Did I make the right choice in buying my first Firearms?

[Aleous]

I recently completed my first purchase of my first four firearms and am in the middle of the 10 day wait period and also put an additional two on lawaway.

I am new to firearms but have done as much research as possible and do plan on getting formal instruction. The main reasons for buying is for defense and emergency preparedness so I wanted to buy a well rounded selection of firearms to have all my bases covered in any possible situation that may warrant the use of a firearm from self defense to hunting.

I was just looking for opinions on if I made the correct choices in my selection or if I made a mistake. Thank you for your advice and help.

My first four were:
S&W SD9VE 9mm
Marlin 795 22lr
Savage Axis 308
PSA AR-15

Additional Two on Layway:
Maverick 88 12g
Beretta Px4 G 9mm

Please excuse me and let me add I was on a budget.

 

[Bobson]

Pretty solid start to a collection for two grand. I might not have made those same choices, but you could have done a heck of a lot worse.

 

[Sam1911]

Nothing wrong with those choices. Solid, no-frills performers. Not sure what the second 9mm gets you, but nothing wrong with either one.

If anything you'll find you're jumping into the deep end with both feet -- having a lot of learning to do to try and become competent with all those different kinds of firearms at once. Not a bad problem to have, just make sure you're budgeting for ammo, range fees, instructional costs, etc. while you're spending your gun money.

Remember, guns are FOR something, not just possessions to hold, and once you have a gun or a selection of guns the part of the system which will need 99% of the upgrading is YOU.

 

[benEzra]

Yes, good choices. That's a very well rounded collection without breaking the bank.

 

[dranrab]

Looks like you have it all covered there.

 

[Apple a Day]

Solid

 

[GBExpat]

... I was just looking for opinions on if I made the correct choices in my selection or if I made a mistake. Thank you for your advice and help. ...

First off, Good For You, Aleous!

That looks to me like well-thought-out list.

Any chance that you have some land, or know of a shooting friend who does, where you can familiarize yourself with those?

10-day Waiting Period ... PRK?

 

[Sam1911]

Here's the OP's other post on this topic, if you want more info: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=793987

Yes he's in California.


As the old saying goes, "Any gun will do, if YOU will..."

You've made your choices, they're fine. There's no value in second-guessing yourself. Those guns will work. Now go and master them.

 

[C0untZer0]

The stock sights on the 795 aren't easy to adjust for windage. I purchased 2 of them for my daughters to do an Appleseed shoot and the windage was off on one of the rifles. After a frustrating bout of messing with the stock sights I decided to replace the stock sights with Tech-Sights.

The bag-man for my local Costco carries a SD9VE

 

[bannockburn]

Aldous

All of your choices are decent, proven performers; no need to second guess yourself on your decision to get these particular guns. Now get instruction if you feel like you need it, get some ammo, and get yourself to the range.

 

[Onward Allusion]

S&W SD9VE 9mm - Solid sleeper. It's a 3rd Gen Sigma. Excellent choice.

Marlin 795 22lr - Accurate & inexpensive - there are even hi cap mags for 'em now - VERY good choice

Savage Axis 308 - Good choice on a decent starter bolt. Personally, I'd have gotten the 30-06 but that's a whole other 20 page thread.

PSA AR-15 - Ok choice.

Additional Two on Layway:
Maverick 88 12g - Must have. You can't ever go wrong with one of these

Beretta Px4 G 9mm - Good choice - simple operation

Overall, very good choices for your start. I have half of 'em. Enjoy!

 

[Zaydok Allen]

As a starter arsenal, you're doing fine.

PX4 is an excellent gun. Welcome to the forum as well.

