So since I'm now a licensed security guard, I'm looking to get a firearm permit along with all the required state permits.
I'm still wondering what I should get though. I used the M92fs in the Navy, but I also tooled around a bit with a Sig P226. Also wondering if I should stick with 9mm or go for a double stacked .45 or .40S&W. Basically I need a fair compromise between potential stopping power and cost.
EDIT: For the record, I live in California so my choices are rather limited.
147 grain 9mm hollow-points will do just fine. Then you get magazine capacity and power.
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NocrenLt Futz, Back in ActionNorth CarolinaRegistered Userregular
I'm thinking of getting him an M-4 for Christmas to try and break him of the old gun habit. So many of the older rifles are total beasts in terms of weight and recoil. They're a total pain to shoot with.
I don't know how handy you and your dad are, but a fun way to do this would be to get an ar-15 lower receiver and then the parts you need to build out the rifle together. If you don't have access to the tools to build the upper assembly, you can order a prebuilt one delivered to your door (the lower has to go through the normal firearm buying process since that's the part considered to be the firearm by the ATF). The lower receiver, lower parts kit, stock, and parts for the stock can be put together with hand tools plus a small wrench that tightens the nut on an M4 style collapsible stock and costs a few bucks.
So I want a good semi auto rifle, 5.56 or 7.62. I also don't want to fork out a ton.
I've heard mixed reviews on SKS's. Is the Mini-14 a good option if I don't want to pay AR-15 money?
If you don't want to spend "AR-15 money," you can do that by buying the lower receiver and then ordering the other parts online. You'll need to do a little bit of homework on what companies make worthwhile products, but you save a lot of money and really get to know the rifle. I really don't know many fans of the Mini-14 in large part because this option exists.
What I have heard of the Mini-14 is that it's a decent rifle, but can have some accuracy issues and it can be a pain getting magazines bigger than 10 round ones. There's also not much accessory support for it. Last I checked, the price was comparable to building your own AR-15 but that was a few years back.
So since I'm now a licensed security guard, I'm looking to get a firearm permit along with all the required state permits.
I'm still wondering what I should get though. I used the M92fs in the Navy, but I also tooled around a bit with a Sig P226. Also wondering if I should stick with 9mm or go for a double stacked .45 or .40S&W. Basically I need a fair compromise between potential stopping power and cost.
EDIT: For the record, I live in California so my choices are rather limited.
.357magnum you can load it with .38 specials which have been effectively been used by law enforcement for decades. They absolutely have stopping power for bad guys, but don't have to worry about over penetration. Then for fun you can swap out 180g .357 rounds and go blow shit up at the range.
EWom on
Whether they find a life there or not, I think Jupiter should be called an enemy planet.
Speaking of WW2 rifles - I've semi inherited my father's Lee-Enfield .303 jungle carbine, although that does not do me a lot of good as it is still in his gun safe in NZ and I am in London. Great rifle though, I had a lot of fun using it growing up
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Freedom for the Northern Isles!
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Suicide SlydeHaunts your dreamsof mountains sunk below the seaRegistered Userregular
So I want a good semi auto rifle, 5.56 or 7.62. I also don't want to fork out a ton.
I've heard mixed reviews on SKS's. Is the Mini-14 a good option if I don't want to pay AR-15 money?
I'm practically in the same boat right now, but I've done a little bit of research into the various popular rifles and here is what I've found.
The Mini-14 is lightweight, practical, shoots a widely available and reasonable costing ammo, and easy to clean. However it is as inaccurate as a mother fucker straight of the box, if you are not getting the target version. In other words it's the perfect plinking rifle.
