Do you have ANY friends with handgun experience that can teach you a little? That would be a huge help.
If not, sit down in front of Youtube and find some videos about learning how to use a handgun. Make sure you start with the rules for safe use.
4 rules of gun safety
1. Always treat the gun with respect, like it’s loaded.
NEVER “test fire” a gun unless you tripled check the chamber is empty. Be extremely careful where you point it, and keep your finger off the trigger, and never swing it around or point it in an unsafe manner.
*Negligent and accidental discharges injure and kill people every year.
http://www.newswest9.com/story/3124...le-accidental-discharge-killed-5-year-old-son
http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2012/12/pa_dad_accidentally_shoots_kil.html
2. Always point it in a safe direction.
If you are practicing drawing or carrying or anything else, it is critical to only point the gun in a safe direction.
* People firing guns in an unsafe direction injure or kill others every year.
http://content.usatoday.com/communi...-death-ruled-a-homcide-in-ohio/1#.WAHM-PkrLIU
3. Be 100% sure of a safe backstop of your target and a safe target
Bullets can travel a long distance and go through walls. Be careful to point the gun in safe directions and when shooting, always have a safe backdrop.
*People firing guns at unsafe objects or backdrops injure or kill others every year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6V0S1m5a7U
4. Keep your finger off the trigger until you want to fire.
Most guns will not fire if you don’t pull the trigger. All guns will fire if the trigger is pulled and a bullet in the chamber. These redundant safety checks (empty chamber, pointing in safe direction, and finger off the trigger) will eliminate an unintended injury or death.
*Finger on the trigger can cause accidental or negligent firing, resulting in death or injury.
http://wonkette.com/603696/florida-...-but-just-cant-stay-mad-at-his-beautiful-guns
99.9% of any accidental or negligent injury can be avoided by following these rules. If one of the rules is missed, the others should prevent injury or death. For instance if it’s pointed in a safe direction, an oversight on the other rules will still result in no injury.
Guns are not toys. They are dangerous tools. Unmatched for self defense but also require a significant amount of attention to detail and responsibility. Use extreme care when handling!
The topic is far too big for an instant recommendation. But this will point you in the right direction, and for someone on a real tight budget you can get a quality handgun for $250-300, and with some practice can feel comfortable with the handgun for a total expendature of probably $500 with a few hundred rounds of ammo through it, and the eye protection, ear protection, range costs, extra magazines, etc. I'd recommend buying 1000 rounds in bulk, and after initially going and shooting a few hundred through, then going on a regular basis to fire 50 rounds every week to get very comfortable with it. Try several varieties of ammo too, since you'll want to make sure self defense designated hollow points work.
Continue reading for a good education on the topic - I put this together recently for a female friend in need of a handgun for home and carry self defense. She shot several of my pistols and she ended up buying a $300 EAA SAR B6P, which she loves. It was my recommended pistol for her since she's also on a tight budget. You can find it here:
It comes in full size, a few dollars cheaper than a compact.
https://grabagun.com/european-american-armory-sar-b6-9mm-4-5-17rd-poly-bl.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbB4aEfshYY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyboePX1r9Q
For a person new to guns for defense, I recommend two main tools (hardware) for self/home defense, a handgun (for home and portability) and a shotgun (for dedicated home defense). We’ll focus on a handgun for now, since this is the immediate need/want and can easily fill rolls of both. But some terminology and education so we know the differences: These videos take 10 minutes total to watch and understand, and it’s important to understand the basic functions of how the equipment actually works.
How bullets work: This video seems to be done by a Brit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCmpBvmoZog
This the general idea of what bullets do when they strike. They generally stop people based on #1 shot placement (vitals), #2 kinetic energy (weight and speed), #3 blood loss, and #4 shock. Therefore, training for accuracy is really the most important, followed by the bullet choice generally speaking. You don’t have to watch the entire videos, just the first few moments to see the differences in how these impact so you understand that a handgun is lethal, but much less effective than a shotgun or rifle.
Here’s an example of a 9mm pistol bullet hitting ballistic gelatin for representation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jexyDDA3TBU
Shotgun in gelatin:
Slug (one piece of lead):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftrCtOyLrmU
Buckshot (many lead pellets):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDjNaTeUt2Y
Rifle in gelatin:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCrognf6wFg
Single Action and Double Action explanation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSUohSx4PIg
1. Handgun for a more easily portable short range defense tool on the go and at home – less firepower but more versatile.
a. Semi automatic. Watch this 1 min video schematic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uT_B1HoaR_E
b. Revolver. Watch this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXliIJ_66FQ
2. Shotgun for an easy home defense tool. Very powerful, effective, short and medium range weapon. Extremely versatile tool for defense, hunting large game and even small game.
a. Pump shotgun video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkOd3zWabxk
b. Double barrel shotgun video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQpKTOhRh40
3. Rifle: A rifle will nicely round out any home/self defense/hunting collection. These come in hunting rifle, bolt action, pump action, semi-automatic. Usually magazine fed (a box in the receiver, with a spring that presses bullets upward into the bolt area and barrel).
a. Bolt action rifle:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKa4OQBejKQ
b. Semi-auto rifle:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fsa_C-gSYAQ
c. Lever action rifle:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5q93mLa8sk
Plus lots of training (software) to implement them and develop a strong will for self defense in a dangerous and unpredictable world that can change in a heartbeat and literally mean life and death. It can be a light-hearted topic, but is genuinely a serious topic because you are talking about lethal force. If you remind me, I’ll copy and give you some excellent DVDs on the topic of situational awareness, and lethal force use; an understanding (software) are integral to the topic of guns (hardware).
