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Anyone own/used guns?

polycounter lvl 17
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ebagg polycounter lvl 17
I've recently been looking at getting a gun, looking at pistols in particular, but maybe a rifle later on. I was wondering if any of you have knowledge on the subject and any advice you can give.

I've shot a few of my fiance's parents' pistols and so far I'm think the .45 bullets are the perfect fit for me.

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  • CMB
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    CMB polycounter lvl 18
    What do you want to use the gun for?
    Sport(range shooting), hunting or self defence?
  • KDR_11k
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    KDR_11k polycounter lvl 18
    Armed robbery, assassination, revolution, what else is a gun good for?

    Self defense is right out, a rifle is a weapon for ranges of 100m and up, not likely in self defense.
  • ebagg
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    ebagg polycounter lvl 17
    Range shooting.
  • KeyserSoze
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    KeyserSoze polycounter lvl 18
    I don't own any firearms myself, but my parents do, and I've done plenty of target shooting. Why do you want to buy a gun? Protection? Target shooting? Hunting? If you just want something to take out to the range, .22s are always nice (cheap ammo), but if you feel you need a firearm for protection then a larger caliber would probably be preferable. You said you shot .45, which is a common round for "self-defense." You might also want to look into something that fires .40 S&W, which is a nice middle caliber (more stopping power than 9mm, more penetration than .45).

    As far as rifles, again, a .22LR is a good first rifle (they're cheap and so is the ammo). If you want something a bit more powerful, maybe something like a Ruger Mini-14, which fires .223 Remington (5.56mm). The rifle is light and small like a .22, but the round is a much high velocity bullet which gives it more range, accuracy and makes it more lethal.

    That's about all the advice I can give. Someone who actually owns a few guns themselves would probably be better at giving specific recommendations.

    [edit] Oh, a lot of posts while I was typing this up laugh.gif. Well, if you're just interested in target shooting, then a .22 is a good gun to start with.
  • Joshua Stubbles
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    Joshua Stubbles polycounter lvl 19
    I don't own any, but I've used my step father's a bit.
    I've fired:
    - various .22 pistols and rifles
    - 357 magnum
    - Kar98
    - swedish 7.62 mauser
    - verious 10-20 gauge shottys
    - 1911 (.45)
  • AstroZombie
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    AstroZombie polycounter lvl 18
    [ QUOTE ]
    Range shooting.

    [/ QUOTE ]

    Then get something that feels good to you. I am a bit fond of .45s myself.
  • TomDunne
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    TomDunne polycounter lvl 18
    As AZ said, if it's just for a hobby or similar, you ought to just use whatever is most comfortable. That said, if I were picking a .45, I likely wouldn't go with the 1911. Classic gun, but I'd look into a true double-action pistol and one with a larger magazine than the 1911s come with. If memory serves, the H&K USP .45 has a 12-round capacity - it has a fatter frame than the 1911 as a result of the bigger magazine, but is very popular all the same. You can even get the USP Match version with the OEM compensator and pretend you're Lara Croft!

    Incidentally, if you happen to have a couple grand lying around and really want to amuse yourself with a video game weapon, FN is now manufacturing a semi-automatic version of the rifle that Sam Fisher uses in Splinter Cell. Alas, silencers generally aren't legal, but it's still a pretty unique looking gun smile.gif
  • LordScottish
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    LordScottish polycounter lvl 18
    We used the 5.56 sig 551 during my military service, it's as accurate as a gun can be on 300m. And easy to clean too. I would recommend it for any sport sharpshooter smile.gif
  • KeyserSoze
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    KeyserSoze polycounter lvl 18
    [ QUOTE ]
    We used the 5.56 sig 551 during my military service, it's as accurate as a gun can be on 300m. And easy to clean too. I would recommend it for any sport sharpshooter smile.gif

    [/ QUOTE ]

