# "Best" guns.....



## HONEY (Mar 13, 2011)

DH and I are going to take a gun safety and usage course (we have never even touched one before).

Once we get that done, we would like 3 or 4 guns. 1 for each of us (hand guns?) and 1 or 2 shot gun/rifle types for hunting and self-defense, if needed.

Which ones do you think would be best for us?

We hope to stay home in a SHTF situation, but have a location we could travel to that is a few hrs North of the VERY Major city we live close to, if required.

Thanks so much, I am learning AMAZING things here, everyday feel a little better about my ongoing prep and keeping my family safe/fed in any situation.


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

Pop on over to our sister site http://www.firearmstalk.com/ Lots of good info there.


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## Georgiahunter (Mar 17, 2012)

UncleJoe said:


> Pop on over to our sister site http://www.firearmstalk.com/ Lots of good info there.


Yeah, this question has actually recently been asked over there. You will find there is no 1 best gun and that all have advantages and disadvantages. I would suggest a .22 to start with, maybe a Marlin 60 or a Ruger 10/22. After you are proficient with that, buy a shotgun/ rifle after you have searched and researched. Good inexpensive shotguns incline a Remington 879 or a Mossberg 500, but there are many out there. For a rifle I would suggest one in the AR or AK platform depending on what you are going to use it for. As for handguns, Glock makes good and reliables guns, but I prefer 1911s. Bear in mind these weapons will run you quite a bit of money and I have only touched the surface of your options. I definitely recommend going to Firearms Talk.


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

HONEY said:


> DH and I are going to take a gun safety and usage course (we have never even touched one before).
> 
> Once we get that done, we would like 3 or 4 guns. 1 for each of us (hand guns?) and 1 or 2 shot gun/rifle types for hunting and self-defense, if needed.
> 
> ...


Again, lots of great information about the best guns to have over at our sister forum at FireArmsTalk.com ...

We try to keep the gun topics fairly generic here because there are so many good sites dedicated to the topics of guns. Good-luck on your course, and, when you get your certificates, please join the CanadianGunNutz.com forum to find out what is happening with gun-control (and such) here in Canada - our rules and regulations are more restrictive than those in the USA.


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## HamiltonFelix (Oct 11, 2011)

For people who are not frequent shooters or bonified "gun nuts," one often hears the double action revolver recommended as a "house gun." The manual of arms is simple, they pretty much all work the same (where autoloaders have considerable variety in design and control arrangement) and pretty much anyone can pick up a double action revolver and pull the trigger through in a crisis. 

Also, you don't have to chase empty brass to recover it and you can pretty much shoot any power level or bullet shape without worrying about the gun's reliability. 

A couple of times in this life, I've given a Ruger Security Six to someone who wasn't a frequent shooter but could use a defensive sidearm around the house.


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## txpossum (Apr 10, 2011)

I have stated before that I believe 95% of a shoots needs can be met by a basic four gun battery:

1. A 4" barrel .357 magnum revolver (Smith & Wesson, Ruger, Colt). Simple, strong, and able to handle a wide variety of .357 and .38 special ammo.

2. A .22 rifle or handgun. Easy to shoot, ammo is inexpensive and easy to carry.

3. A centerfire rifle in a medum power caliber, such as .308 or 30-06; 30-30 lever action is acceptable.

4. 12 gauge shotgun.

Worry about the "black" weapons after you have the basics.


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## Magus (Dec 1, 2008)

HONEY said:


> DH and I are going to take a gun safety and usage course (we have never even touched one before).
> 
> Once we get that done, we would like 3 or 4 guns. 1 for each of us (hand guns?) and 1 or 2 shot gun/rifle types for hunting and self-defense, if needed.
> 
> ...


Gun kits are kind of my specialty.what part of the country do you live in?

What level of firearms experience do you have?


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## fedorthedog (Apr 14, 2011)

Start with a 10-22 and 6 25 round steel lip mags. Then look at one hand gun and one rifle for each adult. Match calibers if you can for simplification in ammo purchases. Dont count the .22 as one of your rifles and after you have a primary gun each look for a .22 pistol. .22 is cheap you can stock pile 3000 round for around $100.00 and it is easy to carry. This allow you to arm up to six people when you have kids that grow or family shows up. My belief is a lot of .22 is your friend.


