Posted on 06/17/2007 9:17:16 AM PDT by Silly
I checked Consumer Reports online today, to see if they evaluated guns. They do not. (I was not surprised.)
Is there an independent product firm that tests, evaluates and rates guns for consumers? (I realize there are magazines that do there own evaluations; would not mind some recommendations of that sort as well.)
I'm starting to educate myself about guns, and learn everything I can. I'd like to be as well informed as possible, and well trained. Am also doing research into makes, models, construction, etc. Very interesting. And a lot to know.
Ciao,
There is a “Consumer Reports” for guns.
It’s called “Free Republic”.
Fire away!
By the way, I am happy to hear about your favorite brands, models, and recommendations. Right now I’m interested in handguns rather than rifles.
And I have no preference for country of manufacture. The very little I have read about the Beretta brand impresses me; I also like the look of their handguns.
Ideally, I would like to one a couple handguns and (eventually) one or two rifles, that’s all. Don’t plan to start a collection (famous last words), so what I purchase I want to be versatile. I intend to learn how to properly care for them in such a way that they hold their value.
So I will also consider a gun’s ability to hold its value over the years. I am impressed with how people can own and care for a firearm over a long period, then sell it for a good price.
gun-tests.com
Start with Boston’s Gun Bible.
The absolutely most useful starting point for someone new to guns.
And Freepmail me any time you have specific questions.
www.thehighroad.org
www.thefiringline.com
Note that most of the gun mags will “rah-rah” for just about anything.
Which is OK, because pretty much everything out there is pretty darn good, if you are buying the right gun for the right use.
Glock 23C in the nightstand - Glock 26 for carry.
If you want a versatile handgun, get a Ruger GP-100 with the 4” barrel in stainless steel (Catalog # KGP-141).
There is a reason they are so popular.
http://ruger-firearms.com/Firearms/FAProdView?model=1705&return=Y
Who does?
Doubtless, this thread will balloon to a couple of hundred posts in a very short period...
I like
AR15.com and
Glocktalk.com
and
thefiringline.com
Here's the free advice part: go down to your local indoor range and rent a bunch of different ones -- revolvers, semi-autos, big ones, small ones etc. Of course, do this after you've taken the NRA pistol class, or something similar. While you're doing this, ask yourself what you're going to buy the gun for -- home defense, target shooting, plinking, CCW etc. You'll narrow down the list pretty quick based on your own experience, which is surely the best guide. IMHO, the most important thing is reliability, followed by getting a pistola with a good trigger. Everything else you can work with...
GUN TESTS 1-800-829-9084 I believe it’s only available by subscription. They accept no advertising. I’ve found their reviews unbiased and very useful.
Most of the rags fell out of favor years ago because the writers are pimp scumbags. There are some exceptions with Varmint Hunter being about the best.
Websites replaced the need for gunrags years ago. Depending on what you are looking for these are pretty good.
Rifles - http://www.24hourcampfire.com/
Handguns - http://www.thefiringline.com/
Rimfire stuff - http://www.rimfirecentral.com/
The other is Gun Tests (no advertising, supported by subscription only) P.O. Box 420189, Palm Coast, FL 32142-9947 They evaluate guns in a professional manner without the ra-ra found in a lot of other sources such as American Rifleman and Guns and Ammo. They will flat out tell you not to buy something.
The best source is a good gun store.
Perhaps, but that hasn’t been my experience. Their criticisms tend to be very specific.
Trust me. You don't plan on it. It just sort of happens.
(Lurker said as he's thumbing through catalogs for a second gun safe.)
Here's my recommendations.
1st handgun: .357 Revolver. Brands: Taurus, S & W, Colt.
2nd handgun: .22 Semi-Auto. Brands: Ruger, Browning.
1st rifle: .308 Bolt Action. Brands: Remington, Winchester, Savage, Ruger.
2nd Rifle: AR-15 clone. Brands: Rock River, Bushmanster, Colt.
3rd Rifle (It will happen): .22 semi-auto. Brands: Ruger, Marlin, Remington, Winchester. That'll get you started.
Have fun my friend.
L
That Ruger looks like a nice, simple gun — no nonsense design.
However, for some reason I want to avoid revolvers. Can’t tell you why, exactly — probably (in part) because of the look. I realize that’s not necessarily logical, but there you go.
Something about the magazine-loaded handguns appeals to me. Seems more modern and efficient, I guess (though again, I don’t have enough knowledge to be sure).
I’ll probably get a compact and a sub-compact handgun. Beretta has some nice choices. Anyone have opinions about that brand?
Great advice. Magazines and web sites give you info on reliability and quality - but the true test is how the gun feels and works (within your comfort level for mechanics). That is different for every shooter.
LOL!
I have more than a dozen hand guns, different manufactures, I like them all, but this business is more shoes, fit matters, than guns, at least in the beginning.
How versatile could anything be with only a four inch barrel? I can see for self protection at close range, other than that, useless.
