Call to Arms
Rich is looking for some guns. Specifically, he wants a handgun, a shotgun and a rifle. I recommend he buy them in that order. I have also extended an offer to Rich to go to the range with me. I’ll address some things here.
First, remember the basic rules of gun safety:
All guns are always loaded.
Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to pull it.
Never point the gun at anything you’re not willing to destroy.
Be sure of your target and what’s behind it.
In terms of training, I’d suggest Rich go to the firing range with a friend first (like me). Then, he may wish to take the Tennessee concealed carry course for additional information on the legalities of justifiable shootings. I’d even suggest he get a carry permit.
In terms of where to get one, WD’s Sporting Goods on Alcoa Highway and Guncraft are where I make most purchases. The next option is gun shows.
In terms of what to buy, do not buy a cheap gun. By cheap, I don’t necessarily mean they have to be expensive but rather they need to be of high quality. They need to be reliable. For instance, Maverick shotguns are inexpensive but are well made.
For starters, Rich may want to read this post and the links to other posts it contains for some good information.
So, all my gun owning readers should head over to Rich’s and give him some advice!
January 4th, 2004 at 10:11 am
Followed Rich’s post over to Carnival, and then to here, but still can’t figure out how to ask my question in the appropriate place. So please forgive the OT-ness, but HELP! A couple weeks ago, I shot a Bersa .380 @ Guncraft, and just fell in love with the damn thing. It fit my hand beautifully. But I don’t know anything about the company. It’s a very inexpensive gun, which scares me a bit — but I liked shooting it much better than the Sig. I want it. What to do?
January 4th, 2004 at 5:59 pm
If it feels good then I’d get it. I’ve never heard anything bad about bersa. I’d be leary of the .380 caliber for a home defense load. Not an effective man-stopper unless you load it with magsafes or glasers.
January 5th, 2004 at 9:30 am
Angie at Frontier Firearms out here in Kingston suggested magsafes, but that was before I shot the Bersa and I didn’t check to see whether the Bersa was okay with them. But the gun isn’t the first line of home defense anyway — that’d be the pack of six German Shepherds between me and the bad guy. If he gets past them, I think even a .22 would be enough to finish him off.
I’m the only person I know whose first thought upon hearing a noise in the middle of the night is to worry for the burglar’s safety. 🙂
February 10th, 2004 at 9:08 am
Laura :The BERSA guns are made in Argentina ,and I only read good reviews about them,everybody seems to love the .380 , looks like it shoots better than a PPK ,and it’s much cheaper, it’s also a reliable gun.
Due to Argentinas exchange rate ,the american dollar costs as 3 time smuch as it use to,therefore the price is good if you got dollars.
Only drawback is it comes with one mag only.
April 8th, 2004 at 12:05 am
Doods,
I have a Bersa Thunder .380 in my collection.
I also was leary about buying, due to price.
It felt right aat home in my hand, so i picked it up for 200.00.
After 1,000 rounds of every type of ammo, with not one failure, this gun exceeds my expectations.
I put my Sig back in the safe, and carry the Bersa loaded with Cor-bon 90 JHP.
25 yds – keep within 3″ Oh, my Sig has mag release on bottom of grip, this is stupid.
Bersa is a great little gun, extreemely under priced for the quality and reliability.
January 8th, 2004 at 10:19 am
Best of the Rocky Top Brigade 2003
This post has been featured on the Best of the Rocky Top Brigade – 2003.
January 13th, 2004 at 7:29 pm
More on Rich’s Quest for His First Gun
The other week Rich Hailey aasked for advice on uying a gun. Here’s my answer, along with Wince and Nod’s, SayUncle’s, James Rummel’s, and Miniluv’s. This week Rich is explaining why he wants a gun. He also recounts his first…