New to handguns, haven't a clue where to start!

[Handsome Rob]

I'm seriously considering buying my first handgun. I know why I want one & I know what I'll be keeping it for.

I travel to South Texas a lot & spend a lot of time in the wild hog hunting with my longbow & I run into a lot of big snakes (along with a fair few 'aliens')

I have no intention of carrying a pistol in public, (Actually, being a non-resident alien myself, I couldn't if I wanted to) it's purely to throw into my hunting pack & carry in the truck whilst off the roads.

It would also be handy for home-defence (although I have a shotgun for that)

So, in essence, I'm wanting something I can use to safely dispatch snakes, protect myself from border jumpers & keep in the night stand, just in case.

I'm also on a pretty limited budget so I'm looking at used ($200 MAX), rather than new, guns.

Can anyone point me in the right direction as to makes & models, calibers & styles (revolver/auto) I should keep an eye open for?

Thanks in advance!

[Capbyrd]

If this is primarily a snake gun, I don't see why a .22 wouldnt work. Grab a Ruger Mark series for around 200 and it would work great.

If you want something with a little more umphh behind it than a .22, then you probably need to up your budget a little.

[Guest Luckyshot]

.22 for a snake gun? I was thinking about something like a Judge. The.410 in my opinion would be ideal for snakes and then alternate to a .45 long colt for personal defense. Cant be sure about hitting the 200 hundred dollar mark. Or I think cci makes bird shot shells in standard pistol calibers.

[First Strike]

CZ-82. You can get one for around 200.00, and 9x18 ammo's fairly cheap.

[towerclimber37]

I would second the idea for the cz-82 or a makarov clone..there are quite a few on the market now and they are inexpensive. they're also not huge so they'd fit well in a pack and aren't bulky.

[gnmwilliams]

I second the opinion on the Judge but am pretty sure it won't fit in the budget unless you can find one from someone who's wanting to get rid of one cheap. Check gunbroker.com

[Alpha7]

I'm seriously considering buying my first handgun. I know why I want one & I know what I'll be keeping it for.

I travel to South Texas a lot & spend a lot of time in the wild hog hunting with my longbow & I run into a lot of big snakes (along with a fair few 'aliens')

I have no intention of carrying a pistol in public, (Actually, being a non-resident alien myself, I couldn't if I wanted to) it's purely to throw into my hunting pack & carry in the truck whilst off the roads.

It would also be handy for home-defence (although I have a shotgun for that)

So, in essence, I'm wanting something I can use to safely dispatch snakes, protect myself from border jumpers & keep in the night stand, just in case.

I'm also on a pretty limited budget so I'm looking at used ($200 MAX), rather than new, guns.

Can anyone point me in the right direction as to makes & models, calibers & styles (revolver/auto) I should keep an eye open for?

Thanks in advance!

The ultimate snake guns. Work pretty good for self defense to.

My dad has one of these he loads with buckshots and 45 colts that he is planning on carrying with his permit.

Taurus International Manufacturing Inc

Any of these will dispatch a snake quick, fast and in a hurry

[Capbyrd]

.22 for a snake gun? I was thinking about something like a Judge. The.410 in my opinion would be ideal for snakes and then alternate to a .45 long colt for personal defense. Cant be sure about hitting the 200 hundred dollar mark. Or I think cci makes bird shot shells in standard pistol calibers.

Yep. That is what we have always used on my uncles property and never had a problem. It might be a little less than ideal but it worked great for us.

[Wingshooter]

I would recommend a short bbl single or double action revolver in .45 or .44 mag for your purposes. It's a big enough cartridge to kill a hog and has no problems shooting a shotshell for snakes.

Depending on where/when I am hunting, I sometimes carry a Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 mag with me for that purpose. I have the 4.5" bbl, so it is short enough to carry comfortably. I usually load it up with some soft points for hogs/bears/sasquatches, etc. and a couple of shot shells in case of a snake.