    Assuming that Ebagg lives in the US, one of those would probably be expensive as hell and damn hard to find. I'm sure it's a much better rifle than a Mini-14 (SIG makes great rifles), but I'd bet it also costs several times what a Mini-14 does. Mini-14s are cheap and reliable, and pretty decent medium-range rifles. I guess it depends on how much he wants to spend.
  • LordScottish
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    LordScottish polycounter lvl 18
    Yes, I think the standart civil version costs around 2000 - 2500$ and importing into the U.S. is not cheap either.
  • danr
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    danr interpolator
    get a big black heavy one ... they're really cool
  • flaagan
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    flaagan polycounter lvl 18
    I personally own a British .303 sporterized (a WW1 / WW2 bolt-action rifle that's been modified for hunting) and a pump-action 12 gauge shotgun. Both are gifts from my dad who also owns a shotgun and rifle (don't recall what they are).

    My father used to hunt (duck, deer, boar, etc) here in CA and back in North Dakota, and I've been wild boar hunting with him once (never saw a single boar... was the opening day for wild turkey season). We've both been busy with our own things over the past few years (college for me and his business for him) so we haven't gone hunting since then, much less been able to go to the rifle / shotgun range very often.

    I'd like to hope we can go wild boar hunting again sometime down the road, and if so I'd like to get a handgun as a backup if we did.

    We got my sister a .22 and a small gauge shotgun (24 or something like that) a few years back.
  • blankslatejoe
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    blankslatejoe polycounter lvl 19
    i've fired and tinkered with rifles and shotguns, only range shooting though. Rifles were boring, except old school blackpowder antique ones, which are a lot of fun on the range.

    shotguns are more interesting than rifles, in my opinion, because you shoot at clay pigeons, which are moving targets and aiming is more instinctive and less 'look through a sight and shoot at a piece of paper'. In short, shotgun = "less thinky, more shooty"
  • -Onyx-
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    -Onyx- polycounter lvl 17
    Range shooting I would go with the HK .45...of course if ya wanna make a big splash on the range you can always go for the Desert Eagle ooo.gif
  • CMB
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    CMB polycounter lvl 18
    When you absolutely positively got
    to kill every motherfucker in the
    room.
    Ak 47.
    Accept no substituion.

    But I'd go with a Colt .45 handgun.
    What kind you ask.
    If its in your price range and it fires fine,buy it.

    KDR_11k:
    If he was going to say for defence purposes I would show him the world of modern hand to hand(hand vs knife/handgun/knife) street fighting.

    Sure lessons cost over $500 or so for good qaulity place(unless you join little kid classes in some school gym, laugh.gif)
    but you don't need to pay for ammunition and you can allways carry your knowledge with you.

    -Onyx-:
    A dessert eagle for shooting ranges?
    They're primarily for serious hunters...a first timer wouldn't take the knockback.


    -cmb
  • TomDunne
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    TomDunne polycounter lvl 18
    [ QUOTE ]
    We used the 5.56 sig 551 during my military service, it's as accurate as a gun can be on 300m. And easy to clean too. I would recommend it for any sport sharpshooter smile.gif

    [/ QUOTE ]

    I take it you're Swiss? Hadn't heard of anyone else using the 550 series as their standard assault rifle. Never had a chance to fire one of those, but the 5.56 is a precise round and I generally expect every modern rifle chambered for it to be extremely accurate. The FN FS2000 I mentioned in my first post is 5.56 as well, and it groups shots with ease.

    The 551 is the carbine version of the 550, right?
  • TomDunne
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    TomDunne polycounter lvl 18
    [ QUOTE ]
    -Onyx-:
    A dessert eagle for shooting ranges?
    They're primarily for serious hunters...a first timer wouldn't take the knockback.

    [/ QUOTE ]

    Never heard of anyone taking a Desert Eagle on a hunting trip. In fact, I've never heard of anyone going hunting with a handgun that wasn't a revolver.

