I need a shotgun for home defense and a handgun for my wife and one for me. My wife needs a small handgun but one with some punch. We will be carrying concealed of course as soon as we get our permits. Where is the best place around Lexington to buy? Also, any recommendations for model and brand is appreciated.
I need advice on where to buy a gun or three.
- Thread starter Oldblueone
- Start date
As long as you’re in Kentucky you don’t have to have a permit to conceal carry now. Not saying that getting the permit isn’t a good idea, just wasn’t sure if you were aware.
Go to Whittaker’s...good prices if you’re anywhere near Owensboro
Drive to Bardstown and go to Kentucky Gun Company. Great selection, and a wide range of rentals so you can try it at the range before purchasing it. But before any of that, I recommend a self defense/weapons course. Just my opinion on all.
Right now just about all places are price gouging on firearms and ammo. Buds Gun Shop in Lexington is the big dog. They’ve got a warehouse with A TON of inventory.....especially since they do so much online sales. Classic Firearms in Lex is a good small shop. Antique and Modern is a nice small shop as well. But there are so many places in the surrounding areas.
As far as finding pistols to carry. Buds does rentals at the range. You can rent a lane for 30 minutes (both you and your wife can share a lane, rent a pistol, and buy 2 boxes of ammo for $50.......in fact I did it earlier today. They have hundreds of pistols to rent......and you can switch pistols as often as you want within the time limit. So, you could try dozens if you want.....but if I were you I would go in with 3-4 pistols in mind, try them, and choose what you like to buy. They also have a special deal where you can try before you buy......it’s cheaper, but you don’t get much time or shots to play with.
As far as caliber, I wouldn’t worry too much. Go with 9mm for the both of you. You’ll hear debates about certain calibers being better, but 9mm is the most popular caliber in the world. Ammo is cheap. Both you and your wife shouldn’t have any trouble shooting it.....especially with practice. And if you choose the right defensive ammo (Federal HST, Speer Golds, or Hornady Critical) it is very deadly. Plus, you can buy 1 caliber that will work for both of you.....thus can share.
As far as which brands or guns to choose.....stick with the name brands. Glock, Smith and Wesson, Springfield, Sig Sauer, CZ, etc. But you can get very good guns from Ruger, Canik.
Probably the most popular and stellar choices for concealed carry are: most of these will be in the $400-600 range.
1. Glock - 43 (small, thin, light, but doesn’t hold a ton of shots....I carry this the most myself), 43x, 19 (the most popular handgun in the world.....and one that I carry the 2nd most)
2. Smith and Wesson Shield
3. Sig Sauer 365 (small, but magically holds a lot of shots for a package that small)
If need a little cheaper:
1. Ruger - SR9c
2. CZ P10c.....this might actually belong in the tier above
3. Canik TP9 compact
DO NOT be afraid to buy used. BY FAR, most people don’t shoot enough to wear out their guns.......heck, in most cases the firearms sit in safes on in the back of a closet. You better believe that if it came down to buying a used Smith and Wesson police trade in gun and a brand new crap gun......I’m taking SW without a thought.
Another thought.....though don’t get tied to this thought but it is something to think about. If you and your wife get the same pistol, you both with have familiarity with each other’s......will be able to share magazines.....share ammo......share holsters....etc.
The CCW permit is not needed unless you cross state lines as drcats mentioned. It is nice to have though. Just about any state in an 800 mile radius respects our license except Illinois. This means you can carry in Florida when you are on vacation, etc.
Also, the course is NOT designed to teach you much about firearms themselves. They will often briefly go over the parts of the gun.....and might show you how to clean it.......but the instruction is very, very brief. The shooting test is CRAZY easy.....even for rookies....again they likely will not teach you how to shoot. If you want actual firearm training there are classes everywhere and I HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend taking some classes....
....what the CCW license course does is teach you quite a bit about the legal aspects of firearms.....like can you bring a gun onto high school grounds......when to shoot during a bunch of discussed situations.......etc.
