new guy with questions.

[DylanPowell]

im not sure if this is where im suppose to post this so please correct me if im wrong. Ive been looking into a new gun and there are 3 types on my list. i will get them all sooner or later, but which one should i buy first? the choices are a good bolt action rifle in 308 in case i need to do some long range shooting, some sort of AR 15 i would need help selecting which one, or a new pistol glock, springfield XD, or 1911. the bolt action and AR will be used for hunting, and the pistol for home defense. i already have a shotgun for home defense but i want a pistol. as for the bolt action i want synthetic, and was looking at scout rifles. which bolt guns your favorite? and whats your favorite AR?

[tombogan03884]

Can't really say with out a little more info, will you be the only one shooting the pistol ? (I favor 1911 in .45 ACP or Glock)
What type of game are you dealing with, how deep are your pockets ?
I assure you that any fire arm since the "hand gunne" will find a supporter on this forum.
I would recommend something between a used 22 and a new Barrett.
Then of course there is THIS, although it may be a tad heavy for hunting ;

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7273185959068799190#

[tfr270]

Well, what are you planning to do the most of in the first place? Do you hunt? Or is this for personal/home defense/ccw? If you hunt go with the .308 first as it will serve that purpose. If you want the defense option the .308 will be hard to deploy quickly vs a Glock 21. The AR platform is more of a cool factor to me (yes, I want one, it's on my list, but other guns come first).

Semi Auto Pistols don't come much more simple than the Glock. I'd love to have one but they just don't fit. I can shoot one, but the grip just doesn't fit. XD's are great pistols and the XD45 compact is on my list. 1911's are way cool, I have one and I love it. Hard to clean at first but it gets easier with practice.

So, ask yourself what your intended use is, what purpose is this new gun going to fulfill, and you'll answer your own questions.

[JSC3ATLCSO]

1st welcome to the forum.

2nd more info would be nice for recommendations

3 with the info given - answers as follows.

  a.  I'd also buy the hand gun first.  Pretty much all of the poly framed hand guns are simple and reliable.  I prefer Walther P99's for the unique mag release and Decock feature on a Striker fired weapon.  It goes against every fiber of my being to type the next sentance though.  Glock has some sort of corner on the market for all accessories.  If it isn't 1911 it is Glock.  XD and M&P are getting more popular but Walther is probably below those two by a ways.  I still like them and I'll deal with the lack of accessories.

After the hand gun I'm not sure if there is a priority in the rifles, but if it were me I'd get the semi-auto first.

  b.  My thoughts are if you are set on a 308 bolt rifle I'd consider a 308 semi-auto like the AR10 or M1a.  Especially the AR10 again against my genetic makeup the AR platform is going to be more versitle than the M1a.  I personally have an M1a on order.  That is my preference is all.  M1a's have plenty of aftermarket parts for them but they are limited compared to the AR platform.  The also the AR you could use the Lower and buy an upper in several different calibers .223 etc....

  c.  Bolt rifle.  I have had very good luck with my Weatherby Vangard in .30-06 which they also come in several calibers including 308.  All of the modern vangards have synthetic stocks and you can get it in blued or stainless barrels.  The Weatherby Vangard is made by HOWA w/ Weatherby's specs.  So if you don't care you could look for a HOWA 1500 or and S&W 1500 (?) they are all the same rifle except the Weatherby has the 3 port Bolt in case of a case rupture it is suppose to vent the overpressure to the side of the gun.  (A Weatherby Feature)  Once again in the Bolt rifle world the Remington 700 is King of the Aftermarkets with Savage and Winchester closely behind.


Hope something in the Long A** post is useful.

J

[WatchManUSA]

Welcome to the forum!

In general, since I assume you are are a new gun nut, you really need to shoot some guns before you buy.  I work part time selling guns at a gun shop and I advise new buyers to make sure the get some basic gun training and to shoot the guns you are interested in before you buy anything.  I'll sell them a gun if they really just want to buy. 
Many gun shops offer entry level classes on handgun basics and a class on rifle basics.  They go over the basic types of guns, care & feeding, safety and shooting some rounds through the different types of guns.

