What to look for when buying a gun?

Question

I'm looking to beef up my home securty, I currently have a 20 gauge sawed off single shot shotgun and wanted to get a pump. (I live in a bad part of town, break in's are common)

I'm looking to get something used, unless anyone have any objections, I don't have alot of money, probably 200 max to spend on a used pump shotgun. I've gone by some pawn shops, but I have no idea what to look for, how to tell if they're good or not, or anything. Obviously the 10's and 12's are more expensive because they've got more kick I believe. I just don't know how to tell if a gun has been abused or if its in good shape, etc.

I've got little to no knowledge of guns, I know calibers/gauges a bit, but that's it. I don't want anything too long, shorter pump shotgun that's pretty cheap would be great. Any recommendations for a certain gauge/style gun for home protection?

Thanks everyone!

I really don't like the upkeep you have to do on pistols, and they are more of a hassle to have as far as permits go and what not. I would much rather get a shotgun. Just a few cheap but decent brands/models would be good if you guys could help me out.

Also, what do I look for specifically when buying a used gun say from a pawn shop. Should it be rust free? What should I look at to tell if its in decent shape? I wouldn't think there would be a lot of ways to tell if a gun is good or not, but I'm very inexperienced.

Thanks guys!

The sawed off shotgun is EXACTLY the correct length to still be legal. I have checked on that. Thank you for all your concerns though, haha.

Shotgun: barrel length 18.2 inches long, entire length 26.5 inches long. =)

Answer 1

Handguns require practice to develop the necessary skill. A good used 12 ga pump such as a Winchester 1200 or Remington 870 with an 18-20 inch barrel firing buckshot and a full-length magazine would be my choice. All you need to learn is how to operate it.

Answer 2

Um… first a word of warning; any shotgun with a barrel shorter than 18 inches is a Felony, also if its overall length from muzzle to the end of stock or pistol grip is under 26 inches; again against the law. We are talking prison time here IF you get caught with such a shotgun.

A 12 gauge shotgun is a good home defense weapon as long as you use the right shot. Bird shot leaves a nasty gory wound but people have lived through that some times and were able to still hurt or kill others. But 4 buck shot will stop them in their tracks and will not over penetrate like slugs or the larger buck shot.
Rifles over penetrate unless it shoots pistol cartridges like 38 special or 44 special.
Hand guns work well IF you are trained to use them right and if you are not using magnum rounds.
They make rounds for the 9mm, 38 special, and the 44 special that are made for home defense. Even a .380 would work up close.

A good 12 gauge pump shotgun with an 18 ½ barrel or a riot barrel with no. 4 buck shot is a darn good home defense gun. You can find used ones for under $200 at gun shows and pawn shops.

Put your self in the bad guys place. Which would scare you more, a little pistol or that big 12 gauge bore looking at you?
Many police departments have gun training programs for citizens. I highly recommend them for any one who has a gun for home defense.
But DO not take that sawed off shot gun to the cop shop with you for class. That would be bad.

More infor.



The #4 (.24 cal) buck shot (not bird shot) was tested by Gov agencies and was found to have effective stopping power.
It is like getting hit with 27 or 30, .22 long rifles at once.
But 000 and 00 buck shot is like getting hit with several .30 carbines at once.

http://www.firearmstactical.com/wound.htm

http://www.firearmstactical.com/images/Wound%20Profiles/12%20Gauge%20No%204%20Buckshot.jpg



http://www.internetarmory.com/shotgun_ammo.htm


Look over the gun, is there rust in the barrel or pitting, is the extractor worn. Buy some snap caps (blank rounds) and ask the sales person if you can cycle the snap caps through by working the action to see if it works right.
Are screws or other fasteners missing or buggered up.
Ask about their return policy if you need to take it back.
Look down the barrel; is it bent?
Look at the forcing cone (where the bullet takes off) and see how worn it is.
For revolvers look at the top strap or frame; has it been eroded?
Does the cylinder line up with the bore?
Is there play in the cylinder when you move it side to side with your hand?
A little is ok but if it moves so far as to shave off some of the bullet upon firing that’s bad.
If its an auto pistol does the slide hang up, or is worn and sloppy?
Is the rifling ok?
Does the clip look ok?

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

Look for an old mossberg or remington 870.

Either a shotgun or pistol if you live in a densely populated area are good choices. What you must be absolutely sure of is over penetration. If you shoot someone with a pistol and the bullet travels threw them into the next apartment or house you are responsible for all the damage.

I would really like to see you with 38 or 357 mag revolver. You can't get any easier in the maintenance department than a revolver. Scrub boar and chambers wipe down outside bang your done.

Answer 4

This is one of those questions that can be answered many different ways. To begin with, if you want to have fun and really learn to shoot and do so with a minimum of expense, get a .22 Long Rifle handgun. Either a revolver or auto. Ammo is cheap and you can shoot all day without getting your hand tired. Also, they are very accurate and you shouldn't develop any bad flinching habits. Finally, while the .22 LR is not recommended for self defense, if you can hit accurately with a .22 LR, you're better off than missing with a .44 magnum. If you were to start handgun shooting with a larger caliber pistol you probably won't shoot it as much because of the cost (unless you handload) so you aren't likely to develop the proficiency you could with a .22 LR. Begin with a .22 and when you become really good, buy either a 9mm or a .44 or .45. Of course, if you get into handloading and enjoy pistol shooting, you'll probably wind up with half a dozen pistols.