Now, onto home defense.
Why a shotgun?
If you have a lot of experience with shotguns and/or just want one, then disregard the comments that come in a second.......just buy one and forget I said anything.
Are you worried about over penetration? If you are, then don’t get a shotgun. For home defense, the best loads are 00 buck or slugs.......both will penetrate more than an AR15 round. And, yes, I said that correctly. Big, solid, slow moving projectiles penetrate more than fast and tiny ones. So, in general, pistol and shotgun rounds will penetrate more than a 5.56/223 from an AR.
Are you thinking the shot will spread thus making it easier to hit an intruder? This is a fallacy as well. Most home encounters are around 5 yards or closer.....maybe 7 yards. Most shotguns will only spread about the size of a golf or tennis ball at that range if you’re lucky. You can use bird shot which will spread more, but then you’re dropping a ton of lethality. Also, shotguns have hefty recoil......and low round count. You very likely will NOT be able to shoot as fast and as accurate as some other options. Plus you probably only have only 3-5 shots......which will be slow to reload.
Could your wife be comfortable using it for home defense? Women use shotguns a lot.....so, she could be fine......but it would better to have a home defense gun that you both can use well.
There is a reason why guns like the AR15 are so popular. They are much, much more lethal than pistols. They are usually lightweight. They will usually hold 30 rounds in a magazine.......compared to 3-5 with shotguns, or 7-15 with pistols. Like pistols they are very quick to reload. Ammo is cheap. And the biggest thing is that they are stupid easy to use. There is little recoil so repeated shots are a breeze. They are crazy accurate especially with red dot optics. Men, women, children all use they with ease. Controls are easy. Because you have 3 points of contact and long sight pictures, people are usually far more quick and accurate over pistols. They even have ARs that use 9mm ammo......so, you can have all of you guns using the same ammo.
Which brings up another point.....pistol caliber carbines. If ARs seem a bit large or scary, you can get something like a CZ Scorpion which a little personal defense weapon that uses pistol ammo. The benefits over an AR is that you gain more mobility and possibly use the same ammo as your carry pistols.....but you lose some lethality.
Once you get further we can discuss how to store everything at home...cause, I have a feeling I’ve overwhelmed.
Please, ask questions. As you can tell, I’m passionate about this stuff.
As far as finding pistols to carry. Buds does rentals at the range. You can rent a lane for 30 minutes (both you and your wife can share a lane, rent a pistol, and buy 2 boxes of ammo for $50.......in fact I did it earlier today. They have hundreds of pistols to rent......and you can switch pistols as often as you want within the time limit. So, you could try dozens if you want.....but if I were you I would go in with 3-4 pistols in mind, try them, and choose what you like to buy. They also have a special deal where you can try before you buy......it’s cheaper, but you don’t get much time or shots to play with.
As far as caliber, I wouldn’t worry too much. Go with 9mm for the both of you. You’ll hear debates about certain calibers being better, but 9mm is the most popular caliber in the world. Ammo is cheap. Both you and your wife shouldn’t have any trouble shooting it.....especially with practice. And if you choose the right defensive ammo (Federal HST, Speer Golds, or Hornady Critical) it is very deadly. Plus, you can buy 1 caliber that will work for both of you.....thus can share.
As far as which brands or guns to choose.....stick with the name brands. Glock, Smith and Wesson, Springfield, Sig Sauer, CZ, etc. But you can get very good guns from Ruger, Canik.
Probably the most popular and stellar choices for concealed carry are: most of these will be in the $400-600 range.
