Re: Dogtor Evil's Gun Thread
Well, I went to buy some ammo to take to the range where you can rent guns. 9mm was about half the price of the next cheapest thing. If practice makes perfect, I'm gonna practice more with a 9mm.
Re: Dogtor Evil's Gun Thread
I have a Glock 9mm. With 3-17 round clips, I have 52 chances. I also have a 357 but its my backup.
Looking to get a 38 for walking around with.
Re: Dogtor Evil's Gun Thread
I have a couple of each, auto and revolver.
If you plan to shoot it enough to get comfortable with it go with a double action auto. If you will only shoot it once every ten years get a double action revolver and forget it.
Auto's in order of preference
1 Sig, 2, Ruger (best bang for the buck, imo, 3 all the rest
Revolvers
1 Colt, 2 S&W, 3 Ruger, 4 all the rest. The Ruger SP101 is a nice piece.
If you go revolver go with a 357 for all the reasons you already mentioned.
If you go auto, 9mm is sufficient and ammo is cheaper. The 40 is a good choice and the 45 offers even more power, but may be more than you really need. The grips often tend to be bigger on the 45 because of the ammo size. If you have big hands that won't be a problem.
You should not have to worry about repairs to either, unless you do something very stupid.
I would say maintenance is a toss up.
Re: Dogtor Evil's Gun Thread
I have a revolver and a semi-auto. I got the revolver (a Ruger GP100) in .357 Mag for the reasons you listed. It's nice, but it has a 6" barrel, so needless to say I'm not carrying it anywhere (I'd strongly recommend a shorter barrel -- unless you dress up as Dirty Harry for Halloween regularly). I carry the semi-auto sometimes, it's a Heckler & Koch USP Compact in 9mm. I'd recommend H&K in a heartbeat to anyone. Much nicer to shoot than the Glock I used to own, and as nice or nicer than the Sig's I've shot. It's a little pricey, though. I'm pretty happy with the 9mm; it's cheap to get range ammo, but there's good stuff with some stopping power out there for self-defense.
Upkeep and repairs are very simple on both, the semi-auto takes a little more time and effort to clean, but not a huge deal either way. I'd probably agree with rabid's assessment above; the semi-auto is more fun to take to the range, but the revolver can sit in the safe for years and I'd still trust it to shoot.
In my opinion (which is worth what you paid for it), in a revolver go .357. In an autoloader, there are lots of viable options. I chose 9mm because of the variety of ammo available, and the cost of being able to practice with it. I wouldn't go any smaller than 380 auto (and then only if you use it for concealed carry and it fits much better). Be careful with some of the less common ammo types -- 45 GAP is expensive to shoot at the range!
Above all I'd recommend finding a way to shoot what you're interested in before you buy it. Many gun stores with ranges in them will have a number (and variety) of rental guns you can try. Everyone's hand is a little different, and it can make a huge difference to your comfort shooting the gun. And if your wife is wanting to shoot/use/carry the gun, let her shoot it before you buy, too (and avoid the 44 Magnum).
Re: Dogtor Evil's Gun Thread
.45ACP in a stainless 1911A frame...I have a 6", 5", and 4". The 4" will slip inside a waistband. Trigger pull and all mechanics are identical for each except the sight plane. I also have a Colt revolver in .357.
Re: Dogtor Evil's Gun Thread
Me and my meager budget are looking at a S&W Sigma and some of the Rugers (P89 and P95 to be specific). Ammo price has me leaning real hard toward the 9mm. Not to mention that the sigma will hold 14+1 in a 9mm
Re: Dogtor Evil's Gun Thread
Do you all keep them in a safe? I was thinking about getting a handgun as well but I am worried about where to store it because I have young children. I havent fired a handgun in years. My uncle used to take me to the range all the time when I was a kid. It was a lot of fun.
Re: Dogtor Evil's Gun Thread
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Bigdog13
Do you all keep them in a safe? I was thinking about getting a handgun as well but I am worried about where to store it because I have young children. I havent fired a handgun in years. My uncle used to take me to the range all the time when I was a kid. It was a lot of fun.
I don't yet (my big guns that is...no hand gun yet), but I'll be buying a safe within the year. I don't have a ton of guns, so a stack-on 8 gun case should do the trick.
Re: Dogtor Evil's Gun Thread
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Bigdog13
Do you all keep them in a safe? I was thinking about getting a handgun as well but I am worried about where to store it because I have young children. I havent fired a handgun in years. My uncle used to take me to the range all the time when I was a kid. It was a lot of fun.
Trigger locks, keeping the loaded clip seperate, and hiding places work.
Re: Dogtor Evil's Gun Thread
Quote:
Originally Posted by
johnnylightnin
In flashchat last Saturday, DE was talking about buying a handgun before the Obama administration is in place. I think the idea was for those of you who have experience to give advice to those of us who are considering becoming handgun owners.
Things I'm interested in personally are:
revolver v/s auto loader
Caliber preferences
Manufacturer preferences
Upkeep
Ease and cost of repair
I've been thinking for a while about getting a .357 for several reasons. One is that I don't plan on owning more than one handgun and this seems to be a good all-around caliber. A second is that it can safely shoot .38 special ammo which is cheaper and has less recoil. I also figure there is less to go wrong with a revolver than an auto loader.
Anyway, that's what I've been thinking. What do y'all think?
I would go with a quality double-action automatic. 9mm, hollow-point rounds. The second pick would be a stainless steel S&W J-frame which a snub-nose 5 round revolver.
If your main interest is practical home defense, forget about pistols and get a 20 gauge pump shotgun. Mossberg sells a "junior" model with a short barrel and short stock for $200. The sound of the loading mechanism of a pump shotgun will send any home intruder hightailing quicker than you can say jackshit.
Re: Dogtor Evil's Gun Thread
Quote:
Originally Posted by
saltydawg
I would go with a quality double-action automatic. 9mm, hollow-point rounds. The second pick would be a stainless steel S&W J-frame which a snub-nose 5 round revolver.
If your main interest is practical home defense, forget about pistols and get a 20 gauge pump shotgun. Mossberg sells a "junior" model with a short barrel and short stock for $200. The sound of the loading mechanism of a pump shotgun will send any home intruder hightailing quicker than you can say jackshit.
I'm really looking for a gun to take to the range. I've got a couple 12 gauges here in the closet.
Re: Dogtor Evil's Gun Thread
Quote:
Originally Posted by
johnnylightnin
I'm really looking for a gun to take to the range. I've got a couple 12 gauges here in the closet.
IN that case, I would get a long-barrel revolver, assuming that your main interest is in long-range target shooting.
Re: Dogtor Evil's Gun Thread
Quote:
Originally Posted by
saltydawg
IN that case, I would get a long-barrel revolver, assuming that your main interest is in long-range target shooting.
My main interest is playing the Matrix at the range...:D
Re: Dogtor Evil's Gun Thread