Anyone suggest a handgun?

[rsNINESOOPER]

Long story short- I have been burglarized twice in three months and home invasion robberies have escalated near my area. Not to mention that the police department generated a pre recorded message that I received on my answering machine stating that fact and to essentially be on high alert for suspicious characters when coming and going from my house.

Welcome to Oakland! I have always maintained the position of not owning a gun unless one actually needs a gun and felt it just isn't necessary but after the second burglary it might be time. After the first burglary I installed an alarm which monitors the upstairs. However, since there is no inside access between the two I did not have the basement alarmed, my bad. So with everything buttoned up so to speak I need to look into getting everything "plugged up"

A further note: I have been to the range and have had gun experiences since I was 10 yrs old, gun safety that is, and understand that it is a serious decision Im making in regards to the responsibility of owning a gun

With that said:
My gun owner friends have suggested the Barretta 9mm reg size and the H&K .40 cal- I would appreciate any input from people who are knowledgeable gun owners who can suggest a quality gun that I will be purchasing to both protect my home and take camping on occasion.

Im in California by the way

[id10t]

Wont do anything but arm another criminal if you aren't home to use it...

That being said, a 12 or 20 gauge pump shotgun is probably your best bet for house defense.

[red-beard]

Shotgun

[DavidI]

There is a show on the Discovery Channel called "It Takes a Thief" in which a former burglar breaks into your home while you are away. Prior to this, a television crew sets up cameras which capture the breach and the method. It shows how vulnerable the security is. Watch the show a few times and get some great security tips.

With that said, id10t wrote that you may be arming a bad guy. You wrote that you are familar with gun safety. You also should buy a gun safe so a bad guy will not be able to steal your gun if he/she should find it during a burglary.

I would go to an indoor range and try several. It is kind of a personal thing in which one fits your hands best. 9mm are OK, but I would go with a 45 cal.

David

[targa911S]

I second shotgun. Pump if possible. Everybody knows the sound of one being racked. Could be enough to send them packing by itself. Just hope you never have to test it. It's messy.

[nostatic]

I like my Sig, but Glocks have an enthusiastic following. HKs are nice too. Like David said, shoot a bunch and see what fits your hands.

And ditto on the gun safe. My Sig p226 is locked in it. I actually don't think I will end up using it in a home invasion scenario, hence I don't keep it "in the nightstand" (plus my 8 year old is with me part of the time, so that is not an option).

And ditto on the shotgun. As they say, just racking it will send many bad guys running for the door. Of course I think the same thing about racking the slide on my Sig

[targa911S]

"new gun owner" hehehheh

[rsNINESOOPER]

Gun safe goes without saying- It has taken a lot of thought for me to commit to this and have contemplated many of the things that would be necessary in order to make gun ownership safe.

[targa911S]

Just 18.50" of 12 ga. Double triggers. Two ,,two,,, two bangs in one!

[Drago]

Wow, a gun thread...seems like forever since the last one

[Groesbeck Hurricane]

This all depends upon you and your upkeep initiative. Keep in mind that if you don't hit your target in three shots or less, you have already lost the game.

Shotguns are great in that you might not get your neighbours homes. 12 guage with buck shot works well and in a panic situation you should get some pellets near the perp. Try what works best for you. I like semi-automatics and double barrels, but others like pumps. If for home use only look at units that are ready made to hold low and have a short barrel. Nothing like having the gun taken from you prior to firing. Wood absorbs the shock (recoil) better than the vast majority of synthetic stocks and they all break or can have manufacturing defects.

The next step to look at is a revolver. Single actions tend to force you to aim, double actions tend to lend to quicker firing. You will have only 5, 6, or 7 shots depending upon the weapon. New Tech Ammo makes a very nice round in multiple calibres that will not penetrate a second layer of drywall (i.e. you will not shoot your kids in the next room). This ammo will transmit all of its energy to the target upon impact and it is made of powdered metal which becomes molten when fired. I use these. You can also load rounds that are shot. The good thing about a revolver is most people actually shoot better with them, shoot .38 rounds from a .357 for the wife to diminish recoil, if the cylinder turns the hammer can fall (in otherwords waaaaay fewer misfires and jams). A revolver is more forgiving to a less regimented cleaning schedule.

A semi-auto can deliver many rounds quickly and is quicker to re-load. It requires more cleaning and is more apt to jam. (yes, I do shoot these)

PM me if you have specific questions.

[rsNINESOOPER]

DavidI:
I would go to an indoor range and try several. It is kind of a personal thing in which one fits your hands best. 9mm are OK, but I would go with a 45 cal.