1. Glock - 43 (small, thin, light, but doesn’t hold a ton of shots....I carry this the most myself), 43x, 19 (the most popular handgun in the world.....and one that I carry the 2nd most)
2. Smith and Wesson Shield
3. Sig Sauer 365 (small, but magically holds a lot of shots for a package that small)
If need a little cheaper:
1. Ruger - SR9c
2. CZ P10c.....this might actually belong in the tier above
3. Canik TP9 compact
DO NOT be afraid to buy used. BY FAR, most people don’t shoot enough to wear out their guns.......heck, in most cases the firearms sit in safes on in the back of a closet. You better believe that if it came down to buying a used Smith and Wesson police trade in gun and a brand new crap gun......I’m taking SW without a thought.
Another thought.....though don’t get tied to this thought but it is something to think about. If you and your wife get the same pistol, you both with have familiarity with each other’s......will be able to share magazines.....share ammo......share holsters....etc.
The CCW permit is not needed unless you cross state lines as drcats mentioned. It is nice to have though. Just about any state in an 800 mile radius respects our license except Illinois. This means you can carry in Florida when you are on vacation, etc.
Also, the course is NOT designed to teach you much about firearms themselves. They will often briefly go over the parts of the gun.....and might show you how to clean it.......but the instruction is very, very brief. The shooting test is CRAZY easy.....even for rookies....again they likely will not teach you how to shoot. If you want actual firearm training there are classes everywhere and I HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend taking some classes....
....what the CCW license course does is teach you quite a bit about the legal aspects of firearms.....like can you bring a gun onto high school grounds......when to shoot during a bunch of discussed situations.......etc.
Now, onto home defense.
Why a shotgun?
If you have a lot of experience with shotguns and/or just want one, then disregard the comments that come in a second.......just buy one and forget I said anything.
Are you worried about over penetration? If you are, then don’t get a shotgun. For home defense, the best loads are 00 buck or slugs.......both will penetrate more than an AR15 round. And, yes, I said that correctly. Big, solid, slow moving projectiles penetrate more than fast and tiny ones. So, in general, pistol and shotgun rounds will penetrate more than a 5.56/223 from an AR.
Are you thinking the shot will spread thus making it easier to hit an intruder? This is a fallacy as well. Most home encounters are around 5 yards or closer.....maybe 7 yards. Most shotguns will only spread about the size of a golf or tennis ball at that range if you’re lucky. You can use bird shot which will spread more, but then you’re dropping a ton of lethality. Also, shotguns have hefty recoil......and low round count. You very likely will NOT be able to shoot as fast and as accurate as some other options. Plus you probably only have only 3-5 shots......which will be slow to reload.
Could your wife be comfortable using it for home defense? Women use shotguns a lot.....so, she could be fine......but it would better to have a home defense gun that you both can use well.
There is a reason why guns like the AR15 are so popular. They are much, much more lethal than pistols. They are usually lightweight. They will usually hold 30 rounds in a magazine.......compared to 3-5 with shotguns, or 7-15 with pistols. Like pistols they are very quick to reload. Ammo is cheap. And the biggest thing is that they are stupid easy to use. There is little recoil so repeated shots are a breeze. They are crazy accurate especially with red dot optics. Men, women, children all use they with ease. Controls are easy. Because you have 3 points of contact and long sight pictures, people are usually far more quick and accurate over pistols. They even have ARs that use 9mm ammo......so, you can have all of you guns using the same ammo.
Which brings up another point.....pistol caliber carbines. If ARs seem a bit large or scary, you can get something like a CZ Scorpion which a little personal defense weapon that uses pistol ammo. The benefits over an AR is that you gain more mobility and possibly use the same ammo as your carry pistols.....but you lose some lethality.
Once you get further we can discuss how to store everything at home...cause, I have a feeling I’ve overwhelmed.
Please, ask questions. As you can tell, I’m passionate about this stuff.
Go with what is comfortable to shoot for you and your wife, don’t limit yourself to what’s popular. My wife is small framed with limited upper body strength. But she is stunningly accurate with a Beretta px4 storm compact .40 caliber, I mounted a viridian green laser. Pic may not show
I would recommend a full size pistol(s) for home defense. Certainly not a bad idea to get a shotgun, but a pistol will be easier to use and train with.
