first handgun purchase in MD, suggestions?

[g19fanatic]

Hey all,

New member to the forums as well as a newcomer to MD. Moved recently (2 yrs ago now), just purchased a house and am in the need for a HD weapon.

I already have a 20 gauge loaded w/ bird (20 so my wife is comfortable with it) but feel it is time to get a handgun.

I have been doing a lot of research and am looking to get a 357 mag revolver.

After looking at a lot of posts here on the forum as well as auxiliary research, i feel a 4", SS 357 mag will do me real good. I am comfortable handing/loading a semi (grew up w/ handguns/rifles in rural PA) but i want something a little more point and shoot for the misses (god forbid something would ever happen). 357 seems to hit the mark as i can shoot the cheaper .38 spl at the range for fun too

Any suggestions? I'm mainly looking for personal experiences w/ different manufacturers as well as dealer suggestions for my area (SoMD). I'm willing to travel almost anywhere in MD if they're open during the weekend. My budget is probably ~$450-500 total (minus ammo of course ).

Any resources that can be linked to for requirements (registration, gun lock requirements, specific travelling restrictions, possible concealed carry legislation... etc) would be greatly appreciated (not looking for actual information as that can get time consuming, just really some sources so I can do some reading Actual information is welcome tho )

Thanks for all of your help and information! Look forward to becoming a contributing member to this online shooting community!

 

[1776]

Welcome and Greetings ! A Ruger revolver would be a good value in that price range.

 

[mikec]

http://www.mdgunsafety.com/ you need proof of training if you do not meet certain criteria.

Some background, http://www.mdgunsafety.com/mspfaq.htm

Exemptions to Maryland Firearms Safety Training Requirements
There are a number of exemptions from the training requirement1. The training requirement does not apply to:

* State or local government law enforcement officers.
* Individuals with qualifying military experience.
* Certain individuals required to maintain handguns pursuant to federal law.
* Individuals who possess a handgun permit under Title 5, Subtitle 3 of the Public Safety Article.
* Individuals who have previously completed an approved course.

Any new handgun sold in MD must have a fired casing. Used handguns don't need them.

An internal lock is needed on handguns made after 1/1/03, but there are aftermarket locks that are OK to use. Note, these locks are only needed at the time you buy the gun, not needed to use anytime after. If you have kids or kids are over, you must keep the handguns secured.

There is a group called Maryland Shall Issue, that is working to get concealed carry for all. The mods here and the big cheese are involved in that group. (as are many members)

Others will be by and give more info.

Welcome to the state and the site.

BTW, buying a handgun in MD takes two visits to a gun shop. #1 to buy the gun and fill out the forms, #2 when the forms come back and you pick the gun up.

I also agree, Ruger GP-100, 4" barrel.

 

[justsand]

agree gp100

 

[mbz300sdl]

For the price and even for much higher prices its hard to beat a GP100. However a S&W 686 is a good gun as well but more expensive.

Ruger makes excellent firearms but I maybe
<----biased

99% sure my first wheel gun will be a GP100 grew up shooting my dads a lot and his S&W686 and his Colt Python some but Pythons are way out of your price range unless you add a 1 in front.

 

[Topher]

Welcome and Greetings ! A Ruger revolver would be a good value in that price range.

+1

 

[honda53s]

The best advise I can possibly give you would to be move out of MD!!!

 

[Dino]

There is a group called Maryland Shall Issue, that is working to get concealed carry for all. The mods here and the big cheese are involved in that group. (as are many members)

Not to hijack the thread, but is where can I get more information on this?

 

[Biggfoot44]

Congradulations on desiring a revolver.
Ruger vs S&W is the revolver version of Ford vs Chevy .
10 yrs ago would have advised Kframes and SpeedSix/ Security Six in dead heat.
Alas in last 2 yrs or so the retail list price of new S&Ws have gotten stupid . As I buy most of my things somewhere between " well broken in" and "vintage" . The gap is not as prounced.
If the wife/ other family members are smaller statured, a true medium frame could be better.
Likewise if "other users" are not dedicated revolver fanatics, .38 +Ps might offer a beter balance of power and control.
The other hint is that gently used M10HBs, and M64s are more available at reasonable prices. And if feeling a jones for power , certain .38 +P+ loads are overlapping into .357 vels .