Answer 5

I be live that sourdough gave you the best answer.

1 - 12 gague Mossberg for 149.00 will do the trick
2 - Load with #4 Bird / duck shot

00 Buck will over penetrate all walls and most exterior sidings (essentially 7 - 32 caliber bullets coming out of the barrel)

the #4 shot is effective at close range... certainly the 20 - 30 feet .. largest room in the home usually is.

Answer 6

I agree that a .38 SPL or .357 Magnum revolver would be a better choice, but if you insist on a shotgun, I second the recommendation of the 18.5" barreled Mossberg and Maverick line of pump-shotguns.

I've had a Mossberg M-500 next to the head of my bed for nearly 30 years.

Doc

Answer 7

They have Maverick 88 shotguns at Wal Mart for about $160-180 or so. Pump action 12 gauge. Maverick guns are made by Mossberg. They're cheaper than Mossberg-branded stuff, not quite as good quality, but they'll get the job done. The one I saw at Wal Mart was a hunting shotgun...they also make models more suited for home defense, with higher capacities and/or shorter barrels, which seem to go for about the same price (using ImpactGuns.com(1) as a price guide). Wal Mart might be able to special order you the defense models. If not, a gun dealer certainly will be able to.

If a dealer is significantly more expensive than impactguns, you could ask whether the dealer handles transfers and what the fee is. Assuming you live in the US, here's a list of dealers in your area willing to do transfers: http://gunbroker.com/User/DealerNetwork.asp

I keep all of my guns in fairly good condition, so I'm not really sure what amount of rust/etc is considered unacceptable or will negatively affect performance. It's a shotgun, though, not a precision rifle, so a little bit of surface rust should be okay. I wouldn't get anything that's obviously been seriously neglected, like deep rust or pitting. If you cycle it, the action should feel smooth and not very difficult, though it's probably not very helpful to tell you how it should feel. You could go to a Wal Mart, cycle some of the new shotguns there, see first hand how it feels, then go to the pawn shop. Common names you'll probably see are Remington, Mossberg, Winchester, and Maverick. All are acceptable.

Just a few words of advice:
It's not really wise to go the low penetration route. Criminals have been known to wear body armor. I just read on a message board yesterday about a guy who used a handgun to confront a criminal. He shot the criminal, but the criminal was wearing body armor. The criminal shot back and killed the homeowner. But the tradeoff is it will be more dangerous to those on the other side of walls if you miss. You could load up a mix of ammo, like a couple rounds of buckshot for lower, but still usually acceptable penetration, then a 3" slug for maximum penetration if needed.

Since most of these confrontations are likely to happen at night and you're not going to be able to be like "Time out. Let me turn on a light, I can't see anything", you might want to consider:
http://www.pts-flashlights.com/products/product.aspx?pid=1-25-49-6108
to mount:
http://www.pts-flashlights.com/products/product.aspx?pid=1-3-6-6017
or
http://www.pts-flashlights.com/products/product.aspx?pid=1-99-103-113-6314

For strictly indoors, I'd go with the Cree LED one because you don't have to worry about it blowing (LEDs do fizzle out sometimes, but it's pretty rare) and it has better battery life. But if money's tight, the other one will work just fine. Or you could get the cheaper one at first, then get the Cree module ( http://www.pts-flashlights.com/products/productList.aspx?uid=1-25-114-115 ) at a later date. Wolf Eyes lights are modular, so you'll be able to drop the Cree module right in. In any event, it's pretty silly to not have a light on a self-defense weapon. You may not be able to get to a light switch, the power may have been knocked out, etc. Your gun is worthless if you can't see what you're shooting at. Or what you want to shoot at anyway.

Oh and also, if you get one of those lights, be sure to get the batteries online from Surefire or PTS Flashlights or something. At Wal-Mart, those batteries are about $10 for a pair. Online, you can get them for half that or less. Personally, I'd go with the Surefire batteries because they have good quality control. Some of the really cheap, no name ones don't have that and as a result they may occasionally rapidly vent, releasing a large amount of heat (even flames) in the process, or even explode (2).

One more thing - it's not a toy. Don't pull the gun out unless you're capable of using it. This may sound obvious, but I've seen on "Most Shocking" on CourtTV and I've read about incidents where a someone pulled a weapon for self-defense, and the criminal just walks up and takes it from them because the person wasn't mentally capable of using it. So basically, he's just handing a weapon to the criminal who was previously unarmed. Not good.

Answer 8

read answer on other ? as for prices mossberg has put out an inexpensive gun, the maverick it runs from $149 -$199 new in the 20 or 12 gauge.

Answer 9

I would think that the first thing you could get is PRACTICE and instruction.

Then look at Mossberg 500 shotguns - good product at a fair price.

Answer 10

Mossberg Maverick at Walmart NEW $160.00 Dollars.* Those who have them are more than happy with them.* Great Shotgun.* Great Value.*