Virginia Gun Owners Forum - VGOF

THIS guy.

We're shopping around for a first one for home defense. Of course, I want one that will do everything so I only have to buy one (until I hit the lottery and/or can finally open that Monical's Pizza franchise I've wanted). You know, something that the wife can use easily but isn't too small for me. Something that will be good for home defense. And concealed carry. And hunting. Yet cheap. And with cheap, ubiquitous ammo.

Yeah, I know. I'm on crack.

Anyway, I'm a federal gov't employee (and NO, I do NOT make six figures and leech off the private sector) living in Manassas.

Jamie wrote:Something that will be good for home defense. And concealed carry. And hunting. Yet cheap. And with cheap, ubiquitous ammo.

Oops, sorry. But that was funny. So let me get this straight, you want a gun that can be concealed and also be used for hunting? For cheap? When you find that gun, let me know too, lol.

Seriously now. Either get a smaller 9mm pistol or smaller gauged shotgun like a 20 ga for the home defense department, then save up for the hunting requirements. I would say Home defense is maybe the more important part of the 3.

A 20 ga shotgun with some buckshot will stop an intruder, but won't kick as bad as a 12 ga. The wife should be able to handle it.

I, for a while, was in the category. Thankful I'm not anymore. Good luck with the hunting, unless you can CCW S&W 500!

Except for hunting you probably want a compact 9mm, .40S&W or .45ACP pistol or .38 special or .357 Magnum revolver. The Glock 19 (9mm), or 23 (.40S&W) as well as other pistols from others in the same class are popular. For hunting and home defense a shotgun would work. It really depends on how sensitive the wife and you are to recoil. Even my diminutive daughter can shoot a .44 magnum but does not like it. Most people do not mind the Glock 19, but if that is too much the Walther PK380 (.380 ACP) has a good reputation for light recoil. Many recommend starting with a .22 until you get used to shooting, a used .22 can be had for a few hundred and could be resold before buying a more powerful gun. I myself was in the same place last summer and ended up with the Glock 22 (.40 S&W) and have enjoyed shooting it since. I have also had a chance to shoot a large variety of other guns, both rentals and friends, and would say that I liked the Glock 19 the best of the mid power pistols.

Im right there with ya pal

Don't dismiss the .22LR. It fills all of your criteria!

If you want one all-purpose gun, then my suggestion would be for a .357 Magnum revolver, and for you to fire .38 Special out of it most of the time. I'd suggest a service-sized police trade-in, like a S&W Model 19 or 66, a Taurus Model 66, or a Ruger Security-Six. With a little shopping, these can be had for reasonable prices.

Why a revolver? Because they don't have external safeties to fiddle with. Like a Glock, they're simply point-and-shoot. Being revolvers, they can't stovepipe; you can shoot them through a coat pocket and they'll keep right on going. Like the 9mm round, .38 Special ammo is ubiquitous, inexpensive, low recoil, easy to handload, and does the job. For hunting larger game (e. g. whitetails), that's when you call for the .357 Magnum round. You get a lot of latitude with respect to ammunition with such a gun.

Is money the primary driver here? You like guns, but don't own one because they cost too much for what you are getting or you would have to sacrifice something else?

to VGOF.

Welcome to VGOF, Jamie

I'm surprised no one has recommended Hi Point yet.... I'm sure it won't be long

And if money's tight (hey, you're not alone!) definitely don't limit yourself to new guns. There are some deals to be had buying used or buying a consignment piece. I've only purchased one of my guns new. Of course, if you're unfamiliar with the workings of one, buy from a reputable LGS or have someone with you that can warn you of anything suspect. From what I've gathered, though, short of outright abuse it's pretty hard to trash a modern firearm. Most will take a pretty good lickin' and keep tickin', and unlike some other investments, firearms also tend to hold a relatively significant percentage of residual value. Market conditions are subject to vary, of course, but I'll bet if you looked to by non-new you'd only be spending 2/3's to 3/4's of what you'd spend buying new.

As far as ammo, yeah, 9mm and .38 is generally available and won't break the bank.

Happy hunting!

Welcome! It's not cheap, but you can probably find a S&W 610 with 4" barrel. Cheap 40 S&W ammo for everything except hunting. Then you can run full power 10mm out of it. I can CC one, and I've had two women shoot my 6.5" version very easily.

Jim

Jamie wrote:Anyway, I'm a federal gov't employee (and NO, I do NOT make six figures and leech off the private sector) living in Manassas.

Wow. I too am a federal government employee and I make 4 times as much as anyone in the commercial sector, take 5 hour lunches, and spend the rest of the time surfing porn from my desk. You must work for a different federal government...

to VGOF...

to the forum

CowboyT wrote:If you want one all-purpose gun, then my suggestion would be for a .357 Magnum revolver, and for you to fire .38 Special out of it most of the time. I'd suggest a service-sized police trade-in, like a S&W Model 19 or 66, a Taurus Model 66, or a Ruger Security-Six. With a little shopping, these can be had for reasonable prices.

My suggestion exactly, I don’t need to reiterate; also, check out a Ruger GP100 with six inch barrel, more accurate (for hunting) than the security six but a wee bit more expensive on the used gun markets. Though ya can’t beat a Ruger security six for “most bang for the buck.”

