Need a gun recommendation.

Discussion in 'Firearms and Hunting' started by Junkieturtle, Apr 4, 2020.

  1. Junkieturtle

    Junkieturtle Well-Known Member Donor

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    Looking to get a pistol to keep in the house.

    I have a 9mm that my father-in-law bought at an auction for $100, it's a Standard Arms. I'm told it's cheap. I would prefer a new one. It seems kind of rickety.

    Does anybody have a good experience with a pistol in the price range, roughly of course since prices might vary between areas, of $300-400?

    What is a good brand? Ones to avoid?

    I like the power of the 9mm. I'm not looking for something big. And would prefer one with a clip.
     
    Last edited: Apr 4, 2020
  2. Texan

    Texan Well-Known Member

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    In the $300-$400 range, a Ruger is a good bet. My wife has a Security 9. Capacity is 15+1 and it costs $299. Its nothing incredible, but it's a great value.
     
  3. Junkieturtle

    Junkieturtle Well-Known Member Donor

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    What is the quality like? Have you shot it?

    Looked it up and that's a nice looking gun. Seems to be exactly what I'm looking for. I like the price too. It's going on my potentials list.

    Thanks for your response!
     
  4. Texan

    Texan Well-Known Member

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    It shoots fine. My wife loves it. She carries a smaller Kimber Micro 9. The Ruger is for truck or bedside use.
     
  5. Levant

    Levant Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    The S&W SD line is about $300. I have a few and they shoot flawlessly and accurately.

    I also have a couple Taurus TH40s. There's an equivalent 9mm model: TH9 for about $250. A lot of gun snobs will tell you never buy a Taurus but I've never had a bit of trouble with any of mine. I've put a few hundred rounds in my TH40s and like it well enough I'm thinking of using it for my EDC for more rounds, less weight, and less loss if something happens to it than my 1911s.

    Whatever you get, get plenty of range time and safety training - PLEASE.
     
  6. James California

    James California Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    ~ See if you can find a slightly used Ruger P-85. I have one myself. Very nice to shoot - low recoil. They also make a 45 cal. :gun: :omfg:´
     
  7. modernpaladin

    modernpaladin Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Gonna be hard to find a pistol with a clip. But if you're looking for one with a magazine...;)

    I know, I know...

    Anyway... You can't go wrong with a Glock. Its really hard to find a more reliable semi-auto pistol than a Glock.

    I dunno what their prices are these days. I'm a revolver guy, myself. If you're not firm on having a mag-fed, a .357 magnum revolver is more versatile, more reliable, and more available in your price range.

    The great thing about the .357 magnum is you can use the lighter .38 special and .38+P if the .357mag is too much power for you. No modifications required- any .357mag revolver will fire all these rounds right out of the box, and you don't have worry about finding the proper bullet weight, proper powder grain, or which shape of bullet feeds better (all things you have to consider with autos) because they all fire equally as well in a revolver.

    If you havn't fired one, a .38 special is pretty close in power to a 9mm.

    Most revolvers hold six shots. If you're looking to carry concealed, the Ruger SP101 holds 5 rounds and is very slim and light for a .357mag, a very popular CC pistol that I've seen used for $400. If you're not interested in CC, there are 8-shot revolvers as well. Taurus and S&W both make one, but they're pricier.

    You can also get speed loaders, which allow you to reload a revolver almost as quickly as you can slam a magazine into an auto.
     
    Last edited: Apr 9, 2020
  8. James California

    James California Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    ~ I agree. At some point I will purchase a used S&W 38 Special .
    What is the barrel lenght on yours. Short barrels give much more recoil .
     
  9. modernpaladin

    modernpaladin Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    I was under the impression that longer barrels gave more recoil, because in short barrels, you burn less powder in the barrel and more of the pressure dissapates into the air before it can help push the bullet (and push you at the same time). But I guess more barrel isalso more weight, so maybe thefelt recoil is lighter... prolly depends on the gun.

    Anyway, my .357 I carry has a 4" barrel. which is a bit big, so I have to carry it vertically in a shoulder harness or it makes a bulge.

    The best way to reduce recoil IMO is with a heavier frame. Another reason to use .38 bullets in a .357mag gun.