MODEL 44 TEN .45/.410 (2.5" chamber) BLUE REVOLVER WITH FIBER OPTIC SIGHT
From Wife & Son
One thing to remember is that a gun that might be perfect for someone else might not be right for you and vice-versa. You should take a gun safety class. You will learn a lot of things that will make a difference. There are things that are obvious once you think about them but one might not think about — for example, if you have really big hands, some of the smaller handguns might fit awkwardly in your hands. If you have smallish hands, a bulky gun might not fit well in your hands (it won’t point naturally and you will have to stretch for the trigger). If you take a good class, they will demonstrate to you exactly how a gun should fit in your hands so later when you choose what gun to buy you will know whether it is a good candidate just by whether you can pick the gun up easily or whether you have to keep shifting it in your hands to point the gun properly and reach the trigger. If you have to go through forced motions, then you are doing something wrong or the gun does not fit well.
What a beauty! Great gift!
Yes, they are overpriced and known for cracking and failing slides.
Gun Tests is a good magazines..there are many interet forums where you can ask questions and get good answers.
www.gunforums.com
www.paxbaculum.com
www.warriortalk.com
www.combatcarry.com
These are all good places to get good info, and we can all help you to the best of our abilities.
Personally, after carrying and owning dozens of different types of defensive handguns, I’ve pretty much settled on the glock...although I am intrigued by the walther P-99
LOL!
Lucky you!
...my brandy-new varmit gun (life of a farm, ya know...)
Ditto.
They ain't sexy, but you can't get that kind of function and reliablility out of the box from ANY other handgun I'm familiar with.
Funny you should mention that. I was reading about Berettas in a couple of forums today, and heard complaints about cracking. I’m such a sucker for the look — I’ll have to be very careful and not let that inform my choices too heavily.
The Titanium or Inox Beretta Tomcat might be less likely to crack because of the metal used. But I’ll be very careful about considering a Beretta, no matter how hot I think they look.
Glocks for some reason don’t interest me. Too bulky looking. But maybe I haven’t see their full range of models. I’ll do some viewing online.
.32 automatic is usually considered too small to be an effective defense caliber.
You would be surprised. A four inch barrel affords a pretty good sight radius, which translates to reasonable accuracy at ranges out to 50 yds. You could use it to hunt deer in a pinch.
I’ve had a six inch .357, and it was too cumbersome to carry. The four inch barrel is a nice balance of accuracy and portability. It looks more proportional, too.
truthfully, if you’ve seen one glock, you’ve seen them all. You don’t buy them for their looks, that’s for sure!
Evwerything posted so far has been excelent advise.
The one piece that I can give you, If you decide to take the time, expence and effort to legaly carry a fire arm is; Friends don’t let friends carry mouse guns.
Like the ad for a gun maker says, bring enough gun..
Autos are fine, as long as you are willing to put in more training and practice time, as they are more complicated than revolvers, and more prone to malfunction. They also tend to be more expensive.
I’m an instructor, and we instructors ususally recommend double-action revolvers as “starter” guns because of their simplicity of operation.
The bottom line, though, is to get what you like and what works best for your situation.
I'm partial to Sig Sauers. Why you ask? I can't answer that other than maybe its because the first handgun I ever aquired was given to me by my dad and it was a Sig P226.
I have a number of handguns now, several I bought for carry purposes and the rest inherited after my dad died but the P226 is my fave......
Good, practical advice is to find a range that rents. A much better idea is to buy one of each. I'm doing my best.
I used to subscribe to CR until they ran an article evaluating birth control methods and had abortion in there as an option. In my kiss-off letter to them I brought up the fact that if they are truly “objective” as they claim to be, why don’t they ever evaluate guns?
The sights are useless and with the small grip if I am not careful, the slide will nail me right at the base of my thumb.
Shoot your eye out, kid.
Don’t get a small gun unless you a ready for the recoil. I second the motion to rent a few at your local range and then decide.
I also suggest a .357 revolver to learn with .38s and then graduate up.
Glock is my other choice for your second should you desire a semi-auto.
My wife started with a .38 Airweight (hated it) went to a Glock 19 (which she likes) and finally to a Tomcat, which she carries.
First get the training.
ping for later
It's really funny to watch how the human mind makes decisions like what kind of gun one likes or doesn't like. I think many people select a product because it was the first one they looked at, before they knew much, and then after that their mind sort of led them back to what looked familiar.
One thing is for sure, gun training and ownership and serious enough that one does want to make good decisions.
Here's a lovely Luger. A steal at $4,000. And for only twice the price, you can buy a matched set.
Another good practical piece of advice is don't forget a gun is no better than its trigger. You should be able to take an empty gun, look at it from the side as you are slowly and smoothly squeezing the trigger... and have absolutely no idea what makes it finally go "click."
No grinding feeling on your trigger finger, no increase in pressure you have to get over, nothing. It should be as smooth as snapping a glass rod, because anything that changes the stroke of your finger will change your point of aim just before it goes off.
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