Stuff about getting better accuracy out of the Mini-14:
There are basically three steps to accurizing the Mini-14: get a compensator/flash suppressor/brake, add an accu-strut, and bed the stock. Those three things basically fix what's "broken" with the Mini accuracy wise. The lightness of the rifle, particularly the barrel, means less recoil control and adding just a little weight to the end via the compensator can help that. Again, the light barrel also has a tendency to "bend" after it starts heating up leading to a loose shot grouping, and the accu-strut helps that by essentially being a barrel support. They claim it's also supposed to help with barrel harmonics by dampening vibrations. Finally, the receiver is not bedded into the stock, which isn't a huge deal at first but overtime the violence of the action slowly loosens the receiver from the stock causing wild shot placement. Basically, bedding permanently fixes the receiver to the stock so that looseness never occurs. The first two can be done by yourself relatively easily but the third one should probably done by a gunsmith, if you don't know what you're doing or are unsure of your ability. There's other stuff too like cryo-freezing the barrel, but honestly that might be taking it too far depending on your needs.
You can skip some of the accurizing by looking for a Law Enforcement model, I'm finding that most of them have some part of this process taken care of. Usually they are in great condition, and never have been fired. Most of them just rode around in the trunk of a patrol car just in case.
I've done some reading up on the AR-15 as well and they have some similarities to the Mini-14 in that they shoot the same ammo and are pretty practical. They are also heavily customizable due to the fact that the US military uses the same pattern rifle in the form of the M-16 and M-4 so a lot of manufacturers are making accessories, and extremely accurate out of the box. However, as you have already seen, they can cost a small fortune. You can circumvent this cost by essentially building the rifle yourself, as has already been mentioned, if you are willing to put up the extra time to do it. This will net you a rifle you really want and fits you perfectly, and it could cost you the same as getting a new Mini, depending on the parts you order. AR-15s can also be picky when it comes to ammo, and need to be cleaned regularly and often, no "It'll have to wait until later."
The usual suspect in the 7.62 field is something in an AK-47 pattern. Most people pick up a WASR, because they are cheap and available. They are hella fun and cheap to shoot, and can take a beating. Forget to clean it? That's alright do it next time. But asking these to shoot straight is like getting blood from a stone. They are, for the most part, a >100 yard engagement rifle, meaning it's rare to see these on the firing line in any high power competition. On top of that adding sight accessories is difficult and for the most part stupid because if you're aiming you're doing it wrong. I'm not saying it can't be done, it's just kind of silly goosery to do it.
So that's kind of the basics on what I've found in personal experience/research. It really depends on what you as the buyer want and are comfortable with. Are you thinking of going into high power competition? Just plinking? Home defense? Also keep in mind the price and availability of ammo in your area. I've been finding that while 7.62 is cheaper to shoot it's harder to find because everyone and their brother has something in that caliber. .223 is generally slightly more expensive but easier to find because it's just not that popular at the moment.
"A handgun is what you use when you can't get to your rifle."
Or rather "Handguns are for fighting your way back to your rifle." is how I've always been taught.
It's fitting for the Army or the Marine Corps, but I also know a few police officers and special agents who would probably take issue with that sentiment.
So I've recently been wanting a rifle because I want to learn something other than hand guns. I'm between an SKS and a Mosin Nagant... anyone have any experience with these? I'm leaning towards the nagant which I've tried out and enjoyed, plus it would about 1/3rd of the cost of the SKS. Any suggestions?
So I haven't fired a gun since I was about 12 but I've decided I want to learn to hunt. I don't really give a crap about rifles one way or the other, but I figure I'm going to need to learn to shoot one first thing.
I'm guessing the very first thing I do is find a gun safety course? I don't plan to ever own a handgun or wory about self defense at all, but when you're dealing with something that exists explicitly to kill shit I'd like to know how to handle that safely. Where should I plan on starting with that, just head on in the the local gun shop?
Take a gun safety course. Get a .22lr cheap to learn on. It's won't have as much recoil our be as loud as a proper hunting rifle, so it will be much easier to see and correct your mistakes, like flinching, trigger jerking etc. Plus once you start shooting you're not going to want to stop, and .22lr is probably the cheapest way around. You can get 525 rounds usually for ~$20 at most sporting good stores.