It will be tough to find one even used for $200. I bought my Ruger new for less than $400.

Edited January 20, 2010 by Batman

[jaredshs]

Welcome aboard, I hope you find what your looking for. Try looking in the pawn shops.

[Handsome Rob]

Thanks folks, a good bit of info to chew over in there!

I had thought about the Taurus Judge as being about the perfect handgun for my needs, but they're just a little beyond my means right now. I wish someone would make a 'cheap' copy of that!

The CZ82 & Makarovs look like they may be close contenders. What's the availability of 9x18 ammunition like? How're they for reliability? (bearing in mind the gun could be bouncing around in a truck or pack for a week or more at a time)

I kinda like the simplicity of a revolver over an auto, to be honest. As a complete novice to this it would appear that a revolver would be simpler to operate & clean, with lots fewer reasons to go wrong. I know there's a thread discussing this very fact at the moment for carry guns, but what about for the 'occasional' user such as myself?

Are revolvers inherrently more expensive than autos? Looking through Gunbroker, it would appear to be the case, but is there anyone that makes a 'budget' revolver? (In the same way that Hi-Point makes budget Autos. Heavy, clunky, cheap, but basically good & functional firearms)

[Guest 10mm4me]

Ahhhhhh.I wouldn't say Hi-Points are anything but ugly.Def not reliable.Get a used Taurus .357 w/a 4 in. barrel.They can be had for under $300 and fed .38's and shotshells.

[Capbyrd]

As an owner of a Hi-Point, I will argue that one. I have never had a failure out of mine and have put at least 1000 rounds through it. Its ugly, clunky, heavy and I still wouldnt trust my life to it but it hasnt given me a reason to call it unreliable.

[Alpha7]

How much exactly are you lookin to spend?

The taurus model 85 38 is a good one.

Here are the prices in my area.

Athens TN-All American Gun shop

444.42 total +10.00 back ground check

Crossville Pawn and Guns

430.74 +10.00 back ground check

Skips Firearms

409.96 +10.00 back ground check.

All these prices i got off of gungenie.com

[Guest 10mm4me]

As an owner of a Hi-Point, I will argue that one. I have never had a failure out of mine and have put at least 1000 rounds through it. Its ugly, clunky, heavy and I still wouldnt trust my life to it but it hasnt given me a reason to call it unreliable.

Not thread-hijacking or anything, but if you wouldn't trust your life to it, it is unreliable.I have always said I would rather have a $150 knife than a $150 Hi-Point.I cannot count the times I have been @ the range and heard bang,bang,what the,bang,dammit,bang,s***.Look over and it is one of those hair dryer looking monstrosoties known as a Hi-Point.This man would be much better suited to a good wheel gun.

[Capbyrd]

I should probably amend my statement. I won't trust my life to it because I have too many other quality weapons to chose from. However, when it was the only pistol that I owned, it sat on my nightstand. I trusted it then and still would but only because it has served me well as a plinker.

[Handsome Rob]

How much exactly are you lookin to spend?

The taurus model 85 38 is a good one.

Here are the prices in my area.

Athens TN-All American Gun shop

444.42 total +10.00 back ground check

Crossville Pawn and Guns

430.74 +10.00 back ground check

Skips Firearms

409.96 +10.00 back ground check.

All these prices i got off of gungenie.com

Unfortunately, probably half that. I know that I'm not going to get anything special or glitzy, but I don't want to have a bunch of money tied up in something that is undoubtedly going to get knocked around & scratched up and probably (hopefully) never even used.

I can't imagine I'm ever getting into collecting pistols like some do, because I suspect I'll never be able to carry one, so how it looks, who it's made by or wheter it's technologically up to date doesn't matter to me in the least. As long as it'll do what it needs to do, when I need it, I'llbe happy!

