# First Time Buying A Gun.



## Mereel Kestan (Oct 12, 2016)

I am saving to buy my first gun. There are so many choices out there for a first gun. I want something that I an protect myself with when I go camping, and I want something that I can hunt with. I am thinking of a 12ga because it is very versatile. Do you guys have a different recommendation?


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## Sonya (Oct 20, 2016)

A 12 gauge is a good choice. You will always have a place for it, even if you want something different in the future.

It is my first choice for home defense. Here is a good article on why:



> One of the benefits of working in a morgue is that I get to see what works and what doesn't. Ballistic gelatin is good as far as it goes, but there's nothing like seeing what a bullet actually does once it strikes bone, flesh, and organs. Suffice it to say, it doesn't always mimic ballistic gelatin.
> 
> In short, my first choice in almost all situations will be a shotgun, followed by a rifle, followed by a handgun.
> 
> http://www.gunthorp.com/Terminal Ballistics as viewed in a morgue.htm


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## Targetshooter (Dec 4, 2015)

I am a very big fan on .22 cal. , you can hunt , protect your self , lite to carry , pistol or rifle .


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## Mad Trapper (Feb 12, 2014)

I suggest learning to handle and use one safely before you touch any gun. Have you any experience? Hunting? Military?

I grew up in the "evil gun culture" where everyone older than me had guns and were hunters and/or current/ex-military. Cap guns were replaced with in order: BB guns/air rifles, 22LR, shotgun, CF rifle. I learned respect after anything later than the cap guns, followed by handling/safety, marksmanship, and hunting.

That said a 12ga is a good starter, but if you do not have experience it will give you a "kick". The kick can induce poor marksmanship.

Start out with a NRA course and be sure of your handling/safety, another good place to learn is a local sportsman club.

Welcome to PF!


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## Gunn (Jan 1, 2016)

What are you planning on hunting? A 12 ga may not be the best choice.


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## Chipper (Dec 22, 2012)

Being it's your first I'd agree with the 22LR rifle. Great cheap way to practice and learn your gun handling skills. Then move up to the 12ga.


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## Mereel Kestan (Oct 12, 2016)

Mad Trapper said:


> I suggest learning to handle and use one safely before you touch any gun. Have you any experience? Hunting? Military?
> 
> I grew up in the "evil gun culture" where everyone older than me had guns and were hunters and/or current/ex-military. Cap guns were replaced with in order: BB guns/air rifles, 22LR, shotgun, CF rifle. I learned respect after anything later than the cap guns, followed by handling/safety, marksmanship, and hunting.
> 
> ...


I can handle guns. When I was 6, My dad took me to a gun safety class. I learned how to shoot a 12 ga at that time. Before my last year of highschool, I was taken out to a range and I learned how to shoot and handle Rifles, Pistols, and Shotguns. I also learned the safety of those weapons, and how to clean them. That was fun, cleaning them. Especially when my dad and his friend, who were both Marines, kept laughing at how long it took me and my brother to clean them.


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## Mad Trapper (Feb 12, 2014)

Gunn said:


> What are you planning on hunting? A 12 ga may not be the best choice.


What can't you hunt with a 12 ga? Works on two and four legged and things with wings too.


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## Mad Trapper (Feb 12, 2014)

Mereel Kestan said:


> I can handle guns. When I was 6, My dad took me to a gun safety class. I learned how to shoot a 12 ga at that time. Before my last year of highschool, I was taken out to a range and I learned how to shoot and handle Rifles, Pistols, and Shotguns. I also learned the safety of those weapons, and how to clean them. That was fun, cleaning them. Especially when my dad and his friend, who were both Marines, kept laughing at how long it took me and my brother to clean them.


It's good you have some background in firearms. I'd still consider joining a sportsman club. Besides what you can learn from others, many have great ranges for practice and sighting in.

Once you are happy with your gun get a hunting license, that is more great practice, exercise, and maybe put some food in the freezer too.


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## Gunn (Jan 1, 2016)

In the area I live in the shotgun is not optimal.


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## Camel923 (Aug 13, 2014)

12 gauge is a good option. It can do a lot. Different ammo for different situations. I like to consider reliability. A good pump like a Remington 870, mossberg, maverick 88 are top contenders. Of course there are o/u and SxS, semis. Remington versa max seems to feed about everything as a semi auto.


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## Mad Trapper (Feb 12, 2014)

Gunn said:


> In the area I live in the shotgun is not optimal.


Not sure where you are? Maybe you "need" a rifle? Never been to a place to shoot in great plains or mountain to mountain.

My old M37 Ithaca has double lunged deer at 100yds and its a smoothbore ( 26" deerslayer brl and 28" bird brl). The newer shotguns with scoped rifled barrels can do 4" groups at 200 yards. You can swap one of those barrels into a M37 in about 10 seconds.

