Guns question - need advice

[miko2d]

Thanks, guys - keep it coming.

 AKDejaVu: I don't really know why you'd want to get the bullpups out on the market right now... you could buy a new car for cheaper.
 I didn't know they were that expencive. I would not mind paying  extra for quality stuff but not thousands. I want a weapon I wouldn't be afraid to scratch. On the other hand a plastic bulpup-stock for Mini, 10/22 or Marln seem to be around $100 - definitely worth experimenting with.

 Could you expand a bit on Mini-14 vs AR-15? Compared to AK-47?
 Mini is lighter and does look less "military" than AR or AK - which may be important in some situations. It can pass for a hunting rifle.

Get a dog.
 I do have a boxer. I doubt it would be much use against a determined attacker.
 I used to train dogs for defence/attack - mostly germans. Only a well-trained dog is worth anything against a man with a knife or a bludgeon.

 Anyway, home defence is not a most pressing issue for me right now but rather rasing my son to be a man.

bounder: ...sight line is so high above the barrel...
 I was always surprised that it could be a problem. Wouldn't it make sense to adjust sight as if it's level with the barrel and then just aim 2 inches (or whatever) higher at any range?
 I had that problem with my tank sights - where the cannon is two feet to the right and one feet down and machinegun is four feet to the right and one feet down - quite a parallax to adjust  for!

Durr: To my mind, having a gun for self defense isnt paranoid
 It's not like one has to fire a gun if he has one. On the other hand if you need one but do not have it...

 miko

[Pfunk]

Go with the Ruger 10/22.  That was my first fun when i turned 10 yrs old, thing is a breeze to shoot, accurate as hell, easy to clean, and has A toejam TON of modifications you can put on it(50 roundclips,you can pretty much make it look like a paramilitary weapon).  I still have that gun today and use it quite often it has never skipped a beat.

[midnight Target]

Originally posted by miko2d
With my son turning a year old, I can not procrastinate any longer if I expect him to treat weapons as a basic item of a household. I need a gun of two.

 miko

Nothing cuter than those little one year old fingers wrapped around a .45

and this really is scary....  "Anyway, home defence is not a most pressing issue for me right now but rather rasing my son to be a man. "

WTH does a gun have to do with being a man?

[Dune]

The Ruger is a fine choice for a training weapon.

While most suggest a shotgun for home defense, I have always preferred a handgun.  The best gun for home defense is one that you can use in a high tension situation.  It should be one without a lot of bells and whistles and one that you've practiced with until its operation becomes second nature.  My suggestion to someone who is not going to spend a lot of time at the range is a .357 six-gun.  Easy to use and decent stopping power.  After that is a double-action semi-auto in 9mm.  (9mm isn't the best stopping round, but the recoil is controlable and also easy to shoot)  I do agree that compared to a Mini-14, the shotgun is a better home defense choice.  If buying a shotgun, get a pump 12ga.  Mossburg, Winchester, or Remington are all great choices.  

However, why not get both?  

Also, the Ruger .22 pistol is a great way to teach him how to shoot a handgun.

Other pieces of advice:

- Take him to a NRA or Game and Fish hunter safety course

- Make him learn the two most important rules of gun safety
1. The gun is always loaded.  Don't ever assume someone else has unloaded it.  And if you set it down and take your eyes off it with other people around, check it again when you pick it up.  

2. Never point it at anything you don't want to destroy.  This includes your buddy, the dog and the tv.  

The beauty of these two rules is that if he breaks one, the other covers him.

I grew up in a house where my father collected military firearms.  He owned over 100 guns.  Some of my best childhood memories are of us out in his gunroom for hours, talking, working, or just hanging out together.  However he drilled those two rules into my brain.  He would even place blanks in the guns he knew I liked to mess around with just to see if I would pull the trigger on one without checking it first (I never did btw).  As I was growing up, if I wanted to see a gun, all I had to do was ask.  He would take the time to get it down, make sure I was treating it safely until he could trust me on my own.  This took the mystery out of guns and it made me respect them.  To me guns where a part of life.  I believe that this also made me a more responsible person.  

Good luck with your son.

[easymo]

I did'nt know miko was such a good fisherman. (S)

[Eagler]

why don't you both sign up for Bruce Lee Kung Fu lessons ???

