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View Full Version : New to Firearms. Advice needed.


anyman1010
May 17, 2008, 11:11 PM
Hello.

I have never owned a "gun" in my life. However I am thinking of keeping a self defense weapon at home. (thought about mace / pepper spray.... :-) )

After some due research on the internet, came to the conclusion that a 12 gauge shotgun.

Slowly pointed to Maverick Security 88 because of cost. Remongton 870 and Mossberg 590 were to expensive for me.

Now folks a few questions:

(These questions may sound very simple but please remember I am a newbie to gun ownership; nobody in my extended family/friends has a gun).


1. How do I buy safely and legally a used Maverick 88?

2. Is it safe to buy a used gun...what hgappens if it has been used in a crime and you as a purchaser did not know about it?

3. Is anybody selling a good 12 gauge in Northern Virginia or Washington DC>

4. Is Maverick 88 a good choice?

5. I want a weapon with the following :

a. Largest capacity of holding shells
b. Most readily and cheaply available ammunition
c. Looks big and threatening
d. Least maintenance
Please suggest some other weapons as well

6. Where can I practice shooting a shotgun in Northern VA?


Gentlemen and Ladies thank you for answering my questions.


Regards,


A Person in NOVA

Crosshair
May 18, 2008, 12:17 AM
First off you would be better off to post this in the general discussion forum. As to help you out. A 12 gauge is a good defensive weapon.

1. How do I buy safely and legally a used Maverick 88?
The easiest way is to go to a gun store and check out their used section.

You can also go to gunbroker.com AuctionArms.com or one of the other online gun auction sites. Guns bought online need to be sent to an FFL where they will complete the 4473 to transfer it to you.

Personally, for a first time buying like yourself, I would avoid the online places and go to a nearby gun store so you can handle and inspect the gun yourself. Google is your friend, I travel allot for my new job and I often take my lunch breaks browsing gun stores in the areas where I am working. I have found several very good, though off the beaten path, gun stores using Google.

2. Is it safe to buy a used gun...what hgappens if it has been used in a crime and you as a purchaser did not know about it?
Stolen guns generally stay in the black market. They rarely reenter the white market because they are so easy to track using their serial numbers and destroying the serial numbers is illegal and an FFL would have the police on the phone in 2 seconds if someone came in with a gun with the seial numbers obliterated.

In the very very rare chance that you bought a stolen gun, but did not know about it, the worst that would happen is the gun being taken from you as evidence or to return it to it's owner.

If you use common sense it isn't a problem. Don't buy guns from some guy selling them out of the trunk of his car in the bad part of town and you will be fine. If you are buying FTF at a gunshow, get their DL info. I take the info of people I am selling guns to FTF just as a precaution.

If you are still worried about this, simply stick to buying from an FFL.

4. Is Maverick 88 a good choice?

The fit and finish leave allot to be desired, but they are durable and reliable. For a HD weapon you would probably want a barrel between 18"-20" for maneuverability inside. It is legal to cut down the barrel of a shotgun as long as you remember the following.

DO NOT CUT THE BARREL SHORTER THAN 18"!!!! If it is even .01" too short you have a Short Barreled Shotgun and, unless you filled out the NFA paperwork, it is a 10 year felony. (Yes it's stupid, but that's how it works.) The ATF measures barrel length from the breech, when the gun is in battery, to the muzzle. Most people who are cutting the barrel as short as they can usually cut it to 18.5" just to be safe. Use a wood dowel to measure from the inside.

If you DO happen to screw up and cut it too short, do the following. Hammer the barrel flat with a slegehammer (Take it off the gun first of course.), cut off the locking extension of the barrel (The part of the barrel that the bolt locks into.) then either throw away or sell as scrap. STFU and NEVER tell anyone. Then go and order a new barrel.

It would probably be easier to simply buy a new factory barrel for a newbie like yourself. They aren't that expensive. The Model 88 and Model 500 barrels are interchangeable and can be bought online.

a. Largest capacity of holding shells
b. Most readily and cheaply available ammunition
c. Looks big and threatening
d. Least maintenance
Please suggest some other weapons as well

Depending on the version, the 88 will hold either 6 or 8 shells. If you can't solve the problem with 6 rounds of buckshot, your shooting either sucks or you are way over your head. I'd keep one of those shotgun bandoliers available just in case. Better to have too much ammo than not enough.

As for ammo, 12 gauge is the most available shotgun gauge. Here is the short story. For anti-personnel use, any shot size between 000 buckshot and #4 buckshot will work. 000 buckshot has the best penetration, but the fewest pellets. #4 buckshot has the most pellets, but the least amount of penetration that can be considered adequate for home defense. If overpenitration might be an issue where you live, go with something between #1 and #4 buckshot. Research on the subject all generally concludes that the best combination of pellets/penetration is #1 buckshot. 00 buckshot is the most readily available though. Don't use 3" shells. The extra recoil and lower magazine capacity isn't worth it.