You’re gonna be limited to whatever you can find in store. I’ve heard you can’t get 9mm Glocks. I know 9mm ammo is stupid right now.
Here’s a website that can help you track down some ammo. https://www.wikiarms.com/
https://www.wikiarms.com/
You’ll want good hollow points for self defense, and those won’t be cheap. TargetSports is a great place to order ammo, and they always have Federal HST or Speer Gold Dot in stock. https://www.targetsportsusa.com/spe...duty-9mm-ammo-124-grain-jhp-53618-p-3526.aspx
Ask the gun store for dummy rounds/ snap caps. You can safely learn how to operate your pistol in the comfort of your home.
You’re gonna be limited to whatever you can find in store. I’ve heard you can’t get 9mm Glocks. I know 9mm ammo is stupid right now.
Here’s a website that can help you track down some ammo. https://www.wikiarms.com/
https://www.wikiarms.com/
You’ll want good hollow points for self defense, and those won’t be cheap. TargetSports is a great place to order ammo, and they always have Federal HST or Speer Gold Dot in stock. https://www.targetsportsusa.com/spe...duty-9mm-ammo-124-grain-jhp-53618-p-3526.aspx
Ask the gun store for dummy rounds/ snap caps. You can safely learn how to operate your pistol in the comfort of your home.
I recently bought my 1st gun. Taurus 38 special, 6 rounds. Just wanting to get some feedback. A friend (who owns several guns) went with me and suggested it. He said if I had to use it, it would probably be close range. Also that the loudness should scare off most intruders, after a couple of shots.
I went to Whitakers for additional ammo and was lucky to get it. Got there just after their delivery arrived. I had been telling my friend about the large amount of gun and ammo sales nationally but he was stunned that Whitakers had such low inventory of guns and ammo.
I went to Whitakers for additional ammo and was lucky to get it. Got there just after their delivery arrived. I had been telling my friend about the large amount of gun and ammo sales nationally but he was stunned that Whitakers had such low inventory of guns and ammo.
Thanks for all the information. It sounds like he AR is the way to go for home defense. Is the AR semi automatic and is it easy to use? There are many good points that I hadn’t thought of. I’m going to look around to see where my wife and I can get some firearms training. I have around a 2000 dollar budget at the moment but can increase that some if needed. I thought the pistols would be in the 400 to 600 range each. I have no idea what a good AR would cost.
Go with what is comfortable to shoot for you and your wife, don’t limit yourself to what’s popular. My wife is small framed with limited upper body strength. But she is stunningly accurate with a Beretta px4 storm compact .40 caliber, I mounted a viridian green laser. Pic may not show
I forgot about Beretta. Very good manufacturer.
My ultra light carry gun is a SW 638 revolver in .38. I love that little thing. Taurus has come a long way. Their quality control used to be hit/miss, but they’ve gotten much better. They have the G2C (I might be off on the model) which a lot of people swear by.
But, yes, your revolver is a great “first” gun......hehe......
Just about everything you will be looking at are semi-auto.......meaning one trigger pull equals one shot. Some shotguns are semi, some aren't. Some revolvers are double action only.
You’ll actually find that ARs are probably the easiest to use out shotguns, pistols, etc......at least to start. Another reason why they’re so popular. Pistols are very easy to use, but believe it or not it's much easier to miss someone at 5-7 yards with a pistol than with an AR.
Another thing about AR's.......they all feel the same. You can pick up an AR at any price point.........any brand........and they all feel the same. In fact you can switch around parts from almost all AR's like Legos. So, if you can shoot one, you can shoot them all. You can't say this about pistols to the degree of an AR. A Glock 19, Sig 320, and a Smith/Wesson 2.0 operate the same.......break down the same.......so, yes, if you can operate one you can operate the other.......but they'll feel different. The Sig has a high sight picture and a more vertical grip......recoil will be different, etc. The Glock feels like your holding a 2x4 piece of wood. The SW will feel like it's molded to your hand, etc.
