need some advise on a gun for my brother

[bigtim6656]

OK my brother is not much of a gun person he likes them and has shot them but has never owned one.
Nor has his soon to be fiancée

He told me he wanted to buy one or two guns.

He asked me what would be a good gun forhome defense for the both of them.

HE has shot guns before with me and my dad and is about 130 pounds wet
She i do not know about having been around guns much or not she is not small but not big but i am not sure she could handle a 357 44 45 or so on.

He also wonts a gun thathe can be proud of not some big uglypiece of crap

My thoughts for the defense gun i was thinking a rev. sinceboth of them are new to owning a gun.
As for caliber i thought a 357 short barrel that they could use 38s in or the 357 rounds.

As for a nice looking gun that would bring good commits
i figure a 1911 or maybe a sigarms or glock or a Brietta .

In a 9mm again since both of them are new to gun owning and i think neither of them could handle a 45 or 44 or 357 and so on.

Are these good choice or not.
He said he could buy both guns if need be and i told him he wont get a lot of looks from a rev unless i am wrong .

Ilike semi autos he does to but for a defense gun for someone that has a limited experience with guns i think it might be a bad idea.

They also plan to shoot alot so a cheaper cal. like the 9mm or 38s would do them well.

And if they go with a .357 rev they could go up to the 357s after they got to know the gun.
What do you think i should tell them to get

I like the s&w and ruger rev.

I do not know alot about 1911s i thought about the Sig's but i think there real high price . can anyone tell me what one cost
what all brands would you recommend for the rev and 1911.

And would you wont a 1911 or say a Brietta or glock.

Me i could careless about what other people think about what my gun is unless they think it is dangerous and then i wont to know about it .
i like the look of the 1911s.
but i was happy with my ruger p89 that everyone thought was ugly.

Also i recommend a classas wellso they could get to know about owning guns and everything involved

i also told them i would be glad to take themshooting and teach themwhat i could as well.
Do you guys think a class would be a good idea.

[homers brother]

From years of experience, and much of that also from the military, automatics require a bit more attention to their handling than do revolvers. I don't think I've ever heard of a negligent discharge from a revolver, but certainly wish that I could say that about autos.

So, if they're relatively inexperienced, I'd recommend a revolver. A .357 isn't a bad choice, especially when the other option is a 9mm. I carried a 9mm in combat and thank God I could always find an M4 or M16. The Beretta's not a bad pistol, the 9mm is just ... weak.

Of course, the premier .357 in my mind is the Colt Python. Good luck finding one at a reasonable price anymore. But, I've been very happy with my Ruger revolvers - and they're much more affordable as well.

If they do focus on an auto, some have better safety features than others. Most negligent discharges occur when the shooter is clearing (unloading) the weapon. Magazine always comes out first - followed by the round in the chamber. You'd be surprised how many tyros mix those two up and put a bullet through their buddy. My old S&W 459 has a magazine disconnect feature, where the trigger is disconnected when the magazine's removed from the weapon. Almost impossible to mess that up. My Beretta 92FS (nor my M9)does not have that feature (which some defense experts would probably argue is a good thing, if ever you have to give up your magazine but still have one "up the pipe" that you could fire at a bad guy). No matter to me, I'm VERY familiar with my Beretta and respectful of the proper method of clearing it.

[jtb1967]

I think the 357 magnum revolver is the best idea. They can shoot 38's or 357's. If he wants a second gun, get a 22LR revolver to go along with it for cheap practice.

[Pavomesa]

Amen, whatever you do, make them get a revolver. And the second whatever you do is regardless if it's a 38 or 357 mag...start them out with wad cutters. Don't even tell them about .357 ammo until they are confident and compitent with the wad cutters. Stay away from ANY automatic pistol until this couple gets much more comfortable and familiarwith pistols. The last thing you want is someone hurt.

[nchawkeye]

Get a good pump shotgun...It takes more skill to learn to shoot a pistol vs a long gun...

And as I've said before....You don't take a pistol to a gun fight.....

[bigtim6656]

well the bad thing about a shotgun is they live in a apartment and the door ways are small the hall ways are skinny and it would be hard for a well trained person to move around with a shotgun.

ORIGINAL: nchawkeye

Get a good pump shotgun...It takes more skill to learn to shoot a pistol vs a long gun...

And as I've said before....You don't take a pistol to a gun fight.....

[bigtim6656]

i think they will get a rev and maybe a auto for the fun stuff i think i will try and sway them to waiting a little time.

I think i will recommend the 357 and that they stick with 38s for some time

ithoughti would never say this but the next defense gun i buy will be a rev in a 357.

for the reason of it being a easy to work gun in awake up scenario since that is when most home invasionshappen

When i was young i got a ruger 357 stainless for 350 bucks not even a scuff on it
well 2 weeks later i traded it for a ruger p89dc i loved the gun never had any problems but i wish i had keep the rev and just paid cash for the pistol

i end up buying a extra 150 on top of the 357
it was my first gun buy and i did not know what i was doing

[Robert L E]

If they need a gun for self defense in the apartment where they live, tell them to move.

They need a bigger apartment anyway if it is too small for a short barrelled pump gun.

Bob

[idunno]

ORIGINAL: bigtim6656
She i do not know about having been around guns much or not she is not small but not big but i am not sure she could handle a 357 44 45 or so on.

I bought a Bersa Thunder .380 for my wife. She is not a "gun person". When we went to the hunting camp for her to learn how to shoot it she hated it. Too small, too light, felt like it had too much muzzle flip etc... I put a Ruger GP100 .357 mag loaded with low recoil .38 spl loads in her hands and she loved it. we eventually worked her way all the way up to some "hot" hand loads and even my hunting bullet of choice for the .357, Federal 180 gr castcore. I ended up selling the Bersa to a friend and now her home protection gun of choice is a Taurus Tracker 4" bbl 7 shot revolver loaded with the Federal Hydrashoks. Have him take her to a range that will rent out guns and let her try them out before buying anything.

If they are not really familiar with guns I would steer away from the 1911's. I feel like they are more for experienced shooters. Baretta 92FS 9mm is a great one as long as they're not really looking for concealed carry. Glocks may be one of the easiest to operate. Load magazine, insert magazine, rack slide, point (aim) at what you want to shoot, and pull trigger. Another one I like is the Springfield XD line. Available in 9mm, .40, and .45. Good luck in helping them find the right one.

ORIGINAL: bigtim6656

well the bad thing about a shotgun is they live in a apartment and the door ways are small the hall ways are skinny and it would be hard for a well trained person to move around with a shotgun.

If that is the case I have seen several times where a 410 has been recommended. A load of #6 shot at close range will do anyone in and doesn't have the penetration power to go through walls behind the assailant. If the revolver is still the gun of choice, then maybe Taurus' new judge would be worth taking a look at. It fires .45 Long colt or 410 shotshells. Check this out... http://www.taurususa.com/whatsnew/revolvers.cfm

[glockman55]

I think the 38 is a good choice, the short barrel in 357 mag. IMO has too much kick, hard to handle. At leasat in Mich. the 45 Long colt or 410 shot shell is illeagal to use the 410 in a pistol. something to check out.