San Diego Housing Bubble News and Analysis

I got out of my P.E. requirement in college by taking 2 years of rifle classes. That was fun, especially after a long day. Man, more and more people are buying guns these days. I don't blame folks for doing it.

SDR: You haven't lived till you've fired old "Ma Deuce", the Browning M2 .50cal. Second most fun thing you can do without taking your clothes off (first most fun thing is jumping out of an airplane, another activity I highly recommend).

Any thoughts on what handgun you're going to buy? Let me know if you need any recommendations, and I'd be happy to help.

You know: Firearm most often used by Raider fans in the commission of a crime sort of thing.

Your posts always crack me up Allan. No clue of the handgun type yet. Like I said I want to bring my wife because she is interested as well. She has a little 38 that I brought to the lesson. It is a taurus (605? or 603) but the hammer did not stay in place for single action. (I just learned that tonite by the way)

Anyways she likes that handgun. I am not sure what I like. The lesson only used a 357 and that was just pure fun. I asked a couple of engineer buddies and they each have a 9mm beretta semi automatic. Sorry if I spelled that wrong.

Yeah any recommendations will be gladly taken. Remember I am just learning but what I will do is go down and try them out at the range and see what I like.

Seems like if there is THE BUSINESS to be in right now is firearms sales, training, ammo, pretty much anything to do with them is raging right now.

FLU two years worth of classes sound pretty nice.

SDR: My recommendation, especially if this is your first handgun, is to go with a .357 revolver in stainless steel. Why a revolver? Mechanically simpler and thus less prone to error. Semi automatics are more complex and, depending on the make and model, can be trickier to handle and fire. Stainless steel is a "no muss, no fuss" finish and easier to maintain than a blued steel finish.

Buying a .357 allows you to shoot .38 Special (which is generally cheaper) as well. I do recommend shooting .357 Magnum ammunition on the range regularly if you're planning to use it for home defense (which I don't recommend).

I've owned a couple of .357s in my day and would strongly recommend the Ruger GP100 and Smith & Wesson Model 686 and in either 4" or 6" barrel lengths. The longer the barrel, the more accurate the weapon. Both of these are sturdy, workhorse-type revolvers and will last you years, if properly maintained. I shot about 25,000 rounds through the Smith before it gave up the ghost.

Pretty much exactly what the instructor said. He said that if he was on an island and could only take one handgun with him he would take the 357 exactly because of what what you said, reliability, ease of use, and easy to take care of. Also he mention the ammo for 38's like you said.

I assume you are negging it for home defense because it is not a semi auto?

SDR: Nope, actually not. I don't recommend guns for home defense at all. That might sound strange, coming from an avowed gun person, but, statistically speaking, your own gun is more likely to be used against you during a burglary. If you have kids, you're really playing with fire in terms of keeping a loaded weapon in the house.

I own a good number of guns and I keep them all locked up in my safe. I store my ammo separately, and neither of my kids know where it is. For protection against burglars, I have a nice 10" SOG survival knife (which I keep out of sight, but close by the bed) and I'm willing to bet Mr. Burglar will be dead before he knows I'm there. Nice thing about knives is that they never run out of ammo, never misfire or jam and, in the right hands, are absolutely lethal close in.

If you do decide to keep a gun for home defense, discuss 12ga shotguns with your instructor and see if he offers training with them. You can pick up an excellent Mossberg or Remington 12ga from your local gun store (don't buy at Big 5, please) and relatively inexpensively. Extremely intimidating weapon and devastating at close range.

Any handgun that lasts 25,000 rounds reliably you can't really beat. If going for a semi-auto I would check out the Springfield xD. Fun, accurate, reliable and easy to use and clean. 9mm is cheap to shoot but 0.40 is only slightly less cheap and has good stopping power.

Hmmm... knives can just as easily be used against you in a burglary if not easier since they are much more pick up usable than a random gun. I have a host of knives around the house and my faith in them as HD weapons is that I am better trained than anyone who tries to hurt me with them.

Guns are also way better in case of zombie attacks!

SD R,
You are out of the club now! Might as well start picking out your Xmas tree.
sdr

To this day I can't understand why so few people will admit to enjoying shooting a quality .22 target pistol.

I have zero training and can easily hold a 40mm pattern at fifty feet. What's not to like? Very, very few people can do that with a .45, not too many with a 9.

For the phallically challenged, the only answer is overcompensation.

And a splitting maul does a fine job as a cutting implement. Matches my Husky 395xp slabbing saw nicely. There is a time and a place for a suitable application of power. The range ain't it.

heheheheheh. good one sdr....

My wife is prepping me for the move back to texas as we speak. This is step one of the great brain washing.

CostaMesa: I have a nice Ruger MkII in .22 with a heavy target barrel that I love to shoot (it's also nearly the same weapon we used in the Army for sentry "removal", sans the suppressor).

As far as "suitable application of power", I shoot a variety of pistols and my shotgun and my Garand on the range for enjoyment and to stay proficient. It doesn't have dick to do with a "suitable application of power". For that, I'd call in my AC130K Spectre. You know, the one I've got parked behind my garage. For the phallically challenged, it's the only way to fly!

By the way, what's a 40mm pattern at fifty feet? I've been shooting since I was a kid and have to say, I have no idea what the hell you're talking about.

SDR: They're gonna love you in Texas! My wife is from Houston and her folks live in Kerrville. They love their guns in Texas. Along with the Cowboys, Chevy trucks and BBQ. Make sure you bring plenty of Chargers gear to wear when you're out. Especially if you're out in Dallas. Yup. They'll just love you for it.