This video below is by a prominent youtube gun guy. He's a former military elite as well. The video shows a new shooter (female) shooting a variety of pistols, AR's, pistol caliber carbines (PCC), etc......and what she likes.
Here's another video where he talks about home defense weapons. He can get a little geeky with a lot of this stuff, but it's nice to hear actual facts rather than opinions.
Assuming a $2000 budget, here's a wonderful package.
1. Pistols - two S&W Shield 9mm. ~$350 each. Thus $700 total
2. AR - S&W MP15 Sport - ~$650......running total now $1350
3. Ammo - 500 rds of 9mm range ammo $120. 400-500 rds 5.56/223 range $200. Then buy some defense specific ammo.......$100-150. Running total $1820.
4. Defensive pistol class for you and wife......price ???......but you have several hundred left over within your budget.
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You can save quite a bit of money if you want. If both you and your wife have pistols and get training.......you can post pone the home defense weapon.........just use your pistols for home and public defense for a while........then, look for a larger home defense firearm later. In fact, if holding off on the AR purchase means that you and your wife can take another class or two........and get more range/practice time......then, I actually would recommend that over buying one from the get go.
It is the Indian and not the arrow. Training and practice trumps gear almost every time.
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The other reason he suggested the 38 special is that it wouldn't jam. My instinct was to get a gun with a clip with more rounds.
This is an old school way of thinking.
Early on - Revolvers have been around for a century or two.......and quickly became a reliable weapon in all conditions.
Middle era - Magazine pistols really started to come around in the early 1900's......The famed 1911 style pistol was designed around the year 1911 (hence the name). While it was issued to our troops around 1913 or so, it did have it's hiccups at first. That's why a number of troops still used revolvers in WW1. However, the reliability of single/double action magazine pistols continued to improve and by WW2 revolvers were seen less often on the battle field or in police departments.
Revolver use continued to see a decline over the decades......though, keep in mind that they still are very robust, capable, and reliable. They didn't decline in ability.....in fact, they increased in ability. It's just that other designs were getting that much better.
During this time a ton of manufacturers copied the 1911 design.
Modern Age - Gaston Glock (an Austrian curtain rod and knife manufacturer) designed a striker fired pistol in the early 80's that changed everything. He designed the predecessor to most of the modern pistols. At first, Glock pistols had their hiccups as well but once fine tuned, they ballooned in legendary status. Police departments and militaries around the globe adopted the Glock striker fired pistols. Then in the 90's and 00's, other manufacturers mass copied the Glock designs. So, when you pick up a S&W MP, or a Sig 320, or CZ P10, etc, etc, you are basically staring at a modern Glock knock off. At first, the copy cat pistols had hiccups........but they caught up in a huge hurry. Now, there isn't a huge difference in reliability among the bigger brand Glock designs.
Are modern 1911 and Striker Fired less reliable than a revolver???.....maybe slightly, but the advantages of quick reloads, larger capacities, ammo variety, better ergonomics, etc, greatly outweigh whatever tiny amount of reliability gained.
Think of it this way, almost every single military or police force in the world issues 1911 or Glock designs. I don't know of any who issue revolvers. There are some out there who use them still, but it's a very, very small amount.
I have the S&W 9mm, it does what I need i to do. Simple, easy to use, 15 rounds, two extra magazines with different type of ammo in them.
Some really good info in this thread. New advances in ammunition have really changed the game. There's some home defense shotgun rounds that are magnificent. I've got some rock salt and Carolina Reaper pepper rounds for my Mossberg 500 that has the Raptor grip.
9mm ammo has really stepped up in performance.
OP, bottom line is go take some self defense and gun classes. Go to the range and shoot every gun that strikes your fancy. Get a good feel for them, and make your choices accordingly.
The main thing is, buy what you're comfortable using. Any gun is better than no gun. But whatever you pick, shoot it a lot, and practice with your defense ammo. If you pick a semi-auto to carry, you'd best make sure it'll shoot the ammo.
