What Gun/s Are The Most Practical To Own?

[lildog]

I'm not a hunter or ex-military. I've been going to the shooting range and using a Glock and a Shotgun. Are those two weapons good for self defense and home protection? Thanks for any useful advice.

 

[Fury]

Glocks are reliable and easy to keep up. If you can conceal one, like a G19, then it's a good all purpose pistol.

 

[WoozyFailGuy]

Bazooka!
On a serious not, a Colt M1911, .45 cal.
Marvelous gun.

 

[blx]

When you say you are not a hunter does that mean you have no interest in hunting?
If you do, or may someday, a 12 gauge pump or auto shotgun with multiple chokes can do a lot of different kids of hunting. Shooting skeet, trap or sporting clays is a fun break from shooting stationary targets. And for those that don't want a handgun for home defense it fills that role.

If you plan to just target shoot, a .22 caliber anything is going to be easy on your body and wallet. Centerfire handgun and rifle ammo can get expensive really quick.

 

[lildog]

What i mean by i don't hunt or have experience with shooting things, so i want something that is easy to use and reliable...not to sophisticated etc.

I just want a shotgun to blast intruders if needed, and a handgun to carry around in my car and on my person for self-defense. I live in a shitty little city with a relatively high crime rate...burglary and robberies.

 

[finnegan]

My first handgun was a PX4 Storm. Incredibly easy to take down and maintain and very reliable. I now carry a Springfield XDm though since I got tired of the manual safety switch. Its a beauty of a gun. Lots of good features on a carry gun (loaded chamber indicator, cocked striker indicator, match grade barrel/ trigger, trigger safety, etc).

I'm in the camp that your carry gun should be a simple as possible from draw to fire. Glock fits that with the trigger safety, but I personally don't like the grip angle/ ergonomics or the sights.

For the shotgun, a Mossberg 500/ 590 or Remington 870 will do just fine without breaking the bank. Since my girlfriend has much shorter arms that I do, I put an M4 Style adjustable stock on my 500, and a flashlight. Choose your ammo based on your situation. For me, I go with #4 buckshot. I live in a shotgun (haha) style house. From one door the other (15 yards), the #4 buck spreads out to fill the space in the doorway almost perfectly. Many prefer 00 Buck, and you won't go wrong with that either.

 

[00 Buck]

A glock, M&P or HK in 9mm.

A 5.56 flat-top AR carbine from:

Colt
Noveske
BCM
Daniel Defense
S&W
LMT
Sabre Defense

+ any aimpoint or the new Eotech XPS.

Got your primary and secondary all ready fo zombies!

 

[fittafeis]

A glock, M&P or HK in 9mm.

A 5.56 flat-top AR carbine from:

Colt
Noveske
knights armament
BCM
Daniel Defense
S&W
LMT
Sabre Defense

+ any aimpoint or the new Eotech XPS.

Got your primary and secondary all ready fo zombies!

+1 :icon_chee

 

[Symbiose**]

I just want a shotgun to blast intruders if needed, and a handgun to carry around in my car and on my person for self-defense. I live in a shitty little city with a relatively high crime rate...burglary and robberies.

First, make sure its legal in your area to carry a gun on you or in your car. Do you have/need a ccw license?

 

[fleur9586]

well it depends, If your just buying for self defence then you can buy a hand gun like 9mm or .45. I own a .45..just for protection.

 

[fittafeis]

First, make sure its legal in your area to carry a gun on you or in your car. Do you have/need a ccw license?

Great advice that is worth repeating. Especially since you say you live in a huge city with alot of crime. Ironically those places are usually heavy on gun restrictions, so check this out before you do anything. (or move).

 

[pettiskick***]

It just depends on what fits you best. People may tell you what they consider the best gun for themsleves but it may not necessarily be the best fit for you. If you get a chance try handling,shooting and/or dryfiring as many different guns as you can and let that influence your decisions. With that said, if I could have only one rifle,one shotgun, and one handgun I'd choose a S&W 642, a Remington 870 Express Magnum in 12 Gauge, and a M1A.

 

[00 Buck]

+1 :icon_chee

Thanks, I knew I forgot one.

Knight's SR-15 E3 is probably the best DI 16" set-up right now. Guys on M4carbine.net be all having boners over the balance and weight.

It's either this or a SCAR-17S this year.

 

[lildog]

It just depends on what fits you best. People may tell you what they consider the best gun for themsleves but it may not necessarily be the best fit for you. If you get a chance try handling,shooting and/or dryfiring as many different guns as you can and let that influence your decisions. With that said, if I could have only one rifle,one shotgun, and one handgun I'd choose a S&W 642, a Remington 870 Express Magnum in 12 Gauge, and a M1A.

Whats the M1 for? I get your advice, i just wanted suggestions. And shooting is expensive. Neither thought about how much ammo costs and all the other expenses. Are gun shows good places to buy weapons?

 

[fittafeis]

Thanks, I knew I forgot one.

Knight's SR-15 E3 is probably the best DI 16" set-up right now. Guys on M4carbine.net be all having boners over the balance and weight.

