Friday on my podcast I'm going to encourage everyone to buy firearms. If you would like to give suggestions for first time gun buyers, please concisely reply to this post. Keep in mind different states, different budgets, and different situations. Are you particularly passionate about city self defense in California? Do you have three different high quality firearms for Texas? Give me some diversity here. Don't be cringe.
I live in Oklahoma, a constitutional carry state, so it's trivial to get guns and ammo here. Twice a year Tulsa hosts the
Wanenmacher's Tulsa Arms Show, the biggest gun show in the world. I'd recommend checking it out at least once if you can (if you do PM me and I can give you more info about what to do in the Tulsa area). There's a ton of cool stuff there. One vendor I saw had traveled there all the way from Australia!
For 9mm, a lot of people have recommended the Glock 19. It's excellent but be sure to compare how it feels in your hand to the Glock 17 (the same gun but a tad larger) to see which feels better. If you have larger hands you will probably want the 17. I also highly recommend getting a MOS (Modular Optic System) variant if you can since they come with easy ways to mount sights. Glocks in general are very nice due to the monumental amount of aftermarket accessories and support. Glock magazines are particularly desirable since many non-Glock firearms are compatible with them.
The most current generation is five, but I believe generation three has the most aftermarket support. You can regularly find police trade-ins for under $400 and brand new ones should cost you an absolute maximum of about $550.
The brick is reliable. The brick is affordable. The brick is your friend. Embrace the brick.
For shotguns, a Maverick 88 is both cheap and reliable. You can usually find a
combo kit with both a sporting barrel and a security barrel for under $300 (before taxes, shipping, and transfer fee). Another great choice is the Mossberg 500 or 590.
For plinking, get yourself a rifle and/or pistol chambered in .22 LR. The Ruger 10/22 is a semiauto and the gold standard in affordability and reliability, but a threaded barrel (highly recommended, for attaching a suppressor) is a bit more expensive. It also has a retarded amount of aftermarket accessories and support. So much so that you could build a custom one for yourself completely from scratch. I own a Henry (whose motto is "Made in America or Not Made at All" btw) lever action .22 and it's super fun to use. I got the large loop variant (
Model H001L) because it's more comfortable to action.
The AR-15 is a meme gun because it's everywhere. And it's everywhere because every part is customizable. The price range is huge so do your research before you buy. Also make sure it's chambered in 5.56 rather than .223 Remington. This is an important distinction because guns chambered in 5.56 can shoot
both 5.56 and .223 but guns chambered in .223 can
only shoot .223. Shooting the wrong caliber through your gun can destroy your firearm, which can kill you.
If you want to try something even more memetic, go to a pawn shop or gun show and find an old milsurp rifle. I own a Kar98K and it's super fun to shoot. My Dad describes it as a shoulder-mounted cannon because it makes little craters when you shoot the ground. Though be aware of the price of ammo and that the price for non-corrosive ammo will be significantly more expensive.
Corrosive ammo is fine to shoot but requires that you clean your gun after you shoot it so it won't damage your firearm's usability or longevity.
For ammo, use
AmmoSeek. As of today (9/12/25), for brand new ammo, the cheapest ammo you can buy for the most popular calibers is about:
~$0.20 - $0.25 each for 9mm
~$0.05 - $0.10 each for .22 LR
~$0.32 - $0.35 each for both 12 gauge and 20 gauge shotgun shells
~$0.37 - $0.40 each for .223 Remington
~$0.39 - $0.42 each for 5.56x45mm NATO
Important to note that different types of ammo excel in different circumstances and will cost different amounts per shot.
You
can reload ammo (or manufacture your own new ammo) but it'll take a while to recoup your costs from buying the primers, powder, brass, bullets, machinery, and tools. This is mainly recommended for people who are
really into self-sufficiency but does save money in the long run if you're a prolific shooter.
BUY EAR PROTECTION AND USE IT!!! Unless you're shooting subsonic (about 1,125 ft/s at sea level and room temperature--altitude and temperature
do effect the speed of sound) ammo out of a gun with a suppressor a single shot can and will damage your hearing. I was a retard and wanted to know how loud my Glock 17 would sound without ear protection and a single shot made my ears ring for 3 days straight.
Now you've got your gun(s) and your ammo. The important thing to do now is to
practice shooting them. Indoor ranges are nice but usually don't allow shotguns. If you have the space for it I would recommend buying
targets and setting up your own
shooting range. Targets and their accessories go on sale all the time.
TL;DR:
Glock 17 or 19
Maverick 88 or Mossberg 500/590
Ruger 10/22
AR-15 chambered in 5.56
AmmoSeek
Dragon Targets,
ShootingTargets7, and
Shoot Steel
r/gundeals (surprisingly useful)