Then decide what you want to hunt, and what size of rifle you will need to accomplish that goal. A .30-06 and a .308 will humanely take down any big game animal in North America with proper round choice and bullet placement. Personally I would choose a .30-06 as around here it is much easier to get a variety of and specialized rounds for it. But both are solid choices for anything you'd want to hunt. Another reason I favor the .30-06 is it's been around forever, and is still a popular hunting rifle. The newest and bestest evers come and go, but .30-06 has been around long before and long after tons of these "better stronger faster" hunting rounds. Hell my dad has a rifle locker full of outdated hard to get ammo for (or in some cases, private reloading only) rifles, and all of these were "the best thing ever" at one point or another. So basically I guess what I'm saying is, don't get caught up in the hype of all these new super mag rounds out today, while they are good, why pay extra for them, when there are perfectly good rounds that are easy to get everywhere you go.
EWom on
Whether they find a life there or not, I think Jupiter should be called an enemy planet.
I'll be going to the Topeka KS gun show this weekend, and I haven't been to one in years.
Oddly enough, my brother makes a living by selling ammo all throughout the south-central US at gunshows and goes to one every week pretty much. I guess he does pretty well.
Take a gun safety course. Get a .22lr cheap to learn on. It's won't have as much recoil our be as loud as a proper hunting rifle, so it will be much easier to see and correct your mistakes, like flinching, trigger jerking etc. Plus once you start shooting you're not going to want to stop, and .22lr is probably the cheapest way around. You can get 525 rounds usually for ~$20 at most sporting good stores.
Good lord are .22's easy to shoot. I didn't feel any recoil first time I fired it and they're sooo cheap.
I would find a hunter's safety course as opposed to a generalized gun safety course. It will cover more pertinent topics that a generalized gun safety course.
What are you planning on hunting? If you are going to hunt birds or rabbits don't bother with a .22, it really won't help you, you need to learn how to shoot a shotgun and not a rifle. Otherwise a .22 is a great way to practice your shooting skills on the cheap, but find your hunting rifle first and then pick a .22 with a similar stock and sights. A good gunsmith/storeowner will be your best friend in picking the right rifle for you in terms of local game and local availability of ammo.
EDIT: And also I hope you realize that learning to shoot is only a small part of learning to hunt.
Kistra on
Animal Crossing: City Folk Lissa in Filmore 3179-9580-0076
So I've recently been wanting a rifle because I want to learn something other than hand guns. I'm between an SKS and a Mosin Nagant... anyone have any experience with these? I'm leaning towards the nagant which I've tried out and enjoyed, plus it would about 1/3rd of the cost of the SKS. Any suggestions?
I don't personally know anything about either of these, but from the 5 or so forums I visit dedicated to firearms, I would say that the Mosin-Nagant is the more popular rifle. At least in the demographics represented by the forumers I frequent.
EWom on
Whether they find a life there or not, I think Jupiter should be called an enemy planet.
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ShivahnUnaware of her barrel shifter privilegeWestern coastal temptressRegistered User, Moderatormod
So I've recently been wanting a rifle because I want to learn something other than hand guns. I'm between an SKS and a Mosin Nagant... anyone have any experience with these? I'm leaning towards the nagant which I've tried out and enjoyed, plus it would about 1/3rd of the cost of the SKS. Any suggestions?
I don't personally know anything about either of these, but from the 5 or so forums I visit dedicated to firearms, I would say that the Mosin-Nagant is the more popular rifle. At least in the demographics represented by the forumers I frequent.
Part of that's simply the numbers. There exist about 15 million SKS...es... and about 37 million Mosins.
Today, my grandmother gave me her expired LTCH. It was kinda neat comparing it to my own.
In about an hour when I'm not jailed, I'll put up a couple pictures of my beautiful H&K USP 40. Here in Indiana, we can OC. In a couple years of doing so, I've made some new friends and had a lot of good conversations about gun safety and laws. People don't care. I've never had a negative encounter, and I don't really forsee myself having one.
Speaking of WW2 rifles - I've semi inherited my father's Lee-Enfield .303 jungle carbine, although that does not do me a lot of good as it is still in his gun safe in NZ and I am in London. Great rifle though, I had a lot of fun using it growing up
Lovely guns, but the loudest thing I've ever fired.
