Quote :

"shot my first sibling"

12/12/2012 12:55:22 PM

We use to shoot each other with bb guns all the time. It was the paint-ball guns at close-quarters that really hurt.

[Edited on December 12, 2012 at 1:12 PM. Reason : ]

12/12/2012 1:11:33 PM

definitely thinking about getting one again, for myself at least

12/14/2012 9:53:31 PM

go buy a Glock 19 and a Mossberg 500 w/ 18.5" barrel. done.

12/14/2012 10:31:48 PM

Better get it while the get'n's good

12/15/2012 2:54:25 AM

I've got to get a CCP this week, and then head back to the store. I'm thinking of upping to a straight Springfield XD .40 for me, or a .22, so the wife can get used to a weapon.

12/16/2012 7:55:32 PM

9mm is gonna be cheaper to learn to practice with and practice should be your primary concern right now.

ISSC makes .22LR copies of glocks

12/16/2012 8:11:28 PM

Or if you go with an M&P, you can get it is 9mm, .40, .45, and/or .22

12/17/2012 8:46:18 AM

Take the wife to the range and rent a couple guns. My fiance refuses to shoot my 9mm or .40, but loves to shoot my .45. Doesnt make sense right?? Barrel length makes a big difference. 9mm I have in a 4" and 3.5" barrel, .40 is a 4" barrel, and the .45 is a 5" barrel. See which one you both enjoy shooting and just hope it isn't a .45 because the ammo will put you in the poor house.

12/17/2012 9:02:38 AM

it's probably not the barrel length, but the relative weights of the pistols

and .45 ACP doesn't have to be expensive. i shoot it for less than most folks pay for 9mm:

12/17/2012 9:06:20 AM

because someone just learning the ropes of handguns is gonna jump right into reloading

[Edited on December 17, 2012 at 1:43 PM. Reason : asdf]

12/17/2012 1:42:49 PM

perhaps a new gun owner could buy a .45, shoot factory ammo until they're comfortable with it, then take up reloading a year or two down the line. then they've got a pile of brass to start with and they aren't stuck paying for expensive ammo forever.

12/17/2012 2:12:36 PM

Okay...still waiting for the CPL, so that means more time to think and stew...

Looking at getting a Ruger GP100.

1/7/2013 12:01:39 AM

Why that?

1/7/2013 1:07:15 AM

Might as well go for something that is old school and has some history to it. Grab a Henry and a blue coat.



[Edited on January 7, 2013 at 1:49 AM. Reason : c]

1/7/2013 1:48:09 AM

>very infrequent shooter looking for home defense weapon
>gun nut suggests reloading

[Edited on January 7, 2013 at 9:06 AM. Reason : lol]

1/7/2013 9:06:29 AM

Quote :

"shoot factory ammo until they're comfortable with it, then take up reloading a year or two down the line. then they've got a pile of brass to start with and they aren't stuck paying for expensive ammo forever."

personally, i could not afford to shoot factory ammo enough to be comfortable enough with my handgun in defensive situations. 9x19 would be the only handgun cartridge that would have factory ammo cheap enough for me to practice that much. 12 or 20 ga shotshells would also be cheap enough.

[Edited on January 7, 2013 at 11:18 AM. Reason : sdf]

1/7/2013 11:14:41 AM

that'll do ya just fine. ruger makes a great revolver and .357mag is an effective and manageable round that isn't exorbitantly expensive. I'd actually like a gp100 one day after I've knocked a few others off the list

1/7/2013 11:17:19 AM

yeah i'm picking up a 12 gauge this week just because ammo is cheap as balls.
ft-lbs/$ is what i'm looking at right now...

8mm mauser seems to be looking good.

1/7/2013 11:35:23 AM

I'd prob get an XD or XDm. Good defensive pistol; no manual safety to fumble with, but has a grip safety. No DA/SA transition for the novice. Not expensive. Good quality.

1/7/2013 6:40:44 PM

The grip safety on the XDs regularly gets fumbled when I take my classes. Every time someone hurries and doesn't get a full grip the thing won't fire.
The need to depress the grip safety to remove the mag also bothers me.

1/7/2013 7:17:49 PM

8mm mauser is not particularly easy to find-

1/7/2013 7:37:02 PM

^^ The magazine thing could be annoying, but one should have a positive grip before firing.

1/7/2013 9:31:41 PM

if I am in some kind of self defense scenario, proper grip isn't too high on my list of priorities

anybody remember blitz308 from arfcom? the guy got shot in the hand and couldn't work the grip safety on his 1911 properly

1/8/2013 11:00:57 AM

^ If you want to hit the bad guy and not the innocent old lady crossing the street behind them, you'd better be worried about proper grip.

1/8/2013 12:32:13 PM

all i'm saying is that "proper grip" is more important on a gun with a grip safety

1/8/2013 12:50:33 PM

With a glock or m&p, it is possible to make solid hits, even if the proper grip isn't there.
Won't happen with a XD.

1/8/2013 12:57:39 PM

revolver worked out good for this home alone mom
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local/mother-of-two-surprises-burglar-with-five-gunshots/nTnGR/

The only problem was she ran out of bullets and he was still conscious, she had to get away by threatening to shoot him if he moved and took the kids and ran.

[Edited on January 8, 2013 at 4:53 PM. Reason : . ]

1/8/2013 4:52:57 PM

poorly trained - went for the headshot. got lucky.

1/8/2013 5:24:52 PM

5/6 shots hit the target, just not fatally.

1/8/2013 5:37:15 PM

next step

confiscate her revolver as evidence

1/8/2013 6:41:35 PM

Went to about eight different gun stores yesterday in the SeaTac area and found only one Ruger SP101. It was a 2.25". I was looking for a 3". After stopping at one store, I asked about the availability of the rulers. The saleslady told me that if I found any SP101, I should pick it up before it's gone.

