I know a lot of the people on this board collect guns, and i have a question for you. What is the best way to go about buying a quality used handgun? I don't wanna buy an expensive brand new one, but still want something of decent quality. Any suggestions? Also I'm not sure exactly what caliber i want either. I mostly just want something for some range plinking and just to have in my house in case someone tries to robs us. And I'm 21 with no record so I can legally own a handgun no problem.

 

for just around the house and occasional target shooting...

well I personally like the .38 Smith & Wesson Special...

they are great quality guns... not too extreme like a .44, but not real wimpy like a glock...

 

When it comes to firearms, you get what you pay for in quality. If you are not experienced with handguns then a revolver is the way to go. Get a .357 magnum and you can use .38 special ammo at the range to have a little "cheap" fun and when you get home you can throw in some .357's to stop any unwanted intruders. As far as a glock being whimpy, I'm not sure what you mean since they are top quality auto's. I only own 3 of them but I like them all as well as my H&K and sigs.
Go for a used smith & wesson or colt if you can find one, or if $ is an issue a ruger or a taurus will do you just fine.

 

eh... i was just saying that the .38 has a little more *****...

and on another note... .357s are some of the most powerful handguns made...

 

.357 is just a .38 with a longer case and a larger powder charge, and in it's day it was at the top of the power chart. But today it is a middle of the road cartridge in terms of recoil and knock down power. My wife is 4'11" and 107lbs and shoots my Colt Python .357 with no problem, but she does not want any part of my 10mm or my .44 and .500 magnums. I don't like my .500 S&W magnum either though. But it looks cool in the safe.

 

How do you guys feel about the Springfield XD?

 

I have not personally fired one, but I always pick them up and handle them at the shows and it feels great. Springfield makes top quality products so I am sure it a fine piece. I haven't picked one up yet because all my extra $$$ has been going in my pony lately.

 

First, you may want to stear clear of guns you have never heard of before if you aren't experienced with guns. I'm not saying the only good guns are S&W and Remington, but if you don't know much about guns then you would want to stick with picking one made by a major gun producer such as those two.

Second, if you are buying it at a store and not online, ask to see it and if it's a slide pistol then **** the slide back and look around in the reciever, make sure everything seems to be pretty clean and nothing is bent or dicked up. Any good gun seller will throughly clean each gun before putting it up for sale so if the gun is pretty dirty inside then you may want to stear clear because it may not be in very good working condition.

If I were you I'd get a .45. Remington makes a good ACP, so go with a .40 or .45. It'll stop anyone trying to intrude into your house and they're a hell of a lot of fun to shoot. It's not so powerful that your tired of shooting after 15 min so I'd say it's one of your best choices.

 

Eh.. i wouldn't go any higher than 9MM if you're just going to buy it to have some occasional fun, .45 and .45ACP and .357 and .40 etc is too expensive if you want to go to the range every month and fire off 500 rounds, and I'd get 9mm especially if you haven't previously owned any other handguns, I'd get the feel for less overkill round before going to a larger caliber.. kind of like starting on a .22 for rifles, instead of going straight to a 7.62 AK47, lol.
Besides, 9mm ammo is dirt cheap compared to that stuff. For a plinker you really can't go wrong with a glock or M92, if you have any quarterly/montly gunshows over there I'd go check those out and see if they have some you can handle. The ones over here do not let us fire the weapons but we can pick them up and get a feel for them...I wouldn't spend anymore than 600$, though..gunshow prices can be reasonable sometimes but you might have to bargain with em to get a good deal.

And for people that say a 9mm round is a ***** round and has terrible stopping power - LOL. Yeah, maybe if the guy you're shooting at has level III body armor..

 

.38 special has the least muzzle energy and velocity of all the cartridges mentioned, except for the .22. it's been around for almost 100 years, so it's just a little obsolete. 9mm is a little bit light for personal defense, but is about the cheapest centerfire handgun round you can buy (100 rds. for $12 @ wal-mart, winchester made) Remington does not make handguns. Personally, i believe the most balanced round is .40 s&w. it's got more energy than most .45 acp rounds, w/ the exception of +P. plus, it's only a little more expensive than the 9mm. i would also recommend the .357 mag. it's not really that powerful of a round, but plenty of knockdown power for intruders. like someone already said above, you can shoot .38 special through it for cheap. honestly, though, if you're looking for a somewhat responsible home defense weapon, i'd get a shotgun. mid-to-high powered handguns have a way of shooting through walls and possibly injuring people. shotgun pellets lose enery much quicker, and that way you don't kill the guy next door to you.

