Current Events > Gun enthusiasts, whats the best gun/guns I should buy with my $1200 stimulus.

(+) Yeah! (+)

I've never owned a gun but I've shot a few a handful of times. It's always something I wanted to pick up as a hobby but just never pulled the trigger on(haha -_-)

Im wondering If I should buy a few different cheaper ones or just buy one and save the rest for unexpected costs + possible accessories? I'd mainly just be using them at a range and primarily for home defense and if shit really ended up hitting the fan would be the most well rounded for general everyday protection.

A few that seem to be the general consensus with a little bit of looking are,

Mossberg 500/Remington 870

Remington 700(not really for home defense but seems really cool to learn how to accurately/precisely shoot long distances, probably the last option to pick up)

A budget AR-15(the Smith & Wesson M&P 15 Sport II seems to be a highly picked lower cost variant)

A handgun of some sort. There seems to be so many options that idk where to even begin for picking one.

Obviously I cant get one of each but maybe some people here could point me towards a combination or just a single one that would be the most fun/educational to purchase and become proficient in as a hobby if that makes sense.

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I wouldnt get an AR15 because youre budgeting and a plain ar15 is boring as fuck. Youre gonna want scopes, rails, and shit.

just buy a glock 19

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Mark_DeRosa posted...

I wouldnt get an AR15 because youre budgeting and a plain ar15 is boring as fuck. Youre gonna want scopes, rails, and shit.

just buy a glock 19

Damn I was almost thinking the opposite a $700 AR-15 then spend the remaining $500 on a red dot, tac light and some other stuff and learn how to properly assemble those items and just the overall customization seemed fun.

Maybe that comes later though. Why are they boring to shoot?

Also I'd probably get my concealed carry permit. Would never really carry one on me but just seems cheap and practical.

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i meant if youre going straight iron sights ar15 will be not as enjoyable. If its your first gun def get a glock 17/19 maybe even a 26 or 43 if you want to conceal and carry

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.44 magnum the most powerful handgun in the world

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Taurus Judge
Rossi Circuit Judge

Irony posted...

.44 magnum the most powerful handgun in tge world

No.
Smith & Wesson 500 is a handgun that fires anti-aircraft rounds.

Mark_DeRosa posted...

i meant if youre going straight iron sights ar15 will be not as enjoyable. If its your first gun def get a glock 17/19 maybe even a 26 or 43 if you want to conceal and carry

Alright a glock seems pretty reasonable since I wont be keeping on my persons. The CCL just seems nice to be able to skip in store background checks and if I ever did need to take one with me.

They seem pretty cheap should I spend the remainder on another rifle/shotgun or should would it make more sense to get accessories for the glock?

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I say start with pistol and work your way up. You'll want lots of ammo to train with, so my advice is to visit as many gun shops as possible to get a feel for them. You might laugh at this, but environment matters. If you go somewhere where they treat you like a moron or "lesser" for not immediately going for the high speed/low drag lifestyle, move on. Find places that make you feel welcomed. Places that give you their time to help you with any questions you'll have, advice you'll need, and offer you legitimate deals on future purchases. Suppose this is true for many places in retail, but I feel it matters more in gun shops to build a professional, courteous relationship.

And if you start with pistols, feel out every single damn gun they have in the displays. Get a feel for the weight, the location of the controls, how it feels in your hand. And, only if you're given position by the staff(and aiming at a designated spot of their choosing), close your eyes while holding the pistol and aim it. See how close your sights are when just pointing out of instinct. That's your natural pointing angle, and should be one of the largest considerations for purchase, aside from reliability and ease of functionality.

Don't worry about lights, muzzle devices, sights, silencers, loudeners, fin-stabilized, discarding sabot bayonets or automatic circumcisers just yet after getting your gun. Keep them in mind if you want, but work on getting used to your gun out of the box, then tackle the accessories.


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Awesome thanks for the write. Up makes perfect sense and included things I didn't consider, holding it with eyes closed for the most natural feel, spending money on rounds which seems obvious but I didn't include in cost, etc;

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bump for Muricans.

Also how do I choose rounds, for the Glock it seems that Hornaday critical defense is a good choice but do I use that as range ammo also to keep it consistent with what i would use in a real life situation?