Today, my grandmother gave me her expired LTCH. It was kinda neat comparing it to my own.
In about an hour when I'm not jailed, I'll put up a couple pictures of my beautiful H&K USP 40. Here in Indiana, we can OC. In a couple years of doing so, I've made some new friends and had a lot of good conversations about gun safety and laws. People don't care. I've never had a negative encounter, and I don't really forsee myself having one.
If you're feeling neglected about that, I could come down there and stare at you all wide-eyed and worried. I could even find some kids to lead away from you while glancing back periodically with a frightened expression on my face if you want.
Today, my grandmother gave me her expired LTCH. It was kinda neat comparing it to my own.
In about an hour when I'm not jailed, I'll put up a couple pictures of my beautiful H&K USP 40. Here in Indiana, we can OC. In a couple years of doing so, I've made some new friends and had a lot of good conversations about gun safety and laws. People don't care. I've never had a negative encounter, and I don't really forsee myself having one.
If you're feeling neglected about that, I could come down there and stare at you all wide-eyed and worried. I could even find some kids to lead away from you while glancing back periodically with a frightened expression on my face if you want.
i've had a few negative encounters while OC'ing, but far far more positive
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ShadowfireVermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered Userregular
edited October 2010
I've never OC'd... actually, the only time we "carry" is when we go to the range, and then it's in the trunk. Kinda hard when you live so close to the state border, and there is nothing on your side. ;-)
Still, I've met a lot of OC folks here, and a lot of others who carry concealed. Generally decent people, and the stores up here mostly don't care.
Suicide SlydeHaunts your dreamsof mountains sunk below the seaRegistered Userregular
edited October 2010
So I sold my Anschutz 1903 and was planning on getting Mini-14, but I've decided to travel out of my comfort zone with rifles and get a handgun instead. My first priority is safety, I have a small child running around the house so the more layers of security and safety I can add the better. The second, not so much priority but some other thingy, is that the handgun would be almost exclusively for home defense and therefore could be the size of a small cannon. The amount of traveling I will be doing with it is to and from the range. I do not have a CCW permit, but I may get one in the future but I would, more than likely, get a different handgun for that.
So after a little bit of looking around I've found the Taurus Revolvers, specifically the Judge series, and the Walther PPS. Taurus has the "Taurus Security System," which basically uses a key to lock the hammer down so it can't be fired and the Walther PPS has a "Quicksafe" backstrap that disables the firearm when you take the backstrap of the grip off. Both appeal to me greatly because as long as those security systems are enabled, only my fiance or I can disengage them and operate the firearm. It seems pretty obvious to me now, as in as I am writing this, that I should get the Judge for HD and the Walther further down the line when I'm ready to CC.
A question though, are there other manufacturers out there that make similar security measures as these two companies or should I stick with the decision I have made?
So I went and shot Trap for the first time this past week - when I was back in Australia I shot IPSC a few times with a Glock, but now I'm in the USA my options have opened up quite a bit.
Picked up a club gun, which ended up being the Beretta 686 White Onyx in 12ga. and 28" barrel. I'm 6'5" so the long barrel made getting a sight picture nice and easy and the boxes of low-recoil trap shot meant I wasn't crying like a leetle baby after 150 rounds.
I think I'm going to make it a regular occurrence if I can, was quite enjoyable and rather relaxing. Anyone else here shoot skeet/trap/clays?
So I sold my Anschutz 1903 and was planning on getting Mini-14, but I've decided to travel out of my comfort zone with rifles and get a handgun instead. My first priority is safety, I have a small child running around the house so the more layers of security and safety I can add the better. The second, not so much priority but some other thingy, is that the handgun would be almost exclusively for home defense and therefore could be the size of a small cannon. The amount of traveling I will be doing with it is to and from the range. I do not have a CCW permit, but I may get one in the future but I would, more than likely, get a different handgun for that.
