Gun purchase

Looking for opinions on what type of gun to purchase for home protection. Plan on taking lessons also. I have zero experience with guns but have always wanted to have one in the house. Crime in Las Vegas is on the rise, just purchased better outer security doors for the house after neighbor's house was broken into last month. Another neighbor's car was stolen and others are reporting packages left by UPS and Fed Ex have been swiped.

 

Do a search. Many threads asking that.

 

And make sure to get proper training. Gun + untrained = usual disaster. Either you accidentally kill yourself or someone else, or when you need to use it (god forbid), you freeze, or the robber takes it off you and uses it on you.

By the way -- I'm not anti-gun, have a few in the home myself, and a concealed carry license which I occassionally use (i.e. I sometimes carry). Then again, I sure as hell am not NRA, either.

Anyway, just be careful.

 

I love my Glock 36 (6 rounds, .45 ACP) and I keep my Carbon 15 (30 rounds, .223) within arms reach at night as well. Many suggest the 12 gauge for home protection. That's great if you have room to swing it around... my Winchester 12g is IMO more gun than I want to wrangle in dark, close quarters situations and much harder to shoot from cover.

I suggest you get to a range, find what's comfortable in your hand first, and what is the most powerful round you can handle second, and put as many rounds through it as often as possible until you can operate it safely and accurately one handed while you're half asleep.

Owning a gun is a big commitment to safety and your loved ones. Take a class, make sure you know exactly what you're doing BEFORE you even buy a gun (could you really kill someone, or would this be posturing, and more dangerous to you than them?), and in your own home moreso than anywhere else... always know your target before you squeeze.

Good luck,
Tad

 

Short-barrel 12 gauge pump shotgun is the best home defense weapon.

Best handgun for someone new to guns is a simple revolver, so probably something like a Smith & Wesson .38 with a mid-length barrel.

Keep the revolver in a locked handgun safe. These safes have a quick combination set of buttons to push to open. Try to keep it in a place you can get to in a few second's time, perhaps somewhere in your master bedroom. If you keep it unloaded, you might want to use a quick loading device for the revolver (loads 5 or 6 rounds of bullets in a single motion).

Take a gun safety course. Practice on a regular basis at a local gun range.

Always know for sure what your target is before you pull the trigger. Also know what is behind your target - make sure it is not a family member's bedroom, etc.

 

Saved me the keystrokes.

Oh, use #4 buckshot, not double-0.

 

Glock 32 series, .357 sig, hard to go wrong with something so well rounded. Modified magazines can hold 20 rounds.

 

My next gun for home protection will be a 20mm rifle. Only problem is the possibility of it going through the intruder... and the car, and the brick house across the street...

In all seriousness it will be my next gun. I can't wait!

GT

 

Agree with some of the comments here that a shotgun is a good home defense weapon. Extremely intimidating to stare down the barrel of one. Problem is, having it at arms reach in the middle of the night means having it out there in the open, where a kid (or intruder) can get to it too. It could also be hard to swing around in close quarters. On the other hand, I have a small gun safe in the nightstand -- 5 button "blind" code, single hand operation and spring loaded door. Loaded handgun in there and I can have it open in about 3 seconds in the dark.

Here's my carry piece. Kimber .45ACP "Ultra Crimson Carry". Just picked it up today. Aluminum aloy and steel (slide). Built in laser grip (very, very cool). 25 ounces empty. 7+1 rounds.

Sorry for the crappy cell phone pic. Used to carry my Glock 23 -- this is actually smaller, lighter, more accurate, and more powerful.
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that's a great gun, its on my short list. how's the kickback? pretty small gun for a .45

 

Any particular reasoning for that? I haven't looked up any real information on it and am too lazy to right now.

My personal preference is an AK-47 loaded up with frangible ammo.