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If you going to the range just get whatever is cheapest in 9mm dont worry about anything else. For on duty I use hollow point.

if you got big hands get a 17. If youre normal and want to Conceal and carry easy get a glock 19. Get a decent holster if you want, Id buy one extra mag

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I have a Ruger SR .22L and it's perfect for the house imo.In the country I prefer my Remington 870 and 30-06.

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I would suggest taking some classes first and to try out some stuff, but no idea how that all works in today's world.

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You should go all out 'Murican and get a missile launcher and Big Mac.

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Malcrasternus posted...

Don't worry about lights, muzzle devices, sights, silencers, loudeners, fin-stabilized, discarding sabot bayonets or automatic circumcisers just yet after getting your gun

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Glock 19 is a perfect all around handgun.

Reliable, small enough to conceal, holds 15+1, relatively cheap.

My only gripe with Glocks are the grip angle. Little too shallow for me.

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If you have a gun range still open near by, go try out their guns. Most ranges will let you try any gun as long as you pay the range fee and buy/use their ammo. If you tell them you're brand new, they usually walk you through gun safety and how to handle a firearm. Most places will have you bring another person though, so just make sure you bring a buddy. I have a Mossberg 500, a XD9 and a cheap AR15 with a palmetto state armory kit on a lower I got on sale for like $40, came out to just about $600 total.

Have you checked your local shop to see what they have in stock?

A lot of online retailers are completely cleaned out.

Also I wouldn't recommend a glock as a first gun.

Glocks are so damn ugly, get a beretta. Also while you maybe be able to take your concealed handgun/weapon class and get the completion certificate, county sheriffs offices for ccw apps/approvals are really backed up right now. Do it sooner rather than later but you are going to wait awhile.
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Why would you not recommend a glock as a first gun lol. Its the easiest and most accessible handgun to use lol

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I second the Beretta. I like the addition of a hammer though.

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Just get a flare gun its great for home defense. :D

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Mark_DeRosa posted...

Why would you not recommend a glock as a first gun lol. Its the easiest and most accessible handgun to use lol

The lack of a manual safety. I'm not trying to change any minds. This is just my opinion.

Also (again personal opinion) I'm not a huge fan of polymer frames. I like the weight of a metal frame to absorb a bit of recoil. Shot placement is key.

I don't hate glocks, I just don't prefer them.

Manual safety trope is a joke man

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Gonna be the hipster here and recommend a metal frame CZ if you want metal hammer fired.


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Mark_DeRosa posted...

Manual safety trope is a joke man

Not for first time gun owners that haven't developed trigger discipline.

words incoming..

right now is kind of a terrible time to get into it. prices have jumped up drastically for certain items (if you can find them) and ammo of all kinds are going to be price gouged significantly which is especially going to hurt if you do want to get your ccw which they do require you to use up your own ammo or buy theirs. or let alone just ammo to train with your self. this also brings into question the caliber you might want. a 9mm or .45 for instance makes the most sense, but with all the panic buying going on right now thay are much more rare and expensive than something like .40 or 10mm which youll probably have more luck in finding on the shelves. this panic buying probably isnt going to go back to normal for atleast another year.

that said if you just want something to have it just in case then as you said a glock 19 is a good all arounder (or a glock 23 in the case of .40 or 29 for 10mm), but when it comes to handguns its especially important to actually get out there and try them and see what works for you as well as the ammo for them since some guns can be more finicky than others depending on the rounds. glocks tend to work and are very simple for new shooters, but personally iv never liked the way they felt in MY hands or their triggers. its something you have to actually try and get a feel for. for other recommendations its hard ot go wrong with the big names like Colt, Beretta, Sig, CZ, Smith&Wesson, Springfield Armory ect. most of their stuff is very good. Im personally a fan of CZ's. Taurus is alright for the money, but i woudlnt put thousands and thousands of rounds through them. also dont neglect cheaper import stuff like rock islands or tri-star pistols, they tend to be surprisingly good quality for the money. also maybe think about looking into military surplus guns which tend to be fairly old and maybe rough looking, but they also tend to be battle tested and work.

when it comes to ammunition Hallow Points are on the menu for defensive rounds (but make sure you also take a look at your local laws, some states dont take kindly to HP's). and also make sure they are hot enough to go beyond 1000fps in order for proper expansion. some smaller guns with a smaller barrel wont allow the velocity to get high enough in certain rounds to expand them. something else you need to consider when buying ammo.