The laws of lethal force and even of possession or ownership of guns can vary greatly from one state to the next, and the consequences of breaking these laws can be life changing. So it’s very important to know these well. [For instance, “High Capacity” is really just standard capacity and really just means a magazine that holds 11 or more bullets. They are legal in most states, but not in a few (like California, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Hawaii…). High capacity magazines (handguns, shotguns, and rifles) serve a valid lawful purpose - VERY valuable for self defense because it means that you can defend yourself more effectively taking into account perhaps you miss, or against a mob or several attackers without stopping to reload. It’s a critical advantage of a gun. Neutering these by artificially lowering the capacity is just making you less effective at defending yourself.]
So, let’s move on to the equipment.
First. If you want a concealed carry permit go get one if you're able. It is imperative to have this license so you can legally carry.
http://www.dol.wa.gov/business/firearms/faconcealreq.html
It involves a background check, finger prints, and it’s about $50 total, and takes about a month or so to have it mailed to you. The clear advantages are that you can legally carry it in most places in this state, many other states (I was mistaken, there’s about 10 states), and omits the 1-2 week waiting period for buying a handgun (there is no wait period to buy a shotgun or rifle).
Second. Remember with guns, you’re constantly battling the physics. All things equal, smaller and lighter guns will recoil harder than larger and heavier guns. Steel and wood guns will feel heavier, but absorb more recoil than plastic and aluminum guns. This isn’t a concern for most people or guns, but something to keep in mind. Do some research and watch some Youtube videos on the following handguns:
Handgun. The portable equalizer.
The three main decisions for a handgun.
1. Size/weight
2. type (semi-automatic vs. revolver), (semi-automatic guns use magazines) and
3. caliber.
A. Size/weight will largely be determined for you based on purpose.
i. If it's a strictly home defense gun, then it should be larger framed because it will inherently have larger capacity, longer sight radius, and weight for better inherent accuracy and follow up shots. These are generally 4”-6” barrel and full size frame.
ii. If it’s a gun intended for carry, however, then it will necessarily be smaller and lighter with inherently less bullet capacity and accuracy. These are generally 2.5”-4” barrel and smaller polymer frame for lighter weight.
Frankly, if you’re just buying one gun, get a gun that is a good compromise between the two; one you can carry and still be effective with. If you intend on buying two guns, you may opt to dedicate one for home defense, and one for carry (in which case you could opt for a much lighter and smaller model).
B. Type:
Understand Double Action and Single Action. See the video again. Basically double action is 1 pull of the trigger will do 2 things – **** the hammer/striker, AND fire the weapon. Whereas Single Action requires the gun to be cocked, and the trigger ONLY fires the weapon when it’s in the cocked position.
i. Semi-auto is appropriate for someone who is more mechanically inclined. It requires above average hand strength and dexterity to rack the slide to load it or clear malfunctions or unload it. Guns are machines, and semi-autos are more complex with more moving pieces so in reality more chances for a failure or jam. Rare for a high quality gun, but it does occur. Also, some have external safeties which are a double edged sword. It may be ‘safe’ but in a stressful situation you forget to disengage the safety and fail to fire the gun. It’s possible to fail to disengage the safety when you need it most because these are fine motor skills which can be lost. This is precisely the reason that many companies DO NOT put manual safeties on their guns, such as Glock, Sig Sauer, Springfield, and others. But understand modern guns generally have internal mechanical safeties that are arguably more safe than a gun with an external manual safety.
Common pistol calibers: .380 ACP, 9mm x18 Makarov, 9mm Luger (9x19), .40 S&W, and .45 ACP.
Pros: The advantages of a semi-auto are typically a thinner profile for carry, a higher ammo capacity in the magazine (typically in a carry gun about 9-12 rounds, and magazines up to 20, 30 or even 50 rounds), and faster reloads for most people by using a magazine. Tactical rails for lights and lasers. And often lighter weight polymer frames. And by design they absorb recoil better with the use of recoil springs.