Even with a rifle, most "hunters" can't hit much past 100yds as they don't practice enough/put in range time.

I've a few quality CF rifles that I can shoot out 500 yds with confidence if I can judge the range and the wind is not blowing. But those I've put many thousands of rounds through of handloads.


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## Mad Trapper (Feb 12, 2014)

One other thought. See if you can find an old Savage O/U rifle shotgun. 22LR or 223 on top and a 3" 20 or 12 below. I sold one and regret it for it's versatility.

There are some european O/U guns that are 30 cal/12ga too.


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## RedLion (Sep 23, 2015)

Without a doubt an 870 pump shotgun in 12 gauge is what I would suggest. If you already have shooting and firearms handling under your belt, a good 870 will fill the bill for what you stated.


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## SDF880 (Mar 28, 2013)

12GA is a good choice. Mossberg 500 keeping an AR15 company next to me now. You mentioned camping and hunting so
maybe look at a .357MAG revolver. You can throw it in a backpack for camping and can hunt with it and a lot of police carried
it for 50+ years for a reason. Another plus for 357 is you can shoot .38's thru it as well. I have several S&W 327/627 series revolvers
and they are 8 shots vs 6 or 7 in a 686 model and just great all around revolvers! Ruger makes some great one's too!


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## stowlin (Apr 25, 2016)

My only question would be do you live in a place where gun laws might be changing - like December 31? If so you might need to prioritize something you can't buy after December 31; otherwise a 12 gauge is a good first choice.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Jeff Cooper summed it up for me;

Rule #1: Treat all guns as if they are loaded.

If you treat every gun as if it’s loaded, all the time, no exceptions, you will be sure to avoid accidents where you did not know the gun was loaded.

Rule #2: Never point a gun at anything you do not want to destroy.

This one sounds like common sense, but it’s really not for most new shooters. You only point guns at things you want to destroy (or in safe directions, like at the floor).

Rule #3: Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire.

Guns don’t fire themselves. This one is worth mentioning and discussing, as you’ll find that a lot of people who are not familiar with guns will say things like “I don’t even want to touch it” when confronted with a gun. This is understandable – they don’t understand how guns work.

The simple truth is of course that guns cannot fire themselves. Therefore you should always keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire, or, as my buddy always says, keep your booger hook off the bang switch.

Rule #4: Be absolutely sure of your target and what’s behind it.

Hitting a target, especially for new shooters, can be challenging. Once a bullet leaves the gun, you cannot bring it back. Therefore you must be absolutely sure of what you’re shooting at, as well as what’s behind and around what you are shooting at. You might miss, and bullets can pass through whatever it is you’re aiming at.


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## MisterMills357 (Apr 15, 2015)

Mereel Kestan said:


> I am saving to buy my first gun. There are so many choices out there for a first gun. I want something that I an protect myself with when I go camping, and I want something that I can hunt with. I am thinking of a 12ga because it is very versatile. Do you guys have a different recommendation?


It sounds good to me, a shotgun fills a lot of roles and needs, for hunting and self-defense. Load it with 00 Buckshot, and shoot some milk jugs of water, that is fun. Get close and fire right into them, but be advised, because it should make a big splash.:shock:

Look at the Winchester Marine, it is built to take it, and looks like a very good gun. It is going for about $350 at GunBuyer.com 
I am sure that you can get a hunting barrel for it, it is a Model 1300 variant (which is one of Winchester's primary models).
View attachment 29465

Winchester SXP Marine Defender .12ga 18" Black & Matte Chrome Finish

PS: Mossberg makes very good guns, and they have very good prices, look at them too.


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## AnotherSOFSurvivor (Sep 7, 2016)

Getting a more extensive background and knowing what situation you want to get a gun for helps - while you can 'stretch' a firearms purpose it is a tool - you arent having a fun time screwing wood screws in using vice grips...that being said a 12ga may work as a shoo-in where something works better.

I would get enrolled with a sportsman club or local range, RSOs or regulars with some good domain knowledge can help you out, as can youtube or your local PD - one of my ranges are run by local township PDs and they love teaching proper techniques and safety.

If it is going to be for "home defense" aka sit in a corner then sure a 12/20ga will work but not the best, there are more aspects to HD than just waking up in a panic and racking your pump

I would say a 22lr or 20ga never led anyone wrong - decent starter weapons and you can do limited hunting with either platform

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## csi-tech (Apr 13, 2013)

A 12 gauge is a great choice. You can't deer hunt with a rimfire cartridge like a .22 in most states. I would recommend buying a Mossberg or Remington combo. They have A 28" ribbed barrel for ducks, squirrels, turkey and rabbits using interchangeable chokes and a slug choke for long distance deer (150 yards and in). The additional short slug barrel could be cylinder bore, improved or modified for home defense.