    That said, I think 'knockback' is greatly exaggerated. I've never fired a .50 AE round, but there's nothing terribly difficult in controlling a .357 or .44 caliber handgun. I'd even suspect that the Desert Eagle's heavy frame makes them easier to return to a firing position than a lot of magnum revolvers that don't have as much heft.
  • blankslatejoe
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    blankslatejoe polycounter lvl 19
    the only guy you'll ever really need:

    P1130111b.jpg
  • Justin Meisse
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    Justin Meisse polycounter lvl 19
    wowah, I request some info on that gun!
  • KeyserSoze
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    KeyserSoze polycounter lvl 18
    That's a man's gun right thar.
  • eXpendabLe
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    eXpendabLe polycounter lvl 18
    I've shot many differnt guns, but I'd have to agree the Mini-14 is a great rifle. For target shooting I used a ruger .22 with a colapsable stock and banana clips to make it look bad-ass.. lol. Anyway, the only gun I own now is the one my brother brought back for me from Afghanastan:

    pistol1.jpg
  • Scott Ruggels
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    Scott Ruggels polycounter lvl 18
    I on about 10 handgundand 30 rifles, from 1860 to the present. Home defense purposes are different that range purposes, but they overlap. In general I'd recommend a Glock Pistol in .45 ACP as a good general all around pistol. But a New pistol is expensive, starting around $400.00 and going up to the $1000.00 range. You can get cheaper used, but a used pistol is something you should look at only if you are educated in the particular piece you are looking at, and even then you may want to have it "magnafluxed" to check for cracks and voids before buying.

    Rifles. You can get a decent rifle for aropund $100.00 used. from Bog 5 Sporting good, These will be military rifles from WW2, there abouts, and the ammo is fairly plentiful.

    If you want to get something semi-automatic and "new", go for an SKS, or an M1 - Garand (from the DCM see: www.odcmp.com ).

    Take a lesson or two at the local range, especially one on cleaning it.

    If you have any other questions, let me know.

    Scott
  • -Onyx-
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    -Onyx- polycounter lvl 17
    [ QUOTE ]

    -Onyx-:
    A dessert eagle for shooting ranges?
    They're primarily for serious hunters...a first timer wouldn't take the knockback.


    -cmb

    [/ QUOTE ]

    LMAO it was a joke! A friend of mine took his Desert Eagle to the shooting range, and everyone stopped shooting & stared when he started firing it. Most of the people there had .40s, .45s, and the likes.
  • LordScottish
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    LordScottish polycounter lvl 18
    [ QUOTE ]
    I take it you're Swiss? Hadn't heard of anyone else using the 550 series as their standard assault rifle. Never had a chance to fire one of those, but the 5.56 is a precise round and I generally expect every modern rifle chambered for it to be extremely accurate. The FN FS2000 I mentioned in my first post is 5.56 as well, and it groups shots with ease.

    The 551 is the carbine version of the 550, right?

    [/ QUOTE ]

    Yes, I'm swiss. It was my mistake, we used the sig 550. Some units in the swiss army use the shorter sig 551. I mixed them up because we just call it Stgw 90 in Switzerland smile.gif
    I'm curious how FS2000 would handle, I never had the opportunity to fire two different rifles with the same rounds.
  • Rhinokey
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    Rhinokey polycounter lvl 18
    my dad was a licensed gunsmith, and i grew up around handguns, my dad believed that guns themselves were not dangerous, but not properly teaching about the dangers of them was, we used to go to the range when i was as little as 7 or 8 and shoot, i've fired many types, tho i mostly liked his 357 revolver, think it was a s&w been so long now, that i'm not sure i havent fired a gun in many a year and i don't own any now, but thinking about it, may not be a bad idea, hmmmm
  • sal_manilla
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    sal_manilla polycounter lvl 18
    I owned a Desert Eagle .50 for a while. It did draw a lot of attention at the range....very loud. It kicked like a mule, the ammo was very expensive but it was fun. Mine jammed a bit so I sold it. I have my Baretta 92FS which I like a lot. Remember a longer barrel will be more accurate. Think about a thumb rest grip for target shooting. Also wear hearing protection. A lesson or two would be advisable if you've never shot a gun before. smile.gif
  • frosty
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    frosty polycounter lvl 18
    Small .22 caliber, have only gone target praticing once in last 5 years. Big guns hurt my ears, but sure can stop a few Thugs or two. smile.gif

