Like automobiles everyone has an opinion about guns, So the best advice I can give you is to shoot a few guns and decide what you like, DO NOT buy a cheap gun, stay far away from off-brands. If your life depends on it go with something trusted. For the most part I agree with some of the prior opinions. There are two types of guns, those that are pretty an fun to shoot, and those specificaly designed to kill people. I also was in the military and have a large gun collection and have shot just about all weapons. I haveeven made a trip or two to **** Hill , TN (gun lovers will understand). I love my Glocks but they will not shoot cheap ammo, nor do the have a practical safety. They are designed to be a combat gun, just like the 1911. I have a few AR's, but if my life depended on it I would take an AK, before everyone chimes in, just remember AK-47's have killed more people in the world than almost all other guns combined, they will not jam under any condition. I have seen more FIN FAL's jam than any other combat rifle, they are suppose to be the elite weapons, butI would take a M1, or a Mini 14 all day long over the FINFAL's. I have not shot the XD 40 but I have some reliable friends that tell me it is a real nice gun. Getting side tracked...I will get to the point, If you ever had to pull the gun out, It 100% has to shoot every time. Everything else is trivial. I dont like rugers P series becasue the handle is to big for my hand they do shoot pretty good though, I love the Glock stardard series, but hate the sub compacts because of the handle. I like thenight sites on my Sig 226 but the gun is so heavy. I dont like the sights on the beretta F92(that I used) But the gun shot pretty nice, was a little long for me on the pull. I like the wheel S&W and the old Auto's like the 915, 4606. The S&W sigma's had the worst trigger pull of any gun I have ever shot in a long time. I have a H&K USP that has the best trigger I have ever pulled, but it is almost borderline dangerous for a novice. Point is you can find any like or dislike on a gun, but if its truley 100% reliable that's all you need.

 

You guys are WAAAAAAY more into this than I am. I pretty much have guns to get me out of a 30 yard fight. Probably more like 10 foot fight. Past that, I'm running, and if I'm walking INTO a firefight, I'll bring my shotgun. Now if I even needed to defend my house again a Zombie invasion, I'd like to have an AK-47, but since I think they are illegal to own ( aren't they? ), I'll just have to use my shotgun

Where the hell is Jengel? He does this stuff for a LIVING for cryin out loud !!

 

theres nothing illegal bout owning an ak. I think its funny with the AR 15s and their pre ban and post ban ones where you can't have a banana in it, come on, whos gonna walk up to ya and ask to see if its pre or post ban.

For home defense a sub compact like an mp5 makes the most sense, low recoil, can use fragmenting rounds, you don't want your 7.62 from your ak gong into your neighbors house. I have gun in just about every room in my house, all the shotguns have hollow point slugs in em.

 

An AK is perfectly legal to own... at least where I live, as long as it's only a Semi-Auto... Unless you have a Class 3 FFL. Then you can pretty much have whatever the hell you want. And I also do the gun thing for a living... in all 3 of my jobs! Two of which involve walking, if not running, TOWARDS the firefight

 

That is what I mean, the AK fully automatic version. That's the one that's illegal.

As far as asking about Jengel, he's a full time gunsmith, that's why I was looking for his opinion. ( not that anyone elses isn't any good.)

 

Mayfair we are rednecks, we love our trucks, beer, woman and guns. In no particular order.

 

Well, living in the city like I do I don't dare even try to call myself a redneck, but I will share with you MY observation on the whole gun thing. PLEASE understand that I am NOT trying to put anyone down one way or the other. Ok?

Living here in the city, I've actually seen, and heard about more than my fair share of killings. PEOPLE killings, not deer killings. What blows me away is that most of the people killing people are city folk who don't really care WHAT kinda gun they use, as long as they can get one. I'd say ( and I think I'm pretty accurate ) that most of these people killed were killed with a 9mm or smaller calliber bullet.

Now then, you roll on out to the country, and you have people who know absolutely everything there is to know about a gun. How a bullet is made, what kind of metal a gun is made from, what caliber gun shot so and so hole, ect ect, and yet I'd say that the percentage from country folk killed by a gun versus city folk killed by guns is barely even a drop in the bucket.

I guess what I'm trying to say is who gives a rats *** about the size, style, caliber of a bullet as long as it gets the job done, in this case killing someone. What is the purpose of these hand cannons that people feel are necessary to carry? I feel just as safe with my derringer as I do with my Sig, or my 38 Smith revolver.

I dunno ... that's just my observation. What do you think?

 

The only reason I like my .45's and .44's is because I've heard of .38SPL+P ammo not even penetrating a rib cage. If I'm gonna be put in a situation where it's either the criminal or me, I'm gonna choose me everytime and make sure the @$$hole doesn't get back up... that may just be my Wyoming roots.
One more thing I wanna throw in; I live in the most populated city in Wyoming... The biggest of the big cities, Casper. Population: 60,000.

 

Mayfair you have truly answered one of the most often argued issues among gun owners, my friend.

My answer to that question goes like this, "Any gun will kill ya, it's all about you putting the bullet in the right spot."

What gun should you carry?

The one that fires the largest round, at the highest velocity, that YOU feel you can comfortably control.

It doesn't have to drive tacks at 50 yds, it has to shoot to point of aim at 20 yds or less and keep those bullets on a 10" plate. Anything beyond that is bragging rights.

 

Cumminalong has a great point. My .45 don't mean a damn thing if I can't hit what I'm aiming at, and more than a few people have been killed by a .22LR.