Practice, practice, practice!!!!!!
9mm ammo has really stepped up in performance.
OP, bottom line is go take some self defense and gun classes. Go to the range and shoot every gun that strikes your fancy. Get a good feel for them, and make your choices accordingly.
The main thing is, buy what you're comfortable using. Any gun is better than no gun. But whatever you pick, shoot it a lot, and practice with your defense ammo. If you pick a semi-auto to carry, you'd best make sure it'll shoot the ammo.
Practice, practice, practice!!!!!!
How much are you and your wife going to train? You should take that into consideration before buying. I recommend a revolver over a pistol for people who are going to do a minimum of training. There's less chance of an "accidental/careless" shooting with a revolver. Someone mentioned most encounters will be close range. For that reason I tell new shooters to consider something like a Smith and Wesson 38 Bodyguard revolver. It's only 5 shots, but in a close up situation, 5 shots are plenty. It's very light weight and it's accurate for a small barrel weapon. Generally speaking a longer barrel weapon will be more accurate, but it's harder to conceal and a longer barrel gives an assailant something to grab if they are close by. It's also hammerless. The benefit of a small barrel is if that someone is right on top of you, the short barrel gives the assailant virtually nothing to grip at if they are trying to take your weapon or alter your aim. A 38 plus P round is more than sufficient to do the job.
BTW edit to add: In a close in situation. it is possible for someone to grab the slide on a pistol, causing the second round from not chambering. A small hammerless revolver does not have this problem.
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I have read enough of your post here to know I can trust your opinion / advice. Should I do anything to my gun if I have not fired it in say, a year or so ? Dumb question, but just wondered if I needed to clean or anything before firing it again ?
If it was cleaned before storage......and was kept in a clean place......then no. A simple inspection will be fine. You might dry fire it a few times to make sure that the action is running smooth. Also check you ammo to be sure it hasn't corroded, etc.
If I fire a gun at all, I clean it. I'm just obsessive that way, but in all honesty you don't have to clean that often.....especially with modern firearms. Modern firearms are much more resistant to corrosion and wear than ever before. Modern ammo also is cleaner and less corrosive than ever before. Many professionals say that you don't have to clean a gun except for after several hundred rounds......but that there's no harm in too much cleaning.
It's like in automobiles. Back in the day they used to recommend changing the oil every couple months or every 2-3,000 miles. Now there are cars that don't require a change >12-15,000 miles.
Rural King sells guns at reasonable prices, They have free FFL transfers.
Closest one would be Winchester.
Smith and Wesson Bodyguard (or Taurus) 38 special maybe simpler to use for your wife.
Not sure why they think I'd buy this, but they sent it to my email.
https://www.rkguns.com/colt-1877-bu...2020&utm_content=2020-06-27+Colt+1877+Bulldog
Closest one would be Winchester.
Smith and Wesson Bodyguard (or Taurus) 38 special maybe simpler to use for your wife.
Not sure why they think I'd buy this, but they sent it to my email.
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Good luck. It is sparse.
Your money is almost always better spent getting a basic, quality firearm like a Glock/S&W/Etc (they're all generally good except Taurus -- those are pieces of ****) then investing in good training and ammo to get halfway decent. It is shockingly easy to miss with a handgun at short distances under stress.
If you're in KY, these guys are the best. Former green berets so they know how to train people fast on the basics.
http://www.tacticalrifleman.com/
Your money is almost always better spent getting a basic, quality firearm like a Glock/S&W/Etc (they're all generally good except Taurus -- those are pieces of ****) then investing in good training and ammo to get halfway decent. It is shockingly easy to miss with a handgun at short distances under stress.
