Gun owners and shooters, may I ask your opinions, please

[bakerjw]

+1 on the .22 rifle. They are easy to handle with virtually no recoil and not nearly as loud as larger rounds. They may not take down a larger animal though.

As for handgun brands, models, and calibers. They are as varied as people's opinions. Revolvers always work, semi automatics can jam, a .32 doesn't have knock down power, yadda yadda yadda. Try going to a range where they rent guns and try a few on for size. For self defense purposes I recommend getting the largest caliber that you can control. My father in law carries a .45ACP all the time where I sometimes carry a .380Auto. He complains about the weakness of the .380 round but it is my most accurate handgun and it is lighter than my .40S&W that is my usual carry gun so some circumstances demand that I carry the lighter of the 2.

 

[fwschrom]

Your talking about two kinds of preditors 2 legged and 4 legged. Your usage will be primarily 4 legged preditors and piece of mind for the 2 legged variety.
Do NOT start with a handgun, it would take years of practice to get proficient enough to use a handgun on 4 legged preditors, they are relatively small and fast.
I would not recommend a rifle of any kind either, the bullets ( even a 22 cal ) carry very long distances ( 1 mile or better ) and you need to be very careful where your round is ultimately going.

Get a shotgun, not pistol grip, a 12 guage 2 3/4 ( not magnum ) will fit the bill nicely ( if recoil is a problem gety a magnum 20 gauge ). With a 12 guage use pheasant loads for pretty much all your 4 legged critter problems, a 00 buck for the other preditor type.

I would look at a pump, just the sound of a shotgun being loaded will pause most 2 legged critters, they are simple to use, easy to maintain, and can take a lot of abuse. Try to find on with a poly choke ( adjustable ) or have one fitted, that way you can dial in full choke for long shots and leave it on improved modified for most of the time. If you look around you should be able to buy a decent used shotgun for $100-200, brands would be an old high standard, Sears, Mossburg, Remington, Winchester ( more collectable and you will pay a premium).

I have a lot of firearms, rifles, handguns and shotguns, the shotgun sits by the door all the rest except my 22 rifle are locked away in the gun cabinet.

A 22 cal rifle would be my distant second choice, but I warn you if you have neighbors anywhere inside 600-1000 feet this is not a good choice, also if you have a road on the fronting your property you won't be able to shoot in that direction, with a 22 a scope woud be a requirement for me.

Again I have both, I use the shotgun.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I agree. There is no one right answer for everyone. I'm not going to get into the handguns since I don't have the experience with those. I do commend you for taking the lessons. That is a great decision.

For the varmints, I would consider two choices, a small rifle like a .22 or a shotgun. The .22 has certain advantages but it also has certain disadvantages. It is usually lighter weight and does not have the recoil. A .22 bullet can travel about a mile and still do damage, including a riccochet. A shotgun load will also riccochet but it has a much shorter range. Consider your surroundings and where you might be shooting. You can get a clean kill with a .22 if you hit your target, but it is easier to wound an animal instead of get a clean kill. Some of that depends on yor confidence in being able to cleanly hit the target. A .22 can kill at a greater distance. If you are going after bear or elephant, a .22 does not have the power to take it out, but it should be heavy enough for any predator you are likely to use it against.

A shotgun has a recoil. Different ones have different recoil. Gauge makes some difference but the way it is made and the way you hold it also makes a difference. Before you get a shotgun you need to shoot it and make sure you can shoot it. A shotgun is also a lot louder. Never even think of shooting a shotgun in an enclosed room. A shotgun has limited range, but it is easier to get a killing shot in that range. A shotgun throws enough lead or steel that it will knock the target down where a .22 may take a while to take effect. Each shotgun throws its own pattern. You need to shoot it at different ranges at targets that show the pattern so you can learn the weapon.

You can probably tell I favor a shotgun, mainly for me because of its limited range. I don't have that many neighbors that might be in range when I am shooting at a raccoon or skunk but there are a lot of cows and horses. The power to knock down the target is another consideration. If I were facing someone with a weapon, especially up close, I'd much rather face someone with a .22 than a shotgun.

It is a personal decision. Good luck!

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

Jerseygirl

We are AVID hunters in this household and have an "arsenal" in our gun safe.

I have had my wife trained to shoot as well, but the best thing I have found for her is a .410 guage shotgun. Recoil is little to nothing. They are great for predator control and should "someone uninvited" come in your home, you couldn't miss with a shotgun.