 

[JSH1]

Nothing wrong with the guns you selected. I would personally spend the bulk of my time with the 22 and actually learn how to shoot. (I also would have (and did) buy a Marlin XT-22 with the tubular magazine because it will shoot any type of 22LR / 22L / 22S that you can find on the shelf)

 

[guyfromohio]

Since they're your first, particularly with the handguns, I'd figure out which one you like best and put the other in the safe for a while. Get to know and be proficient with one of them first. I have a friend, no slouch when it comes to athleticism and intelligence who got really excited about guns. Bought several in a matter of weeks. He takes all of them to the range each time he goes and puts 50 or so mediocre rounds through each. Don't let multiples distract you. Pick one and shoot the heck out of it. Pull the other one out later and do the same. Just my experience. I don't claim to be an expert. Just an enthusiast.

 

[Spats McGee]

. . . . I am new to firearms but have done as much research as possible and do plan on getting formal instruction.

Welcome to THR, Aleous!

That's an excellent start. We get a fair number of new shooters here and one resounding theme that I see in their "new-to-guns" threads is "get some training." Since you've just bought 4 guns, and you're new to guns, you've got a lot of learning to do. Also, shooting is one of those skills that degrades pretty quickly so you'll need to plan to shoot somewhat regularly if you want to maintain skills. Training will do you little good if you don't go shoot.

The main reasons for buying is for defense and emergency preparedness so I wanted to buy a well rounded selection of firearms to have all my bases covered in any possible situation that may warrant the use of a firearm from self defense to hunting.

Are you planning to carry? Are you in a locale and situation where that's a possibility? If so, you'll need to look into and budget for things like a belt, holster, licensing fees, etc. Someone already mentioned budgeting for ammo, range fees, etc., so add that to the pile. Also, if carry is an issue, learn the laws of your jurisdiction and those of any place that you plan to carry.

Even if you're not, please also consider how you'll store those guns at home. If you have children, you'll need to make some kind of allowance for that. Trigger locks or a safe . . . with the caveat that if you can't get to your gun, it won't do you any good in a home invasion. You'll have to learn to balance the need for access with, well, the risks of access.

I was just looking for opinions on if I made the correct choices in my selection or if I made a mistake. Thank you for your advice and help.

My first four were:
S&W SD9VE 9mm
Marlin 795 22lr
Savage Axis 308
PSA AR-15

Additional Two on Layway:
Maverick 88 12g
Beretta Px4 G 9mm

Please excuse me and let me add I was on a budget.

There's nothing wrong with being on a budget. I'm on one, too. These are not necessarily the choices I would have made, but they're all solid choices. The manufacturers are known and reputable and the calibers are common and versatile.

There's one substitution that I'd make, though. Rather than add a second 9mm semiauto to the stable, I'd opt for a .357 Magnum revolver. The .357Mag is a proven round, and you can also shoot .38 Special out of it, so it's a toofer. Both calibers are common and useful.

 

[txblackout]

Nothing wrong with the guns you selected. I would personally spend the bulk of my time with the 22 and actually learn how to shoot. (I also would have (and did) buy a Marlin XT-22 with the tubular magazine because it will shoot any type of 22LR / 22L / 22S that you can find on the shelf)

+1, I really like to use the appleseed targets


1) you shoot at 25 yards so good indoor or outdoor
2) 10 targets on each paper so you dont have to constantly switch targets or be confused
3) score allows you to monitor improvement - gives you a goal
4) you can use 22lr which is super cheap. You will learn that ammo does matter. For example I have found that cci standard velocity works well in my guns, where golden bullet will have flyers.

Once you can shoot rifleman on the appleseed target, then you have the basics and can move to the pricier rifle rounds like 223 and 308 plus longer distances.

 

[TarDevil]

There's one substitution that I'd make, though. Rather than add a second 9mm semiauto to the stable, I'd opt for a .357 Magnum revolver. The .357Mag is a proven round, and you can also shoot .38 Special out of it, so it's a toofer. Both calibers are common and useful.

My thoughts exactly. Still, the OP made great selections!

Welcome to THR!

 

[PabloJ]

I would not buy anything accepting high capacity magazines because those guns will be banned. The plan is to first enact more stringent gun control laws which we know will not work. After that is proven certain types of firearms will be eliminated from circulation. There will be no "grandfathering in" so by buying them you're throwing money away,

The only way to stall or stop that is to recruit new members into shooting sports and encourage them to join organizations promoting Second Amendment rights.

