buying a gun

[Capt Worley PE]

I'm completely in line with Flyer's logic for a barely legal shotgun. I'd go a step futher and pistol grip it. Usually the sound of a round being jacked in will send them on their way.

 

[chaosiscash]

I'm in the "shotgun for home defense" camp. I have a Lefever Nitro Special 12 Gauge Double Barrel (OMG! only two shots!) that was my Grandfathers, that I also use for dove and quail hunting. Between it and the dog, I feel safe enough.

 

[Chucktown PE]

Now this is a topic that I can get behind. As for the home defense with kids in the house, I am partial to my 9 mm Browning with a clip. I keep the clip loaded in my underwear drawer and I keep the gun in a hidden compartment of my bedside table. It takes me two seconds to be locked and loaded. I am totally against having a revolver for home defense. You only get six rounds and it is very cumbersome to load quickly, even more so if you are nervous, which I am sure you would be if you had someone breaking into your home. As for the shotgun, it's hard to hide it from kids and if you keep it in a safe then it takes a while to get to it, then you have the time to load it as well.

 

[wilheldp_PE]

Solution - pistol grip shotgun

Sweet merciful crap, what kind of prowlers are you anticipating? By the time I unload 5 rounds from a shotgun the intruder will be dead or gone. I don't know to many individuals that are going to hang around after you start tearing up the place with buckshot...

...except ninjas.

Even with a pistol grip, you are talking about a minimum of 18" worth of gun versus a max of 8" with a pistol.

Spray and pray in the middle of the night requires a lot of ammunition.

Ninjas are crafty little bastards.

 

[snickerd3]

Or you could be like the people we bought our house from. There were fully stocked gun/rifle cabinets in each of their kids bedrooms and two more in the basement.

 

[wilheldp_PE]

Lately I've looking at the Sigarms P228 with the .40SW round. Its reported to be very accurate and crazy reliable, both things that I think an inexperienced shooter like myself should have. I also just don't like the look of the Glocks, even though they are cheaper. At about $800 the Sig is a little pricey, but if a cheaper weapon jams and all I can do it throw it at an intruder, its not much of a savings.

Sigs are very nice weapons, but I'm not so sure they are worth the premium that they charge. Glocks are widely considered to be ugly (although, I kinda dig the way they look), but they are 100% reliable, nearly impossible to break, and the grip angle fits my hands perfectly. When I point my hand, with my wrist in a natural, comfortable angle, that gun is on target every time. It doesn't work out for everybody like that, but it does for me.

 

[Flyer_PE]

As for the shotgun, it's hard to hide it from kids and if you keep it in a safe then it takes a while to get to it, then you have the time to load it as well.

My approach is not to hide it from the kids. Education is the key here. No matter how well you hide something, they will eventually find it. If it holds the mysterious power of 'that which is forbidden', it will be like a moth to a flame.

Insert shameless plug for the NRA and the Eddie Eagle Safety Program

 

[Chucktown PE]

I must admit that I don't know a whole lot about pistols. I really dig on some nice shotguns for hunting purposes (waterfowl, dove, upland bird, turkey) and am fairly knowledgable about those. I appreciate the education I am getting here on handguns.

 

[Chucktown PE]

My approach is not to hide it from the kids. Education is the key here. No matter how well you hide something, they will eventually find it. If it holds the mysterious power of 'that which is forbidden', it will be like a moth to a flame.
Insert shameless plug for the NRA and the Eddie Eagle Safety Program

Agreed, but right now my kid is 2 and a half. Other than saying it is off limits right now I think a kid has to be at least 4 or 5 to know the significance of the power of such a weapon. Which also makes me wonder if toy guns are appropriate i.e. I don't want my children confusing the two. As for me, my 8th birthday present was a Browning BPS light 20 gauge shotgun with the stock cut off. I only received it after a hunter education course and I had been around guns and hunting my entire life.

 

[Desert Engineer]

If your looking for guns, http://www.auctionarms.com/, is a good site buy and research guns. Its like ebay, but you have the guns sent to a FFL. My brother has bought 5 or 6 guns from the site. But buyer beware, some guns are more expensive there; know your gun and its price point (including all extra costs).

 

[Slugger926]

Solution - pistol grip shotgun

Sweet merciful crap, what kind of prowlers are you anticipating? By the time I unload 5 rounds from a shotgun the intruder will be dead or gone. I don't know to many individuals that are going to hang around after you start tearing up the place with buckshot...

...except ninjas.

The DA that taught my concealed carry class recommended if you need to use a gun for home defense, to unload your gun into the criminal, reload and empty again. Better safe than sorry (mostly from an injury lawsuit if he survives).

 

[Slugger926]

I come from east coast liberal roots, and we did not believe in such things. but I'm not east coast or liberal anymore.

we have mountain lions and bears in the neighborhood, and while we don't have local police (unincorporated county) I read about the Cali gangs moving into Denver, which is not that far. a shotgun in the bedroom closet might be just the ticket to ease my mind.

If you are worried about Bears and Cats, you better go big. Even when I am deer hunting with a .243 or .270, I carry a .44 mag after nearly being jumped by a mountain lion. Plus the .44 mag would penetrate body armor if you have to defend yourself against someone with body protection. For a shotgun, a good pump or semi-auto is good to have. You should get yourself a double barrel over and under as well (easy to see if it is loaded or not.)

For the rifle, it depends on what you want to do. The .243 has a nice 400+ yard range on deer without much recoil. It is still effective on elk at 200 yards. The 30-06 is a nice all purpose rifle, but much more recoil than the .243. THe .270 has a larger range than the 30-06 but the smaller calliber has stopping problems on 20-50 yard shots (i have lost numerous deer at this range due to lack of bullet expansion on close shots).

I like a baseball bat for quick home protection.

 

[Capt Worley PE]

Plus the .44 mag would penetrate body armor if you have to defend yourself against someone with body protection.

If you're truly worried about that, it is time to move.

I like a baseball bat for quick home protection.

Keep a short one in the bed rails for just such occasions.

 

[roadwreck]

Plus the .44 mag would penetrate body armor if you have to defend yourself against someone with body protection.

Fuck me! Who or what the hell are you guys planning on being attacked by? Body Armor? WTF? If I'm defending myself against someone wearing body armor I might as well kiss my ass goodbye b/c they are better equipped and presumably better armed then I will ever be.

 

[BluSkyy]

aim for the nose.

 

[Chucktown PE]

Con: You have a max. of 5 shots, and you have a trade-off between effective killing power and spread radius.

I don't know from personal experience but I don't think it's possible to take a #4 or #2 with 3-1/2 inch 12 gauge load in any part of the body and keep going. Presumably you're at close range so you're aiming at the face and that is probably a fatal wound. I repeat the earlier sentiments of my eb brethren above^. If you are fighting off bionic men and robots that can withstand that kind of damage then you may want to consider moving to a place where all you have to worry about is the occasional home invasion. A nice safe neighborhood like Harlem or the south side of Chicago sounds safer than the urban warfare as described.

 

[roadwreck]

I don't know from personal experience but I don't think it's possible to take a #4 or #2 with 3-1/2 inch 12 gauge load in any part of the body and keep going. Presumably you're at close range so you're aiming at the face and that is probably a fatal wound. I repeat the earlier sentiments of my eb brethren above^. If you are fighting off bionic men and robots that can withstand that kind of damage then you may want to consider moving to a place where all you have to worry about is the occasional home invasion. A nice safe neighborhood like Harlem or the south side of Chicago sounds safer than the urban warfare as described.

They are being attacked by killer vending machines.

 

[Capt Worley PE]

"The GE pulse rifle in the 50 megawatt range..."

 

[wilheldp_PE]

If your looking for guns, http://www.auctionarms.com/, is a good site buy and research guns. Its like ebay, but you have the guns sent to a FFL. My brother has bought 5 or 6 guns from the site. But buyer beware, some guns are more expensive there; know your gun and its price point (including all extra costs).

Before you buy something on there, you should find a local FFL willing to take delivery from auction sites, and find out what their fees are. Some gun shops around here simply won't do it because they view it is direct competition, and others will only do it for fees that make it more expensive than buying the gun in a LGS (local gun store). Also, shipping regulations make the minimum shipping charge $25, and it goes up from there.

One of my favorite gun shops has a huge online presence (www.Budsgunshop.com), but they are located in Lexington. So if I need a gun, I get the benefit of online pricing, but I can drive down to pick it up instead of having it shipped.

 

[TXengrChickPE]

After reading this, I find that I'm not too comfortable with my current home defense situation. Granted, we live in a nice neighborhood... but that's no defense.

We own a pistol... but I'm ashamed to say that I have no clue what kind it is... and that it's been at least 6 years since I practiced shooting with it (or anything else for that matter).

As for our house layout, our master bedroom is on the first floor. For some reason (which I will have to discuss w/ hubby this evening) our gun is currently on the top shelf of the closet of the guest bedroom, which is upstairs. I'm not even sure if it's loaded or not.

I am thinking that I would like to get a baseball bat to keep under the bed in the master bedroom (quick access, not deadly if the kids get hold of it). I think we should move the gun to a high shelf in the master bedroom closet. And, hubby and I both need to take it out and practice shooting it. Our daughter (almost 8yrs old) is probably old enough to enroll in a gun safety course. She is very "girly" and has no interest in guns... but I want her to know how to be safe around them.