"What's the best gun to buy?" As someone who has owned, shot, carried, and instructed others in the use of firearms, this is a question I've heard many times over the years. Unfortunately there is no single correct answer. Sure, every shooter has his or her favorite brand or caliber. But ask this question of 10 gun owners and you're likely to receive 10 different answers. I always compare this question to asking "what's the best car to buy?" Obviously, as with guns, it depends on the driver.
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| Gun purchasers today have an almost overwhelming variety of choices |
So how do you figure out which gun is best for you? As a potential new gun owner, you first need to answer a few questions. How do you intend to use the gun? Will it be strictly for home defense or do you plan to carry it concealed? Do you also plan to hunt? To shoot competitively? To spend time casually plinking with the family? Do you plan to practice regularly (hopefully the answer to this is a resounding "YES!) or do you just intend to put the gun in a drawer and hope you never need it? Do you have the physical strength and manual dexterity to safely operate your chosen firearm? Will other members of your household also be using this gun? And speaking of households, do you live in a densely populated urban area or a suburban neighborhood or do you live out in the sticks with no neighbors close by? The answers to each of these questions should influence your purchasing decisions.
Now, before we go any further let me just say this; the best gun is the one you have in your hands. What I mean by this is, when the chips are down ANY gun is better than no gun at all. You don't have to have the most modern or most expensive or most powerful gun. But if possible, you should have the most powerful gun that you can RELIABLY HIT THE TARGET WITH.
RIFLE, SHOTGUN, OR HANDGUN?
The first decision to make is which category of firearm suits your needs. Most guns can be divided into one of three categories; rifles, shotguns, and handguns. There are numerous variations of each. Each has its advantages and disadvantages.
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| Rifles are available in hundreds of varieties of calibers and configurations |
Rifles are generally intended for shooting longer distances. Many rifles are chambered for high powered cartridges capable of shooting accurately up to and in excess of 1,000 yards. Centerfire rifle rounds also tend to penetrate secondary obstacles such as walls or windows. For these reasons, a rifle could be a good choice for rural settings where longer ranges may be encountered but are probably a poor choice where bystanders may be endangered by over penetrating projectiles. One potential alternative to a rifle is the pistol caliber carbine. A pistol caliber carbine is a shoulder fired weapon like a rifle but, as the name implies, they are chambered for handgun calibers. The most popular semi-automatic carbine pistol calibers include 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP. Lever action carbines are also commonly available in popular revolver calibers including .357 magnum, .44 magnum, and .45 Colt. The advantage of the pistol caliber carbine is longer range accuracy than a handgun with less recoil and penetration than a traditional high powered rifle. A more powerful centerfire rifle might be a good choice for the rural dweller who also plans to hunt medium to large game.
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| A tremendous variety of shotguns are also available
The shotgun is a very effective firearm in trained hands. If you are willing to commit to training and regular practice, it might be the right choice for you. Like rifles, the shotgun is available in a seemingly endless variety of configurations. The shotgun has been touted by many people over the years as the ultimate home defense weapon. In reality the shotgun, though very effective, has shortcomings as well. While its legendary stopping power is based largely in fact, the shotgun is also surrounded by myths and half truths.
MYTH #1: "All you have to do is point a shotgun in the general direction of your target and you'll score hits."
This is ridiculously false. A complete miss with a shotgun is not only easy, it is actually quite likely unless the shooter employs basic marksmanship skills including proper grip, position, sight picture, and trigger control. During my years teaching deputy sheriffs to fire the Remington 870 12 gauge pump I witnessed more clean misses than I care to recall. A standard 12 gauge 00 buck load contains 9 pellets of approximately .32 caliber each. A miss with a shotgun means the shooter just launched 9 bullets that missed their intended target. Some shot shells contain hundreds of shot pellets. They have to stop somewhere and as a shooter you are responsible for every one of them.
MYTH #2: "All you have to do is rack your pump shotgun and the bad guys will get scared and run away."