    But it is nice to lug less weight around if you know .38 will be enough power and you dont mind the recoil (which isn't bad with a .38 regardless.

    Heh, they also make a lighter .38 round, my ex called em 'girl rounds', she liked them because she has small hands.
     
    Last edited: Apr 9, 2020
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  10. Levant

    Levant Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Do you ever shoot guns?
     
  11. James California

    James California Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    ~ Yes that is true.
     
  12. Seth Bullock

    Seth Bullock Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    You can't go wrong with a Glock, but they are a little out of your price range. I agree with Texan that the Ruger Security 9 would be a good choice in your price range.
     
  13. modernpaladin

    modernpaladin Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    I don't ever shoot the same gun with different barrel lengths...

    My 357 carbine for example has less recoil than my 357 pistol, but it also weighs 2 to 3 times as much as the pistol...

    What weapon do you shoot that has the same weight and same cartridge but different barrel lengths?
     
    Last edited: Apr 10, 2020
  14. Junkieturtle

    Junkieturtle Well-Known Member Donor

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    Thanks for the responses folks!

    The Ruger Security 9 seems right up my alley and exactly what I was looking for.

    My son, who shoots with my father-in-law sometimes, was also telling me to get a .357 too, but I shot one when I was younger(no idea what kind of ammo was in it at the time) and it's too much gun for me to reliably control in a home defense situation. I'm sure with practice I would get better, but I kind of figure that's something that could be my 2nd or 3rd gun, not the one I start out with. The 9mm I currently have feels comfortable in my hand as well as when firing. We currently have a .22 pistol and my father had a .25 pistol when I was a kid. Both are a little small for me.

    I live in the country and have some woods with a ravine that I've set up some cardboard boxes to use as targets in front of, so I can see the path from my gun to where the bullet is going to hit the ground unimpeded. My son and I have been shooting from 10-20 yards away. I definitely need practice and may take some lessons when this COVID-19 thing subsides.

    Haven't been shooting the 9mm much because I only have about 20-25 bullets for it right now and the local stores have been selling out of ammo so fast it's like it was never there to begin with.

    Do also plan on getting my CCW permit at some point, but I'm still working during the day when our local courthouse has limited permit registration going on. My wife went and got hers while she was temporarily laid off but I'm not able to take off the 2 hours it took her to wait in line to get one. That's fine for now, I'm not going anywhere anyway and the primary reason I want the gun is for around the house. I can get the permit later, but I do plan to get it at some point.
     
  15. Levant

    Levant Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    No gun has the same weight and different barrel lengths.
     
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  16. modernpaladin

    modernpaladin Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    I'm glad you got my point :)
     
    Last edited: Apr 10, 2020
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  17. Levant

    Levant Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    But do you get mine? Shorter barreled guns weigh less - especially at the far end from the hand where the weight can balance against the opposite reaction to the action of pushing the bullet. There are debates about the "rocket-like" action of gas leaving the barrel but that's still a matter of expanding gas pushing against matter - starting with the bullet and, then, after the bullet leaves the barrel, against the air, itself, so I'm not convinced on the gas arguments.
     
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  18. modernpaladin

    modernpaladin Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    It would be a good experiment. I have a Remington 1100 20ga with multiple barrels of different lengths that might settle the question if I can find a good way to attach weights to the shorter ones and precisely measure the recoil.
     
    Last edited: Apr 10, 2020
  19. Seth Bullock

    Seth Bullock Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Just remember when making your decision that a revolver is also very good for home defense. 357 is a great choice because you can load it with .38 Special ammo if .357 is too much to control. 38 Special ammo is very easy to control out of a medium sized revolver. Revolvers have the advantage of being simple to operate, and they will reliably shoot any ammo you choose in 38 or 357 caliber. With semi-automatics you need to know what to do (and do it in a big hurry) if the gun malfunctions. Semis can fail to eject, fail to feed, and there is more to do if a round fails to detonate. Some semis feed some ammo well, while other ammo not so well. Revolvers don't have those failures, and if a round is defective and doesn't detonate, you just pull the trigger again.

