Virginia Gun Owners Forum - VGOF

Hi my fiance and I recently moved to a pretty rough part of town and we both are nervous over safety. We have been to pawn shops but the prices are out of our range. So im wondering if anyone is selling privately a cheap little piece. Purely for protection and we both have great records. Please help!

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sniff sniff

Lol ok

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I submit that a small, short-barreled shotgun is better for home protection than a handgun.

You can find a simple, basic 20-gauge home protection shotgun for less than a handgun.

Load it with #1 buckshot.

Google "home defense shotgun" and you will find more than enough information to keep you busy studying and learning for hours.

But you should be able to get a very nice 20-gauge, matte black, 18" shotgun for around $200.

Sounds like you might want to start out cheap and easy. Shotgun is a good suggestion, but as an alternative why don't you look into a police trade in at your local gun store? Get a decent S&W revolver, checked by a gunsmith, for around $200.00 to $250.00 depending on condition.

If it's primarily for home defense I also second getting a shotgun. If the fiance is planning on using it, a nice 20 Gauge with a youth stock. Easier to use than a handgun. I'd find a local gun store and avoid the pawn shops if you're looking for some expertise or advise on what to get.

and please, please, please take a gun safety class.

I actually did read on two sites that experts say shotgun is better for home defense mainly due to stopping power. So you all backed that up nicely! So we are gonna explore that option. I will be getting my concealed permit as well and had interest in small handgun. 380 any good or have a bad reputation?

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Uh-oh. Now you've gone and done it. Start asking about what caliber to get for a concealed carry gun. Here comes the debate!

There are those who will go on about "stopping power" and advocate for the biggest caliber you can comfortably conceal, carry and shoot. And I believe there is indeed something to be said for that. If you are able to hit the target right where you want to hit it, it is best to hit it with the most powerful round you can. After all, the purpose is to stop the threat, preferably as quickly as possible and with as few rounds fired as possible.

But then the more important aspect is shot placement. What's more important than carrying a big thunderstick is being able to place the round right where you want it. If you can consistently place the round within 1/2" of where you were expecting it to go, then the caliber matters less. If you can put a .22 right above the bridge of the perp's nose, he's going down, period. It doesn't need to be a .45 hollow point.

There is something to be said for carrying a lightweight, low-caliber gun. It's lighter and therefore more comfortable to carry, smaller and easier to conceal, and often will hold more rounds, because the ammunition is smaller. And the ammo is cheaper.

Ultimately, you need to hold a few different guns in your hand. See which fits your hand best and feels good. Shoot a few different ones - borrow some friend's guns, or go to a commercial range and rent some. Most commercial ranges have guns for rent so you can try out various ones. Find out which ones you are better with. You might find a cute little .380 that feels comfy in your hand and fits neatly in a pocket or something, but then you might find you can't hit the side of a barn with it and the slide cuts your thumb every time you shoot it. I had that experience with a Beretta Tomcat. I thought it was really sweet, but after shooting it a few times at the range, I realized my hands were just way too big for it and I hated it. I dumped it quick.

It's really a matter of personal preference. Don't let anyone tell you that you need to carry a .45 or anything - find what works for you. When it comes to defending yourself, the best gun is the one you have. Better to have a small .380 or something than nothing at all. As to whether a 9 mm is better than a .380 but not as good as a .40, or whether a .45 is the best of all, I'll leave that to all the chest-thumpers who evidently are happy to argue that ad nauseam in all the gun forums.

Full disclosure: my favorite concealed carry handgun is a Para OPS .45, loaded with Speer Gold Dot HPs.

TenchCoxe has valid points. I have a SW Bodyguard 380 for summertime pocket carry. With a Mika holster, it does not print. But I have had to put in a LOT of practice (and need more, quite frankly) in shooting this little gun at the range . I have not shot the Bersa , but hear many people say its one sweet shooting gun in the 380 caliber. My problem with the BG 380 is its Dual Aciton Only (a good thing to have in a pocket pistol). It has suh a long trigger pull you can practically pre-stage the pull and then do a final pull before it goes bang. Practicing to get a steady pull and keep it on target is the challenge Like TenchCoxe I was tempted to get rid of it, but decide to keep it because of the built in laser is a great training tool. My goal is consistent 2" groups, rapid fire at 21 feet. I'm not there yet, but will try different grip techniques, ammo, stance and just a lot of practice.

Folks will argue 45 caliber is sufficient stopping power. Agreed - just look up ballistic test results. So with a decent gun, such as a 1911 and practice you should be able to shoot accurately - good placement at a typical SD scenario (FBI statistics is 21 feet average) There are lots of choices out there so try different brands and models. The only problem is having to carry a larger gun, but there are compact 1911 models out there if you are willing to pay for it. Colt and Kimber and Springfield come to mind.

N0VA wrote:there are compact 1911 models out there if you are willing to pay for it. Colt and Kimber and Springfield come to mind.

Don't forget Para Ordnance! I love my Para OPS. Very sweet-shooting 1911. Not a cheap gun, though. But you're paying for quality and getting it.

I prefer a .454 Casull for personal protection. lol

On the subject of a shotgun for home defense, I saw that a 20 gauge was recommended, with the note that it would be easier for the women folk to handle. Myself, I have a 12 gauge that I keep loaded with bird shot. My 90 lb. cousin, who had never shot anything outside of a .22 rifle, was able to handle it right nicely. She even managed to knock a couple of clays out of the air with it.

Back to the subject of handguns, I'll be in the market for a .357 revolver with a 6in. barrel before too much longer. I fired a few rounds out of someone elses .357, and I really like how it handled. I know that it's rather big, and harder to hide, but I'm not too concerned with concealability , anyway.

Not sure "cheap" and "self defense" go together. If you really feel you need to protect yourself dont buy anything just because it is cheap. If you are interested in a 380 make sure to get a quality one and shoot it a lot with different ammo to see what it likes. 380's are notorious for being ammo sensitive. Good luck and let us know what you decide.

Echo Rich's point - this is not like buying milk or gasoline, where the price matters a lot because you're buying it every week. This is a long-term investment in your family's safety. I see it like buying tires - your life depends on sixteen square inches of rubber at any one time, so it'd be dam'good rubber; buying "cheap" tires is dangerous. In an emergency, you need to be able to pull a trigger and have something dramatic happen. If all you get is "click", well, you get what you pay for, I reckon.

Personal weigh-in on the shotgun thing: I don't like long guns for primary home defense weapons. You do have to aim, even a shotgun, since the pattern is pretty tight at close range. They're hard to crawl around with without making noise. They crash into things (refrigerator, door frame, etc.) when you need to make sudden turns in the dark. A lot of shotguns and larger caliber rifles will produce enough recoil to be at least uncomfortable, and may well knock granny on her bottom. Finally, the sound of chambering a round in a shotgun is not guaranteed to make Badguy poop in his pants and run away screaming like a schoolgirl - Badguy is going to drop, find cover, and start shooting in the direction the noise came from.

I recommend a semiautomatic handgun from a reliable manufacturer, preferably one that holds a double-stack magazine (if your hand is large enough), equipped with both night-sights AND a lasergrip. The latter is for last-second precision, not target-finding, btw. (Ever watch kids playing laser-tag? They know where to shoot by watching where the beam's coming from.) A carbine, whether lever-action or semiauto, is a useful thing to have as backup which you can keep in your place of last resort, but not recommended as primary defense. Revolvers are very reliable but lack sufficient capacity, but if you're limited by funds, a used S&W model 64 can be had for less than half what a good semiauto costs.