first gun

[BDBGoalie]

Yeah the .22 is a good round for a head headshot, but in a defense situation how likely is it that a new shooter is going to be able to get a headshot?. There have been multiple accounts where .38 rounds have hit the targets head and ricocheted (sp) off. It happened in Columbus when a corrections officer shot an inmate that was attempting to escape from OSU medical center. The stats for the 9mm round are probably beefed up by the gangster mentality of a nine being cool. While I was a corrections officer I knew multiple inmates that had been shot by a 9 and survived. Some even still had the lead in them. I didn't know any that survived being shot by a .40 or larger. Not that that means there aren't any just that there were more that would tell you about it if they were hit with a 9. All the training I have had has trained to shoot for center mass of the body not headshots. Partially due to liability and partially because the body is the larger easier to hit target. Being proficient shooting at paper is way different then shooting at someone shooting back. Even when training with simunitions it becomes very hard to control your breathing and steady your hand and get a good sight picture. If you've never actually pointed a firearm at someone ready to shoot them you won't have any idea how the adrenaline dump will affect you. If you really feel proficient with a .22 and would put your family safety behind it more power to you. I believe a person is more likely to pull off a body shot in a stressed situation. I have also seen videos of people being shot with different types of rounds. The smaller rounds have less stopping power than the larger rounds. The shotgun rounds had the greatest affect. Now if the target is high on certain drugs that can become a major factor. I have personally seen a guy jump off of a 30ft cliff and get up and walk away. He then walked 3 miles thru the mountains before turning himself in. He had a broken pelvis shattered arm and broken ribs. He was also high on some type of amphetamine at the time.I doubt shooting him with a small caliber would stop him immediately before he could stab or shoot you. Despite what you see in the movies people don't die as soon as they get shot. I would rather see someone pointing a .9mm at me than a 12 gauge any day. The shooter has to be way more proficient with the 9 to get a good shot on target than the 12 gauge. That's why my first suggestion was an 870 and second the judge a hand held shotgun. It was mentioned above about LEO choosing glocks over other brands. I know several officers in several agencies that choose what they carry and as far as I know most choose .40 cal or larger. I can't think of any that carry smaller on duty. If you honestly believe a new shooter will be proficient in shooting a small caliber in a stress situation as you can be shooting paper I think your crazy.

Yes, a headshot is not the goal in a self defense situation. Center mass is the target point. But again, proper shot placement and the ability of rapid accurate follow-on shots makes smaller calibers still effective.

Smaller caliber does lack the stopping punch of larger rounds. You will have to put more rounds in the right places to have the same effect. But this is sometimes a better option for a shooter with an adverse reaction to heavy recoil.

However, I do carry .45ACP, so I'm in the same boat you are. I like big holes in my bad guys. But all shooters are different.

[C-bus]

Ok yeah. I've heard bad things about the New Albany place place before. I'm never around there anyways. My brother knows someone from somewhere in Dublin but I'm not sure where. So he's my backup if needed. Thanks for the help everyone though.

Crazy perception that New Albany is just for rich guys.

[ATTACH]3229[/ATTACH]

Today's lane neighbors.

[CBBaron]

Newbie shooter here. However I have big hands so no comment on a weapon for small hands.

I decided on a revolver for myself. They are simple and reliable. Not really much that can cause a failure and even if the ammo doesn't go off, just pull the trigger again and the next round is available.

Down sides are double action revolvers have a long trigger pull, limited ammo capacity and slow reloads.

Like mentioned above the tiny guns designed for pocket carry are very light, so even with small rounds they have significant recoil. That can cause new users to flinch and discourage practice.

I can say after trying both it is much easier to hit a target with a shotgun than a pistol. For home defense a much better option. More power and easier to use. However it does require more thought into how you will store it. Especially if you may have children in the home.

For me starting out hitting a target at 25ft with a pistol required careful aiming and trigger pull with the pistol. With the shot gun is was point and shoot.

Another point, a longer gun is easier to shoot accurately. For pistols this mean full sized pistols are easier to shoot than snub nose or sub compacts.