Nost: Nice. Nothing like a little Quentin Tarantino right before bed time. Danny Trejo rocks. I like the idea of mounting a mini-gun on a motorcycle.

Ok, too funny. I was at the Oceanside indoor shooting range on Tuesday night SDR, were you there too? That place is SO busy right now. I have a S&W 357 686. It is my first handgun and I have always shot rifles so I've been going to that indoor range recently to practice with it. I rented a lot of handguns at that range and practiced before deciding on it.

Allan - is a 40mm circle that the pattern (sorry, grouping) fits in that complicated? Maybe it's easier if I say something like 1-5/8"?

I don't claim to be a gun nut. I just think that too many gun nuts are obviously grossly overcompensating for their perceived inadequacies.

Allan I can't believe you said that. You have no idea how many times I've said those (almost) exact words. My only difference was I said it was the MOST fun I've had with my clothes on (I've not jumped out of a perfectly good airplane yet). I'm also a big fan of the SAW, although I shoot left handed and the cloud of spent cartridges and belt clips being ejected into my field of vision can be a bit of a distraction.

I'm surprised your S&W gave up the ghost after only 25,000 rounds. I've seen some the pros use with more than 100,000 rounds through them and they're still going strong. You sure what went wrong with it wasn't fixable? Almost everything on those guns is repairable/replaceable, even the frame (new serial # of course).

As for the OP, totally agree with you SDR, and when I move to Maryland this summer I'm planning to teach my wife to shoot as well. She's terrified of my gun collection right now, but I have a feeling once she's more comfortable with them she'll feel a little differently.

As for home defense I kinda like the scary dog option. Nothing like a snarling animal that moves a lot faster than you do to instill fear. The burglar doesn't need to know that the dog just wants to lick them to death.

NavyDoc: The M249 came after my time. I loved the M-60A3 (with the shortened barrel and foregrip), which was sort of the forerunner to the SAW.

I fired way too many 125gr JHPs and JSPs out of my Smith and eventually wrecked the forcing cone (which was why experts recommended NOT firing a lot of 125gr). I suppose those hot loaded 158s didn't help, either.

I don't know if you ever had the opportunity, but we also had "liberated" a 20mm AA gun that we used for perimeter defense (in concert with the .50cal). That thing was waaaaaay fun to shoot.

CostaMesa: As opposed to those gun aficionados who just like to shoot?

I've been shooting on ranges and competitively since I was 10. My dad was a former Marine DI, so shooting was part of my life from a very young age. I was also taught that a gun is nothing more than a tool and not to mythologize it or its powers.

I would agree that there are folks out there that are probably overcompensating, but most of the people that I see at my range are there for the same reasons that I am.

I have to ask. Do any of you consider buying a vehicle with bullet resistant glass and armor plating?

I gave serious consideration to this at one time when i was spending a lot of time in L.A.

While bullet proof vest/clothes are great for the body, what protects your head?.. Or is it generally because most people are a lousy shot and would miss the head?

Based upon this thread my only need for bulletproof clothing will be at the nex meet-up;)

Somehow, the snarling 15lb cat doesnt quiet get the same reaction, so I guess I am SOL. He does have the same intended purposes as your dog though.

(How many licks does it take to get to the center of a burgler? Bet that cat would love to find out.)

I've driven armor plated Ford Explorers and Chevy Suburbans. Though it doesn't really seem like they are plated, more like a heavy box within the body of the vehicle. It really weighs down the vehicle and makes you feel like you have to squeeze in the car as the box that you are in takes away a lot of interior space.

a lot of people have a hard time accepting that shooting is actually fun!

James I think that alot of people that would have a hard time accepting that shooting a gun is fun are those that have never tried it. I had never tried it and to me it was fun, very fun. I saw quite a mix of people there as well, men and women of all ages. Now I think I do agree that of those who try it, yeah they may not go out and do it again but I think it would dispell some of the mystery/fear around guns.

People think NRA guys are crazy right wing whackos when they say stuff like guns don't kill people, people kill people. Except that it is true. There is yet to be a documented case of a gun killing a human on it's own.

Now without proper care and storage can a gun be lethal? Of course. So can a bottle of draino that I have under my kitchen sink. So can the electrical outlets on the walls of my home. My point is that the potential for danger, especially to toddlers and kids is everywhere. When not properly cared for yes a gun will fall into the wrong hands and kill someone. I firmly believe that.

Another sidebar is it also gave me a sense of empowerment. Not because I was handling a weapon but just learning the very basics about a handgun and how it works. Even if you never use one in your life I don't think it is a very bad idea to learn about them.

Alot of engineers I work with took real estate classes. Not to be an agent but simply to learn more about it for thier own knowledge.

*****

CBAD I went to the American Shooting Center in Kearny Mesa last night.

*****

SDR: Nice post. As an avid shooter, I've put up with all of the name-calling that goes with it. I take precautions, I'm careful with my kids and I've taught them gun safety and most of all, to respect what guns can do.

I agree with my dad's assertion that a gun is nothing more than a tool and not to attach any emotions, good or bad, to it.

I use to shoot competitive shotgun when I was in high school (sporting clays, trap and skeet). I used my dad's old 1950s Browning over and under (he bought it in a PX in Korea in 1951 for $75.00) and I would routinely beat guys older than me shooting $10k and $15k shotguns. I was all of 14 when I started competing and it did amazing things for my confidence and at a really key age (my teenage years) in my life.