Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Hobbies and Recreation > Guns and Hunting
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Closed Thread Start New Thread
 
Old 01-23-2023, 10:54 AM
 
Location: God's Gift to Mankind for flying anything
5,921 posts, read 13,801,503 times
Reputation: 5229

Advertisements

I am planning to purchase a small handgun for personal protection.
What is a good one to start with, take some instructional lessons and start learning how to fire a gun at a supervised gun range.

TIA

 
Old 01-23-2023, 10:56 AM
 
5,214 posts, read 2,975,632 times
Reputation: 7021
You can ask this question to a dozen different people and get a dozen different answers. The best thing to do is to go to a place where you can rent out various different handguns and try them out. That way you will know what you like when it comes to grip, feel and kick.
 
Old 01-23-2023, 11:22 AM
 
Location: New England
3,196 posts, read 1,679,495 times
Reputation: 9011
Quote:
Originally Posted by hawk55732 View Post
You can ask this question to a dozen different people and get a dozen different answers. The best thing to do is to go to a place where you can rent out various different handguns and try them out. That way you will know what you like when it comes to grip, feel and kick.
That's the best free advice one can get.
 
Old 01-23-2023, 11:38 AM
 
9,868 posts, read 7,621,713 times
Reputation: 22118
Quote:
Originally Posted by Driver 47 View Post
That's the best free advice one can get.
Yup. You need to think out some important general factors, though.

- Plan to carry concealed or just keep in the house?
- Size and strength of your hands and any related physical constraints
- Budget (of course)
- Ammo availability in the preferred caliber(s)
- Does the practice range have restrictions on certain kinds of guns or ammo?
- How much time and effort are you willing to commit to practice?
 
Old 01-23-2023, 01:37 PM
 
Location: God's Gift to Mankind for flying anything
5,921 posts, read 13,801,503 times
Reputation: 5229
Quote:
Originally Posted by pikabike View Post
Yup. You need to think out some important general factors, though.

- Plan to carry concealed or just keep in the house?
- Size and strength of your hands and any related physical constraints
- Budget (of course)
- Ammo availability in the preferred caliber(s)
- Does the practice range have restrictions on certain kinds of guns or ammo?
- How much time and effort are you willing to commit to practice?
Simply stated, as much as it will take on all the points mentioned.

I am partly disabled from the waist down but have total strength still in my upper body...
I move around in a lightweight foldable electric wheelchair.

On point one -- What is the use of keeping it at home when I feel the need to use it for personal protection.
Sadly I have had some run-ins with certain groups of people and now feel that I need some kind of protection...

I have spoken to friends who do have small handguns, and a few of them carry theirs on them at all times.
All of them have told me the same thing... If you point your gun at some danger, you'd better be ready to use it to kill...
I did serve in the Armed Forces a long time ago and was trained to use weapons, both rifles and small handguns. Became proficient and was rated rifle expert.

Does anybody have some favoured make of gun? Reliability and ease of use? I have heard people talk about Glock and SIG... (I am not quite sure about these since I have not owned a gun since the early 60s when I retired from the Armed Forces. Never found a need for it until recent situations...

Just a question...
Does carrying a gun make you feel a bit more comfortable since I then should know I have something to defend myself?
 
Old 01-23-2023, 03:03 PM
 
Location: Idaho
6,339 posts, read 7,696,251 times
Reputation: 14126
Quote:
Originally Posted by irman View Post
On point one -- What is the use of keeping it at home when I feel the need to use it for personal protection.
If you are going to conceal, (or open), carry, first check your state's laws about doing so. In some states, it is next to impossible to obtain a carry permit. On the other end of the spectrum, there are some states that have what is called "constitutional carry" which allow concealed and open carry without any permits or training. Most states are somewhere in the middle, (issue a permit after a certain amount of training). Read up about reciprocity and your state's stance on the issue.

Just don't start carrying and assume you are okay. Check your state laws first!


Quote:
Originally Posted by irman View Post
Just a question...
Does carrying a gun make you feel a bit more comfortable since I then should know I have something to defend myself?
The best defense is to not put one's self in a situation where a firearm would be needed. I live in a pretty safe area and many people conceal carry. One really does not know who is carrying and who is not. That alone provides safety. (And probably the real reason it is so safe around here.) Personally, I carry in my car but rarely on my person. The only time I carry on my person is when I'm in bear country. Then it really is needed for personal protection.

