, the National Gun Show is on this weekend at the Dulles Expo Center, Fri - Sat - Sun.

[Tijeras_Slim]

Specials are cheaper, but the 38 S&W is the predecessor of the Special, a pre-1900 round that the old Safety Hammerless pocket pistols were chambered for. You can find it, but it's pricey.

[Tijeras_Slim]

Is it any good? All the one's here are bad beef jerkey and kill 'em all t-shirt extravaganzas.

[Minus_The_Bear]

I am looking for a pistol, not for carry or defense primarily. Just to get back into shooting and relearning everything I'm not up to speed on.

[Eastbound]

Guns are for killing. Get one that kills with the first shot. You might not have time to pull the trigger twice.

[yarddog]

I still go to an occassional gun show but most dealers are descendants of Ali Baba or more likely, the forty thieves.

When I was in grad school, I owned over 200 guns. It took longer than we had planned to complete my degree and I ended up having to sell most of them.

I was lucky in a way. I had several new in the box Colt H-bars and sporter models, a couple of mint HK-91's and lots of high capacity mags.

It was pretty disgusting tho to go up to a dealer who was wanting $3000 for an excellent HK-91 who would not give me $700 for one in the box, same thing for guys wanting $90 for Glock mags who would offer no more than $15 for mine. Just about all my sales were to individuals.

[Minus_The_Bear]

I agree with you. My Granddad always taught me and my brothers never to point a gun at something unless you were going or had to destroy it. I just don't feel as comfortable as I did back then since I haven't fired anything in a while.

[s_asher]

Try a .22 Ruger pistol. Accurate, reliable, and easier to shoot than a .357 mag for beginners. Ammo are inexpensive in boxes of 500.

[Tijeras_Slim]

Gunshow rating system:
98% means amount of finish missing.
NIB guns kept for years in car glove box.

[blau993]

Nah, they reprented and have been given absolution.

[Barney Gumble]

I just got my first.... a SigSauer P-229, in 40 caliber. It's good for the house, but still a wee bit too big to carry, unless you have a jacket on.

I am eyeing a S&W .357 for my second.

[mbennett203]

Any accurate and reliable .22 caliber rifle will provide you with lots of inexpensive fun (.22 cal rifles tend to be cheaper than full-size-caliber rifles, and .22 ammo is dirt cheap). It also won't recoil much at all (barely noticeable), ensuring you won't develop a flinch from too much recoil, and it's not as much of a chore to clean when you finish (less powder in a .22).

A .22 caliber rifle is the best training tool for a person who's never shot a firearm, or a person that needs to re-familiarize themselves. Once you're comfortable with a .22 (and want more recoil, power, noise, fun, etc.), you can move up to larger rounds. Don't go nuts and run out for, say, an M44 (russian carbine in 7.62x54mm, short barrel, bayonet permanently attached), a semi-automatic rifle in an intermediate (assault rifle) round, like the M43 Russian (7.62x39mm), or the .223 (5.56x45mm) is much easier to handle. The russian round is available in the SKS or AK-47 variant rifles. These are probably the best bet, as they need less attention and careful cleaning than the AR-15 (semiauto M16 look-alike), plus they're much less expensive and less prone to jams. The ammo is also slightly less expensive than the .223. The AR-style rifles (Armalite, Bushmaster, and Colt are the big manufacturers) are more accurate, more ergonomic, and can reload from a magazine faster than the AK. It also recoils less (the 5.56 isn't recoil-heavy at all) than the M43 Russian, but they can cost as much as a new computer (~$1000 dollars).