Gun Directory

When I bought my first handgun I went in as a novice, put down cash, and walked out (after the State mandated waiting period) with a gun in my pocket, in a manner of speaking. I'd be interested in the views of experienced gun shoppers on what is allowed, can be expected, and is recommended. Who I should go with, what questions to ask, and what to put up with. I suspect you get the idea, what am I, the novice, to do?

It takes time, training, and a clear idea of what your needs are to be a savy gun buyer. Get involved in local gun clubs, ask questions here, get good advanced training, shoot often, and you will learn quickly. When buying a gun, my advice is to buy good brand name quality, and models that have a good reputation. Whether you want one for hunting, competition, range fun, or self defense for home or carry will dramatically change the type of gun you will want to buy.

Have fun and best of luck.

I really like some of the things on youtube. That is a great place to find some information. This is especially true once you find a gun of interest. There are some good videos doing gun review and even takedowns and cleaning.

well there are a couple things you want to decide before you even walk into a gun shop.



1. what am i using this gun for



2. how much power do i want to have



3. is this weapon going to be used for home defense or concealed carry.



once you decide these three things you can dig deeper into your quest, things such as



Caliber size.



Semi-Auto Vs. Revolver Vs long gun Vs shotgun.



semi autos and revolvers are good for self defense. not much hunting use unless finishing off a whitetail or hunting a bear with a very large caliber weapon. Longguns good for hunting but horrible for self defense and home defense, shotguns great for home.



first you have to find a few that you like *noone wants a gun they hate* that feel good and are the right type for what you intend to use it for.





good questions to ask after you have selected a few



Availablility of ammunition for specific weapon



Avaliablility of parts/accessories for said weapon



Strength of recoil. *if your buying a weapon to teach your son daughter or wife to shoot.....you dont want a .500 S&W*



Warantee of weapon.



Reliablity



Durability



Price



if you ask all of these questions you should get all the answers you seek. and end up happy.



of course as others have said research the heck out of anything you want to buy. stay away from cheap companies like bryco, jennings, phonex , raven ect. they are junk even though cheap.



what to put up with. gonna give it to you straight.......



lots of gunshops run on cliques like teenagers. if some identify you as a rookie.....they will treat ya like one. and talk down to you. sadly we have all gone through it. scout out shops in your area, ask friends and neighbors and go with the one that is most friendly and helpful to their customers . you should be all set

Couple means 2. When is the second edition coming out?

Don't completely agree with you about long guns not good for home defense. Short barreled 12ga pump beats any handgun in a home defense situation. You might even be better off with a carbine, certainly a pistol carbine anyway to avoid over penetrating the neighborhood.

The issue I have with long guns for home defense is if you have kids at home. Long guns are hard to keep with you and under your full control, plus if you have to pick up your kid a hand gun in a holster is a much better way to go. Ballistics are probably better with a shotgun, but there are other considerations depending on your personal situation.

I guess if you're picking up your kid in one arm yes, but otherwise long guns are much easier to handle and fire accurately and under control than handguns. Plus, long guns are more difficult for a child to operate and injure themselves.

What I meant by under control was simply that you may have to set a long gun down to perform other tasks and they are a little harder to put on your night stand etc... It is also a little more difficult to use a flashlight in your off hand simultaneously. A handgun can be carried on your body or one hand easily. Maybe I should have used the word "retention" instead of "control" since I was not referring to kids operating them. Either way, whatever works best for you and your personal situation is what you should use and perfect.

Hand guns are also easier to tuck away in strategic places around your home providing you need not worry about children. They can also be much easier to wield in smaller areas. I leave my AR in the Gun Safe myself, as I don't want to scare away any girlfriends! lol