__________________________________________________ _______

I have done this with my friends but between them they only have four brands of guns and only two would be a gun I would consider purchasing. Two of them are revolvers, one being a .50 cal, Im not interested in a revolver.

Anyone know of a range in the San Francisco area that I wouuld be able to have the opportunity to shoot a variety of different guns (current models) in order to find out what seems to be the best fit??

[tabs]

My Gawd we are a BLOOD THIRSTY LOT....

anything firing a 45 acp...slow round with alot of knockdown power..

A Revolver in 38 spl...6 quick rounds as fast as you can pull the rigger...no jams, no misfires which need to be cleared.

Geezus...Why don't the Police in Jerry Brown Jr Land just say they aren't coming...take a GOOD LOOK Liberal anti-gunners...the safety you gave up when you sacraficed your gun rights...in the name of what? This is the outcome when Public Policy is to try and understand and try and not hurt a criminals self esteem. The people of Oakland deserve what they get..after all they elected the fools who got them into this mess in the first place...On the second thought don't buy a gun just sit there and let the criminals redistribute your wealth.... U will probably be farther ahead if you get out and try and defeat the Liberal anti-lawabiding citizen Brigade at election time.

[coloradoporsche]

Pros and cons....shotguns are kind of unwieldy going around corners and tight spaces. Then again, shotgun shot is less liley to go through your wall and kill your neighbor.

But a pistol may be a better choice, IMHO, depending on where you live.

[targa911S]

Originally posted by coloradoporsche
Pros and cons....shotguns are kind of unwieldy going around corners and tight spaces. .

That's why you saw them off. Narrower than the average door frame.

[Jeff Higgins]

Revolvers are easier to use under duress and in the dark. Semi-autos are "cool" right now and very popular. Reliability of either platform is about a wash today with quality examples of either, ditto for accuracy and ammo availability.

Ease of use in a stressfull situation is often overlooked. Especially for a casual owner, that is not into it as a hobby in and of itself, this is very important. I can think of few things worse than being confronted by a bad guy, looking at my sidearm, and wondering "now which one is the safety?".

Most casual owners will also want to store an auto in condition three, because they feel conditions one and two are "dangerous". (Condition three is hammer down on an empty chamber; two is hammer down on a loaded chamber; one is "cocked and locked" - loaded chamber, hammer back, safety on.) Maybe even worse than "which one is the safety?" is that very quiet sound of the hammer dropping on an empty chamber. It tells the bad guy you meant it and, more important to him, the chamber is empty and you must rack the slide. He'll be both pissed and emboldened by this series of events; he knows he can get to you before you can rack the slide.

Revolvers have none of these drawbacks. They are always loaded; every chamber. There are no safeties other than you.

Another plus for revolvers is that they are currently out of vogue. You can get damn good ones dirt cheap. Old police cast-offs that were carried more than shot are a dime a dozen as they have switched to autos. New ones tend to run much cheaper than equivilent quality autos.

[jorian]

Maybe you should move...

[lendaddy]

Not sure why you'de want one in Cali. I mean if you successfully use it to defend yourself/family you'll likely go to prison

[nostatic]

Originally posted by rsNINESOOPER


I have done this with my friends but between them they only have four brands of guns and only two would be a gun I would consider purchasing. Two of them are revolvers, one being a .50 cal, Im not interested in a revolver.

Anyone know of a range in the San Francisco area that I wouuld be able to have the opportunity to shoot a variety of different guns (current models) in order to find out what seems to be the best fit??

Maybe jyl or other bay area guys will chime in. My local range has about 50 different pistols for rental. Last week I rented a p220 (45ACP) to shoot alongside my p226 9mm. After blowing holes with the p220, I found I was a lot more accurate with my 9mm...in part I think just because of less kick. But also because my hand fits the p226 grip a bit better.

I think the "stopping power" argument has been beat to death. You can get a 9mm round that will stop somebody. 45ACP makes a bigger hole, but if you are more accurate with a 9mm, then you should go with that. As they say on the sigforum (and elsewhere), hitting someone with a smaller caliber is better than missing with a big one. You have to take some of the studies, and especially the trends of law enforcement agencies with a grain of salt. LEO has different criteria than private citizens. You shouldn't need to worry about whether your round will penetrate through a door or other barrier and hit its target. And in fact I think you want a round that *won't* do that.

That being said, 40SW seems to be getting pretty damn popular.

[tabs]

Move to Nevada....guns are legal in this state...and criminals wind up dead here...an 82 year old man shot and killed his assliant/robber at the car wash he was at.