So after a little bit of looking around I've found the Taurus Revolvers, specifically the Judge series, and the Walther PPS. Taurus has the "Taurus Security System," which basically uses a key to lock the hammer down so it can't be fired and the Walther PPS has a "Quicksafe" backstrap that disables the firearm when you take the backstrap of the grip off. Both appeal to me greatly because as long as those security systems are enabled, only my fiance or I can disengage them and operate the firearm. It seems pretty obvious to me now, as in as I am writing this, that I should get the Judge for HD and the Walther further down the line when I'm ready to CC.
A question though, are there other manufacturers out there that make similar security measures as these two companies or should I stick with the decision I have made?
Any reason you want a handgun for home defense over a shotgun?
So I sold my Anschutz 1903 and was planning on getting Mini-14, but I've decided to travel out of my comfort zone with rifles and get a handgun instead. My first priority is safety, I have a small child running around the house so the more layers of security and safety I can add the better. The second, not so much priority but some other thingy, is that the handgun would be almost exclusively for home defense and therefore could be the size of a small cannon. The amount of traveling I will be doing with it is to and from the range. I do not have a CCW permit, but I may get one in the future but I would, more than likely, get a different handgun for that.
So after a little bit of looking around I've found the Taurus Revolvers, specifically the Judge series, and the Walther PPS. Taurus has the "Taurus Security System," which basically uses a key to lock the hammer down so it can't be fired and the Walther PPS has a "Quicksafe" backstrap that disables the firearm when you take the backstrap of the grip off. Both appeal to me greatly because as long as those security systems are enabled, only my fiance or I can disengage them and operate the firearm. It seems pretty obvious to me now, as in as I am writing this, that I should get the Judge for HD and the Walther further down the line when I'm ready to CC.
A question though, are there other manufacturers out there that make similar security measures as these two companies or should I stick with the decision I have made?
Any reason you want a handgun for home defense over a shotgun?
Magazine capacity, size, weight, quick follow up shots, ability to be used one-handed, and maneuverability. I have a couple of shotguns and AR-15s, but I always have a handgun out for home defense for the reasons stated above.
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Suicide SlydeHaunts your dreamsof mountains sunk below the seaRegistered Userregular
Magazine capacity, size, weight, quick follow up shots, ability to be used one-handed, and maneuverability. I have a couple of shotguns and AR-15s, but I always have a handgun out for home defense for the reasons stated above.
Couldn't have worded it better myself. The Judge, has a similar capacity to a shotgun but all the other reasons listed are basically what I was after.
So I sold my Anschutz 1903 and was planning on getting Mini-14, but I've decided to travel out of my comfort zone with rifles and get a handgun instead. My first priority is safety, I have a small child running around the house so the more layers of security and safety I can add the better. The second, not so much priority but some other thingy, is that the handgun would be almost exclusively for home defense and therefore could be the size of a small cannon. The amount of traveling I will be doing with it is to and from the range. I do not have a CCW permit, but I may get one in the future but I would, more than likely, get a different handgun for that.
So after a little bit of looking around I've found the Taurus Revolvers, specifically the Judge series, and the Walther PPS. Taurus has the "Taurus Security System," which basically uses a key to lock the hammer down so it can't be fired and the Walther PPS has a "Quicksafe" backstrap that disables the firearm when you take the backstrap of the grip off. Both appeal to me greatly because as long as those security systems are enabled, only my fiance or I can disengage them and operate the firearm. It seems pretty obvious to me now, as in as I am writing this, that I should get the Judge for HD and the Walther further down the line when I'm ready to CC.
A question though, are there other manufacturers out there that make similar security measures as these two companies or should I stick with the decision I have made?
Any reason you want a handgun for home defense over a shotgun?
Also it should be noted that the judge is a particularly good choice since it can fire slugs or shot. So you get the benefit of shot with the mobility of a handgun.
Basically it says if you use a Judge for personal defense skip all the shotgun loads and stick with the .45 Long Colt cartridge that it will also take.
