[perry]

It takes a lot for me to go into my local gun store and pick out a new gun. When you have a choice of almost anything you want its kinda hard to buy something. What do you do to make a choice and pick out a new gun.



Im mostly talking about hand guns. Just plinking, but I want somthing that has good accuaracy.

 

[paraordn]

I usually walk into my local gun store and see something that grabs my blue eyes and then I ask the clerk if I can have a 4473 and then I go about filling it out and take my new fancy gun home. About two weeks later I go to the local range and test my new baby out.


Some simple tips when trying to decide are listed below:


1.Walk in with a lot of cash. Just so you can bargin a little bit.
2.Go in there knowing you are going to buy a weapon. Just in case you dont like the guns he has in the store. This will make you determined to drive 50 miles the opposite way to the other gun store.
3.Have a general idea of what you want (EX:semi-auto, Revolver, Rifle, shotgun)
4.Feel each and every gun that you think you might like. Make sure you get the feel. Dont want to buy a gun that dont feel good.
5. BUY THE GUN AND STOP DROOLING.



Its that easy! :mrgreen:

 

[EddieMossberg]

These days, I only go looking for a specific gun that I know I want. I used to just go to the store and pick out something that looks nice, knowing nothing about it. I have bought more pieces of garbage that way than I care to think about.
I would suggest doing research. Don't listen to anybody that works at the gun store about anything, they just want to sell you whatever they have in stock.(Unless you know them well) Go in looking for a gun that is well known for being high quality, and don't get distracted by any "awesome looking" guns that you know nothing about. I only buy from the top of the line, well known manufacurers.

 

[winmag]

Usually I see it in a magazine or on a forum and I get some info on it and then go make my purchase.

 

[Mike Barham]

I'm more in line with EddieMossberg. I only buy guns I need, with the exception of my M1 Garand, and I'm steadily liquidating those I don't need or ever shoot. When I get back to the States, I'll be selling/trading an M4gery, a .308 pseudo-Scout, and a Browning .22 pistol. I'll keep a few sentimental favorites like my first .22 rifle, first carry gun, and my Garand. But I really only need guns that get used.

 

[Slam Fire]

I walk into the shop without any preconceptions, have a look at what they have and buy whatever seems like it might be interesting, fun, a decent investment.

OR --

I figure out what I want, research it to death, shop all over, and get the best price from a dealer with whom I like to do business.

I walk into pawn shops just to see what they have.

I order from gun shops items that they don't keep in stock -- like high end trap/skeet guns.

 

[NGFadmin]

I just go in my local store and see somthing I like and buy it. If I have seen somthing interesting lately I will get maybe a price or even maybe just buy it. Never know when im going to spend money....

 

[Evil-Twin]

Im not a collector , So I buy a new anything out of need.. if I need the features or the caliber, or the size, I do my research and buy what Ive found to be the best bang for the buck.. I do not purchase anything blindly or without research

 

[hyrdr]

I'm with Evil. Subscribing to American Rifleman as a NRA member and reading is the easiest way to learn about options. Guns&Ammo mag is another suggestion with articles on all sorts of guns. Caliber is a good way to choose. Size is important depending on what you need. For some it's more simple. What do you not yet own? Shop shop shop just buy quality.

 

[Reloadron]

It takes a lot for me to go into my local gun store and pick out a new gun. When you have a choice of almost anything you want its kinda hard to buy something. What do you do to make a choice and pick out a new gun.



I'm mostly talking about hand guns. Just plinking, but I want something that has good accuracy.

I know my taste in guns so when I am in a gun store I look for the things that trip my trigger. In handguns for example I like early S&W and Colt revolvers. I also like Colt Government models with emphasis on the earlier Series 70 or before flavors. Last weekend for the holiday weekend we were down in Columbus, Ohio visiting family and grandchildren. Stopped at Cabela's and visited the Gun Library. I saw a nice little S&W Model 17 and looked at it a few times, finally asking if there was any room on the price. They came down a little and I bought the gun. The gun fit my taste in guns, that simple. Took it out this past week and shot it, I am happy with it. Sweet little 22 LR revolver.

There can be hundreds or a thousand guns in a store and I seldom if ever deviate from my personal taste. That obviously narrows things down.

Ron

 

[underdog]

Im not a collector , So I buy a new anything out of need.. if I need the features or the caliber, or the size, I do my research and buy what Ive found to be the best bang for the buck.. I do not purchase anything blindly or without research

Similar here.
If I do just happen into a show room I look by caliber.
Shops will have them displayed by caliber some will have them displayed by brand then caliber.

 

[NOVA]

Buying firearms can be considered an investment strategy, IMO, but I've learned that selling guns to help pay bills is a losing situation. There is only one gum I bought and was not happy with and that is only because it was not until I was able to take it to a range and shoot it that I found the trigger pull was too long and had a direct negative impact on accuracy. If you have a LGS that allows you to actually shoot the gun before buying it - great!