Craig

[ninjachic]

I highly doubt ill need it for home defense but I'm sure it'll surprise most anyone that I would own a gun if I ever need it. I more want something for good target practice which is why I am thinking something small and cheap to shoot. I can always think of something else for home defense later on if needed.

[BDBGoalie]

Newbie shooter here. However I have big hands so no comment on a weapon for small hands.

I decided on a revolver for myself. They are simple and reliable. Not really much that can cause a failure and even if the ammo doesn't go off, just pull the trigger again and the next round is available.

Down sides are double action revolvers have a long trigger pull, limited ammo capacity and slow reloads.

Like mentioned above the tiny guns designed for pocket carry are very light, so even with small rounds they have significant recoil. That can cause new users to flinch and discourage practice.

I can say after trying both it is much easier to hit a target with a shotgun than a pistol. For home defense a much better option. More power and easier to use. However it does require more thought into how you will store it. Especially if you may have children in the home.

For me starting out hitting a target at 25ft with a pistol required careful aiming and trigger pull with the pistol. With the shot gun is was point and shoot.

Another point, a longer gun is easier to shoot accurately. For pistols this mean full sized pistols are easier to shoot than snub nose or sub compacts.

Craig

What you're referring to there is sight radius. The shorter the distance between the sights, the faster you go off target when they are out of alignment.

Good point on aiming a shotgun. A common misconception is that you point it down a hallway and pull the trigger and everything dies. In reality the spread is no where near that wide.

[BDBGoalie]

I highly doubt ill need it for home defense but I'm sure it'll surprise most anyone that I would own a gun if I ever need it. I more want something for good target practice which is why I am thinking something small and cheap to shoot. I can always think of something else for home defense later on if needed.

If you just want a range toy, a Ruger 10/22 is hard to beat. Low recoil, inexpensive, ulitmately customizable, and you can shoot all day for $15.

[cOoTeR]

haha oh wow. i am def asking the right people.

mostly for targeting practice and home defense. dont really need to carry one around with me at all.

i've got really small hands but they are pretty strong. I shot a small .22 (i think) before and did awesome with it. it was like a toy. (hope that doesnt make me sound bad. haha)

and i'm not looking to spend a whole lot.

So now its just target practice? Go with .22 its cheap and accurate but its a totally different ballgame than the larger calibers.

A shotgun is good for target shooting because there are a lot of opportunities to shoot moving targets (more challenging) by shooting trap or skeet. It's a more useful gun target hunting and defense in 1 gun. If your not planning on carrying it why not. Try out a 20 gauge sometime the rounds are pretty cheap and can still stop the badguys. Or if you go to blackwing check out the guys shooting skeet out back. It's a lot of fun just don't let their snobby attitudes scare you off. Some trap and skeet shooters can be a little uppity but most are nice people and will help you out.

[redkow97]

I highly doubt ill need it for home defense but I'm sure it'll surprise most anyone that I would own a gun if I ever need it. I more want something for good target practice which is why I am thinking something small and cheap to shoot. I can always think of something else for home defense later on if needed.

a few companies make revolvers with interchangeable cylinders.

22lr for the range, and 22 magnum for leaving in the dresser. I have considered these for a small carry weapon, but they're shockingly expensive for a small gun.

That has always confused me, actually... How can some .22's be so expensive? Especially revolvers...

[MidgetTodd]

That has always confused me, actually... How can some .22's be so expensive? Especially revolvers...

supply and demand. Not many people want something like that so small production numbers cost more than mass production

[ninjachic]

Holy shit. I think y'all are just confusing me more. Haha.

Ok right now I'm just looking at a handgun. Ill l

[ninjachic]

Look into shotguns later on.

Sorry damn phone posted it before I was finished.

[CBBaron]

Good point on aiming a shotgun. A common misconception is that you point it down a hallway and pull the trigger and everything dies. In reality the spread is no where near that wide.

Unless you have a shot gun pistol with a 2" barrel

No in most cases if you are going to miss with a slug you will miss with shaveot. However the longer "sight radius" and the 3 points of contact with your body/hands allows much easier aiming. And the light weight shot wont easily go through walls while still providing great stopping power

.22lr revolvers are expensive because they often have the same design as larger caliper revolvers. However Heritage revolvers offer some cheap options.