 

I beg to differ...

My father took a deer down (8 pointer, big) with his S&W .38 special from 15-20 yards... so its pretty potent...

Its also one of the most perferred guns by law enforcment and many detectives...

Its not a handcannon, but its not a watergun...

And the cartidges hold more powder then a 9mm...

Its also very easy to conceal if you get one with a shorter barrell... and the smaller size also makes it more ideal for home defense/ indoor/ close range shooting... It would easily knock a man off his feet and keep him down

 

you can disagree all you want, but you should probably check out a ballistics chart before you do. it WAS one of the most preferred guns by law enforcement and detectives... forty years ago.

http://world.guns.ru/ammo/am02-e.htm

 

If it will will take a deer down @ 15 yards...

It sure as hell will take down a man in your living room...

And as far as that chart goes... different ammunition companies bullets differ from each other... so just cause some kind or other was measured at that... doesn't mean the rest are too...

I'm rather surprised at the chart too... I assume you've seen the difference in size between the .38 special and 9mm bullets...

 

Alright..when buying a used gun, since you don't know much.. DO NOT buy a semi auto. There are too many mechanical parts in there, and if you don't know how to take it apart and put it back together, you're in deep ****. Not to mention, it could be damaged.

Like Greg and a few others said.. .38s are great. A .357 mag is nothing but a high powered .38 and you can fire .357s and .38 specials through it...

The first handgun I ever fired was a Ruger Blackhawk, .357 3 5/8 barrel. I was 9 firing a hot load through it.

As for power, well, it'll peirce a v8, and with the right grain, it'll go straight through. Its got a high velocity. Now, here is something else to note, the longer the barrel, the less recoil. I personally don't like longer barrels, but to each his own.

There are higher calibers, with more stopping force (meaning better human-knock-down power) such as a .40 caliber, or a .45 ...

Honestly though, a .357 would be great for your first handgun, then maybe go out and buy yourself a semi auto .45 or .40 and learn about them..

 

+1 and somewhere around a 4" barrell will give you a small enough package and still give you the accuracy when you go to the range to plink.

 

okay so i am going to a few different places this weekend to look at revolvers. i think i have decided to go with a .357. Any other suggestions?

 

I think the one thing everyone has missed in every post is that you should go to a gun safety class first, period. If you dont have very much experience like you said, than you didn't have an adult show you whats really going on with gun ownership. no offence, but you have to respect and understand the very item you want to buy. also, consider what you really what the gun for, more target and less defense or the other way around. personally, i'd go with a shotgun, a remington 870 express 3" mag with a 26" barrel, .665 full choke and #5 XX turkey loads is going to make someone have a very bad day. you can get all that for under $300 new, plus you have a gun for skeet shooting (which is fun as hell) and a cannon to rip someone apart if need be. you may very well want a handgun, and thats ok just do your homework and find someone who shoots regularly and ask them to take you to the range to shoot some different guns they may have. nothing worse than buying a gun and then finding out you can't stand it, because there is no return policy on that kind of stuff....all firearm sales are final.

 

A revolver is much better for home defense then a shotgun... smaller is better for close corridor shooting...

A shotgun from 10 feet would obliterate a body... talk about a mess... unless you are using bird shot. If I needed to defend myself or family, I would not be using bird shot...

+shotguns shoot alot different then handguns

in fact... police officers (in general) are bad shots with a handgun... but they are by far worse shots with a shotgun... (my pops is a retired trooper, so i assume thats true)

.357 will take out a horse...

I would try going to a range and test shooting a few guns before you go with a .357

 

oh and heres a gun safety lesson

1. always assume a gun is loaded
2. never rely on a safety THEY DO FAIL
3. never point a gun at anyone, even if it is unloaded (unless you intend on shooting)
4. Know your target AND BEYOND...
5. always keep amo away from the gun, and keep both LOCKED
6. after shooting gun, be sure to clean it well.