 

[mikec]

Not to hijack the thread, but is where can I get more information on this?

http://www.marylandshallissue.org/

Or ask one of the moderators here. I would say "Norton" is the lead guy around here on the subject.

 

[hvymax]

If there are children in the house you need to be more careful about storage when not under yuor control. A semi can be stored with the mag separate and made ready quickly and even if a small child finds it their chances of getting a round into the action of a pistol chosen for it's strong spring are very slim. Of course children over 5 should be familiar with the safe handling and use of firearms but we need to be careful our kids don' become negative statistics.

 

[Markp]

Hey all,

I already have a 20 gauge loaded w/ bird (20 so my wife is comfortable with it) but feel it is time to get a handgun.

First of all, get rid of the bird shot... that's a joke. It is NOT a home defense load, buckshot or slugs are what you should be running in a shotgun for home defense unless you want to just piss the determined criminal off or leave him alive to sue you later.

I have been doing a lot of research and am looking to get a 357 mag revolver.

After looking at a lot of posts here on the forum as well as auxiliary research, i feel a 4", SS 357 mag will do me real good. I am comfortable handing/loading a semi (grew up w/ handguns/rifles in rural PA) but i want something a little more point and shoot for the misses (god forbid something would ever happen). 357 seems to hit the mark as i can shoot the cheaper .38 spl at the range for fun too

Any suggestions? I'm mainly looking for personal experiences w/ different manufacturers as well as dealer suggestions for my area (SoMD). I'm willing to travel almost anywhere in MD if they're open during the weekend. My budget is probably ~$450-500 total (minus ammo of course ).

Seeing that range time is hugely important (hitting your target is the most important part of the equation), I'll make the suggestion that maybe a Polish Tokarev might be a interesting counter suggestion. A good Tokarev will run you ~$200, has a barrel that's a bit over 4", a thinner profile, all the hitting power of a .357 but ammo is as low at $0.07 per round ($86 for 1260 rounds). It offers a higher round count at 9 rounds than a revolver, although revolvers are high reliability solutions for home defense. I know that I am odd in suggesting a surplus gun for home defense, but I want a gun that the police can keep without me crying after I've shot the person breaking into my house and is easily replaced.

I am wondering why you want such a high velocity round for home defense, as opposed to something like a .45 ACP with more bullet weight. I am not criticizing the choice of .357 as I think it's a great round with excellent penetration capability and legendary performance.

Good luck with your choice.

 

[HardHatMan]

Hey all,

New member to the forums as well as a newcomer to MD. Moved recently (2 yrs ago now), just purchased a house and am in the need for a HD weapon.

I already have a 20 gauge loaded w/ bird (20 so my wife is comfortable with it) but feel it is time to get a handgun.

I have been doing a lot of research and am looking to get a 357 mag revolver.

After looking at a lot of posts here on the forum as well as auxiliary research, i feel a 4", SS 357 mag will do me real good. I am comfortable handing/loading a semi (grew up w/ handguns/rifles in rural PA) but i want something a little more point and shoot for the misses (god forbid something would ever happen). 357 seems to hit the mark as i can shoot the cheaper .38 spl at the range for fun too

Any suggestions? I'm mainly looking for personal experiences w/ different manufacturers as well as dealer suggestions for my area (SoMD). I'm willing to travel almost anywhere in MD if they're open during the weekend. My budget is probably ~$450-500 total (minus ammo of course ).

Any resources that can be linked to for requirements (registration, gun lock requirements, specific travelling restrictions, possible concealed carry legislation... etc) would be greatly appreciated (not looking for actual information as that can get time consuming, just really some sources so I can do some reading Actual information is welcome tho )

Thanks for all of your help and information! Look forward to becoming a contributing member to this online shooting community!