Always research a gun before buying! I will watch items on gun auction web sites for weeks and even months before I bid on one. If you have a choice between two manufacturers and one is higher quality but costs more, it might be worth saving the extra money and get the higher quality gun.

My long term strategy is to obtain two of every common and popular caliber firearm. The philosophy is that if you have at least one platform for a range of calibers and you run across a good deal on ammo - you have a gun that will chamber it. Having two or more of each caliber makes sense to me because if one gun fails, you still have another that will shoot the ammo you have on hand.

You said mostly for plinking, so I would assume you want to have fun and not shoot an expensive round. How many guns do you have in 22 caliber? What kind?

 

[GregM]

Same way you decide your next girlfriend

 

[Siplace]

It takes a lot for me to go into my local gun store and pick out a new gun. When you have a choice of almost anything you want its kinda hard to buy something. What do you do to make a choice and pick out a new gun.



Im mostly talking about hand guns. Just plinking, but I want somthing that has good accuaracy.

First I determine my need. What do I want this gun to do? If it is just plinking then I research small calibers. If I want it for defense then I get a little heavier.

By what you said you wanted it for I would be looking between 22LR and 9mm. Then I start reading reviews of the various manufacturers. I learn which ones to avoid which makers have a less than wonderful reputation for customer service. After I weed those out I start weeding out the specific models. Eventually I will come down to a few different guns I am interested in. Then it is time to get hands on. I will go to the LGS and handle the different models. The one that is the most ergonomic for my hand is most likely the one I will buy.

Getting the right gun for you hand and the application you want it for takes time and study.

 

[Evil-Twin]

Same way you decide your next girlfriend

So what you are saying Greg, is you prefer 45's over 22's ?
Bill aka ET

 

[Popeye]

Same way you decide your next girlfriend

Yup. I tend to purchase whatever firearm strikes my fancy at the moment.

 

[Scrub oak]

I like to visit gun shows. I know before I leave home just how much I can afford to spend, but I usually have a pretty good idea as to what caliber and style of gun that I am interested in. After looking at all the different tables and what they have to offer, I try to seek out any local gun dealers who may have rented a space there. If at all possible I try to buy from them. If not then I try so find something that I am interested in at another table. As was the case this past weekend, I was looking for a snub nose .357 magnum revolver and I found just what I wanted and bought it from a very nice local gun dealer.

 

[Andy 22/308]

I've gotten various firearms for various reasons.

It started out after my dad passed away. My mom was very anti-gun, so she gave away all of his guns. He wasn't a collector, or even had amazing pieces, but they were well cared-for.

So my first buy was, well, what's the most versatile gun out there? Considering the wide assortment of amazing stuff you can put in a shotgun, that's what I looked for. And the most versatile shotgun, which at the time looked to me like the Mossberg 590. I recall wondering at the time why nobody made a magazine-fed shotgun. You can get them now, oh well. But at least with the Mossberg I can load up with 8 in the tube and 1 up the spout.

I also needed a .22 rifle. I asked around, and everyone said, the Ruger 10/22, so I got one of them and wound up customizing it heavily.

But I didn't have a sidearm. First, I got a Ruger MkII because I figured, if I can't shoot basically a target weapon, I had no reason or excuse for something else. I shot the heck out of that Ruger and decided it was time to graduate.

So I got a Ruger P95DC because the action was so similar to the Beretta M9 and it all made sense to me to do things that way.

Since I was stocking 9mm, I figured, maybe a better varmint rifle would be a 9mm, so I got a Marlin Camp 9 -- which might be the most accurate weapon I have. It has destroyed rabid skunks and racoons whenever that was needed.

Meanwhile, the Ruger P95DC proved just too heavy to carry all the time, when I decided I wanted to carry. First off, it had to be light, or I wouldn't want to carry it. Second, it had to hold lots of rounds, Third, it had to fit my hand -- they're a bit on the large side, and I don't want to shoot a pistol with two or three fingers. Fourth, as much sight radius I could get away with. Sixth, it needed to be an inherently accurate weapon. That brought me to my Browning 1911/22.

And that's my whole collection, outside of my BB gun (nearly 60 years old) and my .177 air rifle, that I got back in 1972.

Long story short, I never went shopping for weapons before first having an idea of what I wanted.

Edit: I failed to mention my DPMS LR-308. I went shopping for this Civilian Battle Rifle (CBR) when the hysteria over 'assault rifles' reached its peak, and even my state of Iowa seemed like it might be overrun with the frenzy of "ban the black rifles". So, after lots of research, and talking to people, I got the DPMS. I've never regretted the least penny I spent for that rifle.

The DPMS is dead accurate, so is my Marlin 9. But you need the right tool for the right job. And I'm confident that they both shoot better than I do, which is exactly the way the world should be.

 

[Steyr Man 146]

Well I`m wanting a Glock 20 or a .44 mag with at least an 8 in barrel.......Cant afford either right now.....So I gotta go with FUNDING for me ..Also I`ll post here and let the guys kick it around for me.......