Heh. Yeah, I was joking about wanting all of the above in one gun. Thanks for all the recommendations.

Naturally I've come to the same conclusion that many of you have: I need a lot more than one gun!

Handgun: Glock 19
Shotgun: Mossberg 12-ga
Rifles: 22 lr and something in a deer-hunting caliber

First thing's first, though. A handgun for the bad guys. Then we can worry about shooting birds, squirrels, and Bambi.

NickW wrote:

CowboyT wrote:If you want one all-purpose gun, then my suggestion would be for a .357 Magnum revolver, and for you to fire .38 Special out of it most of the time. I'd suggest a service-sized police trade-in, like a S&W Model 19 or 66, a Taurus Model 66, or a Ruger Security-Six. With a little shopping, these can be had for reasonable prices.

My suggestion exactly, I don’t need to reiterate; also, check out a Ruger GP100 with six inch barrel, more accurate (for hunting) than the security six but a wee bit more expensive on the used gun markets. Though ya can’t beat a Ruger security six for “most bang for the buck.”

I think this is the ticket. Consider a revolver in .357, start out with target .38's and work up. 4 or 6" barrel will probably be all you need. That is a bit large to carry but can be done if you absolutely have to do it. Hunting anything with a .357 is an iffeeeee deal. Consider a shotgun or rifle and keep the handguns for defense and sport. Unless you are quite proficient with your handgun, you won't be too successful in the hunting area. I have hunted and been around guns for almost 50 years and anyone that tells you a .357 can be used for deer sized game... well, lets just say they are mistaken. Talk to some long time hunters that are not 'cowboys' and get the story from them. Don't take my word for it. I am fairly sure someone will jump in here with a rebuttal to my advice but that is fine... advice is free and you will eventually find out that I am giving you some solid info.

speezack wrote:

NickW wrote:

CowboyT wrote:If you want one all-purpose gun, then my suggestion would be for a .357 Magnum revolver, and for you to fire .38 Special out of it most of the time. I'd suggest a service-sized police trade-in, like a S&W Model 19 or 66, a Taurus Model 66, or a Ruger Security-Six. With a little shopping, these can be had for reasonable prices.

My suggestion exactly, I don’t need to reiterate; also, check out a Ruger GP100 with six inch barrel, more accurate (for hunting) than the security six but a wee bit more expensive on the used gun markets. Though ya can’t beat a Ruger security six for “most bang for the buck.”

I think this is the ticket. Consider a revolver in .357, start out with target .38's and work up. 4 or 6" barrel will probably be all you need. That is a bit large to carry but can be done if you absolutely have to do it. Hunting anything with a .357 is an iffeeeee deal. Consider a shotgun or rifle and keep the handguns for defense and sport. Unless you are quite proficient with your handgun, you won't be too successful in the hunting area. I have hunted and been around guns for almost 50 years and anyone that tells you a .357 can be used for deer sized game... well, lets just say they are mistaken. Talk to some long time hunters that are not 'cowboys' and get the story from them. Don't take my word for it. I am fairly sure someone will jump in here with a rebuttal to my advice but that is fine... advice is free and you will eventually find out that I am giving you some solid info.

You didn't waste any time, did you?!

Palladin wrote: You didn't waste any time, did you?!

mmmmmmmmmmm. It appears you may know me???

I have been correctly accused of opening my mouth and voicing my opinion... often without deep thought... if wrong, I stand corrected but then I rarely make mistakes and when I do... they are just a little ones............... and also, on other sites I have been accused of .... "pulling chains".. it isn't true.

Sometimes I jump in the water, before I see if it is cold or hot....

speezack wrote:I have hunted and been around guns for almost 50 years and anyone that tells you a .357 can be used for deer sized game... well, lets just say they are mistaken. Talk to some long time hunters that are not 'cowboys' and get the story from them. Don't take my word for it. I am fairly sure someone will jump in here with a rebuttal to my advice but that is fine... advice is free and you will eventually find out that I am giving you some solid info.

I'm game!

My father-in-law has been hunting since he was a boy and has taken deer with his .357Mag revolver (Ruger Security Six). I've also heard of some of them good old boys taking deer with .22lr. Realize that those people grew up hunting and are good shots first and foremost. They all have stories like my father-in-laws about how they were young (10 +-3 years) and were given a .22lr, 5 rounds and told to bring back five squirrels for dinner. If they failed (even missing one), there wasn't enough food so they learned to not fail very quickly. Shot placement matters more than anything. After that, bullet design/construction. What matters is doing damage to vitals so you kill the deer quickly; larger calibers just give you more room for error. However, a good hunting bullet in a .357Mag is better than a FMJ .270. I'm lazy so I use a .45/70 with Hornady's LeverRevolution. After about 3" of penetration the wound opens up to the size of your fist...most I've had to track one yet with that gun is 10ft. When I want bigger game I use Garrett Cartridge's .45/70 +P 420gr load or the +P 540gr.

You are right though, hunting with a handgun is not easy. Reminds me of this satire: http://www.chuckhawks.com/825_magnum.htm