To directly answer your question, other than protecting myself against the four-legged hazards in the mountains, No! I don't feel more comfortable. Having an understanding of the legal ramifications of using a firearm against another human far outweigh the "peace" I'd have while carrying. Again, I don't put myself in a situation where I could possibly have to use something. But, I know it's in the car if the bottom drops out.


My favorite carry is a Smith & Wesson M&P 9 Shield. One of the older ones without that silly grip safety. An Apex trigger job make it a sweet and accurate shooter. In the mountains far away from any help, I open carry a .45 Long Colt Single Action revolver, and sometimes if I know I'm not going into Grizzly country, a .357 Magnum Single Action revolver.
__________________


Moderator posts will always be Red and can only be discussed via Direct Message.
C-D Home page, TOS (Terms of Service), How to Search, FAQ's, Posting Guide
Moderator of Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Guns and Hunting, and Weather



Last edited by volosong; 01-23-2023 at 03:43 PM..
 
Old 01-25-2023, 08:32 AM
 
Location: Tampa Bay
140 posts, read 107,891 times
Reputation: 420
The best gun is whatever you're comfortable and proficient with. But please, for the love of God, get comfortable and proficient with anything other than a Hi-Point.
 
Old 01-25-2023, 08:50 AM
 
5,214 posts, read 2,975,632 times
Reputation: 7021
Quote:
Originally Posted by AndySipowicz View Post
The best gun is whatever you're comfortable and proficient with. But please, for the love of God, get comfortable and proficient with anything other than a Hi-Point.
Hi points arent bad guns for their price. Id rather have a hi point and be able to defend myself then be saving up for a more expensive one and then need a firearm and not have one.
 
Old 01-25-2023, 12:25 PM
 
23,548 posts, read 70,029,022 times
Reputation: 49015
Quote:
Originally Posted by irman View Post
Simply stated, as much as it will take on all the points mentioned.

I am partly disabled from the waist down but have total strength still in my upper body...
I move around in a lightweight foldable electric wheelchair.

On point one -- What is the use of keeping it at home when I feel the need to use it for personal protection.
Sadly I have had some run-ins with certain groups of people and now feel that I need some kind of protection...

I have spoken to friends who do have small handguns, and a few of them carry theirs on them at all times.
All of them have told me the same thing... If you point your gun at some danger, you'd better be ready to use it to kill...
I did serve in the Armed Forces a long time ago and was trained to use weapons, both rifles and small handguns. Became proficient and was rated rifle expert.

Does anybody have some favoured make of gun? Reliability and ease of use? I have heard people talk about Glock and SIG... (I am not quite sure about these since I have not owned a gun since the early 60s when I retired from the Armed Forces. Never found a need for it until recent situations...

Just a question...
Does carrying a gun make you feel a bit more comfortable since I then should know I have something to defend myself?
The local gunshop/range allows customers to use the model of gun they are thinking of buying and try it out in the range. A few dollars for the range access and the ammo and there is hands-on experience to guide a decision.

The old axiom still holds: "The best fight is the one avoided."

In Alabama, deadly force is allowed, but only as a last resort. In all situations, there must be an attempt to de-escalate, even if it involves major property loss. My GF (retired police) sums it up with comments along the line of "You absolutely better be defending life, and expect the aftermath when you survive to be intense interrogation and most likely the hiring of an attorney that can set you back $50,000 or more." Somebody wants your car at gunpoint? Let 'em take the car. It is cheaper by far, and insurance may cover it.

I've had my CC permit for years. Sometimes I carry, but not for defense against people as much as four legged critters. If anything, having to carry means I feel less safe, and I have to be much more observant of surroundings.

A weapon for home defense is going to be considered much more reasonable in any court than going around armed. With a wheelchair, your options of exiting a scene are limited, so it might be handled differently. Actual confrontations take only seconds. Even so, unless you fear for your life, something less lethal, like pepper spray, might be a better option. In any event, some self defense training with your limitations taken into account would be a wise idea.
 
Old 01-25-2023, 06:36 PM
 
Location: Tampa (by way of Omaha)
14,561 posts, read 22,984,963 times
Reputation: 10356
I'd recommend the following criteria.

1) A compact size firearm. There is no universal definition for "compact" but I am speaking of things in the realm of the Glock 19, SIG 229/228 and so forth.

2) Chambered in 9mm. With modern ammo technology, I see very little reason to go with anything else. The 45ACP and 40 S&W are legacy rounds now.

3) Name brand. Glock, SIG, H&K, Smith & Wesson...etc.

Get your hands on and shoot as many guns as you can that fit that criteria and then decide which one you like best.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Closed Thread


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Hobbies and Recreation > Guns and Hunting

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top