1: Rifles are easier to shoot and harder to accidentally flag (point the gun at) someone with. .22 is a good choice, it's what my dad started me with when I was five or so. Cheap, both in the rifle and the ammo, so you can get a ton of practice in for little investment, and no recoil so you're not going to lose control of it or develop a flinch. 10/22s are good if you want a semi-automatic (stick with the little box mags, not the big banana clips), or you can probably find a used bolt action for $100-150
He asked a question and I answered it.
A little late to the party on this one, but I will attest that a .38 Special is a way better choice for an arm's length encounter than anything like .380, .32, .25 and under. 38 is stable, has more ass behind it than a .380 (or even 9mm if you get the right +P ammo... 158gr going 1200fps is a chest cracker), and is pretty much dummy proof for fast action if you get a hammerless snubbie. Though I will caution that snubbies tend to not like lighter bullet weights under 148 gr in my experience. I once loaded up 125gr hollow points with a spicy powder charge and watched them dance around a target at 10 yd like I was shooting at Fortune from MGS2. Going further down the wheelgun fudd rabbithole, .38 is nice because in a pinch (if you're into reloading) you can substitute smokeless powder with black powder, and you can hard cast/flip a hollow back wad cutter and load it backwards for some cool and interesting terminal ballistic effects. You can also use them in any gun chambered for 357 Mag, including lever guns.
That's rather informative on the lighter loads; I carry both the heavy lead 158 grain FBI load and a 120 grain load. I'll have to do some testing in my snubbie, but that's good to know. On cost, I would say snubbies, especially brands considered "lesser" in the used bin at your LGS, are pretty cheap, and a good starter if you're low on cash and want something that "just works", as was the situation I was in. If you can get a Smith like I did, more power to you, but I wouldn't turn my nose to a good condition used Taruas either.
You son of a bitch it better be a pre-B where you can throw it into a compactor and survive.
A shotgun is a good starter, especially if you're under 21, it'll teach you the basics, how to handle recoil, and no one will give you shit when you buy shells. That said, I'm a SKS fanboy. Its a easy to maintain, easy to fix rifle if shit really breaks, packs a solid punch, the cartridge while a bit more expensive, still has a shit ton of support from other manufactures, and it comes with a bayonet. Cant go wrong with a bayonet. And if you want a light but don't want to drill into the wood- duct tape my fren. I got mine for 399 at a Sportsman's warehouse sale two years ago, you can still find them cheap if you look.
It's of 1978 manufacture. Still has the smooth(not knurled) hammer grip, the original logo (C with ž inside) and doesn't have an extruding guide rod for the slide (I have no idea what else to call that thing that comes out of the front of the newer ones). Looks a lot like this one:
Yeah that's a pre B for sure, you've got a second gen one. The first and second gen were made of some sort of literal stalinium (especially the first gen). I knew a guy who needed the slide remachined for some reason and the gunsmith actual broke his standard lathe bits on it.
and an 85 but those former three are hard to find and the last one is no since 2016.
One of my tiny female friends CCs a Taurus Judge. I'm 90% sure it's the 2.0 inch barrel. She's pretty comfy with it.
Ok wut? Actually CCW'ing a Judge? In her purse or something? It's not the worst in terms of cost effectiveness but it's still big.
Yeah the Judge is kind of a meme gun.
I've shot a LCP once, gun was completely fine in my hands, though that said I find 40 pleasant, albeit in bigger framed guns that I've fired 40 in. Only place I would consider keeping a Taruas Judge is my car, in that i can keep it in the center console. Even then, while i do carry a revolver for my CCW, a .38, i either want a big 357 magnum for my car, or more appropriately, a high capacity 9mm to 45, leaning more towards 40, like with the SD40VE, as a cheaper alternative to more expensive 40 cals while still packing 14 rounds of auto glass piercing punch. I would want to upgrade the trigger, but all in due time.
I love my M92, but it has issues:
