I will be in the market for a handgun for home/personal safety in the near future and am looking for some solid information from Covers' resident gun enthusiasts, a la Apache, StraightShooter and various others.
Information that I'm looking for that I believe would be of good use: how practical the weapon is, optimal caliber size, reliability, accuracy, ease of cleaning, affordability and whatever other pertinent information there may be that I've overlooked.
Please, weigh in!
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To remove first post, remove entire topic.
I will be in the market for a handgun for home/personal safety in the near future and am looking for some solid information from Covers' resident gun enthusiasts, a la Apache, StraightShooter and various others.
Information that I'm looking for that I believe would be of good use: how practical the weapon is, optimal caliber size, reliability, accuracy, ease of cleaning, affordability and whatever other pertinent information there may be that I've overlooked.
Home protection at least a 40 cal. Suggest a .45. I am huge fan of springfield xd. A man gets hit with a 9mm he may or may stop. .45 acp will stop on contact. You may want night sights. I have never had a problem with my autos jamming, but depending on how comfortable you are with weapons, you may be better with a revolver. If you are interested in a carry, suggest a Kahr pm9 or Ruger LCP. One a 9mm one a 38 automatic. Mid level grain loads for protection rounds.
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Home protection at least a 40 cal. Suggest a .45. I am huge fan of springfield xd. A man gets hit with a 9mm he may or may stop. .45 acp will stop on contact. You may want night sights. I have never had a problem with my autos jamming, but depending on how comfortable you are with weapons, you may be better with a revolver. If you are interested in a carry, suggest a Kahr pm9 or Ruger LCP. One a 9mm one a 38 automatic. Mid level grain loads for protection rounds.
I'm of the opinion that if I plan to spend the money to buy something, as guyhi said, it should be the best. Having said that, I'm nothing but a server at a country club and a student, so those funds may not quite be there - which is why I mentioned affordability in the original post. I would say somewhere around 6-800 dollars is the price range I expect to explore. Also, I would potentially plan to carry in certain circumstances, so weight and bulk should definitely be taken into account.
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Quote Originally Posted by searchwarrant:
How much are you willing to spend?
Thanks for the responses, gentlemen.
I'm of the opinion that if I plan to spend the money to buy something, as guyhi said, it should be the best. Having said that, I'm nothing but a server at a country club and a student, so those funds may not quite be there - which is why I mentioned affordability in the original post. I would say somewhere around 6-800 dollars is the price range I expect to explore. Also, I would potentially plan to carry in certain circumstances, so weight and bulk should definitely be taken into account.
I need to know a little more about your situation if I’m going to give you a good recommendation for a home defense weapon:
Where do you live? Apartment complex, country, etc?
I live in a neighborhood in a fairly dense area of northwest Houston. The shady characters are getting closer and closer by the day. Protection is something I'm scared to think about not having.
Will you be using this gun as a concealed carry weapon as well?
I plan to bring the weapon along with me in my truck, but I most likely won't be carrying it into establishments (if that's even legal). If that's considered carrying, then yes I wil be. To be clear, I have not participated in the Texas conceal and carry class.
Is this the only gun you will own?
My family is largely a hunting and outdoors family. I own two shotguns and a .270 rifle. I haven't been hunting in 5+ years, but it is something I grew up with. I go shooting from time to time for fun. I can operate my current "arsenal" with ease and without anxiety. I don't currently own a handgun nor have I become comfortable operating one in the past.
How much experience do you have with firearms?
See above.
What is your price range?
I eluded to my price range in an earlier post. I'm not sure how much or how great of quality it will get me, but I'm looking to spend somewhere in the range of 6-800 dollars.
Thanks for your input.
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Quote Originally Posted by StraightShooter:
I need to know a little more about your situation if I’m going to give you a good recommendation for a home defense weapon:
Where do you live? Apartment complex, country, etc?
