The Rookie's Guide to Buying a Gun
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Have you ever had that experience when you are on a long road trip and you make a pit stop at a small town diner, gas station or other establishment, and it seems like everyone is staring at you as the obvious outsider? I often envision the countless Western Movie scenes where some old, half drunk cowboy with a handlebar mustache pops off with “you ain’t from around here, is ya?” while he silently takes note of the stark contrast between your short pants and tennis shoes and his chaps and spurs? Yeah I can be a bit dramatic, but the point is you feel like you don’t belong. Instead of focusing on accomplishing what you stopped in for, your thoughts get jumbled by being so ridiculously self conscious that your stop takes longer than you planned, and you probably forget something you meant to get, ask, or do while you were there. This exact same feeling can happen when you show up to the gun counter as a buyer for the first time, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Just like I don’t need to care whether or not my city slicker duds stand out in the Podunkville General Store, you don’t need to be nervous about making your first gun purchase. The best way to help prevent that sense of insecurity and self consciousness is by doing your homework before you go shopping.
Step 1: Get some experience around firearms before you buy one. All too often I think guns are taken lightly. We have funny terms for them (I am guilty of that), funny hashtags like #pewpew, or ridiculously political memes that include some statement about “cold dead hands.” I’m not saying it’s wrongful to use some of those phrases or terms, or to be vocal about enjoying one’s firearms, but I do think it’s wrong to forget that firearms are a tool that contain the power of ending life. Based on that somber reality I think all gun owners need to take very seriously the importance of mindful handling, storing and shooting their firearms. So, get some experience learning how to hold, carry, load, aim, operate a firearm safely before you ever go to buy one. If you do not have a friend who can assist you with this, you need to find the nearest gun club, store, or range that offers firearm handling classes. Not only does this make the moment you become a gun owner much safer for you and your family, but it also will give you confidence in what you are looking at when you show up to the gun counter as a buyer.
Step 2: Predetermine what you need the gun for. Because this is a hunting resource I will work with the assumption that you are purchasing a firearm to use for hunting. Therefore the next logical consideration is finding a firearm that matches the species you are hoping to hunt. Although all firearms are capable of taking an animal’s life, that does not mean that every firearm can do so efficiently, or even ethically. Furthermore, not all hunting firearm calibers are legal to use for hunting in every state, but I will get to that in a minute. If you are primarily wanting to hunt waterfowl (ducks, geese, teal), or upland game (pheasants, grouse, quail, squirrels, doves, rabbits) you will want a shotgun. If you are more interested in big game hunting (whitetail and mule deer, elk, bear, moose, hogs, pronghorn, sheep and goats) you will want a large caliber rifle which uses “necked down” shells such as a .270, .30-06, 7mm, .300, .30-30, 6.5 Creedmore, .308 and many others, depending on your state’s laws. Other more unique types of hunting like raccoon, coyote, and various varmint species can be done with a lighter caliber rifle such as .22, .17 HMR, .223 (5.56mm NATO), and .22-250.
Cleaning your guns regularly is an important chore that most folks don’t think about when they take on the responsibility of gun ownership. One of the most difficult aspects to getting a good thorough cleaning for a rifel, muzzleloader, or shotgun is having a stable position for the gun to be in while cleaning it. Tipton gun vises have revolutionized this process and have great prices for their products. Here’s the one I use.
A straight walled shell.
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Step 3: Know what your state’s caliber restrictions are. When I first started hunting, Iowa laws only allowed gun hunters to use shotguns (12 and 20 gauge) shooting slugs, muzzleloaders and high powered handguns. Since then, Iowa has passed a law allowing for the use of “straight-walled” or pistol caliber rifles (as long as they are big enough rounds) during the two regular gun seasons, and the CWD management season. These types of rifles include the .350 legend, .450 bushmaster, .44 magnum (I hope you read that in a Clint Eastwood voice), .357 magnum, .45-70 govt, .45 Colt. Although all of these calibered rifles are approved for hunting in my home state, Iowa hunters cannot use any “necked down” rifle rounds such as those calibers I previously listed as big game rifles. These rules are significantly different from many of our neighboring states so checking your own state’s rules before you buy is imperative.
A necked-down shell
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Step 4: Understand basic gun specs. There are people out there who can explain nearly every aspect there is to know about firearms. Typically speaking, those folks enjoy firearms more than they enjoy hunting so they pour most of their time into researching, shooting, building, and customizing guns. If you are more interested in hunting, you probably won’t be able to devote your time to both areas of interest before retirement, so you need to focus on learning the basic specifications of guns. Once you know what species of game you are planning to hunt the most, you can begin to narrow down your options by looking at the caliber of firearm you want. Generally speaking for rifles, the lower the number associated with the gun, the smaller the bullet shot by the rifle: Ex. a .223 is a smaller caliber bullet than a .308 (**please use the link sourced at the bottom to see a very helpful explanation on the differences among rifle calibers). To make things more confusing, the exact opposite is true for shotguns- the lower the gauge number, the larger the shotgun. Almost every gun store in the country will carry shotguns in either 20 gauge or 12 gauge. Most healthy, average sized men will prefer to use the heavier 12 gauge, whereas many female and youth hunters will prefer the slightly lighter 20 gauge option (although I’m sure there are many women and youth hunters out there who prefer the heavier 12 gauge, as well as plenty of men who shoot 20s). As long as you know this much information you can ask the gun shop owner/employee to recommend the specific caliber you need for your particular hunting plans.
