Selecting a gun for home defense
October 10th, 2008 by joe
Here is a pretty good place to shop, although the selection is spotty. As a rule I usually recommend going to Loudoun Guns even though you’ll spend a little more than mail order. They have a great staff and the help and advice they can give you is more than worth the surcharge.
This entry was posted on Friday, October 10th, 2008 at 3:16 pm and is filed under 2nd Amendment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
October 10th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
Or instead of buying a gun you might consider getting a prescription for Viagra.
October 10th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
I think a police department somewhere in Kenya tried that once but they eventually went back to guns.
October 10th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
I might suggest Purcell Guns. Dale is a good guy, and pretty reasonable with his pricing..
http://purcellguns.com/
October 10th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
I second the Purcell Guns being a good store, but I also push that any local store is a better option than mail order. Loudoun Guns carries ammunition of many different types, and you can pick up and handle the gun before you buy.
Shotguns are wonderful things, but there are many out there, and how you will shoot one varies with each one. I had the privilege of being at a men’s retreat for my church at which we had about 50 men doing a trap shooting contest. It was the first time I’d shot a shotgun, and I had the opportunity to shoot about 5 different shotguns. The differences were amazing–and the one that I eventually settled into was a Remington (I took second place in the contest that year). It was fun, and instructive.
October 10th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
Brian,
Clays is very dependent upon shotgun fit, and the difference with a gun that fits can be quite remarkable. Small adjustments in cast and stock fit can make a big difference in handling and score.
Good point on mail order, which can be ok if you know what you are doing, as is buying second hand. When the economy goes south, usually one of the first things to go to raise cash is guns.
Purcell Guns is the only one in the area that I have found that carries tournament birds.
For home defense though, I would go with a .410 as opposed to a 12 or 20 gauge if I were to choose a shotgun. It would probably also be a youth model, with a shorter OAL, and a lb or so lighter.
October 10th, 2008 at 10:51 pm
What has happened to the 20 gauge?
October 10th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
They are still quite popular, my son uses one for skeet, and very effectively I might add. He shoots as well as if not better than his Dad, even though he only picked it up a year or so ago.
October 10th, 2008 at 11:11 pm
I would use the 12 gauge myself, 18 inch barrel with 00 buck. It is small and light enough that it is easy to move. It is also *highly* effective.