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## Medic33 (Mar 29, 2015)

well I would recommend a Mossberg 500 field with a 26 or 28 inch barrel then buy a 18 cylinder barrel for 100 bucks for the security stuff or buy a 500 field and security (if you can find one) that comes with a longer field barrel and the short security one. then get yourself a NAA black widow 2mag with the 22lr conversion cylinder next and that should do yah.
btw I carry daily the naa .22mag.


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## tango (Apr 12, 2013)

Are you male? Female?
What is your experience with guns?
Can you safely shoot and handle a 12 ga?
Buying a gun is huge.
Do not go into this lightly.
If you are not sure, seek advise from someone you trust--- get training!


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## A Watchman (Sep 14, 2015)

No, No, Buy your first gun? You gotta be kidding huh? You pick out your 5 favs and buy your first guns ..... then you learn, practice, learn, practice.


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## Medic33 (Mar 29, 2015)

tango said:


> Are you male? Female?
> What is your experience with guns?
> Can you safely shoot and handle a 12 ga?
> Buying a gun is huge.
> ...


 they covered all this a page back.


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## NobleSKS (Nov 14, 2016)

Targetshooter said:


> I am a very big fan on .22 cal. , you can hunt , protect your self , lite to carry , pistol or rifle .


Rounds themselves are lite to carry and dirt cheap.

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## NobleSKS (Nov 14, 2016)

But yeah I agree, my first was Moss 500 20", 7 cap tube. They chambered for Magnums (3") shells as well. Barrel easily changed. Solid pump it is. 


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## NobleSKS (Nov 14, 2016)

stowlin said:


> My only question would be do you live in a place where gun laws might be changing - like December 31? If so you might need to prioritize something you can't buy after December 31; otherwise a 12 gauge is a good first choice.


Washington isn't on that list is it?

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## Mereel Kestan (Oct 12, 2016)

Thanks for all the good replies. I think I am going to get a 12ga. It is very common, easy to shoot for me, and the ammo is cheap.


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## stowlin (Apr 25, 2016)

NobleSKS said:


> Washington isn't on that list is it?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I'm sorry to say I do not know the status of gun control laws in Washington, but my guess is you can find them with a search engine pretty well. I'd think rural parts of the state are ok, but I'd fear living in Seattle and knowing was a liberal / progressive city like Seattle might do to gun owners or restrictions it could place on gun ownership. 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_laws_in_Washington


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## Mereel Kestan (Oct 12, 2016)

I went with a 12 ga. I know the system, I know how to disassemble and reassemble the weapon, and I can already shoot it. Next up is my main Bug Out Bag.


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## Camel923 (Aug 13, 2014)

Which 12 gauge?


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## Mereel Kestan (Oct 12, 2016)

Camel923 said:


> Which 12 gauge?


Remington 870 Express. I have shot that gun before, and since buying it have learned how to disassemble and reassemble it completely. I got a choke that I can run slugs through.

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## Notold63 (Sep 18, 2016)

IMO if there was only one firearm you could own that could be used for self-defense and hunting any game in North America, it would be a 12 ga shotgun.


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## RedLion (Sep 23, 2015)

Notold63 said:


> IMO if there was only one firearm you could own that could be used for self-defense and hunting any game in North America, it would be a 12 ga shotgun.


I agree. I would say a 12 ga pump for the sake of simplicity and reliability.


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## Rabies (Jun 22, 2016)

What state do you live in??? I'm sure you could find some good people to let you try a few different firearms before you buy your 1st. 
My state is listed in my profile, if you're in the same shoot me a message. We can figure out logistics.
If not ask around! 12ga shotgun is a great firearm, extremely versatile. But some can kick like a mule and might not be the best for a new shooter. Most common shotguns REM 870 and moss 500 have a rubber recoil pad on it that is as soft as a 50 year old hockey puck, on mine I use a brand new Limbsaver fitted pad....Same 870 but handles totally different!
Shop and shoot before you buy! Ask people near you......Hey can I shoot yours? I'm thinking about buying one!!! 
Most good people will say yes and bring all different things for you to try!


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## bigwheel (Sep 22, 2014)

Kicking 12 gauges can normally be tamed with low brass dove loads for fun and hunting most birds and small game... save the kickers for D Day or deer season. .


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## NotTooProudToHide (Nov 3, 2013)

Mereel Kestan said:


> Remington 870 Express. I have shot that gun before, and since buying it have learned how to disassemble and reassemble it completely. I got a choke that I can run slugs through.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Good Choice!


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