Buying our first gun?

First thing highly recommended is the firearms safety course.
From there you'll learn about gun lock, safe storage, etc.
In the country I consider the gun mostly as a tool. A tool if you need to rarely take out a predator of your stock like a coyote or something bigger, I'd go with a 30/30 lever action. A shotgun of 12 guage and pump with an assortment of shells from birdshot to buckshot and if a slug is legal, that might come in handy for a close up attack on a black bear if that ever should happen (so you only need a few slugs and not an 'armada'). In my neck of the woods it's handy to have a higher powered rifle like a 30/06 for bigger game hunting. It's a tool. Remember that. Gun kills, but whether to harvest food or protection, think to use only for that purpose. I'd keep also a .22 semi auto handy for pesky small varmint and maybe the occaisonal picking off the head of a grouse or small bird or if you eat rabbit or such.
So, that's my selection to cover all for the great outdoors living. 30:30 lever,
12 ga. pump, .22 semi auto, and maybe the last (if you need it) .308 or 30/06 bolt action. That covers a wide range of ammo selection to do the job as well. JMO

__________________
The human spirit needs places where nature has not been rearranged by the hand of man.

Yup,a Marlin,a Remington 870,a Ruger 10/22.

3 proven classics.

You just named my rifles.

I still want a semi shotgun and a 30.06 would be nice too.Dont tell the Mrs

Kudos to the Henry owner

Final thought,I got those rifles based on advice and first hand experience from folks here.

Folks here know their guns,thank you again.

BooBoo

Well I'm glad some folks have chimed in and said .22

Absolutely the best choice IMO. Keep it loaded, but not with a round in the chamber, and high up where the kids can't possibly get at it, but you or your wife can grab it quickly. Take the safety course, and practice weekly. .22 rounds are so cheap that you can afford to practice,and you should. No, you MUST.

Shotguns are great for what they are intended for: shooting birds in flight.

There's an old saying: gun control is hitting what you aim at. Any time you pick up a firearm, you must understand that the round is going to go exactly where you aim it. If you're not absolutely certain that the round will go exactly where you want it to, DON'T PULL THE TRIGGER!

For scaring off coyotes or whatever, a club works perfectly well. Me, I have a very nice Solingen blade, 30 inches long, 130 years old. Works for me. YMMV

My first and only gun is a 38 special and bird shot to load in the first two chambers and 38's in the rest.
Of course, I am welcome to use my husband's shot gun whenever I feel the need. (smile)

I am ashamed to admit that I haven't taken the hunters safety yet, we are having a hard time trying to find one. Can anyone help us find out how? I am in north west arkansas.

Thanks

Marlin 336A 30.30 Lever and Remington 870 Express Magnum set up for night use with tac lite and laser.



BooBoo

Yes we are living in the house. It used to look alot better than that when my grandparents lived here. My parents started renting it out around 98 or so when my grandfather moved in to live with them. We love it out here its at the end of a gravel street with only three other hosues on the street. The road ends at our property line and we ahve found many shotgun shells around as we try to clean up the place. I sent a pm to Gideon to take him up on his offer.

__________________
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c9...m/100_0994.jpg

deleted: I seem to have go lost. Sorry

combo firearms are underrated by most folks, take a look at a Savage 24 24F-12 and while its more than most folks like to spend at around $600 give or take, ask the fella at the gunshop what he would order one in for at... might be cost plus 10% and then it might be worthwhile getting.... the particular one that i linked to is a 22 hornet over a 12 gauge, the hornet is a nice round for shooting out a little farther than the 12 gauge wil reach yet you have the opportunity to do so if needed, and while it is just a single shot of each, once you get used to shooting one is all it takes and for the most part one is all you get at a coyote so make it count.

Now i do not have one of these tools, i have way to many tools and my wife says either sell one of the current ones or forget getting a new one unless it comes in a bargain trade that cannot be avoided [anyone need a boxing ring?] The NEF Handirifle [search on Gunbroker dot com or at Gunsamerica dot com for pictures and cost comparisons] comes in several different single shot calibres, the 22 Hornet again being a favorite pill pusher for a medium range varmit and scoped up offers a longer range shot too.... one shot, one kill.... two shots one kill maybe, three shots no kill at all... make em count my dad always engrained in me..... so i practiced... and i waste more ammunition as an adult than i did as a kid, but i learned to load my own shells too....

As for safety and children, It is harder to keep other peoples kids away from your firearms than it is your own, but the best thing to teach your own kids is a firearm is ALWAYS loaded, even when its not it is ALWAYS loaded even if you just took the last round out of the chamber it is STILL LOADED and never point a firearm at anything you do not intend to KILL, be it a paper target or a live animal or mankind or anything in between a FIREARM IS ALWAYS LOADED.... and 4 year olds and 2 yr olds understand more than most people think.....