    My primary personal and home defense weapon is a semi, but I train all the time with it. And although that's my choice, I have a lot of respect for a good quality revolver in 38/357 caliber as a personal and home defense weapon. So anyway, there's my two cents on revolvers, and here are a couple that would also be excellent choices. Smith and Wesson Model 19 on the left, Smith and Wesson Model 586 on the right, both with 4 inch barrels.

    Model 19.jpg S&W Model 586 2.jpg
     
  20. Texan

    Texan Well-Known Member

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    That was my first gun. I love how it shoots. It's too big to carry, but it's great for home use. I even have a ghetto looking 33 rd magazine for it. The P85 was Ruger's first semiautomatic. Mine is stainless.
     
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  21. An Taibhse

    An Taibhse Well-Known Member

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    Generally a heavier gun will result in less felt recoil, but it depends on ergonomics, where the gun sits in the hand, the bore relationship to the grip, and the ammo used. Shorter guns tend to have greater felt recoil, again depending on the factors mentioned above, but may generate more muzzle flip (again depending of some of the factors mentioned) making it difficult for some to quickly realign the sights. Also, generally, a shorter barrel will result in lower velocity, greater muzzle flash (an issue in dark or dimly lit areas like in a hallway) and a shorter sight radius may impact a shooter’s accuracy.
    Once the mass of the bullet leaves the barrel, the expanding gasses have negligible effect on recoil. There is ammo available in some ammo offerings with powder burn rates designed specifically for shorter barrel. Some shorter barrel guns like a 1911 which was balanced around a specific cartridge load for a full size 1911 may not be as reliable without modification (mag/spring, recoil spring, etc.) and then that call also depend on the cartridge design used. I do a lot of work on 1911s, among other, but the largest number brought to me are shorter barrel 1911’s because of reliability issues... they can be adjusted. But, improperly trained users can also induce reliability problems... for instance shooting limp wristed... more prevalent with shorter barrel, larger bore semi autos.
    Choice Long barrel or short? Depends on the shooter’s intended uses. It also depends on the shooter’s ability with a specific model of gun.
    What overall works for me, small hands, but over 50’s of shooting, may not work for another. I often suggest visiting a range that offers rented guns, getting help selecting a few that fit you, getting a bit of instruction, and the seeing what works for you... & very important, test with the ammo you will use for SD for accuracy (often guns like certain ammo over others) and 100% reliability.
    If, because of the virus restrictions you can’t do the above. Read everything published by the manufacturer about what you might be interested in (they often will have recommendations) and find in gun forums/YouTube others doing reviews and commenting on the specific guns of your interest...lots out there. Also, often in review, the review will have tested multiple cartridge offerings and show what worked for him/her... might be a clue there.
    Hopefully you can practice after a purchase and be intimately familiar with the. Before your purchase, learn gun safety and make it part of your DNA. After your purchase, learn how to, manage the gun’s controls, safe loading and unloaded, safe condition checking, field stripping for cleaning (if needed)
    and religiously maintain your gun so it is ready to be reliably flawless when needed. ... did I mention gun safety?
    I don’t generally get into the semi auto/revolver arguments, however, depending on the level of mechanical aptitude, knowledge and temperament, I sometimes do recommend a revolver.
     
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  22. modernpaladin

    modernpaladin Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    My first handgun was a Hi-Point C9 (compensated 9mm). Its in my avatar pic. I still have it. It doesn't work. It would work if I sent it back to the manufacturer for its unlimited 'no questions asked' lifetime warranty. Which I've done twice already. Its not worth the shipping. It works great out of the box for a few hundred rounds before the springs lose their memory.

    It was $150 new. You get what you pay for.
     
    Last edited: Apr 10, 2020
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  23. Levant

    Levant Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Beautiful guns. I do love revolvers - especially blued ones but they're getting rarer and rarer. I don't think anyone except possibly Colt is making a double-action revolver in blued today.
     
    Last edited: Apr 10, 2020
  24. James California

    James California Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    ~ At least I still have Dad's old 22cal S&W blued revolver - 5" barrel I believe :blushes:
     
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  25. Spim

    Spim Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Sec 9 isnt a bad choice I'm a ruger fan but I'm partial to the older models with a bit more heft
    .. p89 and sr9. Maybe I'm just too old school
     
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