 

I have an AK. great if you want to scare, but not necessarily hit, your target.

also great for massive short-term hearing loss

 

Here too, AR-15 style.... w/ frangibles. (FMJBT shown) My rifle setup is versatile, indoor/outdoor, it is a platform that is proven. I know what I trust my life with
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Nice rifle..... I also keep a SIG 556 loaded up with the Hornady TAP

I'm reasonably proficient with the AK, can hit a 6" gong at 100 yards with it quite reliably. The frangible ammo has a lighter bullet so the recoil is light and it's easy to keep on target. In a high stress situation it's a simple weapon to use and it's reliability is top notch. Pretty much any gun will be loud as hell shooting inside but I'm willing to lose a little hearing to save my hide if it comes down to that. If silence is necessary I can always grab the Masai spear from my Africa collection

 

do you use a scope? I'm using standard sights. also, I find the first few shots are accurate, as the barrel gets hot the accuracy falls off dramatically.

I have a Louisville slugger that fills the role of your Masai spear

 

For AKs I prefer iron sights, got a nice scope on my Dragunov though The AK does get a little off after blasting through a 30 round mag but for home defense it's plenty accurate.

 

Thanks. Haven't fired it yet, but will try to remember to come back here and post when I do. Might go to the range tomorrow.

I imagine the kickback will be substantial, but on the other hand the slide is steel and it has a bull barrel. Guy at the store said it wasn't too bad. Still, the kickback difference (due largely to weight) is VERY substantial between my Glock 23 (polymer and steel, pretty light) and my Springfield .45 (1911 model, all steel, 4 inch barrel). Since this Kimber is as light if not lighter than the Glock (I actually think it's lighter), I expect it will kick a bit.

Ha ha... Funny, but true.

I grew up in Beirut in the 80's. (Yes, Beirut.) The sound of an AK-47 full auto burst about 2 feet from my head is hard to forget... Then again, shooting them out of an apartment window is pretty hard to forget, too... Good times (kidding, of course.... Very bad times.)

 

Ferrari TR in photo was a nice....funny touch

 

Good ole 357 revolver is great IMO. Shoots through doors & walls. No safety to screw you up.

 

Yes, because it's always a good idea to to shoot without not knowing what's going on. It's also good to uncork a 357 mag in an apartment complex, because as you have said, it shoots through doors & walls.

Also about the intimidation factor...don't bother. A gun isn't there to scare someone. Quit with the Alamo Superman remarks about same.

Also, shotgun rounds...double ought versus e-peen size? Forget them. Get regular bird hunting rounds since they will be less likely to penetrate walls and kill or hurt people that shouldn't be killed or hurt to begin with. You do NOT want to be a crook on the receiving end of a shotgun with any round in it's chamber because a shotgun with any round chambered in a home intrusion scenario means you get a one way bus pass to the morgue if ya get hit full on with it. Well, 12 gauge anyway, and I'd be loathe to tackle a 20. A .410 I could catch with my teeth

Revolvers are nice if you get a double action one and train to defend on double action, but the cool-off is still a ***** if you've got one cocked and you are shakey from adrenaline. Semi autos with a decocker are nice...can cool off without the chance of corking off a round. I've had to cool off on both and the revolver was tricky business even after having used it for 20+years. With the Sig, just pressed the happy button and the gun was safe.

All this said....get loads and loads and loads of training before buying a false sense of security.

Training is what you need. Go down to the local range and I am sure you'll get all the training you need.

 

I would suggest one of the following:

- SIG Sauer P226 or P229
- Heckler and Koch USP or USP compact
- Walther P99

The P226 and USP are full size guns, the P229 and USP compact are the same gun, but smaller in size. I personally use a P226 in stainless steel.

 

I just went back and looked. You're right. Have to give props for that. Nice touch keeping the Ferrari link in.

 

What are the gun laws like in Egypt?

 

Grew up in Grand Lake, Colorado where as a kid, men still carried side arms every day on main street. Make sure you take a weapons class, the NRA sponsors many all over the country and I am more than sure there is one there near you. They can also answer your question as to which firearm would be best for your situation, it really depends on your comfort and your surroundings..

http://www.nra.org

 

Very tough. You need a license to carry weapons which is issued from National Security and they are extremely difficult to obtain. For each piece of weapon you want to purchase you need to first obtain a permit. We only have 167k weapon licenses in Egypt and we are an 80Million country.