This is a myth that can get you killed. It bears repeating, if you're going to pull it out you better be ready to use it. If you are racking a shell into your shotgun it better be because there is a clear and present danger to yourself or others and that you are prepared to use the amount of force, up to and including deadly force, necessary to prevent serious injury or death. Bluffing is not an option nor is it an acceptable tactic. Also consider that many violent criminals are under the influence of drugs, alcohol, or mental illness. They will NOT be impressed by you and your scattergun. Finally, the sound of a shotgun being racked will give away your position and may even draw fire.
MYTH #3: Anyone can pick up a shotgun and use it to defend themselves, regardless of training or experience. Vice President Joe Biden recently weighed in on this very topic. In an interview with Parents magazine Mr. Biden gave some very terrible and generally illegal advice. "If you want to protect yourself, get a double barrel shotgun … have the shells of a 12 gauge shotgun, and I promise you as I told my wife, we live in an area that is wooded and is somewhat secluded, I said, Jill, if there’s ever a problem, walk out on the balcony … walk out, put that double barrel shot gun [out] and fire two blasts. I promise, you … whoever’s coming in is not gonna … you don’t need an AR-15. It’s harder to aim. It’s harder to use.... And, in fact, you don’t need 30 rounds to protect yourself. Buy a shotgun. Buy a shotgun." There are several problems with this advice. First and foremost, as I already pointed out, you are responsible for every shot you fire. Indiscriminately firing off "two blasts" in the air is incredibly reckless and irresponsible. As for the "harder to aim, harder to use" comment, this hilarious video sums it up nicely.
And just to show that the shotgun (as well as the rifle and pistol) can be mastered by all shooters, including petite women, here is the counterpoint to that video. 13 year old competitive shooter Katie Francis demonstrates what can be accomplished with proper training and practice.
1. Simplicity - The typical double action revolver has no manual safeties, decockers, grip safeties, slide releases, magazine releases or other controls besides a cylinder release. One can instantly determine if the gun is loaded and there is no need to remember to insert a magazine, operate a slide, or take off the safety.
2. Safety - Due in large part to its simplicity, the wheelgun is one of the safest guns to operate. When loaded it remains in a state of readiness but, unless the trigger is pulled, it will not fire. The typical long double action trigger pull lessens the likelihood of accidentally pulling the trigger (but keeping your finger off the trigger guarantees it).
3. Reliability - Because of its robust design, the medium and large framed revolvers are extremely reliable. With proper maintenance and normal care, it is extremely uncommon for revolvers to fail. Unlike semiautomatics, revolvers do not suffer from failures to extract, failures to eject, failures to feed, or double feeds. With fewer moving parts, revolvers are unlikely to break. Are they indestructible? No. But most revolver owners feel confident knowing that they've got "6 for sure" on tap.
4. Effectiveness- The .357 Magnum round is one of the most effective defensive loads available. A well placed 125 grain SJHP (semi jacketed hollow point) round at 1400-1500 FPS should deter all but the most determined attacker. The .357 is also available in heavier bullet weights in the 180-200 grain range. These are useful for longer range shooting and for medium sized game such as deer and wild boar.
5. Versatility - The .357 Magnum round is basically a lengthened .38 Special round. Because of this, a revolver chambered for .357 can also safely chamber and fire .38 Special ammunition (though a .38 can not chamber or fire .357). This is an advantage because .38 Special target ammunition is generally less expensive than .357 Magnum ammo. It also produces far less recoil and blast. These factors combine to encourage revolver owners to practice regularly. The reduced recoil of .38 wadcutter target ammo also lends itself well to teaching novice shooters or shooters who are particularly recoil sensitive. In fact, some revolver owners prefer to load their .357 exclusively with .38 Special ammo for these reasons. There are many suitable defensive rounds in the .38 Special caliber as well, including standard velocity and +P (high velocity) rounds.
6. Availability - Though gun prices have jumped up across the board, there is still a readily available supply of both new and used revolvers in the U.S. And generally speaking these guns cost less than a comparable autoloader. A patient shopper can usually find just the right wheelgun to fit their needs and their budget.
Hopefully this has at least partially addressed the question of "what's the best gun to buy?" As always, reader input is welcomed.
- Double Tap
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