I live in a neighborhood in a fairly dense area of northwest Houston. The shady characters are getting closer and closer by the day. Protection is something I'm scared to think about not having.
Will you be using this gun as a concealed carry weapon as well?
I plan to bring the weapon along with me in my truck, but I most likely won't be carrying it into establishments (if that's even legal). If that's considered carrying, then yes I wil be. To be clear, I have not participated in the Texas conceal and carry class.
Is this the only gun you will own?
My family is largely a hunting and outdoors family. I own two shotguns and a .270 rifle. I haven't been hunting in 5+ years, but it is something I grew up with. I go shooting from time to time for fun. I can operate my current "arsenal" with ease and without anxiety. I don't currently own a handgun nor have I become comfortable operating one in the past.
How much experience do you have with firearms?
See above.
What is your price range?
I eluded to my price range in an earlier post. I'm not sure how much or how great of quality it will get me, but I'm looking to spend somewhere in the range of 6-800 dollars.
For home defense only a rifle or shotgun would be better, but since you want a handgun that can also be carried with you in your truck I would recommend an HK P2000, HK P30, or a Glock 19. All three in 9mm and preferably with night sights.
Some people turn their noises up at 9mm’s and claim you have to have a .40 or a .45, but if you look at the facts that’s just not the case. A few decades ok it would be have been, but with the current ammunition that is available it is all about shot placement. You aren’t going to shot someone with a 147 grain 9mm HP and have them keep coming at you, but if you would have used a 230 grain .45ACP HP and shot them in the exact same place they would have been stopped dead in their tracks.
Also 9mm is a lot cheaper to practice with so you can get a lot more in.
Someone mentioned a Springfield XD. You could take a look at those if you want, but I took a handgun training course a couple of years ago and everyone’s weapon ran great expect for a guy’s XD. It kept jamming so much that the guy had to get another pistol.Also I would be a bit apprehensive about purchasing a self defensive handgun made in Croatia.
Sigs are good if you get one of the older models, but their QC has really dropped off lately.
I love 1911’s. I have 3 of them myself, but I wouldn’t recommend one for your situation.
You will have no trouble getting a good handgun for $600-800 so you have quite a few options out there. Whatever you decide to get make sure you practice with it, get properly trained, and use the right ammo.
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For home defense only a rifle or shotgun would be better, but since you want a handgun that can also be carried with you in your truck I would recommend an HK P2000, HK P30, or a Glock 19. All three in 9mm and preferably with night sights.
Some people turn their noises up at 9mm’s and claim you have to have a .40 or a .45, but if you look at the facts that’s just not the case. A few decades ok it would be have been, but with the current ammunition that is available it is all about shot placement. You aren’t going to shot someone with a 147 grain 9mm HP and have them keep coming at you, but if you would have used a 230 grain .45ACP HP and shot them in the exact same place they would have been stopped dead in their tracks.
Also 9mm is a lot cheaper to practice with so you can get a lot more in.
Someone mentioned a Springfield XD. You could take a look at those if you want, but I took a handgun training course a couple of years ago and everyone’s weapon ran great expect for a guy’s XD. It kept jamming so much that the guy had to get another pistol.Also I would be a bit apprehensive about purchasing a self defensive handgun made in Croatia.
Sigs are good if you get one of the older models, but their QC has really dropped off lately.
I love 1911’s. I have 3 of them myself, but I wouldn’t recommend one for your situation.
You will have no trouble getting a good handgun for $600-800 so you have quite a few options out there. Whatever you decide to get make sure you practice with it, get properly trained, and use the right ammo.
I own this and I think it's ideal for conceal and carry (considering the price). For how small it is, it's very comfortable to shoot as well. I don't know how fun it would be to tote around a .45 regularly, but I can see going bigger for something to keep handy at home.
If you're just getting started, you'll probably crap your pants with a .45. Take a class and PRACTICE. Your efficiency in firing a pistol will decrease by over 50% if you are in a stressful situation (ie. your life being on the line). Even a cop's accuracy goes down the crapper when they are under stress.