Today, I went back to the local wholesale sports store and picked up the 2.25". I like it.

I also got 25 Hornady .357 Magnum 125gr FTX Critical Defense ammo, 20 Glaser Safety Slug Blue .38 Special +P 80gr, and some .357 Mag snap caps for storage, training, and safety. I'm starting training my sons on what to do if they find the gun laying around the house.

I haven't gotten a case or holster, and I am going to read the reviews on a possible grip improvement.

1/13/2013 9:22:44 PM

I doubt she'll ever hit shit with it either way, so at least with the short barrel it'll be more concealable.

I still don't get the choice of that over a compact semi, but to each their own.

1/13/2013 9:31:37 PM

Yeah...I hear they are pretty inaccurate, so you are probably right.

1/13/2013 10:08:35 PM

Quote :

"I hear they are pretty inaccurate, so you are probably right. "

Careful! Firearms today are generally very, very accurate. It's the tollerances in load of the cartridge that make for the very, very, very minor discrepancies in the accuracy of the firearm. Human error is usually the greatest discrepancy for inaccuracy.

Another words, just because it's hard to shoot accurately != an inaccurate firearm.

1/13/2013 10:13:02 PM

Sorry you didn't catch it. My sarcasm was directed at Duke. We can't always be as cool as him, or as knowledgable as him, nor shoot as well as him.

Two thumbs up, Duke.

1/13/2013 10:31:15 PM

yeah a 2.25" sp101 is going to be much more accurate than you (she) will be in a SD situation at <10yds

noted

[Edited on January 13, 2013 at 10:33 PM. Reason : good choice]

1/13/2013 10:32:35 PM

the biggest problem I'll have with accuracy is time available to go plinking at a range

1/13/2013 10:41:24 PM

^^^No, you don't get it.

A revolver like that will indeed group reasonably well if you're shooting it single-action, from a pistol rest...but that's pretty meaningless, practically.

In the real world, you would shoot it double-action in almost any actual defense scenario. The DA trigger pull alone would preclude almost all people from being very accurate with it. The sights are maybe quite what I'd call vestigial, but they're pretty minimal, and designed much more for the purpose not snagging than for actually hitting anything with any degree of accuracy. Just like Hiro alluded to, a gun like that is very, very hard to shoot accurately, and that isn't really the point of it.

Since neither you nor your wife are likely to be able to hit anything with it anyway (unless it is relatively large and relatively close), the incremental improvement in accuracy derived from the increased sight radius of the longer barrel will be negligible. You're still looking at a gun which is really designed to be as idiot-proof as any gun, and with which you can hit an assailant in the torso from 3 yards away by just pointing and squeezing.

Neither will the small loss in velocity be important if you load it with .357 mag. That round has enough power (as handguns go, anyway) even with the snubnose.

The smart trade-off is to trade practical accuracy (which is a lost cause anyway, and something you have already completely ceded by choosing an SP101) and velocity (which you will have plenty of by virtue of the stout .357 cartridge) in favor of better ability to conceal it.


(My preference would be for a totally different kind of handgun, but if you're going for something like that, the snubnose makes a lot more sense to me).



Now stop being a fucking smartass in response to knowledgable people commenting in your thread where you're asking for information on a subject you are self-proclaimed to lack expertise in.

[Edited on January 13, 2013 at 10:57 PM. Reason : ^^^]

1/13/2013 10:49:20 PM

Now all I need to some cheap, not dirty ammo for the range.

And time to shoot on the range.

The saleslady from whom I bought the gun said she's had her 101 for a looooong time. She took some cheap ammo to the range once and after shooting for the day, the whole gun was black from the dirty ammo.

I'd rather not have that kind.

But, it's a learning process.

1/13/2013 11:12:21 PM

If you're just looking to buy something local that's not some tula ammo crap at a decent price, I genuinely think federal is a good value.

1/13/2013 11:14:15 PM

hell a revolver is so easy to clean, i wouldn't worry about it. if you shoot, you're gonna have to clean some.

1/13/2013 11:18:45 PM

If it's a self defense gun then you should clean it after you shoot it. One round shot, 300 rounds shot, dirty or clean ammo, if it was fired then it should be cleaned. Some people think it's crazy to clean a gun that much but I think it's crazier to risk having a malfunction due to having a dirty gun just because you didn't want to spend 15 min to clean it. So, since you're going to clean it anyway just buy the cheapest ammo you can find. Fiocchi makes some lower cost ammo that's usually as good as the domestic brands.

BTW, self defense ammo can be stupidly expensive. Check out Double Tap. Sometimes their 50 round boxes are good values. I like their 125 gr 38+P bonded HP

1/14/2013 12:48:33 AM

i try to put a few rounds through my gun between cleaning it and carrying it. that's not enough fouling to cause a failure and it ensures that i've got everything put together properly.

[Edited on January 14, 2013 at 1:30 AM. Reason : dasf]

1/14/2013 1:30:42 AM

If you are looking for a reliable self defense weapon to carry I would suggest a Smith and Wesson J frame revolver, double action only, in at least a .357 magnum, with at least a 3" barrel. Model 60s are nice and run about $650. They will last forever.

If you are looking for home defense, I would recommend the Mossberg SA-20 tactical or Weatherby SA-08. Both are semi-auto 20ga shotguns with 18.5" barrels, lightweight bodies, and composite stocks. #3 or #4 buckshot will be your best bet, unless you live in an apartment, townhome or have others scattered through the home. If so, I would go with nothing smaller than #2 plated birdshot and nothing larger than lead BBs.

If you are looking something fun to shoot at the range, get a long barrel 0.22LR 'plinker' type pistol. Keltec makes a neat one.

1/15/2013 12:02:09 AM