[batdog]

Originally posted by midnight Target


Nothing cuter than those little one year old fingers wrapped around a .45

and this really is scary....  "Anyway, home defence is not a most pressing issue for me right now but rather rasing my son to be a man. "

WTH does a gun have to do with being a man?

Uhhh... he's not saying he's gonna teach his ONE yr old to shoot. He's giving the impression that he wishes to begin a slow process of familarity w/weapons. In doing this he will erase they "mystique" and "power" feelings one get from these TOOLS.
He will most likely also as time goes by learn about the distructiveness of a weapon.

 Something else a gun owner should do w/his child is hunt. He should see the results of a weapon. Make him gut it, skin it. My father did this for me. After  that I never considered any weapon to be a "toy".

xBAT

[fd ski]

My daughter is almost 6  months. This weekend i'm putting up the barbed wire fance and digging the first machine gun pit. Howitzer in the backyard is ready to go too !!!





So how do i prepare my daughter to be a "woman"  ??? Buy her a sink ?

[AKS\/\/ulfe]

Originally posted by fd ski
So how do i prepare my daughter to be a "woman"  ??? Buy her a sink ?

EZ-Bake Oven of course!
-SW

[miko2d]

midnight Target: WTH does a gun have to do with being a man?
 Not a gun specifically, or rather not just a gun but the mindset that only violence or threat of it settles issues and that defence of your close ones is first and foremost your responcibility. Also realisation that the world is a very dangerous place and "everyone is a soldier" attitude. There is a lot of active propaganda to the opposite going around - just to counter it may take a lot of effort.

So how do i prepare my daughter to be a "woman"
 Of course my "man" is a fugure of speech for 'balanced human being' - if I have a daughter, she will have to learn pretty much the same things. Since a proper woman is less likely to have a career but would rather stay home, there is a greater probability that she, not her husband will have to confront danger to the family or just educate her children. (To preempt questions, "proper woman" is the one that bears and raises children as opposed to a "career-man sans noodle").

 And I am not going to let a child handle even an airgun untill at least 8 years old and 22cal a few years later - just want him/them to accept as a natural the idea that gun ownership and regular shooting practice is a part of normal life, first through example of his parents, later himself.

 miko

[udet]

get a crossbow

[lazs2]

any of these will work just fine.

[Nash]

just want him/them to accept as a natural the idea that gun ownership and regular shooting practice is a part of normal life - miko

That's odd... You don't have a gun. But now that yer kid is born you want one to show him how normal having a gun is.

I wonder if he's gonna move out of the house one day, have a kid, then buy a gun to show his kid how normal having a gun is.

[fd ski]

miko, why you always have to be so damn serious ?

[Maverick]

Miko,

I'd drop the bullpup idea as the weapons you mentioned don't come in that design and you'd have to modify them. The bullpup isn't all that ballanced either. It is short however.

As to the AR15, and mini 14 and calibers. Either are fine weapons and shoot well. I have each one in .223 cal. and like shooting them. I also like my chicom rifle in 7.62. It's short, too short in the stock really but it shoots nicely and has a mild recoil. The ammo for either is very common so no problems there. The .223 might be a bit more available later on as it's still the main caliber for the armed forces. That feature virtually guarantees a ready source of ammunition as it will be a popular caliber for that reason.

For the home defense. I am not a fan of a shotgun. It will penetrate wallboard and doors in the house so that advantage is bogus. It is also a long gun which makes it awkward in close quarters like hallways and doorways. A handgun is really the best alternative for a defensive weapon, IMO. Use a medium caliber like the .38 and set aside time to practice wirh it to be proficient. If you are not willing to practice, attend a shooter safety course or concealed weapon course you really aren't serious enough about it to go get one for home defense. You owe it to yourself and family to know the weapon and more importantly know when NOT to use it.

Security of the weapon is another issue. You should have a secure location to lock it to keep it out of the kids hands when you are away. This includes your kids friends as well. Remember that not all kids will stay away from it and they won't all be yours in your house. Lock them up and don't just depend on a gun lock.

The dog IS a good idea. Don't count on it to stop the bad guy but it will help to let you know there is a problem when he starts to bark. Early warning is a good idea when there is trouble.


Lastly get a .22 as you'll find yourself willing to take it out and shoot it more than any other caliber. It's much cheaper and fun for plinking as well as targets.