EWom on
Whether they find a life there or not, I think Jupiter should be called an enemy planet.
So I sold my Anschutz 1903 and was planning on getting Mini-14, but I've decided to travel out of my comfort zone with rifles and get a handgun instead. My first priority is safety, I have a small child running around the house so the more layers of security and safety I can add the better. The second, not so much priority but some other thingy, is that the handgun would be almost exclusively for home defense and therefore could be the size of a small cannon. The amount of traveling I will be doing with it is to and from the range. I do not have a CCW permit, but I may get one in the future but I would, more than likely, get a different handgun for that.
So after a little bit of looking around I've found the Taurus Revolvers, specifically the Judge series, and the Walther PPS. Taurus has the "Taurus Security System," which basically uses a key to lock the hammer down so it can't be fired and the Walther PPS has a "Quicksafe" backstrap that disables the firearm when you take the backstrap of the grip off. Both appeal to me greatly because as long as those security systems are enabled, only my fiance or I can disengage them and operate the firearm. It seems pretty obvious to me now, as in as I am writing this, that I should get the Judge for HD and the Walther further down the line when I'm ready to CC.
A question though, are there other manufacturers out there that make similar security measures as these two companies or should I stick with the decision I have made?
Any reason you want a handgun for home defense over a shotgun?
Also it should be noted that the judge is a particularly good choice since it can fire slugs or shot. So you get the benefit of shot with the mobility of a handgun.
The issue is that said shot is .410 caliber shot. It's far less effective at everything than a 12 or 20 gauge shotgun. To paraphrase one of the guys who sometimes teaches at a local range, "I love taking a .410 shotgun to the trap range. I still miss everything, but I don't sound as silly when I blame the gun."
While .410 shot loads will work on small animals in the Judge, the only real viable defensive round in it seems to be the .45 LC. This is not necessarily a problem since the .45 LC is a versatile round though.
I personally use my .357 magnum for home defense, it stays loaded and hidden in reach of the bed. I know that a burglar will find it, and steal it, but it's not there for defending the home when nobody is at home to defend the home, and anywhere I hide it, a burglar will most likely find and steal it anyway. It's kept there so it can be grabbed by me in the dark while I'm in bed, if I need to.
EWom on
Whether they find a life there or not, I think Jupiter should be called an enemy planet.
A shotgun is probably the best weapon for home defense unless you live alone in a house. Using a weapon that can easily penetrate walls would be a pretty bad idea if you don't live alone, or if you live in an apartment.
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Or rather "Handguns are for fighting your way back to your rifle." is how I've always been taught.
I've heard mixed reviews on SKS's. Is the Mini-14 a good option if I don't want to pay AR-15 money?
147 grain 9mm hollow-points will do just fine. Then you get magazine capacity and power.
Yeah, it's been awhile since I heard the quote.
It's a really nice range. The target holders can be programmed to do things like flip sideways at random to test reactive shooting.
I don't know how handy you and your dad are, but a fun way to do this would be to get an ar-15 lower receiver and then the parts you need to build out the rifle together. If you don't have access to the tools to build the upper assembly, you can order a prebuilt one delivered to your door (the lower has to go through the normal firearm buying process since that's the part considered to be the firearm by the ATF). The lower receiver, lower parts kit, stock, and parts for the stock can be put together with hand tools plus a small wrench that tightens the nut on an M4 style collapsible stock and costs a few bucks.
If you don't want to spend "AR-15 money," you can do that by buying the lower receiver and then ordering the other parts online. You'll need to do a little bit of homework on what companies make worthwhile products, but you save a lot of money and really get to know the rifle. I really don't know many fans of the Mini-14 in large part because this option exists.
What I have heard of the Mini-14 is that it's a decent rifle, but can have some accuracy issues and it can be a pain getting magazines bigger than 10 round ones. There's also not much accessory support for it. Last I checked, the price was comparable to building your own AR-15 but that was a few years back.
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This is excellent.
Do you have one for rifles?
I'm sure there is, but I don't don't own a rifle at the moment so I haven't gone looking.
.357magnum you can load it with .38 specials which have been effectively been used by law enforcement for decades. They absolutely have stopping power for bad guys, but don't have to worry about over penetration. Then for fun you can swap out 180g .357 rounds and go blow shit up at the range.
I'm practically in the same boat right now, but I've done a little bit of research into the various popular rifles and here is what I've found.
The Mini-14 is lightweight, practical, shoots a widely available and reasonable costing ammo, and easy to clean. However it is as inaccurate as a mother fucker straight of the box, if you are not getting the target version. In other words it's the perfect plinking rifle.
Stuff about getting better accuracy out of the Mini-14:
You can skip some of the accurizing by looking for a Law Enforcement model, I'm finding that most of them have some part of this process taken care of. Usually they are in great condition, and never have been fired. Most of them just rode around in the trunk of a patrol car just in case.
I've done some reading up on the AR-15 as well and they have some similarities to the Mini-14 in that they shoot the same ammo and are pretty practical. They are also heavily customizable due to the fact that the US military uses the same pattern rifle in the form of the M-16 and M-4 so a lot of manufacturers are making accessories, and extremely accurate out of the box. However, as you have already seen, they can cost a small fortune. You can circumvent this cost by essentially building the rifle yourself, as has already been mentioned, if you are willing to put up the extra time to do it. This will net you a rifle you really want and fits you perfectly, and it could cost you the same as getting a new Mini, depending on the parts you order. AR-15s can also be picky when it comes to ammo, and need to be cleaned regularly and often, no "It'll have to wait until later."
The usual suspect in the 7.62 field is something in an AK-47 pattern. Most people pick up a WASR, because they are cheap and available. They are hella fun and cheap to shoot, and can take a beating. Forget to clean it? That's alright do it next time. But asking these to shoot straight is like getting blood from a stone. They are, for the most part, a >100 yard engagement rifle, meaning it's rare to see these on the firing line in any high power competition. On top of that adding sight accessories is difficult and for the most part stupid because if you're aiming you're doing it wrong. I'm not saying it can't be done, it's just kind of silly goosery to do it.
So that's kind of the basics on what I've found in personal experience/research. It really depends on what you as the buyer want and are comfortable with. Are you thinking of going into high power competition? Just plinking? Home defense? Also keep in mind the price and availability of ammo in your area. I've been finding that while 7.62 is cheaper to shoot it's harder to find because everyone and their brother has something in that caliber. .223 is generally slightly more expensive but easier to find because it's just not that popular at the moment.
I may go that route, as I'm already quite familiar with M-16 A1/A2 from my Army days.
Now I just have to find a place to shoot it.
It's fitting for the Army or the Marine Corps, but I also know a few police officers and special agents who would probably take issue with that sentiment.
I'm guessing the very first thing I do is find a gun safety course? I don't plan to ever own a handgun or wory about self defense at all, but when you're dealing with something that exists explicitly to kill shit I'd like to know how to handle that safely. Where should I plan on starting with that, just head on in the the local gun shop?
Then decide what you want to hunt, and what size of rifle you will need to accomplish that goal. A .30-06 and a .308 will humanely take down any big game animal in North America with proper round choice and bullet placement. Personally I would choose a .30-06 as around here it is much easier to get a variety of and specialized rounds for it. But both are solid choices for anything you'd want to hunt. Another reason I favor the .30-06 is it's been around forever, and is still a popular hunting rifle. The newest and bestest evers come and go, but .30-06 has been around long before and long after tons of these "better stronger faster" hunting rounds. Hell my dad has a rifle locker full of outdated hard to get ammo for (or in some cases, private reloading only) rifles, and all of these were "the best thing ever" at one point or another. So basically I guess what I'm saying is, don't get caught up in the hype of all these new super mag rounds out today, while they are good, why pay extra for them, when there are perfectly good rounds that are easy to get everywhere you go.
Oddly enough, my brother makes a living by selling ammo all throughout the south-central US at gunshows and goes to one every week pretty much. I guess he does pretty well.