[Guest Jamie]

I travel to South Texas a lot & spend a lot of time in the wild hog hunting with my longbow & I run into a lot of big snakes (along with a fair few 'aliens')

I have no intention of carrying a pistol in public, (Actually, being a non-resident alien myself, I couldn't if I wanted to) it's purely to throw into my hunting pack & carry in the truck whilst off the roads.

Not knowing exactly where you plan on hunting or what the situation (law) there is, I have to wonder if the LEOs you may run into ( game wardens, border patrol?, etc. ) are going to consider you "not in public" while hunting or driving around trails and back roads, and whether or not it's legal for you to have a gun at all, especially while bow hunting.

Not trying to give you any grief, it's just that you state that you couldn't carry in public if you wanted to, and that makes me wonder what kind of trouble you could be setting yourself up for.

J.

[Wingshooter]

Not knowing exactly where you plan on hunting or what the situation (law) there is, I have to wonder if the LEOs you may run into ( game wardens, border patrol?, etc. ) are going to consider you "not in public" while hunting or driving around trails and back roads, and whether or not it's legal for you to have a gun at all, especially while bow hunting.

Not trying to give you any grief, it's just that you state that you couldn't carry in public if you wanted to, and that makes me wonder what kind of trouble you could be setting yourself up for.

J.

That's a good point. You may want to consider a handgun that is also legal to hunt with (based on bbl length and caliber) during the appropriate season(s) to avoid any problems.

[Sidinman]

I agree with Jamie, about what trouble you could be subjected to. Now if a .22 cal is something you are thinking about, then the Heritage might be someting to look at. I have one and it's alot of fun, comes with a .22 cal and a .22mag cylinders and you can get some shotshells for snakes and such. The one I have, I gave like 160. just over a year ago.

[Capbyrd]

I agree with Jamie, about what trouble you could be subjected to. Now if a .22 cal is something you are thinking about, then the Heritage might be someting to look at. I have one and it's alot of fun, comes with a .22 cal and a .22mag cylinders and you can get some shotshells for snakes and such. The one I have, I gave like 160. just over a year ago.

The .22 mag with shotshells is a great idea!

[Garufa]

For just a few more $, but still under $300, you could get a used Smith & Wesson Model 10 or 64 .38 Special revolver. A great all around gun.

They make shotshells in .38 for those pesky snakes.

[Wingshooter]

.22 mag and .38 revolvers with shotshells are great against snakes and can be very affordable.

If I was hunting hogs with a longbow, I would find comfort in a hand cannon on my belt though.

[Handsome Rob]

I've checked out the legalities of what I'm wanting & because I'm on private land, it's not a problem. As soon as I hit any public trails, roads or land I'd have to unload & carry the gun seperately from the ammunition, in an inaccessible locked case.

It's just when I'm 10 or 15 miles from anyone on a multi-hundred thousand acre ranch I feel like a little insurance would go a long way!

The main reason I'm a little wary of a .22 (I know that it'll stop a rattler!) is from an experience I had down there a few years back.

I'd parked my truck on a small sendero, leading down to a nicely wooded draw that just reeked of hogs. I probably walked a good 6 miles from the truck & hunted there all day. I shot a nice 100# hog & dragged it back to the truck to find 3 Mexican guys sat on my tailgate. Now I'm a big guy & not easily intimidated, but the way these guys acted (trying to get on all sides of me, one being very aggressive, 2 being silent & shifty) scared the piss out of me! I ended up giving them the pig to get them to go away. I've also had a friend in a similar situation coming back to their vehicles to find a full family hiding under a tarp in the truck bed!

This all happened before I moved to the States & there would've been nothing I could've done if these guys forced me into a nasty situation (well, nastier)

I just want the insurance that I can get myself out of a similar predicament if it should ever happen again.

Oh, just as an aside, I do plan on attending a handgun safety class as soon as possible!

[dats82]

Go to Toliver's Pawn Shop in Manchester. It is there on the square. Tell them what you are doing and what you can spend. They have the best prices of anyone around, and the guys are helpful. They stay pretty busy, so just be patient until you get helped.