Once you have your choices narrowed down to a few calibers, you can decide which type of action you prefer. Action refers to how the gun loads another round before firing. The slowest and most methodical hunting actions are break action and bolt action. Whereas the fastest are semi automatics, pump action (typically only found on shotguns), and lever action. Ask to handle these different styles of guns and see which you prefer, but don’t just go with what you like the best, you also need to consider which you will be able to operate most safely and effectively.
Step 5: Plan a reasonable gun budget. Once you have a short list of calibers or gauges, you can further narrow your search based on your current and future “gun budget.” Since you are buying a new gun I will assume you have saved/budgeted a specific amount of money you are willing to pay for a gun. Unfortunately that is far from the end of money you will be putting into your gun. Obviously you will need shells (ammunition), and equally important, but far less fun, is all of the cleaning supplies you will need. Most gun cleaning kits will work for multiple calibers/gauges of firearms and are pretty equal in price, so it’s the ammunition prices that really make a difference. Ask the store employee to show you the price differences between each caliber of shell on your short list of firearms you are considering. Oftentimes you will find there to be a significant difference between the cost per shell of different calibers which, like most things, is typically driven by market demand. If there are no major performance differences between a couple of guns on your list, I strongly suggest going with the gun that uses the less expensive shells. This will keep you from hoarding your shells instead of frequently practicing with your new weapon.
The other budget-minded decision you need to look into is which firearms are useful for multiple species. Although I have multiple firearms for specific hunting needs, I have harvested the most game with my first gun I purchased: my Remington 870 pump action, 12 gauge shotgun. This is an incredibly versatile gun and has opened up the most hunting opportunities for me through the years. I strongly suggest finding a shotgun or rifle that will afford you the same level of hunting flexibility. Some practical ways of doing this are by purchasing shotguns that come in a “combo deal” meaning they are sold with an interchangeable, rifled slug barrel that can be mounted onto the action of the shotgun for deer season, and then replaced again with the smooth barrel for pheasant and duck hunting. I also suggest purchasing a shotgun that can handle magnum length, 3 ½” shells as opposed to the standard 3” shells so you can more effectively hunt high flying waterfowl like snow geese and Canada geese. For rifles I suggest buying a mid-heavy range caliber like the classic .30-06 which is more than capable, but not overkill for harvesting smaller game like whitetail deer, and still plenty powerful enough for larger game like bears, elk and moose.
Step 6: Select a gun you think is pretty. This is the one glamour factor you should consider. Guns last a long time (if properly cared for), and are often passed down through generations. Taking this into consideration, try to choose a gun that will be a beautiful heirloom passed on to your great-great-grandkids someday. This of course, is the least important factor and if you are planning to hunt in adverse conditions for game such as sea ducks, or any waterfowl hunting really, you probably should go with the most weatherproof model, but if most of your hunting will be done on field edges and in CRP fields, go ahead and spend the extra Ben Franklin or two on the walnut stock and foregrip if you can. You won’t regret it down the road.
Step 7: Be sure you have a safe way to store your gun. If you are going to buy a gun, you have a responsibility to make sure that your gun is not accessed by anyone you don’t want handling it. For most people this can mean buying a small, upright gun safe, or if you really have a tight budget, a locking gun cabinet. The main goal is to keep children from accessing the gun and causing harm to themselves, or someone else. There is also a peace of mind knowing that if your home were to be burglarized, the bad guys wouldn’t easily walk away with a new weapon in their stolen arsenal. I generally try to avoid making overly dogmatic statements, but I will say this, If you can’t afford to reasonably and safely store your gun, you can’t afford a gun yet.
If you’ve read this far you now have a good start on buying your first gun. I am certainly not a firearm expert, but as I just stated this will definitely give you a good start. If you want to do some deeper digging, start with the excellent article I am sourcing at the bottom of this post, and then search through the countless other forums, websites, blogs, articles, books and magazines out there to clear up any remaining uncertainties before you purchase a firearm. Now, quit avoiding the awkward walk to the gun counter, do your homework and get yourself the right gun for this season’s hunt.
Check out this excellent resource for additional info on rifle calibers: https://www.snipercountry.com/rifle-caliber-guide/
Thumbnail Photo by Max LaRochelle on Unsplash