If you're in KY, these guys are the best. Former green berets so they know how to train people fast on the basics.
http://www.tacticalrifleman.com/
A couple more thoughts to consider if you are going to have limited training time: Close civilian type situations average 3 rounds fired. A real shoot out situation where lots of rounds are fired is unlikely. I don't know how strong your wife is, but there is no limp wristing with a revolver.
https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2015/10/8/why-choose-a-wheelgun/
The AR will probably be the easiest of anything you use. Easy to learn how to shoot, easy to break down for cleaning and very low recoil meaning not much shock to absorb. For indoor use as Raider said you will be close range so sight picture will not be a big deal but, if you decide to get in some distance shooting for fun, learn how to take up proper sight pictures (Iron sights) and adjustment of sight by just googling it and finding out how to adjust the sight. In this situation you and your wife will most likely have different settings for the sights.
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Agree with Taurus quality improvement. Have a Taurus 9mm that my wife uses which is OK but too small for my hands (I can palm a basketball) so, I have a Taurus 1911 style 45 as my easy to reach home defense pistol (among others) and it is my heavy punch pistol. Have Rugers, a Glock .40, a Rossi .38 revolver but my favorite is the .45 (old army habit I suppose).
I got that email also. $60k. i might get one for the front porch and one for the deck out back.Rural King sells guns at reasonable prices, They have free FFL transfers.
Closest one would be Winchester.
Smith and Wesson Bodyguard (or Taurus) 38 special maybe simpler to use for your wife.
Not sure why they think I'd buy this, but they sent it to my email.
https://www.rkguns.com/colt-1877-bu...2020&utm_content=2020-06-27+Colt+1877+Bulldog
Don’t go into a store and pay full price for a gun that’s going to be put into your name. Get on www.armslist.com hit the search bar and narrow it down to Kentucky and whatever city is closest to you. **** a gun store
Kentucky Gun Co.
Easy drive over to Bardstown and it's right off the Parkway. Very good friends with the owner, they're great people.
Easy drive over to Bardstown and it's right off the Parkway. Very good friends with the owner, they're great people.
And few weeks before that was a flamethrower.
https://www.rkguns.com/exothermic-technologies-pulsefire-lrt-flamethrower-pf-lrt.html
Is the S&W shield 9mm full size or is it the compact size that is supposed to be the size of your hand? I went to Buds yesterday but there were about 75 people in there. I didn’t get a chance to speak to anyone. I didn’t see one Glock in the store or their online listings. There must be a shortage on them. My uncle has a Glock 43 and loves it.
The Shield is more compact. It’s not super small, but it’s good for carry/conceal. Smaller guns tend to be harder to hold and recoil more due to having less mass. However they are lighter and much more easy/comfortable to carry. Also, S&W does make pistols with safeties. I recommend not getting a safety. If you do some personal and professional training it won’t matter. It just complicates defending yourself by adding another step.
You might be hard pressed to find something right now. The US has posted record sales since Covid began. Ammo and firearms are selling everywhere and with inflated prices.
I have a three methods of carry.
1. Ultra light - S&W 638 revolver in .38 special. I can pocket carry, inside waist band (IWB), or ankle
2. Light - Glock 43. IWB holster. I bought this before the Sig 365, Glock 43x, Springfield Hellcat came out.
3. Medium - Glock 19 or 23.
if I need heavier, I carry more mags.
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Be honest with yourself about how much training you will do. I was in charge of the firing range at a small radar station in Viet Nam. All the ammo you wanted was free for practice, but people never practiced. Things tend to get in the way and you wind up not doing it unless you are dedicated.
So, very much of training doesn’t happen at the range. From the comfort of your home you can practice grip, trigger control, drawing, stance, scenarios, etc. No money, no time limits, etc.
If you get a shield, you probably want to make sure to get one without a grip safety if you are not an experienced shooter. It sounds good in theory to have an extra safety but in my experience most people are more likely to not grip the gun hard enough every time and you get a surprising amount of times where you pull the trigger but the gun doesn't go off.
It isn't a big deal and the shield is a very good gun. Just something to consider.