If you don't want the hassle of looking for #1 - #4 buckshot and just want something that will work, go to the gun store and say, "I would like some 2 3/4", 9 pellet 00 buckshot please." Get a few brands to see what patterns and feeds best in your gun.

Save the cheap birdshot loads for practice. DO NOT USE BIRDSHOT FOR HD. It creates shallow wounds that rarely cause quick incapacitation. If you are shooting someone, it is because you want to stop them from doing whatever they are doing RIGHT NOW. You don't shoot to kill, you don't shoot to wound, you shoot to stop the threat.

I don't rely on the look of a gun. I rely on it being able to put someone down quickly. Even the dumbest of criminals know that a center mass hit of buckshot is usually fatal.

Pump shotguns are generally low maintenance. Keep them clean and lubed and you should not have a problem. An 870, 500, or 88 will do the job just fine.

Now for training yourself. Close the curtains so the neighbors don't wonder why you are walking around your house with a shotgun. It is your home and you have defenders advantage. You know the layout, where furniture is, where the squeaky floorboards are, choke points, etc. Practice navigating through your home in the dark. You can get some of those LED nightlights and put them around your home so you have some light to see with.

It is almost always a good idea to issue a challenge if you hear someone in your house. A simple "WHOSE THERE?!" will work. It would really suck to shoot a drunken friend/relative who decided to crash at your place unannounced.

You can look around the forum using "search" to find more good advice. Hope this helps.

blume357
May 18, 2008, 05:52 AM
you should already know that guns are not allowed in D.C.... if you are a resident of D.C. I don't know how you can legally purchase a gun since it can't be carried back to your home except possibly if it is broken down.

With that said, if you live in Virginia I would find a local NRA course on guns and take it... these folks will also have access to a gun range for you to practice and learn.

anyman1010
May 18, 2008, 12:57 PM
Crosshairs and Blume,


Thank you for your advice. I will be going to a gun dealer soon. Hope he has a Maverick 88.

Blume I am in NOVA.

Regards,

Anyman

357 Python
May 18, 2008, 03:55 PM
Hello and welcome. I may be mistaken but I believe Maverick is or was a subsidiary of Mossberg. You should be getting a decent shotgun. Instead of cutting the barrel try to buy an 18 to 20 inch barrel or maybe trade the original barrel for a new one. If you are in Virginia there are several good courses available through the NRA and believe it or not the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Later on you may want a handgun and when that time comes go somewhere where you are able to try several different makes, styles, and calibers. Then choose the one you like and can handle the best. One other thing, after you get it spend time on a range and learn to control it. Good luck and may that shotgun be fired on the range or the hunting field more than anywhere else.

Sigma 40 Blaster
May 18, 2008, 09:52 PM
There are Maverick models that come with a short barrel (18-20 inches, don't remember exactly) with a tube that'll hold 8 rounds.

Just be prepared for wanting a handgun to accompany it, then maybe another one as a back up to it...then a few just to take to the range...and it grows from there.

blume357
May 19, 2008, 07:03 AM
I was just a little afeared that you were trolling.

From what I've read, Northern VA is a hotbed of gun enthusiest and you should be able to find any number of places to train and shoot.

a lot of folks really like a short 12 gage for protection... I'm not really a fan of same. A handgun seems more prudent to me, and the nice thing is you can open carry it in your state!

First and foremost take a NRA course, don't be afraid. I spent 40+ years with guns, grew up with them and knew all there was to know, then I took an 8 hour handgun safety course and learned more in that 8 hours than I did in the previous 40!

Dave McC
May 19, 2008, 09:32 PM
I haven't been to the range in Bull Run Park for a couple years, but I'm sure the range is still open and has classes for beginners.

Good buncha folks there. Head on over.

simonkenton
May 20, 2008, 01:54 PM
"Save the cheap birdshot loads for practice. DO NOT USE BIRDSHOT FOR HD. It creates shallow wounds that rarely cause quick incapacitation. If you are shooting someone, it is because you want to stop them from doing whatever they are doing RIGHT NOW."

Not true. There is nothing more lethal than a load of birdshot at inside-the-house range.

anyman1010
May 20, 2008, 08:40 PM
Hello.

Everybody thank you. I am heading down to Walmart to buy a shotgun this weekend.

Next step for me would a Rifle. Fancy myself as a long range shooter.

After much research I realized that Walmart has the easiest policies for purchasing a weapon.

Surprisingly Walmart stores in Northern VA do not sell guns. One has to go down to Winchester.

anyman1010