So...my husband decided a few months back that he wants to get a gun.

I am not a big gun person, don't really know much about guns or safes and the like.

I told him we can only get a gun once we start a family, for protection only. But it never hurts to start doing research.

So I pose a few questions -

What is a good beginner gun? Especially for someone with unsteady hands (I want my own gun, and hubby wants his own and already decided on something like a pistol or 9mm or whatever)

Any recommendations on whom to buy from and/or to take classes from?

Lastly, because I'm not going to have my children or nieces or nephew ever be able to find the gun safe and crack it open, has anyone used one of those gun safes that uses a thumbprint for closing and opening; and if so - are they recommended?

4/26/2013 8:37:43 PM

I believe this place does classes down in Belmont near Charlotte (went there with a groupon some months back):
http://www.shootersexpress.com/classes.html

4/26/2013 8:54:44 PM

ibtdeluge

4/26/2013 8:56:43 PM

^^Anything closer to Raleigh area? And Groupon eh? I'll have to keep an eye out.

4/26/2013 9:04:55 PM

Quote :

"I told him we can only get a gun once we start a family"

is that a ploy to get him to start a family with you?

4/26/2013 9:05:34 PM

lol, well we had been talking about it for a bit and i told him he could get a gun once he gets me pregnant.

i'm just a nice wife and letting him get it now/research now so he can learn how to use it before any type of baby pops out



[Edited on April 26, 2013 at 9:07 PM. Reason : .]

4/26/2013 9:06:55 PM

No guns in the house unless there are small children.

4/26/2013 9:07:59 PM

little babies, to be specific

4/26/2013 9:09:13 PM

i'd recommend going to a shooting range and renting a few guns and shooting them at the range...if you start with a .22 handgun, which has almost no recoil, you'll get your first taste of firearms without it being too overwhelming

i think a .38 revolver is a good gun for females

4/26/2013 9:10:12 PM

any brand you recommend?

4/26/2013 9:12:10 PM

for a .38 revolver? i'd specifically recommend the Smith and Wesson Model 60

[Edited on April 26, 2013 at 10:00 PM. Reason : in stainless steel with 2" barrel]

4/26/2013 9:56:42 PM

PDHSC does classes and has a few different guns you can rent on the range pretty cheap. Definitely get some time on a range and try different guns. You want one that you can shoot comfortably and that you will practice with, so try a bunch out and don't let anyone talk you into starting with any caliber bigger than your comfortable with.

http://www.pdhsc.com/

4/26/2013 10:11:11 PM

whatever you do, don't take advice from gun store employees. they just wanna sell you something. anything. they don't care.

4/26/2013 10:41:21 PM

Try guns and see what you like. There is very little difference in recoil between my 9mm and the SO's .45

I think making him wait until you are pregnant is stupid and crazy.

4/26/2013 11:03:55 PM

theres a very noticable difference

the gun he should get is the gun that he is comfortable with. go let him try a few and see what he likes.

4/26/2013 11:11:05 PM

^^^Very true, and important to keep in mind at all times. Particularly ignore anything they tell you involving special ops in 'Nam, that anything smaller than .45 is useless, or how shotgun pellets "spread out so you don't have to aim". I could go on, but I think you get the idea. If it sounds like a load of crap or something you would see in a movie, it is.

Basically, pick them all up. Ask lots of questions. If you like how it feels, find one you can try out or ask owners of that specific gun. If you (or similar owners) like how it shoots, buy it and shoot it a lot. The absolute worst thing anyone can do is go buy a gun, run a box of ammo through it, and stick it in a safe or under the bed, never to be touched again. Taking a concealed carry class is a good way to brush up on basic firearms safety and more importantly, the laws regarding when and how you are allowed to use it to defend yourself. Even if you don't carry all the time, having the permit makes both purchasing and transporting much easier than without.

If you want a safe to keep kids out, most anything will do. None of them are possible for a kid to crack, or they wouldn't be much use against anyone that knows what they're doing. I don't like complex or biometric locking mechanisms because I think they're too prone to operator error in a panic situation, but that's the same reason I don't use a safe of any kind for my defense weapon either. A simple, mechanical safe will be sufficient if you only need to keep kids away from your guns.

[Edited on April 26, 2013 at 11:13 PM. Reason : .]

4/26/2013 11:13:33 PM

biceps

4/26/2013 11:23:46 PM

What if he shoots blanks. Does he only get to put blanks in his new gun?

[Edited on April 27, 2013 at 1:11 AM. Reason : oops not chit chat]

4/27/2013 1:11:12 AM

I expected a thread about this.

4/27/2013 3:22:26 AM

^Dammit

4/27/2013 5:22:57 AM

Yea I already had tried talking to sales people and they're full of crap. I trust you guys on here more than them.

