A lot of the answer depends on your personal tastes and local laws.
The answer to your three needs could be three different firearms or it could be one or two. Depends. And there is no "right" answer.
1) A .22LR such as a 10/22 will do the job but doesn't work for the other two uses. When I was a kid we used to butcher our own cattle for ourselves and family. Grandpa always used a .22 to the head to dispatch the steer. If it will work for a steer, it is more than sufficient for a pig.
2) Depending on your situation, a handgun and a light or a shotgun with a light are good in home self defense firarms. Handgun would work for 1 also but might be overkill. Depending on the type of firearm you might even be allowed to hunt with it, depends on locality.
3) Depends on locality. Some places allow certain handguns to be used for hunting. Some allow rifles to be used in addition to shotguns. Some don't allow rifles.
Best bet is to find the local gun club, join, and try different firearms. Another option is to find a nearby Appleseed (
http://www.appleseedinfo.org/) and attend. You will meet some very fine people with lots of experience with various firarms. And we normally have no problem bringing extras along for people to try; depending on the range we are at. Yes, I'm an instructor with Project Appleseed so I'm a bit biased towards us. ;-)
Personally...
1) As mentioned a .22LR works well. I'm partial to the 10/22 as they are great for training also and there are tons of accessories if you want to tweek it to fit you. It also works well for dealing with most 4-legged threats to the chickens.
2) I carry a 1911 everywhere possible and it is on the nightstand every night. If the problem is in the house, it is easy to maneuver with it and a flashlight and it is sufficient to deal with most problems. If I have to hunker down then backing that up the 1911 is a shotgun loaded with 00 and some slugs in a side saddle.
3) This one depends on where and what I'm hunting. Here in Ohio, I have a semi-auto shotgun with a slug barrel on it for deer. I'm comfortable with it (using sabot slugs) out to 100yards. It is good out to 150 but there aren't that many shots that far here in Ohio for deer. For small game and clay, I can put the shot barrel back on it. When we go to Wyoming every year, I use a bolt action in .270 Rem. I have no problems taking shots out to 300 yards with it. It is good out to 500yrd but for me that is not needed I'd rather just keep hunting or work on getting closer for a better shot. Have never hunted with a handgun but here in Ohio, we have that option. Also depending on where you live, a good lever action might be a good deer rifle.
I'm a bit set in my ways on the brands and types of firearms I like. I prefer Remmington for my centerfire rifles (700's) and shotguns (1100's, 11-87's, and 870's) but like anyone they make some really good stuff and they make some mediocre stuff. I generally stick to the tried and true models listed above. For handguns, I love my Colt 1911 and believe it or not I like the various Taurus' that I have. I know a lot of people put Taurus down but I've never had any issues with mine. And, they get used, they are not safe queens. For the rimfire stuff, I'm partial to Ruger 10/22. I have several that I use personally and as loaners when instructing. I can set them up as trainers for AQT course of fire with a good sling, auto-bolt release, peep sight, etc. And they are still great for hunting small game or dispatching varmints that threaten the chickens.
You mentioned that you are former military and implied that you know how to handle our current service rifle. You could always look into an AR platform. Add an extra upper or two and you have all three needs covered. .22lr upper for 1, 5.56 for 2, and a .243 Win for 3? ARs and 10/22s are like barbie dolls, there are TONS of accessories and customizations that can be done. Both are extremely versatile. AR uppers have the added bonus of not being considered a firearm so no ATF forms and you can have it shipped right to your house.
New or used... again depends on personal preferences and local laws. Some prefer face to face sale as it avoids doing the ATF paperwork. Others, like me, go with whichever gets me the firearm I'm looking for at a good price. I am former AF and worked B-52s so I've been background checked like no other. If you buy used, there are tons of places on the net that will give you tons of opinions on a particular firearm. Just do your research and make notes of what to look for as far as wear and possible issues are concerned. Again, this is where finding a few people or a club that is in your area is a much better place to get the info. If you want info on chickens, this forum is the place to go. Firearms? Not so much.
As for what to avoid... just do your research and get some range time with different models to build up your experience. Find a buddy or group you can practice with and learn from. Hands on and face to face really is one of the best ways to figure this one out. Internet research is a good start but it only takes you so far and there is a lot of bias (some good some bad). As mentioned, most people rag on Taurus. I own several and have never had any issues with them performing or with their quality. They all go bang when I squeeze the trigger with whatever I put in the chamber and they are plenty accurate for what I need/want.
One other tip, when trying out a firearm, try different brands of ammo. Some firearms just work better or more accurately with different ammo. My Wyoming rifle likes Remmington Core-Lokt better than Federal or Winchester. It will shoot the Remmington to about 2moa all day long. With the other two brands it is in the 3 to 4 moa range. Not great but more than good enough to drop a deer or other similarly sized target. Now, if I use my handloads it shoots just under 1moa. It hates hot loads. My Dad had a Mauser in the same caliber that loved those same hot loads.
More detailed answers really do depend on where you live and what you are comfortable with.
Edit to add...
Oops. Totally misread number 2. Saw home protection and immediately started thinking 2-legged threats. No boar or bear around here so have never had to worry about it. As others have mentioned... Lots of options. Lever action in a .30 cal of some sort? For daily carry, a revolver in a large caliber that is sufficient for those two critters?
Greetings,
I need a gun.. And I need advice.
I am former military, so I know how to operate a gun safely. But in the army they issue you a gun, and teach you how to use it.. They don't teach you how to select one!
I will be using the gun for the following.
1) Harvesting my pigs with a shot to the head
2) Home protection against animals (boar and bear potentially, but hopefully will never have to)
3) Perhaps at some point using it for hunting deer.
I am looking for a safe, affordable, and reliable gun. What should I get, and where should I get it? New or Used? What should I avoid?
Thanks,
Austin