full metal jackets are fine for range use. when it comes to training with your carry ammo or using normal training rounds that will just come down to the individual, the practicality of cost is going to be a big factor most likely. iv always liked carrying a middle ground of normal HP's like generic remington HP's. not as consistent as the higher end ones, but they wont break the bank and generally they will still do 99% of what those higher ones are capable of. regardless id still put several boxes of carry ammo through your gun a year and remember to change out the ammo you carry in them atleast twice a year. ammo DOES degrade over time when exposed to the elements if not properly stored.

as for a long gun, AR's and AK's are the hot ticket. AR's tend to be more practical in the US so id focus on those first. an M&P Sport II as you mentioned is a nice budget starting AR and a nice rifle to learn on the platform. its also nice just to have something like it if, like you said shit gets really bad. tho im not really a fan of long guns in a home defense type situation. other notable brands of AR's are Ruger, Windham Weaponry, Spikes Tactical when it comes to the more budget brands or you can just say fuck it and get an FN, BCM or Daniel Defense if you ever feel like you just want an end all be all AR (once again if you can actually find any of these for a decent price now). You can go higher, but past those brands you start to get into some serious diminishing returns (tho knights armament offers some unique choices). stick to iron sights at first and get used ot them. optics are better, but they DO run out of batteries and they can be more easily damaged on top of being expensive for good ones. other stuff like rails for lights, lasers, grips ect al come down to the individual, just pick what works for you and dont feel like you have to go nuts with it, but its smart to at the very least get a setup for a light if nothing else.

shotguns you really dont need to get into too many specifics. its a shotgun. id probably focus more on Mossberg over Remington as far as newer options go (Remington is currently having some serious financial issues and since the early 2010's their quality control has been spotty). something like a mossberg 500 is very adequate for what ever youd need it for and can come with easily switched out barrels depending on what use youd want them for (like a 28" for hunting or 18" for home defense). if you want an end all be all shotgun then look to the mossberg 590a1, its what the military uses and its built like a tank. in terms of defensive rounds- buckshot if you have no immediate neighbors, #4 buck or higher end turkey game loads if you do and are worried about over penetration. semi-auto ones tend to be more finicky on ammo and it will cost quite a bit more to get a good one in my experience, but if you also want a recommendation on those types then anything by Beretta, FN and Benelli make quality ones. just make sure what ever you plan to carry in it that it will run reliably.

as for a bolt action, ruger and savage make some nice budget entry ones. Tikka (beretta) makes a very nice overall one in the $700-900 range with very nice accuracy out of the box. pick what ever caliber you feel like you might want. .308 or .30-06 are the most popular. if you really want to try some extreme range shooting then bump those up to a 6.5creed or .300winmag(if you want some serious power as well). also dont neglect a good optic here. its not uncommon for people to use an optic that costs just as much as their rifle. you get what you pay for.

A budget AR-15(the Smith & Wesson M&P 15 Sport II seems to be a highly picked lower cost variant)

I literally just picked this up today. I haven't fired it yet obviously, but it seems like a solid AR.

You could pick up an AR-15, a Mossberg Maverick 88 (12 gauge shotgun) and a compact pistol like the Taurus GC3 for about 1200 dollars total. The Taurus and maverick are both solid budget guns. At the start, I'd rather pay the same amount of money for multiple 7.5/10 guns, then spend it all on one gun that is a 9/10. There is little difference in the way the gun physically functions in terms of reliability, other then preferences once you get past a certain level of subpar brands. Once you own some and know exactly what you like, then its easier to drop money on a expensive 1911 or something, especially now, since most of the guns available are all inflated in price.

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Sorry I thought that was implied when I said buy the hollow points rounds too.

Reference manual safety, if he trains especially starting with a manual safety. Hes going to get training scars from muscle memory. Youll get enough safety with the palm safety

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Mark_DeRosa posted...

Sorry I thought that was implied when I said buy the hollow points rounds too.

Reference manual safety, if he trains especially starting with a manual safety. Hes going to get training scars from muscle memory. Youll get enough safety with the palm safety

I respect what you said but keep in mind you develop new muscle memory with new instances. Thumbing down a 1911, thumbing up (Forward rather but it goes up) a chunky m9, picking up a striker fired, picking up a 870, or granddads old marlin, are all ingrained into your muscle memory as you familiarize yourself with them. Quickly swapping between such differences at a range or in stress situations wont present issue once you know the weapon.
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S&W 10mm revolver v

https://www.smith-wesson.com/firearms/model-610-10mm-revolver-4