need some advise on a gun for my brother
 

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.

RE: need some advise on a gun for my 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.

RE: need some advise on a gun for my brother
 

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.

RE: need some advise on a gun for my brother
 

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.

RE: need some advise on a gun for my brother
 

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.....

RE: need some advise on a gun for my brother
 

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.

RE: need some advise on a gun for my brother
 

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

RE: need some advise on a gun for my brother
 

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

RE: need some advise on a gun for my brother
 

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.



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

RE: need some advise on a gun for my brother
 

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.

RE: need some advise on a gun for my brother
 

bigtim6656
Hey bud I sent you an e-mail [email protected]

RE: need some advise on a gun for my brother
 

Get a grip! I can't believe a site for hunting has people like this on it.

RE: need some advise on a gun for my brother
 

I think the 357 revolver is a GREAT idea, myself...even if they just want to shoot 38 SPL +P for defense rounds (and 38 WC for target), that is plenty adequate...

RE: need some advise on a gun for my brother
 

That's debatable...I certainly would NOT want to trust defending my life to birdshot in a .410, though...I think it is negligent for Taurus to market their 410 shotshell revolver (using shotshells, not the 45 Colt) as a self defense weapon...not enough penetration in the bad guy...

RE: need some advise on a gun for my brother
 

The size of the patern at the ranges necessary in personal protection would only be around 4"or 5" maybe a little more. I'm talking about inside an apartment or residence where there may possibly be innocent bystanders. Your neighbor in the next apartment with only a couple layers of sheetrock between you for example. Overpenetration is a definite concern. another thing to look into is the total fragmenting rounds like RBCD http://www.rbcd.net/gelatin%20photos.html They are designed to expend all of their energy into the target without exiting again reducing the chance of an injured innocent bystander in my case my 22 month old and 5 year old sons in their bedroom. Just another example

RE: need some advise on a gun for my brother
 

The problem is that anything that is acceptable for home defense (to STOP a bad guy) needs to have sufficient penetration, otherwise it is insufficient/useless. Frangible ammo (designed to work in a body, but stop better when it hits the consistency of a wall) is a good step in the right direction-hopefully it will become a proven HD option, I don't know if it is right now or not, but seems like a good idea in theory.

What difference does the size of the pattern make? If you have no combined mass or sectional density (bunch of tiny BBs, bunched up , but independent of each other), the penetration will suck regardless. Need at least a 20 gauge with #4 buckshot, IMO.

RE: need some advise on a gun for my brother
 

it is in a good town not to bad on crime but it is a big town so there is crime
they can not afford to move
there in a town where for 600 bucks a month you get two small bed rooms a bath room and a kitchen and living room it is like 1200 sqftif not less

RE: need some advise on a gun for my brother
 

there is a range just south of them in Indy that i used all the time they rent guns i might recommend that

i also after looking wont to steer away from the 1911 they seems way to complicated and to costly not even sure i will buy one

RE: need some advise on a gun for my brother
 

If it is that small of an apartment then I would actually suggest a shotgun over a handgun. A .357 has the capability of going through a person and still penetrating a few walls if you shot them at close range. And if you miss it could go through several apartments still holding enough energy to seriously injure someone.

I also believe a shotgun would be easier to shoot well than a small pistol. I don't suggest getting a small barreled .357 and sticking it in a dresser drawer with very little knowledge of it's operation or how to use it. You would be better off with pepper spray in my opinion. Getting a handgun would require practice and possibly training in how to shoot and use it effectively. And then I still think a good shotgun would be more effective. It would still require some practice, but not near as much to be proficient with it.

As far as the handling of a shotgun vrs a handgun in an apartment, I don't suggest walking through the house trying to clear it like an officer would anyway. Unless you have training in how to do it properly, and then it's still risky. Stay put, call the cops and tell the intruder you are armed and the cops are on the way. Let them come to you, don't go after them.

An 11-87 in 12 or 20 gauge could easily be handled be either of them, and with the right loads and a tight choke it would be devastating on a human target and reduce the risk over penetration into existing dwellings. #4 turkey loads or goose loads are wicked out of a full or extra full choke at ranges under 10 yards. I have done tests with different loads and chokes at different distances. After these tests I would never use a pistol if I had a shotgun at my disposal.

Handguns are difficult to shoot well in controlled situations, let alone the stress of a break in or life threatening situation. Have you ever seen the videos of cops shooting at suspects at point blank ranges, they can empty whole magazines and never even hit the suspect. And these are trained professionals, not some guy and his girlfriend that bought a magnum six shooter and stuck it under their mattress or something;). Something to keep in mind anyway.

Paul

RE: need some advise on a gun for my brother
 

Oh, and I love glocks, but I would never suggest one to a begginer shooter. These are guns for experienced shooters in my opinion because of the trigger design. And the 92's are HUGE, I don't see either of them shooting one well. I am about the same size as your friend and they are just too big for my hand. And I don't feel they are any less complicated than a 1911 is. If they go with a handgun I suggest a medium frame revolver with an average length barrel. They are simple to use and understand and will pretty much go bang everytime you pull the trigger if they are loaded.

Paul

RE: need some advise on a gun for my brother
 

Check into the Taurus 45/410 revolver.. AKA The Judge.. It has the capability of shooting both the 45 Long Colt and 410 shells.. In fact you can load the thing with 5 410 000Buck and it has 3 45 caliber pellets in each shell. That is 15 bullets.. Also you can go with a number 4 or number 2 shot which won't do much damage thru a wall. You can also load in the first few shells of 410 and follow it up with 45 colts for insurance.. :D

RE: need some advise on a gun for my brother
 

000 Buck sheot is actually a .33 or .36 not 45 caliber. Quite a difference, but still 15 pellets total in 5 shots. quite a bit of close range knock down

RE: need some advise on a gun for my brother
 

:D Yeah I knew it wouldn't be the same, but for argument sake's I left it at 45.. :D

RE: need some advise on a gun for my brother
 

i have heard the 41.0 45 pistol knockes like h*ll

RE: need some advise on a gun for my brother
 

What is knockes?

RE: need some advise on a gun for my brother
 

i meant kicks :)

RE: need some advise on a gun for my brother
 

Mine isn't too bad