Getting into the world of firearms

Townhall.com ^ | September 27, 2005 | Mike S. Adams

[P8riot]

How much for the Lark? I have a mechanic friend that is president of the Tidewater Virginia Studebaker Assosiation (or something like that). You can FReepmail me with details.

[OldSgt.]

"expert in the army with the Garand which is not surprising"

All on this thread have said this without saying it. The best firearm is the one each person is proficient with. My
this or that, is no better if it cannot be used effectively when needed.

Bottom Line!

[Euro-American Scum]

Bump for later.

[AnAmericanMother]

This Lark came with the big V-8 (the police engine). It came with a Holley 4bbl, but our genius mechanic put a Maserati fuel injector on it.

That big motor just purrs.

[mbynack]

I've got a 12 Guage Mossberg 500 short barrel with a seven shot mag for home. I also have a 357 Ruger SP101 and a 45 cal Glock 30. I want to make big holes if someone is shooting at me.

My wife has a Colt Diamondback 38 special with a four inch barrel. She's comfortable shooting it and is fairly accurate with it.

I recently bought a Ruger Ranch Rifle in 223. It's never been one of my favorite calibers, but ammo is cheap and available. I have a Winchester Model 70 in 30-06 for hunting.

For plinking I have a Ruger 10/22 and a Ruger Mk II.

[July 4th]

my .357 is a Ruger sp 101

Mine too. I love it.

[yarddog]

Daddy was in the combat engineers in WWII. We just had to put him in a nursing home and I was going through some of his old papers and found a large (about 3 feet square) illustrated on front and back, history of his outfit.

Although yellowed it is in great shape. Unfortunately there are two more pages which someone else must have gotten. This one does have all the members of the 208th Egnineers Combat Battalion listed tho.

Also the history from January 1945 till the end of the war. I remember Daddy telling me one of his sergeants shot down a Messerschmidt with a BAR and sure enough, there is an illustration of a soldier shooting down (actually looks like a Focke Wulf) in the cartoon.

[Terabitten]

I'm sure that you're going to get a lot of people disagreeing with his choices. I would recommend a 12 gauge pump as the first gun. You can use it for home defense and hunting. I don't think a 22 magnum is a very practical choice. It's only good for plinking and small game. A 22 long rifle is cheaper to shoot. A 454 Cassull is not practical for anything but medium size game hunting. It's not a good weapon for a beginner because it's expensive and kicks pretty hard.

There was a similar thread right after Katrina hit in which someone asked for what gun(s) they needed to buy within a reasonable budget for a natural-disaster type situation. My list was as follows:

1) Remington 870 12 guage with 18 inch barrel. Perfect for home defense and can be used to hunt as well.
2) Ruger 10-22 for shooting small game as needed, plus, ammo is cheaper than dirt.
3)Good defensive pistol - I prefer the Glock 17. Personal preference plays a *huge* role here.
4)Military rifle - either a civilianized M4 or AK47. I prefer a civilianized M4, since ammo is easier to get (you'll be able to cadge some off the National Guard or whoever.)

Just my two cents.

[mbynack]

I used to be considered a survivalist/gun nut, but after 9/11 and New Orleans my friends consider me a realist and role model.

[Disambiguator]

What oddball calibers are you referring to? The only ones that seemed a little "off" were the .22 Mag and the .454. Everything else on the list seems pretty mundane, if you ask me.

I wouldn't go for a 6" .357 (BTDT). 4" is more easily handled and carried, and recoil is still manageable, IMHO. The Ruger GP100 would be my choice in that regard.

[CodeToad]

Rules, man, the rules: Gun porn required on gun threads!

Kimber Eclipse. The finish is like no other.

[Conspiracy Guy]

Good choices. I bought the 88's because they are cheap enough not to worry about banging them around. 6 shot mag is plenty. I like the Ruger Auto's because they have exposed hammers and double action combined with the decock lever makes keeping one in the chamber simpler.

[christabel]

I used to be considered a survivalist/gun nut, but after 9/11 and New Orleans my friends consider me a realist and role model.

Interesting how our view changes with a different perspective.

[AnAmericanMother]

I would prefer .308 to .30'06, just because the latter is getting harder to find but you can always get a crate of 7.62 NATO.

The "oddballs" that jumped out at me were just the ones you named, .22 Mag and the Casull.

[AnAmericanMother]

And the .270. I know that a certain gun writer was nuts about it, but it's not always easy to find.

[Disambiguator]

Ok, I'll go with that assessment.

:^)

[eXe]

Do you think at some point you could write a column on some of the basics of getting into the world of firearms? Specifically, I'm looking for tips on acquiring weapons for home defense and hunting. While I'm not a survivalist weirdo, I have no intention of waiting for any level of government to ride to the rescue, should bad times come along.

And just what is so wrong with being a "survivalist weirdo"

lol

[Bottom_Gun]

some good choices there, Mine would be different, but that is personal choice. The one thing he left out would be for first timers, or people with little experience would be to get some component instruction on the weapons of their choice!

[AnAmericanMother]

Of course, once you REALLY get into this hobby, you start reloading in a vain attempt to save money . . .

you just load MORE ammo, and start collecting all these orphan calibers and trimming and resizing other cases to fit . . .

Been there, still doing that. (Ever tried to find .455 Webley hulls? I had a terrible time until an outfit in Wisconsin started turning them down from new .45 Long Colt brass. I can trim the cases but I can't grind the rims down - the .455 rim is very thin for some reason.)

[alarm rider]

Excellent choices.