[jMarineRecon]

Some how i over looked that fact... lol never done this before, i don't know shit about the internet ... hmmm i was in a war during most of 06, and 07, half of 08... hense why i dont know shit about the internet... my wife helped me make this *thread name/post name? Not quite sure what ifs called but that will work. Btw not that many people will be intrstd in this since this guy is prolly about 23 by now!! and probably has purchased his gun and most likely a few more as well, haha, but an edit from my last post
"...such as Glock 17x9mm, and Glock 22 9mm"
EDIT: Glock 22 is a .40cal, not a 9mm!!
ne wayz sorry i couldnt give you useful info when it was required... wasnt really in a computer accessible area!! but thanks for letting me share, usefull or not!

[KW Gary M]

Welcome. If you want to stay in the $350 to $400 range I would save a little bit more and buy a Taurus Millennium and keep the extra $50+ for ammo to practice with. The melinnium is a great little gun. Easy to conceal, small, light weight and accurate. It comes in 9MM .40 or .45. No matter what you get spend some time at the range practicing and getting comfortable. A couple hours with an instructor will help too.

[oldjarhead]

Why does this site leave unused strings on here for two years? Don't they have a purge schedule?

[naeem5]

Quote:       Originally Posted by SPOCAHP ANAR

Not in SC you buy a pistol just like a rifle; just show ID and fill out 4473!

Hi,
my father is 88 and wants to buy a gun for protection. He has to leave all his doors unlocked so his housekeeper and neighbors and 911 can get in, but he wants to be able to protect against unwanted guests.
He's in York County. He wants me to buy him one. I say NO to that.

Can you tell me every thing he needs to do, and take with him, from the time he leaves the house to go to a gun shop to the time he gets back home?

Driver's license only?

gun license fee?

His driver's license will expire in 2012 and not renewed. Will some other form of ID work after that?
Thanks.

[the_civilized]

get a FN hi-power or a cz75 or glaock 17

[sea_chicken1]

The bersa is a great choice I bought one for my wife and it is a solid shooter. I would recomend if you want a semi auto to get one that is double to single for your first handgun or something that has more than one safety. Glocks are good guns even though I dont personaly like them but for first time shooters they might be a little deciving. The trigger reset button is not a safety. some times peoples shirtails get caught in the trigger gaurd and they have a ND because they get complacent with them.

[sunwheel29]

Quote:       Originally Posted by gregory85

Im nervous about a revolver because it only has 6 shots and takes longer to reload when compared to having an extra magazine already loaded.

Don't be.

In the real world, most gunfights are over after a total of three rounds have been fired by all parties involved. They also usually take place at about ten feet or less in low light conditions.

In other words, you can take the venerable ole six shooter to two gunfights a week before you have to reload.

Something else to consider.
Stopping power.
One or two hot .38 Plus P loads or a .357 or .44 special (all available in low cost Charter Arms guns) will have more stopping power than any .380.

So in real life if you are faced by a mugger with a knife or a gun, you would be better off with a revolver firing a stout load in a soft lead bullet than a .380.

In movies, Mel Gibson will shoot it out magazine after magazine with terrorists, gangbangers and crack kingpins, but in reality self defense shootings are quick, fast and nasty, and very seldom involve a reload.

Unless you use an underpowered weapon...

There is a self defense shooting story from out west floating around on the various firearms forums where a pharamcist shot an armed robber with a .380 and when the man got up, the pharmacist emptied his gun into the guy.

[Cyrano]

Quote:       Originally Posted by Jay

I'd suggest you NOT consider caliber, or manufacturer at this point. I'd have you go to as many gun shops/gun shows, as you can get to and handle everything you can get your hands on. You'll find a few that "feel right" in your hands. Those are the ones you want to pursue.

The catch here, Jay, is that in a lot of states including North Carolina, if you don't have a pistol permit or a CCW, the dealers won't let you handle the pistols. It's state law; they are not allowed to. I don't know about private parties at gun shows but like as not it's okay if a private citizen wants to let you handle a pistol.