It isn't a big deal and the shield is a very good gun. Just something to consider.
https://www.budsgunshop.com/mobile/product/8031/glock+g19+g4+9mm+us+15r
Their website says a Glock 19 gen4 is available at the Lexington store.
Also have 19, 17, and 45 gen5’s in stock.
https://www.budsgunshop.com/mobile/search.php/category/43
If that’s true, I would snag any one of those models. They’re all 9mm, they have full grips, easy to operate, most popular pistols on the planet. There’s a reason you can’t hardly find them now. If Bud’s has them right now, they won’t by the end of Monday.
Those are all full sized pistols, except the 19, it is technically a “compact”, about a half inch shorter than a 17. You can carry it if you want to, It’s just not as easy as the really small pistols like the shield or 43. It’s a lot easier to shoot, and holds a lot more rounds. If you need one pistol right now, a 19 is hard to beat.
Glocks cost $500 normally
Smith and Wesson Shield is around $300
Smith and Wesson MP9 (full size Glock alternative) $400ish
I saw a shield on Bud’s website for $450. I don’t care how bad you need a pistol, I would not buy that, but that’s just my opinion. I don’t believe Glock allows their pistols to be marked up like that. It’s crazy times for sure. Millions of people who thought they would never buy a gun are out buying guns.
...just wait till October/November. It will be insane.
Their website says a Glock 19 gen4 is available at the Lexington store.
Also have 19, 17, and 45 gen5’s in stock.
https://www.budsgunshop.com/mobile/search.php/category/43
If that’s true, I would snag any one of those models. They’re all 9mm, they have full grips, easy to operate, most popular pistols on the planet. There’s a reason you can’t hardly find them now. If Bud’s has them right now, they won’t by the end of Monday.
Those are all full sized pistols, except the 19, it is technically a “compact”, about a half inch shorter than a 17. You can carry it if you want to, It’s just not as easy as the really small pistols like the shield or 43. It’s a lot easier to shoot, and holds a lot more rounds. If you need one pistol right now, a 19 is hard to beat.
Glocks cost $500 normally
Smith and Wesson Shield is around $300
Smith and Wesson MP9 (full size Glock alternative) $400ish
I saw a shield on Bud’s website for $450. I don’t care how bad you need a pistol, I would not buy that, but that’s just my opinion. I don’t believe Glock allows their pistols to be marked up like that. It’s crazy times for sure. Millions of people who thought they would never buy a gun are out buying guns.
...just wait till October/November. It will be insane.
I have a Glock 19 and love it. I've got a Sig P365 and meh.
If you can find one, a Gen4 Glock 19 is (imo) the best jack of all trades pistol on the planet.
If you can find one, a Gen4 Glock 19 is (imo) the best jack of all trades pistol on the planet.
What happened with Glock? They are notoriously obstinate (which I appreciate) but lately they appear to be focused on new models that don't appear to make much sense when the Glock 19, etc really can't be improved upon until there's a laser hand cannon or something.
The gen5 came about to meet military specifications for their new pistol trials, iirc. It does have an improved trigger for sure, and they changed the barrel to get a bit more accuracy. I’m a believer in them.
Sig won that military contract with the 320/m17 and has probably taken some money away from Glock. The 365 looks like the most revolutionary pistol for CCW. Glock made the 43x and 48 to compete with the 365, but it’s hardly the same in terms of size/capacity.
Of course, Sig 320’s are still accidentally going off and shooting people.
https://www.unionleader.com/news/co...cle_63c8f130-af21-5eb0-b67d-c12943be8493.html
Sig won that military contract with the 320/m17 and has probably taken some money away from Glock. The 365 looks like the most revolutionary pistol for CCW. Glock made the 43x and 48 to compete with the 365, but it’s hardly the same in terms of size/capacity.
Of course, Sig 320’s are still accidentally going off and shooting people.
https://www.unionleader.com/news/co...cle_63c8f130-af21-5eb0-b67d-c12943be8493.html