 

i guess im just partial to my 870, i keep my turkey choke in it all the time with three shells very close by. and i know what ever is on the recieving end is going down....hard n fast. and as far as range goes i put out 45 yard patterns with 35+ shots in the kill zone a on turkey, and thats not counting the ones not touching the head or neck. messy, maybe...but its also very intimidating.

 

I owuld not want to have to clean up after shooting someone indoors w/ a 12g

 

uhhhhhh, thanks Dad. J/K I'm well aware of gun safety and have shot them many times, (even had the merit badge in boy scouts) just never owned my own. But I know you were just trying to keep me from accidentally killing myself or someone else so I do appreciate it. Oddly enough, I've fired many rifles and handguns, but don't have alot of experience with shotguns. Which i am now leaning towards, since they are less expensive and have less chance of going through the wall and hurting someone on the other side. I looked at a nice Remington 870 express today: 12 gauge, short barrel, no choke. Thinking about getting that instead (pretty sure unless someone comes up with a REALLY GOOD reason i should still buy a handgun). it's only $370 and the .357 i was looking at was $550. And I've been told that if I use real small birdshot at the range, the recoil won't be so bad that i can't fire off a hundred or so shells, and then save the double aught for home. Also i want a Remington because thats what the military uses to guard embassies and they come highly recommended by my marine friends. And don't say to get a 20 gauge because I'm not a ***** and can deal with the recoil of a 12.


And greg if someone tries to rob me, i will let the cops clean it up.

 

Idk, in the state of california before you can own a gun you have to...

1. Pass the safety test and have the cert
2. A handgun requires a handgun cert
3. Have a clean record

So basically, it wasn't OVERLOOKING a thing, it was the assumption that other states had some sort of mandatory thing before they could go out and buy a gun.

As far as home defence goes.. a shotgun is bad because of one thing...having to weild it around ... with a handgun you can easily move around and not smack your barrel into a wall...

As far as safeties go..on a revolver, there normally isn't one.. because the only way for it to fire is that hammer has to be pulled back and locked, unless its a double action...

But yes, the basic safety rules are Always point the gun in a safe direction, never point the gun at someone, always assume the gun is loaded, everytime you handle a weapon, check to see if its loaded regardless on whether you know it is or not, know whats beyond your target, ect...

As far as brands for a .357

A pretty, reliable, and well established company is Ruger..and its relatively inexpensive compared to S&W, Springfield, and Kimber... its up to you though.

 

uh... recoil on a 12g?

lol...

My pops has alot of guns... Now we've got a bunch of shotguns...

Ithica 12g pump
S&W 12g pump (old)
remington autoloader

they all shoot best with different shot...

So if you go with a shotgun... ya'll want to buy several kinds of amo to test with...

Now the S&W has the biggest kick of them all... with magnum high brass triple O buckshot... I can shoot a good 100 rounds before my shoulder begins to get sore...

Also... idk how hunting is out there in the hippy state... but shotguns can take out a deer from 30yards easy... so it sure will go through a wall... lol

Don't worry about the kick... you should be able to handle it...

 

i agree w/ the shotgun thing, however, i wouldn't pay $370 for an 870. you can find one for less than 300 brand new. 870s are nice, though. most popular shotgun in the world for a reason.

 

might be 300 in idaho..but in cali they are closer to 400 =x

 

If you're getting a shotgun to do trap and skeet and just shoot for fun, go with a 20. They're a lot more fun to shoot if you're out all day and no one gives a **** whether you have a 12 or 20 gauge. Now if you are hunting then you'll want a 12 but 20's are fun to shoot and a lot better when shooting trap and skeet.

 

buy a double barrel 10g and some 3.5" magnum OOO buck rounds to go with it...

that'll blow a hole in an elephants ***

 

Only if you plan on going on an African safari would I find that useful... ha. I guess it would be pretty cool to show your friends. Hell, you could record yourself blowing one of their legs off and then show it to everyone, 20 bucks says no one ever tries to break into your house... ever

 

my buddy uses one for deer