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## mojo4 (Feb 19, 2012)

Yep....a good ruger 10-22 and planty of magazines is a mainstay. Good for food getting and defense. Then a pistol each. Revolvers never jam and are great for newbies. A good hunting rifle in 30.06 and a shotgun. Get a 12 gauge and don't worry too much about the brand because they are quite simple to use and they don't really jam. At big 5 they sell a shotgun that has 2 barrels, a short one for defense and a longer one for hunting and it costs around 300. A good used pistol and rifle will be around 300 also and the .22 is around 225 to 250 brand new. So happy shopping!! Also, try to buy them all at once so you only do 1 backround check. Less paper trail.


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## HONEY (Mar 13, 2011)

I am in Canada, so things are a little different up here, in terms of permits and buying guns. 

Thanks all for the helpful info, I am going to do some research and will let you all know if I have anymore questions.

Thanks again


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## CulexPipiens (Nov 17, 2010)

Besides the advice to check out the gun specific forum, the best gun is the one that you can handle. If you or your husband has problems shooting something, then you need to find something you can shoot. Be it recoil or small/large hands or any reason, if you don't like it you probably won't practice much and end up less proficient with it. Try out as many as you can find. If something doesn't feel right find one (or more) that does.


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## czech (Jan 9, 2012)

HONEY, it sounds like you are taking plenty of time to get acquainted with the subject of firearms. If you need to learn quickly, let us know and we'll give some suggestions. Otherwise I'll give my opinions on the "best" way to start learning about firearms.

Have a plan!
There is a lot you can do before becoming an actual firearm owner!

Write down all of your your goals regarding firearms. It may be self- or homestead-defense, providing food, enjoying the sporting/outdoors aspect, etc. Next, prioritize those goals. Then remember to communicate your goals to your trainer(s). A trainer should be a very good resource for you--but only if they know what you really want.

Provide for the safe keeping of firearms. Sometimes this is a paradox--keeping them at the ready, but preventing easy or obvious access by children, nosy people or criminals.

Start working on your family plan. How will you communicate when firearms are being used, i.e., coordinating with family members and dealing with suspects? How will you move around the house and each other? If you intend to use them for home defense, what directions or areas must you avoid shooting? If you are involved in a shooting, what is your plan? The authorities, your attorney, protecting some assets from civil seizure, etc.

Make a commitment to proficiency and knowing your limits. Train as realistically as possible and know the limitations of your accuracy with your chosen firearms. Loosing a bullet on the world is a grave matter, and the last thing you want to do is endanger innocent people or have firearms rights revoked. If you put in the time, you *can* master the firearm. Don't be discouraged!

The Learning Curve
Safe handling of a firearm is paramount--no matter if you are a first-time shooter or a SWAT team member.

You can begin by reading a book about gun safety. The NRA is a good resource for written and video material.

You can practice safe gunhandling using toy guns in the privacy of your own home. Airsoft guns can be very realistic--sometimes replicating the exact size and even the weight of a particular firearm.

Start working on your mindset; that is, the discipline and state of mind it takes to be a responsible, effective, wise gun user under pressure. One of my favorite introductory texts on this is "The Art of Modern Gunfighting" by Scott Reitz. I don't know of a better up-to-date and complete intro to serious use firearms mindset and mechanics.

At the mid range of book instruction are the basic manuals written by peole such as John Farnam of DTI.

If you want a peek at the high end of firearms use, look at Jeff Gonzales's "Combative Fundamentals" or Brian Enos's "Practical Shooting, Beyond Fundamentals". These books illuminate the extremely mental aspect of highly effective combat and competition shooting.

What firearms to choose?
Your instructor should have firearms to try and recommendations. You will learn what your capabilities are for your strength, natural aptitude and best beginning firearm.

I highly recommend seeking out someone who trains firearms self-defense classes vs. someone who only teaches basic safety and gunhandling. While the safety/handling teachers are well-meaning, the self-defense firearms teacher will teach you the better ways from the beginning.

A rifle is the easiest to be accurate with; it makes for a good beginner firearm. A light caliber such as .22LR will be cheap to feed and has barely any recoil to manage.

Handguns require a lot more practice to become proficient. Revolvers are a good choice because of simplicity.

I agree with the poster that said to learn the basic firearms now, and worry about the "black guns" later.

Let us know how it goes, and if you have any more questions.


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