Which pistol?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Myung_Moon

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unification_Church

I have a Browning 22 automatic that jams quite often. I strongly suspect its more of a factor of shooting the cheapest crap ammo I could buy. I buy better stuff now.

My first pistolo was an H&R 999 top break .22. Sweet little gun actually. Only problem I had with it was the ejector broke. It was fixed under warranty.

joey48442 wrote: They make guns?

They own a gun company, so I guess you'd have to say the answer to that question is "yes"...

I carry a Kahr PMR9... and I will tell you what... my Smith & Wesson 638 (in .38 special) has about HALF of the recoil... why not go .380? get a Bersa! that thing is a dream to handle! the other option is to go something (money permitting) like a FN FiveSeven with like 20% of the recoil of a .45 ACP...

this isn't related at all... but my dad has a .50GI 1911 in his truck.

joey48442 wrote: In reply to 4eyes: I must have been typing when you posted... Joey

No worries. I just thought you had me "on ignore"

spitfirebill wrote:

alex wrote: Luke, most states have some version of the Castle Doctrine in place, but it varies from state to state. Some states have a 'duty to retreat,' for instance.

Our local sheriff the other day told us we have a duty to retreat. That's the first time I've ever heard that here.

No offense to LEO's but they're not always the most reliable source of legal advice. If you want a more definitive answer, I'd look into your state laws. I'm willing to bet the NRA has some sort of state-by-state breakdown.

WilberM3 wrote: taurus judge shotgun pistol's great for short range defense too.

Gunshop owner friend of mine has sold bunches of these. But from the looks of it & from what I've read I'd only want to use it for a belly gun, ie. very,very short range defense.

EricM wrote: Why not just move? have anyone who has recommended a gun used one in earnest?

yes, details not to follow.

For myself, I'm thinking ~$3-400. There's a lot of different models out there and I plan to test fire several. I would really like to weed out the crap beforehand.

I did a fair amount of varmint hunting as a kid and my dad beat gun safety into my head, but what with motorcycles cars and girls I haven't been into guns much. So I guess y'all better treat me like a n00b.

JM, look for used police guns. They are generally scratched/worn on the outside and brand new inside. That is, a bit banged up but hardly any rounds through them so mechanically excellent. Sort of like French battle rifles: Never fired, dropped once. They go on sale from the big distributors. JGSales.com, Sarco, etc. and they will be good quality pieces, like Glocks. J&G has police trade in Glock 19's listed on their homepage for $460. You can find a local FFL dealer to do the transfer paperwork usually for about $20 or so. That's a little outside your price range, but just throwing out ideas, you could do a lot worse.

I used to hear bad things about S&W semi-autos. I suppose they fixed the problems from the 80's and 90's, but between that and the English once owning the company and selling us out to the Clintons, I'm not a big S&W guy. Yeah, I hold a grudge. I think it's a Dutch thing.

Oh, and any time you see a gun with a really good price on it like at a pawn shop or a gun show, look for what's wrong. It's like buying a used car. If the deal is too good to be true, it is. Just like with used cars, the way to win is to spot what's wrong with it and figure if you can fix it yourself cheap.

Good advice from Dr. Hess. You can also find CPO factory re-conditioned Sigs at some shops. They seem to be a good value.

Dr. Hess wrote: JM, look for used police guns. They are generally scratched/worn on the outside and brand new inside. That is, a bit banged up but hardly any rounds through them so mechanically excellent.

Don't LEOs have to spend a lot of time at the range? I'd expect them to practice a TON with their sidearm.

4eyes wrote:

joey48442 wrote: In reply to 4eyes: I must have been typing when you posted... Joey

No worries. I just thought you had me "on ignore"

Nope! I don't have you on ignore. It was just timing. I never thought of a revolver as havings so many potential issues...

Joey

2002maniac wrote: Don't LEOs have to spend a lot of time at the range? I'd expect them to practice a TON with their sidearm.

Generally, no. Many departments require officers to pay for their practice ammo. The department will usually cover qualification ammo only,

Hmm, never thought of a 'trade in'. Good idea. Glock and Sig are both reputable brands. If I get to pick between a Glock and a Sig, what's the pluses/minuses?

Jensenman wrote: Hmm, never thought of a 'trade in'. Good idea. Glock and Sig are both reputable brands. If I get to pick between a Glock and a Sig, what's the pluses/minuses?

Go to a range that has rentals available and try both.

Both will be very reliable, but the shooting dynamic is quite different.

M2Pilot wrote:

WilberM3 wrote: taurus judge shotgun pistol's great for short range defense too.

Gunshop owner friend of mine has sold bunches of these. But from the looks of it & from what I've read I'd only want to use it for a belly gun, ie. very,very short range defense.

I've put a few rounds through one of these, and I'd agree with that. The spread from that short barrel is about what you'd expect. For some situations, I can see it being ideal; for others, not so much. My old boss' gun - the one that I've fired - is generally loaded with .45 and 410 in alternating chambers.

It is a helluva lot of fun to shoot, though.

alex wrote:

M2Pilot wrote:

WilberM3 wrote: taurus judge shotgun pistol's great for short range defense too.

Gunshop owner friend of mine has sold bunches of these. But from the looks of it & from what I've read I'd only want to use it for a belly gun, ie. very,very short range defense.

I've put a few rounds through one of these, and I'd agree with that. The spread from that short barrel is about what you'd expect. For some situations, I can see it being ideal; for others, not so much. My old boss' gun - the one that I've fired - is generally loaded with #4 shot followed by .45 hollow points. It is a helluva lot of fun to shoot.