Cons: Requires more hand strength and dexterity to some degree. While insignificant, pistols are inherently less reliable of a design although jams are very rare. More springs, more moving parts, more feeding and ejecting issues can occur, although very uncommon.
ii. A revolver is a very simple machine and nearly dummy proof to use it. You load it and when you need it you have 5 or 6 shots. No external safety to worry about, and it is incredibly rare for a quality revolver to jam due to their design. The only real drawbacks are that they are slower for reloads for most people and carry less shots (typically 5-6 for a carry gun), the recoil is more stout, and they are a little heavier and thicker in general. Reloads can be carried in speed strip or speedloader for easy access. They generally come in 4 common calibers: .38 special, .357 magnum, .44 special, and .44 magnum.
Third
C. Caliber: It’s registered in European millimeters or Universal calibers (representing 1/10ths of an inch – eg. .45 caliber is almost a ½ inch and .50 caliber is ½ an inch). Ah the age old debate. Frankly it goes back to software versus hardware. If the shooter does her/his part, the handgun bullet choice will rarely make a difference. There will always be arguments on which caliber is better. Frankly, your shot placement of your bullet is the most important factor. This is why I wanted you to watch the above educational videos to understand.
My suggested calibers include from smallest to largest .380 ACP, 9x18mm Makarov, 9x19mm Luger, .38 special, .40 SW, and .45ACP and .357 magnum. Keep in mind ammo cost. To be effective you MUST be able to use the gun in an emergency and hit your target. That only comes with training. 9x19mm is half the price as .357 magnum, which means that you can train twice as much with 9x19mm. However, 9x19 is about the same price, maybe a little cheaper, than .38 special to train with. Note, if you buy a .357 magnum, you can shoot less expensive training .38 special bullets in it. .357 in a carry sized revolver is going to have a lot of kick and power. My top recommendation for power and versatility is no surprise – a .357 magnum. It’s an excellent choice.
So, at last, here are my recommendations:
1. Work on getting your carry permit if that's something you want.
2. Handle a lot of guns. Here’s what I would hold, examine and buy, all within the $300-600 range. These are in no particular order.
a. Revolvers: .38 or .357 magnum – versatility to train with .38 special but shoot .357. The .357 will have a lot of kick, but an excellent round, and among the best handgun round ever invented. The .38 is sufficient and more affordable. A .357 revolver will allow you to use both the .38 special and .357. It’s one of the best for a first time gun owner. See these revolvers:
i. Ruger SP101 or GP100.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9ecMsCyvZA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLhKXPc53b4
ii. Smith and Wesson model 10, or model 64, or nearly any Smith and Wesson really.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7ubBhClFhU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YC1ITX1-uyc
iii. Colt – any Colt revolver is going to be quality and excellent
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmplW0KTtYU
iv. Taurus, Charter Arms, or Rossi (more affordable, but still good revolvers) are more affordable and should work fine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgcF3UUt2qE
b. Semi-auto handguns: I recommend sticking with either 9x18 Makarov or 9x19mm. If you’re feeling ambitious you could venture into the .40 caliber or .45 caliber realm. In no particular order:
i. Sig Sauer P6 or P225 in 9x19mm, or really any Sig Sauer P229, P226, P220.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7cQyLiwQtI
• Or see the – Sig Sauer Clone Zastava 9mm model 999. Excellent ½ price affordable clone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Cn7GC2-mlc
ii. CZ 75 variants – full size, compact, PCR, or PO7, or P01 in 9x19mm or CZ 82 in 9x18mm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_WMCjEyeyc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ws7KspCSGbQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybT3wCzzB0M
• Or see excellent ½ price clones made by EAA witness, SAR B6P, etc.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1THJyIJyG5c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmRHeIHqzLY
iii. Smith and Wesson M&P full size, compact or subcompact.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Orf_zlp3Rdk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKauyXTk7XI
iv. Springfield XD full size, compact or subcompact, any generation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKauyXTk7XI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=so76xQKyVMs
v. Glock G26, G19, G17. Same pistol in different sizes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKQ-E3HNP9A
vi. Smith and Wesson 5906, 6906, or other Generation 3 models in 9x19mm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJGCYg0Ig2w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXPvIZvLtD0
Note there is no *Magic bullet* for guns. Standard full metal jacket bullets will get the job done. If you want to spend more for quality hollow points, they are probably more effective at causing damage to an attacker. But keep in mind the most important bullet is the one that hits the target, and you’re responsible for the ones that miss too, so that means you have to train.
When you get your gun order a box of 1000 or more rounds (much cheaper that way) online and then go to the range and train, train, train.
Research and invest in a quality holster carry setup if you intend to carry. Go with quality rigid leather or kydex from quality makers. Avoid nylon, neoprene, etc. A good holster will easily cost you $50-100 but that’s okay. It’s important. There are a few different ways to carry, and that will be for another lesson with the pros and cons.
Final thoughts: “Buy once, cry once.” Just like with other sporting gear - This is a popular adage that reminds you not to buy junk holsters, junk guns, junk accessories and such. There is rarely a way to skimp on quality guns and accessories. It’s either high quality, or it’s junk. Invest in the high quality and it will last you a lifetime.