As for a first time pistol, the Bersa Thunder in .380 isn't bad; nor is its 9mm version. I'd also suggest taking a look at the FEG PA-63 in 9x18 Makarov and the FEG AP-9. The AP-9 is in .32 ACP but it's a very controllable pistol without massive recoil to reduce accuracy when you are learning. And don't overlook the CZ-82 (or the CZ-83, if you're lucky enough to find one). The -82 is 9x18 Makarov, the -83 is .380 ACP; no other difference between them. They point naturally, the sights are really good by military pistol standards (though you'll want to touch the sights up - every one I've ever seen needs the paint on the sights retouched, don't know why), and the trigger is silky smooth. Takedown for cleaning is a cinch, too, which also counts.

I hear what others are saying about picking a revolver as a first pistol. But he also indicated he wants to carry concealed. No revolver that shoots well at anything beyond skin touch distances has a short enough barrel to conceal easily. You also just can't get by the overall width problem the cylinder gives you unless you wear custom-tailered sportcoats and a good holster rig. It's simply easier to hide a semi-auto pistol because they are flatter.

[Cyrano]

Quote:       Originally Posted by sunwheel29

There is a self defense shooting story from out west floating around on the various firearms forums where a pharamcist shot an armed robber with a .380 and when the man got up, the pharmacist emptied his gun into the guy.

That's why the Army went from the .38 Special to the .45 ACP in the first place, sunwheel. They wanted 1 shot man-stopping power the .38 Special shooting FMJ ammo could not give them at the turn of the last century.

But that was then and this is now. Powders and bullet designs have come a long way in the past 100 years. I was informed when I was unsure about the stopping power of a lovely 4 inch bull barreled .38 Special S&W Model 10 that could take +P ammo by an expert pistoleer, that provided I loaded hollowpoints or the new Hornaday personal defense ammo in +P, the main difference between a .38 Special +P and a standard.357 Magnum round was the size of the muzzle blast. (I ended up buying it and I can shoot that Model 10 the best of all my pistols, by the way.)

Same thing with the .380. As long as you load it with hollowpoints or frangible rounds and remember the Jeff Cooper Axiom:

Two in the chest
And one in the head
Always leaves the subject dead

the Bad Guy is NOT going to get up again, even if you are using a .380 as opposed to something larger. Bullet placement counts for as much if not more than raw power.

[deltadiva]

Also a new buyer in NC. Is it best to buy a gun in a shop or online. I was told online was cheaper but never able to return. What should I keep in mind about buying a gun. I think I like the Bersa 380 too.

[mitchr]

Quote:       Originally Posted by deltadiva

Also a new buyer in NC. Is it best to buy a gun in a shop or online. I was told online was cheaper but never able to return. What should I keep in mind about buying a gun. I think I like the Bersa 380 too.

As to the return of a pistol from on-line purchases, like anything else, depends on who you are dealing with. Always read their return policy & call them if you don't understand any part of it. Davidson's has a good lifetime guarantee. Also, their 'Gun Genie" allows you to shop, select & buy through your local gun store & you only have to pay a "deposit" to get it shipped. You pay the balance when you pick it up. When you ask for a quote, it gives you pricing from all dealers in a 25 mile radius of your zip code. If you like, you can expand that to 50 or 100 miles & you see what your total 'out the door' cost will be.

Personally, I prefer to see the gun up close & personal! I want to see how it feels in my hand, how it balances & some will seem to have a natural pointability while others will not. I think it has to do with he angle ofthe grips in relation to the barrel/slide. Once I have been able to do this, I'd have no qualms about buying on line from a reputable source. I have bought one from Davidson's.

As far as pricing, the purchase price may be lower, but there may be freight to add to that. Depends on who you are dealing with. I think some show a 'delivered' price. Also, they will only ship to a FFL holder & that person/gun shop usually charges for the transfer fee so that has to be taken in consideration. Most brick & mortar stores have the transfer fee & freight figured in their price. Another thing is if the on-line source is not in your state or doesn't have a branch office in your state, you will not have to pay sales tax on it & that may offset freight & FFL fees.

P.S. I just noticed you are in New York. There are some guns restricted for sale in your state so you would want to watch for that when shopping on-line. You will not be allowed to purchase an unapproved firearm.