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View Full Version : Most non-gun people think you are a gun expert... and they ask



O.S.O.K.
02-22-2011, 02:01 PM
you what kind of gun should they have "just in case". And they ask how much ammo they should have, etc...

We all get these questions I know.

So, what do you tell them?

I generally ask them some questions to find out exactly what they are intending the use the gun for, but for most people that are just wanting a "some kind of gun" for SHTF, I recommend a .22LR chambered levergun and 10, 500 round boxes of the gun's favorite economy ammo.

The Henry basic model levergun is my usual recommendation and if they press, I say Winchester for brand of ammo.

I really believe that for most people this is the best choice - especially if they intend to shoot it a little and then just store it.

Other recommendations vary depending...

Richard Simmons
02-22-2011, 02:17 PM
More then a few people know I have a passion for firearms and I suppose some think of me as an expert though that is a moniker I would never apply on my own.

That being said I usually ask similar questions and 9 times out of 10 I will offer to take the person shooting with a variety of firearms to give them some exposure to the differnent options available. My general inclination is to point them towards a K frame or similar sized revolver with 4" barrel in .38 Special or .357 magnum. IMO there really no better choice for the novice or once in a blue moon shooter who wants a home protection firearm.

CCW is a slightly different arena and one I tend not to get involved with. I'll start them down the path but suggest they seek professional assistance with regards to training and equipment. Not that I believe professional training is or should be a requirement, just that for someone not of my immediate family who may not have the same motivation as myself with regards to learning on their own, it offers a practical way to get informed and instructed. I'm always happy to review any firearm suggestion the trainer may offer that person in case the emphasis was on selling a gun more than properly arming the individual.

aliceinchains
02-22-2011, 04:43 PM
Any more i would tell them to get a shotgun and a slug barrel to go with it because most of them just want to blow hot air. But if they were a friend then i would help them out and take them to the shooting range.

And go from there.

FunkyPertwee
02-22-2011, 04:54 PM
A revolver if they are not mechanically inclined, an auto handgun if they are, and a mosin nagant if its a non-hunter bringing up SHTF hunting. They usually don't like the sound of the mosin, but I tell them they should see if they even like to shoot rifles before buying an expensive one.

For example, a buddy of mine always talks about getting are highly modded M1A. I keep telling him to just get a mosin because by the time he gets around to saving up 2k for a fancy M1A, the apocalypse is going to have already come and gone. He could at least get a budget ruger pistol and a mosin to cover the basics in the mean time.

Flinter
02-22-2011, 06:30 PM
So many new shooters are asking me this question that I have developed a standard response;

Remington 870 in 12 gauge.
Marlin 30-30 lever action.
Glock or Xd in 9mm.

Not the ideal set up in my mind, but covers all the bases and it's a relatively cheap battery of firearms.

Mark Ducati
02-23-2011, 08:33 AM
Reminds me of that TEOTWAWKI/What kind of gun should get cartoon with the two bears speaking in cartoon voices...

In the end, the smart bear tells the dumb one to buy lots of ammo, survival supplies so he knows where its at so he can come and take his $hite.

So people that ask... tell them what you would want. Hahahaha.

FunkyPertwee
02-23-2011, 10:07 AM
Reminds me of that TEOTWAWKI/What kind of gun should get cartoon with the two bears speaking in cartoon voices...

In the end, the smart bear tells the dumb one to buy lots of ammo, survival supplies so he knows where its at so he can come and take his $hite.

So people that ask... tell them what you would want. Hahahaha.

In that case I need to start recommending those reflective orange vests too. You know, for safety.

wdmason99
02-23-2011, 01:59 PM
If I know them, we try to go to the range! I usually take along an SP-1 .38 , a 1911 .45, and for kicks an AK and an AR. This is a boatload of hardware info they probably have seen in the movies and on TV. I try to find out what their self defense worry is and steer them toward an appropriate answer.

blobman
02-23-2011, 07:05 PM
i always say a 22 rifle shoulkd be in every american home,but they always want the cool type sghit that i have

O.S.O.K.
02-24-2011, 10:47 AM
Yeah, the truth is anybody that's a firearms noob should start with the basics - basic safety rules and a manually operated .22LR IMHO.

But as we all know and have seen - many go out and purchase an AR-15 and bring it home. They have no clue what they're doing. Don't have mags, cleaning equipment, any idea how to field strip, sight in, etc... and no basic shooting skills.

I've always said that our public schools should have a mandatory course every 3 years on gun safety and basic marksmanship. But that makes the libs turn back flips and we all know that those bastages run far too many of our public schools.

HDR
02-26-2011, 07:46 AM
A shotgun.

Nothing fancy and last thing you want to do is leave them with the impression it takes a lot of time and money to protect themselves.