In semi-auto .22 seems to cause problems because of the wide array of ammo and low recoil. This means the pistol is as complicated or more so than the bigger calipers. Not sure about sales but Mark III and P22 seem to be pretty popular.

.22 rifles are cheap and some are good quality also.

All seem like an inexpensive way to spend a day shooting.

Craig

[TheBrown57]

Love my Jennings J-22. It's picky on ammo but works great. The Wingmaster is always close by at home with ammo nearby.

[TheBrown57]

Unless you have a shot gun pistol with a 2" barrel

Craig

[redkow97]

Love my Jennings J-22. It's picky on ammo but works great. The Wingmaster is always close by at home with ammo nearby.

I haven't shot one, but these get great reviews as a cheap alternative:

Phoenix Arms HP22-A

You can find the "range kit" (pictured) with the carry barrel and the target barrel included for well under $200.

pretty awesome value based on the reviews I have read.

[4DAIVI PAI2K5]

Buddy has a GSG 1911-22 for sale with a holster I made him.

[BDBGoalie]

The legal variety

[ninjachic]

The legal variety

oh that looks like fun!!!!

[Hwilli]

LoL at this thread

[MidgetTodd]

LoL at this thread

Shut your pie hole, I gave you and that sweet lady of yours props in this cluster fuck of over opinionated gun nuts thread.

That being said, I'm in the shop tomorrow and Thursday 2-7 so come spend spend some money and we both know MJ misses me

[snot]

I have small hands as well but i carry a karh. 40 sub compact. Remember just because it fits does not mean you can handle the kick.

Edited October 23, 2012 by snot

[ninjachic]

Shut your pie hole, I gave you and that sweet lady of yours props in this cluster fuck of over opinionated gun nuts thread.

That being said, I'm in the shop tomorrow and Thursday 2-7 so come spend spend some money and we both know MJ misses me

hahaha. Aiight, I'll be sure to stop in tomorrow then.

[4DAIVI PAI2K5]

this is what my buddy has.

This is the included holster

[BDBGoalie]

I have small hands as well but i carry a karh. 040 sub compact. Remember just because it fits does not mean you can handle the kick.

How many times do you have to shoot them with a .040 cal round? I bet that is a pain to load too.

[kiggy74]

Anything 9mm or smaller is horrible for defense but for the most part cheaper can be cheaper at the range. The best gun I can recommend is the taurus judge. It is a revolver that shoots .45 long colt or .410 its cheap to shoot doesn't kick to bad for a revolver and with the .410 loads you don't have to be too accurate. Check out the winchester .410 defense rounds that were designed for the taurus judge. I believe smith and wesson have a similar gun with .45 acp .45 long colt .410 and maybe .454 called the governor. In a high stress situation the semi auto handguns become hard to use due to the body's fight or flight response affecting fine motor skills. It takes a lot of training to be able to overcome that and be able to get a good sight picture or take care of any malfunctions. Watch any police shoot out video they are trained often and still very seldom hit their target without unloading their gun by firing all the rounds in it. Also if you use it in a self defense situation you need to worry about over penetration (going into another room or house). Shot guns loaded with shot will get the job done without being as likely to go through your neighbours house also. I would recommend getting a short barrel .870 for home defense. 18.5in is the shortest you can get. They are inexpensive and easy to operate. Then after that get a taurus judge or sw governor. Then worry about a small cal range gun.

9mm horrible for defense? Really?

and by the way, there's no such thing as .45 long colt. It's .45 Colt. But yes, the cartridge is fairly long.

9mm is a great cartridge to for a first gun. It packs plenty of punch for defensive use without making you dread shooting it at the practice range.

But for beginner shooters that want a first pistol I almost always recommend a metal framed revolver chambered in .38 special. If this isn't going to be a gun you carry than get one with a longer barrel, 4-5 inches as these are far more accurate and don't recoil nearly as much. Revolvers are far less prone to failure, especially those caused by improper use. There are number of revolver options out there that fit the bill for under $500.

Edited October 22, 2012 by kiggy74