The 10/22 ruger is a nice firearm, it is about the most acurate of all auto-loading rifles in 22 calibre ive experienced, the best 22 ived shot though hands down is my model 06 winchester pump [ok i am partial to hammer guns] but ive broke more kids in with that old firearm that once belonged to my grandmothers brother [died in 1928 from bad moonshine] than any other i posess.... light weight, tubular magazine and it repeats with a pump action.. and there are other models that are as good and there is a knock off built by rossi currently that is probably as accurate as the original [due to the styling of the falling block type lockup] mine is a take down model which was popular back in the early 1900's for one reason or another again the cost is a bit more for a tool like that, but you get what you pay for and collectors have a host of other firearms that they trade in so you can pick one up reasonable now and again.

William

__________________
Upon the plains of hesitation bleach the bones of countless millions, who when on the dawn of victory paused to rest, and there resting died.
- John Dretschmer

what do you need? Answer some questions first...

What are you going to use it for?

Home protection (snakes)? Out & about? Plunking? Hunting?

Bet if you get a handgun, you'll got two. They have to fit your hand, weight is important to - especially for the wife. That's why some gun manufacturer's make "ladies guns". If it's a long gun, length of stock & barrel is important too.

Lot's of guns out there. Some are a usable investment. Always check the cost of ammo before you buy...

Go visit friends that own em' & try them out first. Yes, a good class is a must, then practice, practice, practice. You will if there's a place near to do it.

Nicest hand gun I've ever shot was a sig sauer, fit my hand like a glove - too expensive for me.

I agree with most that has been said above. You should keep things safe and learn the right way to use a gun. But I also think that any one that has a gun in their home should also make sure every one in the home knows not only how to use it but how to be safe about it.
I grew up on a farm in Indiana and always had guns around. From the time I was able to hold one up my farther would teach my how to use them and how to handle them safely. I am not saying give a young person access to a gun but I am saying teach them about them.
All 3 of my kids (now 19/21/13) learned about guns at a very young age as I know they would be around them. They all know how to shoot and when they should be doing that shooting. They know how to safely handle them and always know to treat them as loaded even if they are not.
They did not have to try to sneak to look at them like kids do when their parents are not around as they know if they wanted to see them or even shoot them all they had to do was ask. To me any parent that owns a gun and does not let their kids know all about them is doing wrong. Anyone that thinks oh my kids will not be able to get to the guns if I am not around is fooling themselves. Kids will find a way to get to them if your not around. If you forget to take the keys with you just one time they will find them. If you have them hidden they will find them. I would rather my kids already know about them and the dangers of them before that time came. I had a friend a long time ago that his son shot his friend. The kids dad was one of them people that thought kids and guns did not mix. He had the gun locked up as well as the ammo some place else and the kid still got the gun loaded it and shot his friend because he did not know any better. If the dad would have spent some time with the kid and instructed him about guns before hand that would have never happened. This same story has happened way to many times. And every time it has happened it was because the parents did not do their jobs and teach their kids about the dangers. My friend thought his son was to young (He was 7) but to me if they are old enough to pick it up they are old enough to learn about it.

Personal opinion - an unloaded gun is a useless gun. If you plan to keep it unloaded, get a stick. If you *do* get a gun, teach your kids to respect the gun - AND YOU! That way when you say "Don't mess with it," they *won't*! We're at kid #4 and in the 14 years we've been married, we've had zero incidents of wanton mayhem. I take them shooting occasionally and when *I* shoot, they always watch - so they know FULL WELL what a gun does and can do. They know my guns are for stopping predators - regardless of the number of legs said predator possesses.

I reckon seeing momma and daddy respond to an incident armed and ready to commit bloody mayhem sticks with ya...

__________________
Michael & Rebecca (probably Michael, the mouthy one)
parents of Caitlyn, Brendan, Keera & Alanna
keepers of goats, chickens, rabbits, cats & a dog

I think your selection of firearm is fine. You may want to buy a box of low brass #7 1/2 or 8 shot for familiarization, but most of what you want can be accomplished by a 2 3/4 high brass #6 shot such as a Remington Express, and a box of buckshot (probably #1 or #4 buck).

If you really have problems with recoil, there is a reduced recoil police load, with a different type of powder behind the buckshot - it "kicks" a little less, and is more controllable.

I echo what others have said about a firearms safety course.

Lastly, I think the concerns you have about safety will mostly be answered in the firearms course, but the safest gun is one that is unloaded. If you do not feel you need immediate access to a loaded weapon, a good solution is to place the ammunition in one place and the gun in another, preferrably out of the reach of little hands.

Hey City sounds like me and you are in the same boat here lol. I have a Rugar 9mm rifle which i bought for targat practice when I lived in NY. I think I may have fired about 200rds thought that baby not much,I know. I was also looking for something as that is just to much gun for around here. I was looking into a Ruger 22mm and rat shot for those snakes and misc. animals around. My FIL said he will be giving me his when he comes in from FL next time. Maybe I can blast a few round off with you and Gideon some time. Hey Gideon do you have a crane on your lawn? I think thats your block... lol
John