I'm Thinking of Buying a Handgun --- Suggestions???

[mn-bush-man]

I have been a hunter for years, but now that I'm out of the folks' house and have a family of my own, I am serious about acquiring a handgun for my home protection. I don't know a lot about handguns, so I am curious if any of you have any suggestions. I'm on a bit of a budget, so try to keep it in the $300ish range. Thanks!

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Birdman Weapons

[FatherTorque]

Certainly the smartest choice for home defense is a shotgun. No matter how well trained you are, in a highly stressful situation it can be very hard to hit your target with a handgun. Happens to cops everyday. You have a much greater chance of hitting your target,Plus if you get a pump, you get the added psychological factor of the sound of the slide racking. Load it with #7 shot, it will kill or severly incapacitate the intruder but will usually not penetrate interior walls. (Less chance of stray round hitting the kids) I have put many many rounds through my Glock, but the 12 gauge is what sits next to the bed.

[fourdeuce82d]

"I'm a little partial to Kimber 45's..."

Only a little?

Kimber is good. Kimber is your friend.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Yo.

[tx4guns]

LMAO!!!!

What's funny is that they make a 50BMG in a pistol!!! Some custom shops will build just about anything. Not something you'd be able to hold onto very well. YOU TALK ABOUT WAKING UP THE NEIGHBORS!!!

[hoot2]

get one with "safe bullets"...

[Nuke'm Glowing]

Actually the first thing you need to get is proficient with a handgun. The .22 magnum is excellent and the Beretta .22 is good also. I would reccomend buying a target .22 or even a .38 in semi-auto to get familiar with cleaning, practice, etc. Then decide on what to spend for the big bucks. I personally own a Ruger in 9 mm and a .357 Taurus. The .357 has awesome stopping power with the correct ammo but if you are not used to firing it, start small then move up. The Ruger is a very good weapon in 9, but I got it pre-ban with all the goodies you can imagine and it remains my home defense weapon of choice. Don't buy a cannon as your first choice! Most people make that mistake. When you practice at the range remember the average hand gun encounter, especially in a home, occurs at less than 20 ft. Most burglars are not proficient at any range so build in the advantage by practicing!

[Dallas]

Personally, I don't want to be laying on the floor shot all to hell because I didn't have enough firepower...

This is not the place for him to be cutting corners..

[fourdeuce82d]

"Some people call the .22 a wimp gun. But the knock-down power on magnum hollow-points is nearly equal to a .38"

nope. But the .38 isn't great shakes either. For that matter, neither is the .45.

handguns are anemic, defensive weapons. none of them have what could be called "knock-down" power. Put it this way- if the recoil is negligible, so is the terminal impact.

While a .22 beats a handful of jello, why not practice with a 9, 40, or 45 until you can put three rounds rapid into the middle of an IPSC target at 7 yards?

Having said that, my browning buckmark would be a mighty comfort if the choice was between it and being naked...

[tx4guns]

OK, You got me!!! I'm TOTALLY partial to the Kimber (ProCarry). Putting a box of shells in a 2" circle at 20 feet on a regular basis is REALLY GOOD!!! Kimber GOOOOOD only when Tx4guns' hand no shakie. ;)

[RedBloodedAmerican]

[tx4guns]

My favorite part is the "Guaranteed to Fire Once". That's the only part of the gun that's legit.

[2Jedismom]

Also, the .22 will not leave a big mess to clean up in your house after an incident like a shotgun or large caliber pistol.

Personally, if a bad guy is coming in my house where my two jedis are, then I don't care if it blows a hole completely through my house. Just so long as the bad guy blows out through it. ;-)

[FlyVet]

OK, You got me!!! I'm TOTALLY partial to the Kimber (ProCarry).

Yeah suuuuuuure, Kimber GOOD for you rich people! Maybe I'll save my nickels and dimes though.....

[Inspector Harry Callahan]

handguns are anemic defensive weapons.

That's a fact. A fact that few really understand. For decades the .44 Magnum was lauded as the "most powerful handgun" and granted, at the time it certainly was. But compare the terminal ballistics to one of the most anemic centerfire rifle cartridges. Take the hundred-year-old .30-30Win for example. There is no contest between the sheer power of the .30-30 when compared to a .44 mag. No contest at all.

That's why Clint Smith says "A handgun is what you use to fight your way back to the rifle you should have never left in the first place."

Cheers,
Callahan

[AmericanCheeseFood]

Wow, it'll cause at least one injury or death to one person ! Though that's only if the owner uses the weapon with a live round, once, for the last time, never again after that .

[115thINTC]

A wheel gun, revolver, is a good first gun for some one who wants dead bang reliability. A medium frame, 4 inch .357 is a fight stopper given the standard engagement range of 21 feet. Leave the autos alone given your budget. Practice, practice, practice especially in smooth double action trigger cocking techniques. THE .45 IN 230 GRAIN HARDBALL IS NOT A STOPPER. Not enough shock nor a large enough wound channel. If you use a Colt variant use a semi wadcutter and make sure they feed. I also favor a customized Colt .380 when you have to carry in an urban situation without having a large lump of gun that can be "printed" under clothing. However, w/ a sub .357 caliber you must be able to reliably double tap to a CNS (Central Nervous System) head shot. This means two rounds in the head above a line at the base of the nose.

[Mulder]

Check out this link for a good starting point

I would recommend going to a local range, and paying for a 30 minute or 1 hour session on handguns. They'll teach you the basic stuff, including safety, handling, and shooting for about $50. This fee also generally includes some supervised 'range time' where you get to fire one or more guns.

After you get the basics down, try handling different types of guns. Most ranges will let you rent guns so you can take them for a 'test drive'.

If I had to pick one gun for home defense, concealed carry, and target shooting, it would be the Sig Sauer 239 in 9mm. But that's purely subjective.

[FlyVet]

That's why Clint Smith says "A handgun is what you use to fight your way back to the rifle you should have never left in the first place."

Agreed, but rifles aren't very portable or concealable. So, with a handgun, you have to compromise between stopping power and recoil, depending on your ability, unfortunately.