You can get a decent one for $200 or so at "Wally world"

Best of luck.....

 

[orionburn]

Quote:
^^^That^^^

The biggest factor is something that is comfortable in your hands. Not to long ago I fired a friend's very tiny .380 semi and a .45 Colt. I had less recoil with the Colt even though it was a larger caliber. Try and find a combo shop/range nearby that will let you test out a few different sizes.

 

[booker81]

I don't think you can just have one gun

I'm not a handgun person, but long guns......oh yeah.

Yet another vote for the ubiquitous .22 -we have three of them. They are fun just to shoot popcans with, and ammo is cheap enough to "waste" on such things ( I don't call it waste, I call it therapy!)

For defense, its hard to pass on a 12ga pump....course I love that rack sound. In the unfortunate chance of shooting a 2 legged varmint, there won't be a ton of need to aim, but whatever shot misses won't be likely to go through the next house and kill those folks.

I also have a 20ga for upland bird and clay shooting, a .270 rifle for hunting, a muzzleloader, and a variety of other rifles and shotguns. I purchased them all based on "feel"...I'm not concerned too much with recoil, but I only want guns that hold well in my hand and automatically seem to settle in the right spot of my shoulder. If they don't feel like an extension of me, i dont buy it.

 

[BackyardAR]

I guess what a lot of people are getting as is.... we need more information to properly answer your question.

Do you want to purchase only one firearm that best meets all of your needs, or are you looking for firearms that meet certain criteria?

If you are wanting a concealed weapon for personal protection I wouldn't go any smaller than a .38 or 9mm. You don't shoot at someone to wound them. If you have to draw your weapon you should be trying to kill them. That's what personal protection is about. Its to get you out of a life threatening situation. You don't pull it out and show them, make noise with it, etc. If the situation warrents you drawing that firearm you immediately discharge it into them.

If you want a weapon for varmit control, a sidearm is not really a good choice. Usually in instances where you are shooting at a critter, you have very poor light. Granted there are things you can add to that sidearm to make low light shooting a little better, but trying to line up two sights and the creature in the near dark can be almost impossible. Holding a laser scope on a moving target in the dark can be equally as difficult.

Lots of people vote for shotguns here. You have to look at where you will be shooting. Near your coop? Uncontrollable shot patterns from a shotgun might have you doing damage to your coop or your chickens. Your best shot at a varmit is one that it doesn't even know it's in the sights. A nice, controlled shot with a shotgun doesn't compare with the lethal oneshot of a rifle. You want to maintain a constant awareness of what you're shooting at, around, and what's beyond. Everything travels. A miss can wind up in a neighbor's house... even a hit can pass through and strike whatever is behind it.

There are plusses and minuses to everything.... let us know exactly what you want it for.

 

[JetBlack]

There's a couple of questions to answer, here.

1. What kind of predator? Bear? Coyote? Badger?

2. How much weight are you willing to carry?

3. How much recoil are you willing to tolerate?

Need lots more info

 

[Catstar68]

My DBF would recommend his AR with the EOtech sight and LaserMax green laser but then again, he's a gun junkie.

When the zombies come, I'll appreciate his arsenal.
My one an only gun is a 22 Savage with a thumbhole stock. It has a scope on it and I generally shoot the star out of a Heineken can at 50yards. I'm getting better....
Problem is, nothing ever bothers the chickens. Good problem to have but if I ever do develop this problem, I love my 22. Light, easy to use and accurate. And it's pretty

 

[fwschrom]

If you go the 22 route, look for 22 short ammunition. Its kind of hard to find but it helps on how far the bullet will travel.

What Yard Full of Rocks said about a 410 and recoil is right on mark. Me I would look at a 20 gauge over that and use non mag ammo. If recoil is a problem definately don't go the pistol grip route.

I don't know if you have a gun range close by of not, but I always recomend that people new to guns and learning go to the gun range and rent weapons and shoot them first. It will help you a lot with what you can tolerate in recoil, and what you like.

Someone posted a 22 cal for self protection in my opinion that is a very poor choice.

For handguns I have four I reguarly use:
1. 41 magnum 4"...bad choice as a first gun
2. 10mm Delta Elite..another bad choice as a first firearm
3. Colt .45 combat commander
4. Colt .38 snub nose detective special

I have a couple of Glocks and a HK that get honorable mention.

But for 4 legged preditors none of the handguns would be my first choice.