Ulyanov [any]
FWIW discussing hunting in /c/guns is fine but I appreciate you putting a CW out of consideration for comrades who disagree with it. We’ll consider putting that in the rules to align with the broader site guidelines
That’s not what the OP said, and 223 and 308 are both capable of painless kills with proper shot placement. Head shots are highly discouraged in hunting, regardless of the caliber.
In any case, this isn’t the place to debate veganism or “ethical” hunting. If you would like to do so you can make another post about it.
IMO better to start with an AR-15 that’s like 14.5" (pistol or SBR+stamp) or 16" (rifle). Even barrels as short as 12.5" can be effective at 200+ yards under the right conditions, and an 18"+ barrel can be pretty unwieldy getting out of cars and going around corners and such.
Then later if you feel like it or have a use case for it (hunting, etc) you can get a bolt action, or shell out for a battle rifle type gun. But outside of specific use cases I think most people would be content with a gun that’s easy to maneuver with but still effective at range.
Hopefully other people can chime in if they have different opinions.
Good info, thanks. I suspect this may be only true for states that keep databases of gun owners, like California, but I don’t know for certain. I don’t know what mechanism local police in other states would use to see if someone is a gun owner or not (other than CCW licenses, if you have one in that specific state), unless there’s been recent developments.
This is the kind of discussion I’m hoping for so we can get more diverse experiences and opinions. It’s difficult for me to cross-apply my experiences living in a red state and give relevant advice for people in blue states.
This–
Feds/police will try to get Leftists to purchase firearms in illegal ways
–is the primary reason for this,
going on the internet and telling people to buy guns
not just to tell people to buy guns, but so that we can have discussion in a mostly-anonymous and like-minded environment and help people educate themselves. I’m glad you brought it up though because it’s a very important point and worth emphasizing.
We’ve been pretty inactive as mods on /c/guns due to life circumstances, and unfortunately the informational stickies were all hidden due to the server issues. But we’re hoping to become a jumping-off point for comrades who would like to get armed so they can do so safely and legally. I feel discussing entrapment and other pitfalls here is more useful than it would be on chud gun forums full of fudd lore and people who aren’t actually at risk of hostile state actors.
This is generally good advice. It never hurts to be careful and it’s really important to learn your local, state, and federal laws so you don’t get entrapped or otherwise fucked.
But generally speaking, in my experience in the US at least, getting a gun is very easy. Gun ownership is so ubiquitous that buying and owning a gun is very unlikely to trigger any flags or problems (assuming you aren’t a felon). In many states, local law enforcement aren’t involved at any step of your gun purchase and have no easy way of knowing you’re armed. The background check is a short call to the FBI and the form you fill out often stays there in a filing cabinet at the store / FFL until it gets requested for some reason. Getting a CCW license, for states that require it, may involve a short interaction with a sheriff or other LEO, and may put you on a list (a large one with tens of thousands of people, in most states at least). But I’d recommend a person be proficient with a gun before they start carrying it, if possible.
Having friends who are experienced with guns is probably the best. Joining an org is generally a good idea but probably much higher risk of putting you on a list than simply buying a gun. Taking classes and practicing is highly recommended, if possible. But none of that is necessary for just buying a gun. And as shit continues to get worse, I’d rather comrades at least have access to a gun, even if they just lock it in a closet, than never get around to getting one until it’s too late. Obviously train with it now, if possible-- the best advice is to get one and train with it. But you can’t train later if you don’t even have one in the first place.
I pocket carry an LCP Max
I use a Vedder Pocket Locker. I tried no other holsters (other than the one it came with, which is soft and not safe to carry in), so I can’t really compare. It meets my needs.
I just use cheap safety glasses with a good rating. Doesn’t hurt to be extra careful, but no need to spend a ton of money here.
Regular earplugs work and cost like 50 cents, but if you plan on going shooting with friends getting a pair of electronic ear protection can be nice. They let you carry on a conversation while shooting. Walker’s Razers aren’t bad if you can get them for around $30.
Get a few boxes of hollow points for carrying and the rest FMJ for the range. You can watch /r/gundeals and ammoseek for deals. This looks like a pretty solid deal for range ammo, although I don’t know anything about the seller. Looks like they’re out of Federal HST which is my go-to, but have a few other options for hollow points. I’m currently carrying Hornady Critical Defense because it’s what I could get at the time, and it cycles fine in my LCP Max. You’ll want to shoot through a few mags of your carry ammo to make sure it cycles in your gun and get used to it, since it’s usually loaded hotter than range ammo. Ideally you have enough extra that you can shoot through your carry mag every time you go to the range.
I’d recommend eventually getting the 12-round magazine for the extra grip and capacity.
Can’t give much advice on lockers or flying. I know there’s a big difference between satisfying legal requirements for being locked away, and being locked away such that it’s difficult or impossible to steal the gun. The former can be covered by a $50 lock box from Costco or wherever. The latter seems to have pretty heavy diminishing returns.