Look for a range or gun shop with a range that have guns to rent.  The store I work at has an indoor range with over 150 guns available to rent.  Shoot the guns you think you might want to buy.  A gun is a very personal purchase.  The gun I like may not be the gun that works for you.  Paying some money to try a gun can save you from buying a gun you may not really like.  The shop I work at will credit one gun rental fee off the price of a new gun purchase and I'm sure others will do that, too.  I can't tell you how often people change their mind on a gun purchase after they take the time to shoot.

[Sponsor]

[twyacht]

Welcome to DRTV.

Pretty good time to get an AR. (MB on his podcasts reviewed this recently) Costs will vary on your personal preferences. DPMS to the Bushmasters, and everything else in between can easily cover 800-3000 dollars.

Handguns, I would shop around, test drive different models. I like the grip angle of my M+P more than my Glock, but the Glock is a tank, and what fits you best, matches your level of experience, ease of function, safeties, etc,... Are you going to carry it? Or just have it at home? All these things can be significant when choosing a pistol platform. Caliber as well.

Rifles are as good as you are willing to invest. Weatherby, Remington, Kimber, etc,.... Plenty of them out there.

Prioritize a budget. If it were me, jumping into this situation.

I'd get an AR.
Than a pistol.
Than a bolt-rifle.

Than more training, practice, training, and practice.
Than I'd post questions here at DRTV, about "bells & whistles", accessories, optics, ammo, tactics.
Than I'd go practice that.

Glad your here, please post more, and we can assist in narrowing down some choices. Members here have everything from little pocket pistols to mega magnum hand cannons.

Entry level AR's to the I hate biilt's.... are here.

Rifles cover the spectrum, especially in .308.

Good post.

tw

[Tyler Durden]

First off, welcome to the forums!!!! 

Dylan wrote:

im not sure if this is where im suppose to post this so please correct me if im wrong. Ive been looking into a new gun and there are 3 types on my list. i will get them all sooner or later, but which one should i buy first?

I guess that all depends...on the size of your income tax refund.   

And if you're married....   

the choices are a good bolt action rifle in 308 in case i need to do some long range shooting,

Since you phrased it like that...with the term "need"... my guess is that you are trying to think ahead to a Zombie like S hit the Fan...post-apocalypic world (PAW) situation.

I am over on another zombie related survival forum.  This is just my personal opinion, but if the S really did hit the Fan, and you are shooting people out to 400 meters, at some point you're going to have to account for that...my guess is in some quasi-legal/criminal sorta way.

If people are 400 meters away, you should concentrate on evading from them ...or wait til they are about Molotov cocktail throwing distance from your hunkered down shelter location before you pick them off.  I think that would be about the only way you would be exonerated from murder charges once or if things returned back to normal.

some sort of AR 15 ...the bolt action and AR will be used for hunting,

Whoops... I just now saw the hunting part...which I guess means you could ignore the above.  You could get an AR-10 chambered in .308 and kinda have the best of both worlds.  Or if you really want an AR-15, you can get one chambered in 6.8 SPC or 6.5 Grendel.

I am kinda cheap...okay...okay...there is no kinda cheap about it.  I am cheap.      I do like the Savage model bolt  rifles.  I think they are offering one now that has a detachable box magazine.  That's what I would go with.  And supposedly, the Savage rifles have this easily replaceable barrel system.  So... I guess...if you wanted to, you could swap out calibers if you had a spare barrel.

a new pistol glock, springfield XD, or 1911.

Whatever fits your hand.  Now, this is just my personal opinion...Glocks are like soul-less lumps of plastic, and they do cut my hand open when the slide cycles, but they do work, as long as somebody hasn't done any kitchen table gunsmithing on them.

I am indifferent about the XD.  Neither good or bad...just kinda...meh... A buddy of mine has done a really slick trigger job on his, but to me, in my hand, it just feels funny.  But then again, I am used to my Berettas.

As far as a 1911 goes...jeesh...I think brand new, you're talking of a price range of between $400 on up to $2,500 or $3,000.

I bought a $1,200 stainless STI Trojan in .45 ACP.  It is a nice gun.  I shoot IDPA and USPSA competitions, and so I reckon I could dump another $400 into that gun to get it where I would be happier with it.

