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Originally Posted by JayTeeMe
I'm interested in getting my first handgun. The websites I found (googled first handgun or something) recommended starting with a .38LR and getting out and firing a ton. Advantages: Cheap, accurate, low kick, flat trajectory, cheap rimfire bullets, and safer in that it'll put a smaller hole in someone if you accidentally shoot them.
Whatdaya guys think?
whats the "LR" designation after .38 mean?
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something small but still with stopping power, and something that won't kick like a mule when I fire it.
I think 9mm is fine for this. A lot of the stopping power debates are just ******ed. Most people feel 9mm will get the job done, some feel even .38 will get the job done, others .40, and others won't use anything but .45. There was a story I read about a cop shooting a bad guy 17 times center mass, and 4 other hits, and only then did the guy go down, and I think that was with a. 40, but I could be wrong on that. So, what does that tell you, I don't know, some people just won't go down quickly, and if thats the case, good luck, and know what you're doing.
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And yes there are lots of gun ranges around here, you're saying I can go there and rent a gun(s) to shoot so I can have a better idea about what to buy?
Yeah, ranges will let you do that.
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What type of bullets should I get for practice vs. real life (aka I actually had to shoot somebody). Hollow points are what you should use for defense right?
Yes, hollow points are good. Basically, for practice, you should get cheap cheap ammo, like Winchester White Box. I intend to get about 200-300 rounds of that , which is about .20 a round, for practice and for emergency use. When carrying/when keeping the gun for defensive purposes I intend to put good rounds in it, hornady for example, which are more like .75 a round, and so I'll keep about 2 mags worth of those, around 25 rounds, on hand, and that's what I'll have in my gun while carrying/while its sitting next to my bed etc.
wynton, efffffff uuuuu. :P
For people saying "well, if it wasn't for my family/girlfriend"...I mean, if you feel you need a gun for protection, you should probably look into that a little more - its your life, and if you need one, and don't have it, you'll be pretttty mad at yourself before you die
If my family knew I had a rifle zomg **** would hit the fan. If they find out, which hopefully won't be for a while, I'll say "hey, this is my life, and my liberty we're talking about, so I made this decision" and that will hopefully be the end of it. I love my folks, and they've done a lot for me, but I'm not going to let my sense of duty to them leave me defenseless against teh evil doers.