I own this and I think it's ideal for conceal and carry (considering the price). For how small it is, it's very comfortable to shoot as well. I don't know how fun it would be to tote around a .45 regularly, but I can see going bigger for something to keep handy at home.
If you're just getting started, you'll probably crap your pants with a .45. Take a class and PRACTICE. Your efficiency in firing a pistol will decrease by over 50% if you are in a stressful situation (ie. your life being on the line). Even a cop's accuracy goes down the crapper when they are under stress.
This thread has provided me with many avenues that I clearly wouldn't have had the slightest clue about to begin with.
It's funny you mention that particular model, Hutch. Although she can provide no help with direction on this subject, my mom actually owns that exact Bersa .380. It was given to her by my grandpa as a weapon to carry as well as use for home protection (but has been fired exactly zero times). I've handled it before, and I remember it being pretty small - perfect for concealing. Sounds like it could do the trick. I will have to ask her if I can take it to the range this weekend.
Besides this choice, I plan to do some further research on the p30 and glock 27 and possibly do some firing with those. It seems the consensus is to choose a weapon that fits comfortably in my grip and move forward from there, so that's what I will do.
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This thread has provided me with many avenues that I clearly wouldn't have had the slightest clue about to begin with.
It's funny you mention that particular model, Hutch. Although she can provide no help with direction on this subject, my mom actually owns that exact Bersa .380. It was given to her by my grandpa as a weapon to carry as well as use for home protection (but has been fired exactly zero times). I've handled it before, and I remember it being pretty small - perfect for concealing. Sounds like it could do the trick. I will have to ask her if I can take it to the range this weekend.
Besides this choice, I plan to do some further research on the p30 and glock 27 and possibly do some firing with those. It seems the consensus is to choose a weapon that fits comfortably in my grip and move forward from there, so that's what I will do.
This thread has provided me with many avenues that I clearly wouldn't have had the slightest clue about to begin with.
It's funny you mention that particular model, Hutch. Although she can provide no help with direction on this subject, my mom actually owns that exact Bersa .380. It was given to her by my grandpa as a weapon to carry as well as use for home protection (but has been fired exactly zero times). I've handled it before, and I remember it being pretty small - perfect for concealing. Sounds like it could do the trick. I will have to ask her if I can take it to the range this weekend.
Besides this choice, I plan to do some further research on the p30 and glock 27 and possibly do some firing with those. It seems the consensus is to choose a weapon that fits comfortably in my grip and move forward from there, so that's what I will do.
If you buy an HK make sure you do it online. I’ve bought $800 guns online that the local shop was asking $1,100 for.
You can usually find a fairly priced Glock locally, but don’t pay over $515 for a NIB base model.
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Quote Originally Posted by SteadyDoinIt:
This thread has provided me with many avenues that I clearly wouldn't have had the slightest clue about to begin with.
It's funny you mention that particular model, Hutch. Although she can provide no help with direction on this subject, my mom actually owns that exact Bersa .380. It was given to her by my grandpa as a weapon to carry as well as use for home protection (but has been fired exactly zero times). I've handled it before, and I remember it being pretty small - perfect for concealing. Sounds like it could do the trick. I will have to ask her if I can take it to the range this weekend.
Besides this choice, I plan to do some further research on the p30 and glock 27 and possibly do some firing with those. It seems the consensus is to choose a weapon that fits comfortably in my grip and move forward from there, so that's what I will do.
If you buy an HK make sure you do it online. I’ve bought $800 guns online that the local shop was asking $1,100 for.
You can usually find a fairly priced Glock locally, but don’t pay over $515 for a NIB base model.
looks like the new sweater I bought.
SS is the expert on hand guns here. Personally, I would recommend a 38 snubnose revolver. EZ to handle, light, and no jamming.
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