Schuetzenman
02-26-2011, 08:54 AM
You know given the prices of a Mosin Nagant rifle it would seem a logical choice to recommend. However, having had an extensive collection of them and when I was a dealer having sold a couple hundred of them I wouldn't. Why you might ask. Here's why, because of the magazine, specifically the little spring steel cartridge interupter thingie in the magazine system. I frequently found these worn or bent and the weapon would not feed ammo for crap!

I've even found some Mosins would feed one type of surplus well and jam up like crazy with another countries surplus ammo. The Hungarian light ball was the one the fed and shot the most reliably and accurately. It has a gray colored lacquer case. I've also experienced rough chambers that you had to pound the bolt open with a 2x4 board to get the fired case out of. Over sized chambers that split every case were encountered and even short chambers one time was experienced. Couldn't chamber the first round of any type. Short of a chamber reamer that rifle was a prime lamp post project.

To sum it up, I don't recommend a Mosin to an noob because there is too great a chance for a bad, to non functional rifle being acquired. The 30-30 Marlin is my preferred choice for them if they want more than 5 shots. Otherwise I recommend a Savage bolt rifle or a Remington if they have a bigger budget. The bolt guns always make them squirm when I mention the optics should equal or exceed the cost of the weapon. Most don't want to dump $500 to $900 on a scope. To the wanna-be sniper I recommend the Super Sniper scopes. For the general interest guys I tell them just get a 3 to 4 fixed power scope. That will work well to 500 yards and most if new won't have the knowledge to dope the wind or make the drop correction to hit that far away anyhow. Out to 200 yards 3 or 4x scopes work quite well. No need for these 24X monster scopes. If they say but I want a magazine that holds a lot of ammo then I steer them to a 7.62x39 AK for what should be obvious reasons to the seasoned Gunsnet people.

If they talk home defense, I mention a pump action 12 ga. with no.4 Buck due to the 27 pellets in even a 2-3/4" shell. If they don't like the idea of a long gun for home defense I recommend a 9 mm pistol due to the capacity and low recoil. I usually say Glock as I have a lot of experience with them and they never fail to feed any factory ammo flawlessly. I don't recommend an XD for one reason, that roll pin that secures and guides the striker inside the slide. I had a customer bring me his XD that stopped working and it had a broken roll pin. He claimes he'd only put 500 rounds through the pistol. For 10 boxes of ammo that's an unacceptable risk factor in my opinion to stake your life on a roll pin. Now I'm sure there's going to be plenty of XD owners that have thousands of rounds through their pistols with no broken roll pin. My attitude is if I can run into a failure like that once in low usage, it's bound to repeat again. With a Glock 9 mm the only thing I've ever heard of that could fail would be the coil trigger spring but you need to shoot about 50,000 rounds to get those to break. That's well outside the likely useage level for the home defense person. ;)

HDR
02-27-2011, 09:53 AM
If they talk home defense, I mention a pump action 12 ga. with no.4 Buck due to the 27 pellets in even a 2-3/4" shell. If they don't like the idea of a long gun for home defense I recommend a 9 mm pistol due to the capacity and low recoil.

Based on overhearing conversations at gun shops it appears the standard recommendation of 9mm for men and 380 for women. :D


I usually say Glock as I have a lot of experience with them and they never fail to feed any factory ammo flawlessly. I don't recommend an XD for one reason, that roll pin that secures and guides the striker inside the slide. I had a customer bring me his XD that stopped working and it had a broken roll pin. He claimes he'd only put 500 rounds through the pistol. For 10 boxes of ammo that's an unacceptable risk factor in my opinion to stake your life on a roll pin. Now I'm sure there's going to be plenty of XD owners that have thousands of rounds through their pistols with no broken roll pin. My attitude is if I can run into a failure like that once in low usage, it's bound to repeat again. With a Glock 9 mm the only thing I've ever heard of that could fail would be the coil trigger spring but you need to shoot about 50,000 rounds to get those to break. That's well outside the likely useage level for the home defense person. ;)

I recommend they go to a good shop to see what fits their hand best. A woman from work discovered the highly recommended semi didn't work for her and a S&W 642 was almost right. The shop put another set of grips on which made it right for her. Pistols and revolvers have more in common with shoes than one size fits all ponchos.

O.S.O.K.
02-27-2011, 10:39 AM
I guess NRA instructors and gun shop owners have different ideas of how to start people out...

Bottom line, if they are asking and wanting to fix their "gunless" situation, that's good :)

HDR
02-27-2011, 10:05 PM
I guess NRA instructors and gun shop owners have different ideas of how to start people out...

Are NRA instructors saying buy a Glock to everyone who asks? :lool: