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holyearth
Posts: 1 New Member
Lowest recoil self defense options
holyearth
Posts: 1 New Member
Hello everyone, new here. If this post violates the rules, please remove it.
I am new to gun ownership. I would like to ask you experienced members what do you recommend in terms of the following priorities (ranked by importance)
1) Lowest recoil
2) Long lasting, well known reliability (cost is not necessarily a factor)
3) Easy or easier to use - especially for beginners and females (low trigger pressure)
4) Corrosion resistance - may be used in a marine application
I am looking at making a good first weapon purchase for self defense. I will be trained on the gun by a professional. The purpose of the gun is primarily self defense at home and out on the sea. My budget is $400-$1100.
Please let me know your suggestions, thanks!
I am new to gun ownership. I would like to ask you experienced members what do you recommend in terms of the following priorities (ranked by importance)
1) Lowest recoil
2) Long lasting, well known reliability (cost is not necessarily a factor)
3) Easy or easier to use - especially for beginners and females (low trigger pressure)
4) Corrosion resistance - may be used in a marine application
I am looking at making a good first weapon purchase for self defense. I will be trained on the gun by a professional. The purpose of the gun is primarily self defense at home and out on the sea. My budget is $400-$1100.
Please let me know your suggestions, thanks!
Replies
Smith & Wesson Model 686 revolver in stainless steel, 4" barrel, chambered in .357 Magnum. (You can shoot .38 Special in it, but you have the option to up your game should you, with experience, desire to do so).
For home defense ammo in this rig, 125 grain jacketed hollow-point loads are never a bad choice, whether shooting .38 Special or .357 Magnum.
Mike
N454casull
Mike
N454casull
Mike
N454casull
A long gun is easier to aim than a handgun. The user can support it with both hands a shoulder and their cheek against the stock. They also deliver more energy on target with less recoil to the user.
Welcome, hey.
1. Much of law enforcement is returning to the 9mm for both it's lack of recoil and its vastly improved performance with modern duty ammo.
2. In 9mm, there were Gen 1 and Gen 2 specimens documented as firing in excess of 100,000 rounds. The current Gen 5 benefits from the 25 year experiment that was the .40 S&W (a high pressure, snappy recoil breaker of pistols). They're only making the new guns in 9mm but there's a lot of "beefed up for .40" engineering inside it - should be even MORE durable.
3. You have a trigger with the safety mounted on it, a magazine release, and a slide stop. That's it for operational controls. The standard set of trigger parts will give you a pull of about 5.5#
4.The surface treatment that's under the cosmetic black exterior is famous for being impervious to, well, pretty much anything.
A stainless double action revolver is not a bad choice for what you're wanting, but the double action trigger function that you're most likely to use is typically about 10#. I like both brands (a lot) but I'd probably recommend a Ruger GP-100 over Smith & Wesson's offerings for this application - it comes apart into sub-assemblies for easy rinsing of salt water deposits. FYI - the Glock is probably even more corrosion resistant than most gun-quality stainless steel.
"Nothing is safe from stupid." - Zee
If it's to be used from a boat, one of the "marine grade" shotguns would fill the bill.
If it is going to be carried on occasion, something along the lines of a Glock 19, loaded with Fed HST or Speer Gold dots would fill the multiple roles nicely.
There's also the option of buying a "police trade-in" Glock and saving some money.
My personal Glock 19 is over 30 years old, has fired countless thousands of rounds and is still running strong. The only thing I've done to it is add Tru-glo Tritium/Fiber optic sights to it
"If you get it and didn't work for it, someone else worked for it and didn't get it..."
Stainless revolver in either .38 or .357, easy to use, powerful, low recoiling lighter .38 special loads, accurate, potentially heavy in weight to carry, can be carried easily on person, larger than some guns, corrosion resistance ( NOT rustproof ). Five or six rounds of protection. The Smith and Wesson 686 or Ruger GP 100 are good options.
Glock semi auto in 9mm, Glock model 19 or Model 17. Polymer based frame with stainless or corrosion resistant coatings. The 9mm round is a high pressure and loud round but low recoiling in these semi auto handguns. The Glock 19 hold 15 rounds of 9mm while the model 17 holds 17 rounds ( a little confusing ). Convenient to reload, and easy to shoot, the semi auto pistol requires some training and practice to learn how to clear malfunctions. easy to carry on person, corrosion resistant, choice of a lot of law enforcement, fairly accurate. Grips can be large for smaller hands. Requires ability and strength to manipulate the slide. More training required to be proficient.
Mossberg mariner shotgun in either 12 gauge ( common ) or 20 gauge ( uncommon ). "Marinized" meaning it has a tested marine coating. The 12 gauge is a handful to shoot and has lots of recoil. They make mini shells or it, so you can load more rounds and have less recoil. The 20 gauge is almost as effective as the 12 gauge, but has less recoil as well. Larger, this is hard to carry on person, unless you sling it over your back ( not practical ) . Typically on a boat you might keep it in a tube for storage and corrosion resistance. it is pretty easy to load and will carry about 5 rounds. It can shoot either solid rounds like a slug or shot from large .32 caliber 00 buck down to small # 8 bird shot, and that can make it versatile. It takes practice to use it proficiently, but is pretty easy to operate.
Enjoy the selection process and learning.
D
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.... now who's bringing the hot wings? :jester:
I can teach nearly anyone the manual of arms on a revolver in about 5 minutes. Several make a 7 or even 8 shot version. Easy to pack with the correct holster if needed. Can even take fairly large game with proper loads and practice.
Autoloaders take more skill to master. Shotguns are great for static defense but also require two hands, and I would get the 20 gauge. Most 20's swing a bit faster and from personal experience the Mossberg 500 holds 6 rounds of 20 versus 5 rounds of 12.
Winston Churchill
1) Lowest recoil - 9mm isn't the lowest recoil, but it's definitely down there. Additionally, when you downgrade below the 9mm to the ubiquitous .380 ACP you give up a lot of terminal performance. There are numerous YouTube videos out there proving this.
2) Long lasting, well known reliability (cost is not necessarily a factor) - Glock, Glock, and more Glock. There are Gen 1-3 renditions still chugging along. If something does go down, it's the most common Mil/LE gun on the planet and replacement parts are plentiful and affordable. There are other handguns showing up on the scene such as the M&P series and the P320, but Glock has a track record that started over a decade before them.
3) Easy or easier to use - especially for beginners and females (low trigger pressure) - Some will argue against the Glock in this regard because of the grip angle. Poppycock, training (which you've indicated you will pursue) overcomes that. Writing off a gun because it doesn't "point naturally" nor "feel comfortable" indicates an unwillingness or inability to train, and not a fault of the gun. The obvious exception to this is if the gun is physically too large to handle, but the Gen 4 and Gen 5 Glocks offer a smaller grip to help with this. The Gen 5 in particular also has a much better trigger than previous renditions.
4) Corrosion resistance - may be used in a marine application - While most modern EDC or Service oriented handguns have figured out Stainless Steel with various corrosion resistant coatings, Glock figured it out first. You CAN make a Glock slide rust, I've done it, but it takes downright neglect.
Cost? Glock 19's can be found all over the place for $530, plus tax. Less on the used market. If you're Military, LE, First Responder, Veteran, etc etc they can be had for $430. Add $50-$100 for night sights or Ameriglos This includes 3 mags. Another factor to cost is accessories such as holsters, replacement sights, spare mags, etc. Because the Glock is so common, all of these accoutrements are rapidly available and usually for less than other handguns.
Am I a fanboy? Reluctantly. I have actively tried to ditch my Glock 19's several times, but nothing that has come out is enough BETTER to justify the cost. I just spent 4 days training with some of the bigger names in the industry, only ONE wasn't running a Glock rendition, and I'm pretty sure Bill Blowers is on Walther's payroll now (he has been hawking the PPQ Match Steel for a few months now).
"Slow is smooth, smooth is fast, and speed is the economy of motion" - Scott Jedlinski