It's either this or a SCAR-17S this year.

being a lefty, I love the fact that it has a good ambi mag release already installed. If i were a righty, I would have a bigger reason to buy it, as the ambi bolt catch is IMO far superior to any substitute on the market right now (such as a B.A.D lever).

 

[fittafeis]

Whats the M1 for? I get your advice, i just wanted suggestions. And shooting is expensive. Neither thought about how much ammo costs and all the other expenses. Are gun shows good places to buy weapons?

The best places to buy guns, IMO are online. Either gunbroker, other online gun stores or used from the equipment exchange of gun forums. Search for your state + gun forum and find your local boards. Chances are they will have a guns for sale section with some good deals to be had.

I have NEVER found ammo in a store cheaper than online. I know there are extremely rare exceptions, but chances are low. My fav places to get ammo online are as follows:
AMMOMAN.COM d/b/a Discount Distributors
Ammunition To Go : Your one stop for all of your ammunition needs!

Consider this!: most ammo that is going to be good for self defense will cost a little bit. (9mm or higher cal for handguns, and .223/556 and higher for rifles.)

 

[Deltafarce]

AK, cheap, reliable, require very little maintenance and ammo is cheap.

 

[hunto]

Whats the M1 for? I get your advice, i just wanted suggestions. And shooting is expensive. Neither thought about how much ammo costs and all the other expenses. Are gun shows good places to buy weapons?

I always factor ammo cost into a weapon purchase. 9mm, .45, the common calibers can be had relatively inexpensively. Same for .223, 7.62x39, or my favorite, 5.45x39 Russian ($.11/round- 1080 rounds for $119).

And yes, as said above, AK all the way. Reliable, simple, cheap ammo, and plenty of firepower. A Glock and an AK would be a good combo, and as someone else said, 12 ga is also a good choice. Figure $400 for a cheap AK and $400 or so for a used Glock.

 

[blx]

Decent pawn shops can have great deals on used guns if you are willing to spend some time looking and are willing to negotiate. However, its not a good option if you don't trust yourself to be a good judge of a used gun; you can run across some abused/neglected junk, especially in an urban area.

I still advise getting something in .22. Not as your principal gun for self/home defense, obviously, but 2nd or 3rd gun to practice/play with.

 

[corporateslave]

Whats the M1 for? I get your advice, i just wanted suggestions. And shooting is expensive. Neither thought about how much ammo costs and all the other expenses. Are gun shows good places to buy weapons?

The M1A (or M14)is the updated, modern day version of the M1 Garand. Springfield Armory calls theirs the M1A, if made by any other company it is just called by it's military designation: the M14. The M14, along with the FAL, HK91, AR-10, etc. are considered battle rifles because of the large caliber rounds they use. Comparatively, rifles like the AK and AR-15 pattern rifles are considered assault rifles as they use a smaller round. Both battle and assault rifles are semi automatic, as opposed to bolt action which you would typically see on a hunting rifle or some sniper rifles.The battle rifles have a lot more range and stopping power, with the effective range of their bullets extending to 800+ yards, compared to 400 or so yards from an assault rifle.

I had to pick only one rifle to own for the rest of my life it would be a battle rifle, probably a FAL or M1A. That being said, battle rifles are not practical for home defense unless you live on a large ranch or farm.

Since you are looking for practical weapon for self defense, I would say that simplicity and reliability are the two most important factors. Also, since you are new to shooting it would probably be wise not to get something too expensive to buy or shoot.

Keeping that in mind, here are my suggestions:

Pistol:
-Glock or M&P in 9mm. 9mm is the cheapest full sized pistol round to shoot and you will want all the practice you can get. 9mm hollowpoints also expand only ~10% less than the much larger .45. Practice as much as you can, make sure your gun can run whatever hollowpoints you choose to get, then keep it loaded with hollowpoints for home defense. Both guns can be found for around $500 new. For home defense a tactical light mounted to the rail would be a worthy addition.

Shotgun:
-Remington 870 or Mossberg 500. Both are entry level pump shotguns. Simple, reliable, effective. If you plan to use it for home defense you might want to consider adding accessories like ghost ring sights, flashlight, shotshell carrier, pistol grip/collapsing stock, etc.

Rifle:
Ar-15 or AK-47. Despite having less range and stopping power than a battle rifle, battle rifles are simply not that practical for home defense and urban environments. And AR or AK will also run you a lot less both in purchase price and ammunition. the cheapest AR-15s can be found for around $600 and are infinitely customizable. You can pick up a Saiga or WASR (both AK pattern rifles) for around $400.

I personally am not that big of a fan of shotguns. For a beginning shooter I would say get a rifle and handgun first, but a handgun and shotgun would also get you off to a good start.

Whatever you choose, training is invaluable. Quality instruction on how to use your firearm defensively goes a long way. Also, if there is one I would advise you join a gun forum for the state you live in. Gun laws vary greatly state to state and you can get a better idea of what the laws are and what is available to you by reading things specific to your state.

Good luck with your purchase, and have fun!