 

[BSA1]

It is apparent that you gave a thought about your needs and met them within your budget. You did a good job covering a lot of bases.

The next firearm I suggest you buy (there is always just one more ;-)) is a .38 or .357 Magnum revolver. A revolver is a simpler handgun to operate and more versatile with a wider range of bullet types and power than semi-autos. Plus as I understand if semi-autos are getting harder to come by due to the States gun laws.

 

[natman]

My first four were:
S&W SD9VE 9mm
Marlin 795 22lr
Savage Axis 308
PSA AR-15

Additional Two on Layway:
Maverick 88 12g
Beretta Px4 G 9mm

You really only need 4 long guns:
A 22
A 223
A 30-06
A 12 ga.

The 308 is close enough to a 30-06. You did well.

Having two 9mm handguns is just wild extravagance.

 

[PabloJ]

It is apparent that you gave a thought about your needs and met them within your budget. You did a good job covering a lot of bases.

The next firearm I suggest you buy (there is always just one more ;-)) is a .38 or .357 Magnum revolver. A revolver is a simpler handgun to operate and more versatile with a wider range of bullet types and power than semi-autos. Plus as I understand if semi-autos are getting harder to come by due to the States gun laws.

Yes, revolvers are good bet and those from S&W and Colt will hold or gain in value. I would add traditional 1911 pistol with seven or eight cartridge magazine.

 

[txblackout]

Some people are collectors and want as many different guns as possible. I just like to have backups so I have the minimum caliber with duplicates of each gun. So for me, my second 9mm semi would be a duplicate of the first.

Here is why (for me)
1) hard to learn manual arms to be completely fluent with each gun. So the less guns the better
2) hard to become a crack shot with each gun. The fewer the types of guns you have, the more training you can do with each
3) You can have more of fewer types of ammo for the same $. This means you are more likely to be able to shoot the guns you have (vs running out)
4) fewer parts kits to keep around for repairs
5) When civilization collapses, you will want backups of the same gun with backup parts

I only stock 22lr, 223, 308, 9mm and 12ga

I reload 300 blackout which is a combo of 308 and 223.

It can be a tough call but would you rather have 1000 each of 10 calibers or 2000 each of 5 calibers.

 

[joem1945]

Now you need to but a bunch of ammo before buying more guns. A gun without ammo is a paper weight.

 

[PabloJ]

Some people are collectors and want as many different guns as possible. I just like to have backups so I have the minimum caliber with duplicates of each gun. So for me, my second 9mm semi would be a duplicate of the first.

Here is why (for me)
1) hard to learn manual arms to be completely fluent with each gun. So the less guns the better
2) hard to become a crack shot with each gun. The fewer the types of guns you have, the more training you can do with each
3) You can have more of fewer types of ammo for the same $. This means you are more likely to be able to shoot the guns you have (vs running out)
4) fewer parts kits to keep around for repairs
5) When civilization collapses, you will want backups of the same gun with backup parts

I only stock 22lr, 223, 308, 9mm and 12ga

I reload 300 blackout which is a combo of 308 and 223.

It can be a tough call but would you rather have 1000 each of 10 calibers or 2000 each of 5 calibers.

With respect to #1 and #2 I would say it is matter or box or two of ammo if one uses correct shooting basics. It does mean compromise for example to carry my 1911 instead of Glock I would have to use kydex holster with retension strap chambered round hammer back and slide lock in downward position. In other wards one of the safety mechanisms in 1911 would have to be skipped to make it equal to Glock.

 

[Sam1911]

With respect to #1 and #2 I would say it is matter or box or two of ammo if one uses correct shooting basics.

What the heck?

You're expecting someone with little firearms experience, who's just bought his first four guns, to become a proficient shot in "a box or two" of ammo (with multiple guns, even)?


Your standards must be ... plutonic.