Good lord are .22's easy to shoot. I didn't feel any recoil first time I fired it and they're sooo cheap.
What are you planning on hunting? If you are going to hunt birds or rabbits don't bother with a .22, it really won't help you, you need to learn how to shoot a shotgun and not a rifle. Otherwise a .22 is a great way to practice your shooting skills on the cheap, but find your hunting rifle first and then pick a .22 with a similar stock and sights. A good gunsmith/storeowner will be your best friend in picking the right rifle for you in terms of local game and local availability of ammo.
EDIT: And also I hope you realize that learning to shoot is only a small part of learning to hunt.
I don't personally know anything about either of these, but from the 5 or so forums I visit dedicated to firearms, I would say that the Mosin-Nagant is the more popular rifle. At least in the demographics represented by the forumers I frequent.
Part of that's simply the numbers. There exist about 15 million SKS...es... and about 37 million Mosins.
In about an hour when I'm not jailed, I'll put up a couple pictures of my beautiful H&K USP 40. Here in Indiana, we can OC. In a couple years of doing so, I've made some new friends and had a lot of good conversations about gun safety and laws. People don't care. I've never had a negative encounter, and I don't really forsee myself having one.
Lovely guns, but the loudest thing I've ever fired.
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If you're feeling neglected about that, I could come down there and stare at you all wide-eyed and worried. I could even find some kids to lead away from you while glancing back periodically with a frightened expression on my face if you want.
You know, get the full experience.
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Definitely
be right back, robbing a 7-11.
Still, I've met a lot of OC folks here, and a lot of others who carry concealed. Generally decent people, and the stores up here mostly don't care.
So after a little bit of looking around I've found the Taurus Revolvers, specifically the Judge series, and the Walther PPS. Taurus has the "Taurus Security System," which basically uses a key to lock the hammer down so it can't be fired and the Walther PPS has a "Quicksafe" backstrap that disables the firearm when you take the backstrap of the grip off. Both appeal to me greatly because as long as those security systems are enabled, only my fiance or I can disengage them and operate the firearm. It seems pretty obvious to me now, as in as I am writing this, that I should get the Judge for HD and the Walther further down the line when I'm ready to CC.
A question though, are there other manufacturers out there that make similar security measures as these two companies or should I stick with the decision I have made?
Picked up a club gun, which ended up being the Beretta 686 White Onyx in 12ga. and 28" barrel. I'm 6'5" so the long barrel made getting a sight picture nice and easy and the boxes of low-recoil trap shot meant I wasn't crying like a leetle baby after 150 rounds.
I think I'm going to make it a regular occurrence if I can, was quite enjoyable and rather relaxing. Anyone else here shoot skeet/trap/clays?
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Any reason you want a handgun for home defense over a shotgun?
Magazine capacity, size, weight, quick follow up shots, ability to be used one-handed, and maneuverability. I have a couple of shotguns and AR-15s, but I always have a handgun out for home defense for the reasons stated above.
Couldn't have worded it better myself. The Judge, has a similar capacity to a shotgun but all the other reasons listed are basically what I was after.
Also it should be noted that the judge is a particularly good choice since it can fire slugs or shot. So you get the benefit of shot with the mobility of a handgun.
http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot41.htm
Basically it says if you use a Judge for personal defense skip all the shotgun loads and stick with the .45 Long Colt cartridge that it will also take.
The issue is that said shot is .410 caliber shot. It's far less effective at everything than a 12 or 20 gauge shotgun. To paraphrase one of the guys who sometimes teaches at a local range, "I love taking a .410 shotgun to the trap range. I still miss everything, but I don't sound as silly when I blame the gun."
Box of Truth did a test of the Judge using the different types of ammo it could handle that can be read here: http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot41.htm
While .410 shot loads will work on small animals in the Judge, the only real viable defensive round in it seems to be the .45 LC. This is not necessarily a problem since the .45 LC is a versatile round though.
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If you're really worried about the very rare case of someone trying to press on beyond that then by all means use a handgun.