4/27/2013 7:56:17 AM

Quote :

"i'd recommend going to a shooting range and renting a few guns and shooting them at the range...if you start with a .22 handgun, which has almost no recoil, you'll get your first taste of firearms without it being too overwhelming i think a .38 revolver is a good gun for females"

I agree with this. My GF had never fired a handgun until she met me. She tried my .40 and it was way too much for her. Shot the .22 and told me it was like a pellet gun. So we went to the range and she fired a 9mm Baby Glock and loved it. You'll never really know what your good fit is until you shoot a variety of calibers until you find the one that you can handle.

4/27/2013 12:33:45 PM

Keep in mind that the weight of the gun is one of the biggest factors in recoil.

F=MA.....F is the force of the recoil, M is the mass of the gun, and A is the rearward acceleration of the gun, and what you will feel.

If you want to shoot often and don't plan to conceal carry, get a longer barrel than 2", for the weight alone.

4/27/2013 1:05:02 PM

My girlfriend had never shot a gun before, and handled a 9mm Beretta with ease.

So, I would also suggest considering a 9 mm

4/27/2013 5:38:10 PM

9mm has the cheapest ammo options so he can afford to actually train with the thing like he should

4/27/2013 5:45:59 PM

http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/160/10/929.full

4/28/2013 12:50:34 AM

Quote :

"I told him we can only get a gun once we start a family"

wait, are you his wife or his mom?

4/28/2013 1:41:24 AM

^ incest?

4/28/2013 9:52:35 AM

I recommend the 9mm Smith and Wesson M&P as a good first handgun for many folks. They are econ0omical to buy, even new, and have decent resale value. Plus, it has the lowest bore axis of any of the non Glock 9mms I have shot, while having a beaver tail to avoid Glock bite.

I carry a sig and a SW99 (Smith and Wesson rebrand of a Walther P99) and they fit my hands well, however both one of my sisters and my Ex have M&P 9's. They are THE easiest to rack slide 9mm I have ever used as well, which helps for those with lower hand strength. Plus, a 9 in a semi auto does anything a 38 revolver will do, with less perceived recoil.

4/28/2013 8:22:19 PM

Quote :

"I told him we can only get a gun once we start a family, for protection only."

You should let him get one for recreation purposes too so he actually uses it and actually knows how to use it. In fact, you should let him get a few guns as they can serve different purposes.

4/28/2013 8:32:18 PM

When you're speaking about the Glock bite - I'm assuming youre talking about recoil? I was considering the Glock 17 for myself, as it gets decent reviews and is said to be decent for a women beginner.

I told Tyler he can get what he wants, I trust him to do his own research.

4/29/2013 9:17:47 PM

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Glock%20bite

http://www.genitron.com/Basics/Interactive-Glock-Pistol
getting the meat of your hand caught by the end of the slide

I just tried it on mine and it seems nearly impossible unless you were goofing around

4/29/2013 9:35:22 PM

thanks, friend!

yes i dont plan on being a moron with a gun. so im hoping i dont run into that problem.

4/29/2013 9:48:11 PM

you need to go hold and shoot them, you should not be deciding based on internet reviews. go hold and shoot, decide what you like, and you can report back here and people can tell you if there is anything you should know about that gun and what you should expect to pay for it.

4/29/2013 9:53:59 PM

ill make extensive notes. i still think theyll try to BS me when i go anywhere. i dont really look like a gun person. plus im clumsy.

4/29/2013 10:02:46 PM

you need to go hold and shoot them, you should not be deciding based on internet reviews. go hold and shoot, decide what you like, and you can report back here and people can tell you if there is anything you should know about that gun and what you should expect to pay for it.

4/30/2013 8:15:07 AM

oh, the matrix

4/30/2013 8:19:49 AM

i'm always willing to help new shooters or people interested in learning about shooting. You buy the ammo and pay for range time and i'll be willing to bring out a few different guns for you to try and give some basic safety, instruction and mechanics of shooting.

Other wise if you are not planning on shooting a lot and just want a basic home protection gun i would say either a pump shotgun 12 gauge or 20 gauge depending on what your able to comfortably handle or a 357 magnum revolver with a 4" barrel. With a 357 you can also use 38 special which has a milder recoil but gives you the option for additional power.

4/30/2013 10:45:04 AM

I have the "gun show" shirt posted earlier. A word of caution to any ladies who are considering a similar purchase - try it on first and make sure the arrows actually point to your arms... not your boobs. TSHIRTFAIL

4/30/2013 1:08:47 PM

did the ticket line get longer than expected?

4/30/2013 1:11:07 PM

Quote :

"i'm always willing to help new shooters or people interested in learning about shooting. You buy the ammo and pay for range time and i'll be willing to bring out a few different guns for you to try and give some basic safety, instruction and mechanics of shooting. "

are you in raleigh?

4/30/2013 2:44:26 PM

yea, in the area

5/1/2013 9:11:58 AM