    Concurs with Sal - lessons are a good thing. Often local Police will help you with that if asked. smile.gif
  • KeyserSoze
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    KeyserSoze polycounter lvl 18
    [ QUOTE ]
    Big guns hurt my ears

    [/ QUOTE ]

    That's why you should wear a pair of "ears" when you shoot them:

    EARMUFFS.JPG

    I removed my earmuffs once when I was at the range with my Uncle shooting his old Mauser... my ears were ringing pretty bad for awhile after that laugh.gif. I can't imagine shooting like that (without ear protection) in an actual combat situation, you wouldn't be able to hear a damn thing after awhile.
  • milla
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    milla polycounter lvl 18
    I'm licensed, and own a rifle. I got my licence and bought the firearm as a teenager, because I was a keen small game hunter (we have many small noxious pests in NZ). Mine is a .22 bolt action long rifle.

    The reason for wanting a gun is probably the biggest factor in your choice of weapon. Talk to sports shooting clubs, ranges, and the police firearms officer in your area, and don't buy a firearm for the cool factor. There's nothing less cool than someone trying to handle high calibre weapon and hurting themselves or others, or just plain sucking because they're going for calibre over suitability.

    The lower end of the scale of calibre for any given sports use is more fun anyway, for the simple reason that the weapon has less impact on your body, and thus your aim and comfort.

    More importantly, sort out safe and secure storage for it, be that at a range, club, or in a gun safe at home, and get yourself trained up in firearms safety and law.

    .45 bullets the perfect fit for you? What *does* that mean? tongue.gif
  • ebagg
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    ebagg polycounter lvl 17
    Thanks all for the advice, I'm definitely been researching what I'd prefer, as well as my fiance's parents are getting us a small pistol (very similar to the walther ppk, 007's pistol, but the name of the pistol we are getting escapes me). And little later on I'm lookin at getting a Sig .45 unless I learn it's a bad model.

    Milla: that's cool my fiance's favorite is her lever-action .22 rifle, tis fun. The .45 pistol is a perfect fit for me because it's got that right amount of kick allowing for me to fire multiple shots quickly while maintaining a good amount of accuracy, and cuz it makes them zombie brains pop like ripe melons!
  • milla
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    milla polycounter lvl 18
    Oh okay, weapon calibre. I was wondering if you were choosing ammo first and hoping it'd fit the chamber wink.gif
  • Scott Ruggels
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    Scott Ruggels polycounter lvl 18
    Anything more powerful than .357. Magnum is someone compensating. :-) (Unless they are a guide for Safari's or bear hunts.) Generally, if there is any question of using for home defense, you have to balance controllability, and speed of 'returning to battery" (aiming the next shot, versus stopping power, and that is an equation that varies for each individual, depending on their grip strenth, arm strength, eyesight, and reflexes. If Home or Self defense is not an issue, go for the smaller callibers, as they can be very accurate, and pleasant to shoot.

    My large frame and masochistic tendencies have it so I don't mind large callibers in rifles. And when I was on duty for ACS I carried a.45 Cal. Glock.

    Scott
  • tpe
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    tpe polycounter lvl 18
    I would be tempted to go for the smaller calibers if it is for range . You can enter a load more contests with a true target pistol (22) and if you get a semi auto it is a real blast doing the rapid fire target shooting and you can actually afford to let of steam and not have to worry about how much each shot is going to cost you, which for me is just not possible with the price of ammo on the larger calibers.

    tim
  • hawken
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    hawken polycounter lvl 19
    HK are a good brand, thats all the UK police seem to be armed with
  • Ozymandias
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    Ozymandias polycounter lvl 18
    HK USP .40 cal is my favorite pistol on earth. I've never shot any pistol that matches it. I prefer assault rifles though, AR-15s in particular. I think assault rifles are fine for home defense, mostly because of the intimidation factor. I wouldn't want to shoot anyone anyways, and as far as making someone stop in their tracks, a tricked out assault rifle would do that better than a pistol imho. But I would definitely check out HK pistols, Kimber makes some really nice pistols, along with Beretta.
  • hawken
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    hawken polycounter lvl 19
    I've modelled the mp5 a few times. would love to hold one in real life
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