Oh, yeah, the other thing to keep in mind, as far as my recommendations go...or really lack of recommendations, is that I live in Illinois, in the land of NO-CCW, so your mileage will definitely vary if you happen to live in one of those free-er states.

and whats your favorite AR?

Whatever one that works.   

I think that there is probably only like 3 places total in the whole United States that is actually making or milling AR lowers, so I am NOT necessarily willing to get emotionally invested into a Rock River Arms vs. Bushmaster vs. DPMS vs. Stag vs. Olympic Arms vs. Colt vs. CMMG vs. whoever else??? internet pissing contest.

Supposedly, CMMG is back to selling their $550 or $600 bargain bin AR's, since the demand for all things AR has kinda subsided.

I "built" my AR.  I bought a stripped Stag labeled AR lower from a gunstore (it was around $121 out the door).  Then I bought the buttstock, a Jard trigger....blah...blah...yada...yada....  Then for the longest time I was looking for an 18 inch stainless barrel.  Then one day at a gunshow I found a Rock River Arms 20 inch stainless barreled upper.  That was $450.

and now for the unsolicited advice...

Buy a pistol, one that would let you shoot in IDPA and/or USPSA competitions, or even steel matches.  Outside of shelling out major bucks to some school like Gunsite or Thunder Ranch, in my opinion, there is no other way to get as well acquainted or familiar with your pistola, and get proficient with it, quickly,  than shooting matches.

In my opinion...

[Jackel]

what sort of long range? i do a lot of it up here.

right now the new trend in long range shooting is the .338 Lapua, which will shoot .5 MOA at 1500 yards. .308 has a relatively small ballistics coefficient compared to other long range rifles. it depends on you definition of long range.

as for rifles no one has ever gone wrong with the 700. right now im shooting a rem. 700 SPS tactical with AICS stock with schmidt and bender glass in .300 win mag and im shooting 1.2 moa at 1200 yards.

but i would go with the AR 

[alfsauve]

Not bad questions.    Here's my quick take on some of it.

Handguns:

I have both the Walther and the XD and to second what someone else said, there are accessories for the Glock out the wazzoo.  Walther accessories are few and expensive.  (you can use S&W99 mags though).    I love the XD, but again accessories are nowhere near as plentiful as Glock.

Bolts:

I really like my Tikka T3.   I think it's an unheralded good value.  Very good trigger on mine (.338Fed).   My next bolt with probably be a Tikka in 260Rem with a threaded muzzle for future suppressor.

The next bolt action I'd consider would be Savage.   With the accu-trigger and accu-stock they're also a great buy.

[crusader rabbit]

Welcome to the land of DRTV.  One of the great things about DRTV is that you can find good supporting advice for ANY point of view.  And, you can find just as much for any opposing point of view.  Neat thing is, most all the info really is valid.  So, sort through 'til you find what you need.

I reside in Florida with some time spent in Arizona.  I have a FL CCW that is honored in AZ, but really not necessary since AZ is an open carry state.  So, my personal first choice would be something in a semi-auto pistol that I could carry for personal defense.  I happened to choose a Glock 27 (compact in .40 S&W).  The grip is short for my paw, so I put a Pierce extender on every magazine I own.  Fits nicely.  And I manage to keep my hand out of the way when the slide comes back.  (Some on this site have a problem with that concept, but it only took me one time to learn to keep my hand out of the way--besides, Glock makes it pretty hard to catch your hide in the slide.)  I also like wheel guns, so I picked up a nifty .44 mag Ruger Redhawk in ss that goes bang with some authority.  Because I am cheap (another value espoused by some who post here) I don't like to invest in huge numbers of different caliber ammo, so I picked up a Puma lever carbine in .44 mag.  It's pretty good out to maybe 200 yards and is really good at 100.  And that covers about all the hunting I do.  I also have an AR (rifle, not carbine) and a few thousand rounds for the end of the world.  But, I do like the idea of a decent .308--maybe a Savage.   

But, I think the best advice you have received so far is to go someplace where you can try out different guns.  You may totally change your mind about everything once you have had a chance to shoot what you think you want.

Finally, welcome and keep us all posted on what you decide.  That way at least half of us will be able to tell you what a great choice you made and the other half will explain how badly you screwed up.