Your forum name makes it sound like you need a Glock

 

[ThawMyTongue]

Welcome to the forum!!

I do not own, but have handled and shot Ruger and S&W revolvers. To second third and fourth what has been said above, seems Ruger would have a perfect fit for you in your price range.

Just to warn you... Now that you are on here... once you get that one gun you NEED, the line between need and want begins to blur and you begin keeping a list... and the list grows and grows... welcome to the MADNESS!

 

[Chaunsey]

.357 magnum is an excellent choice for a home defense gun.

in actual practice, you may be better off using .38 special +P rounds as defense loads. you have the added benefit of versatility though you can shoot everything from standard .38 practice ammo for plinking, on up to .357 hunting loads for defense from wild animals.

for purchasing requirements, you simply need to be able to legally buy a gun to begin with, and then you need to take the MD handgun safety course.

you can take the course on this website and print out the info, its a good idea to print extra copies too. so when you have about an hour to set aside just sit down and go through the course.

http://www.mdgunsafety.com/

once you have that you're good to go for purchasing.

the only storage requirement is that MD law says that it is illegal to store a loaded firearm where you nkow or should have known, a child under 16 years old can access it.

so if you have young children think about safe quick access storage, you might want to look into one of those small handgun safes that has a spring loaded door and either a quick button lock or a fingerprint reading lock for really fast access. that way you can bolt it down somewhere secure and only you and your wife will have access and you can keep the gun loaded and ready to go.

as for where to buy, there are a couple of good dealers in southern MD, there is accurate guns and ammo in loveville down in st marys, never been there, but i hear good things about them, or there's brian over at keepshooting in waldorf. check out our industry partner section for more info.

remember when picking a dealer to buy from that you will have to make 2 trips, because MD has a required waiting period for regulated firearms, while you might not mind too much driving from SOMD to fredrick once, doing so twice gets tedious and adds unnecessary cost to your purchase.

 

[Biggfoot44]

The catch in SOMD is finding a dealer to unequovically endorse, that also stocks a wide variety of guns , to enclude a selection of revolvers . Our industry partners generally have great service and reasonal prices, but in the area tend to have smaller instock inventories .
I understand and excpect the bottomfeeder fans to extol the virtues of semi autos, but a Tok ? 7.62 x 25 would be extremly poor choice for SD/ HD .

 

[g19fanatic]

@Chaunsey
Thanks for the specific information regarding storage requirements (was just looking at the MSPD site and they have virtually all of the information there that I was wondering about). No kids as of yet and haven't had a single kid in my house so as of right now, not too much of a concern but will be in the more short than long future.

@ThawMyTongue
I've been addicted to firearms since i've been 8 yrs old (my father has some ~45 guns including ~10 handguns) and cannot wait to start up my own collection.

@HardHatMan
actually... the Glock 19 IS my favorite plinking handgun. I have large hands but find that I can be very accurate even w/ the smaller frame of the 19.

@Markp
Point well taken about getting rid of bird for the shotgun. I've known it wasn't a good choice but only recently moved into my house and that was all that I had at the time. Just haven't made a trip to get anything else. Buck is what I will be putting in it, but I will be searching the forums for any Buck VS slug threads (i know they have to exist...) to see pros and cons from people more knowledgeable than myself. I've never heard of a Tokarev. Will need to look into it even tho others (Biggfoot44) have suggested its questionable? The main reason I've chosen to go with the 357 mag is every reason that you've posted as well ( "... a great round with excellent penetration capability and legendary performance") and that I can plink w/ a .38 round. Thanks for the info!!

@hvymax
when the time for children come. Everything will be locked down and the children will be taught to respect firearms very early on(just as I was). My future kids till not be added to a negative statistic

@Biggfoot44
Thanks for the other alternatives to a 357 mag. I was considering getting a .38 +p+ caliber but the verstility of a 357 is too alluring.

@honda53s
not exactly an option at this point...

@Topher, mbz300sdl, justsand, 1776
Thanks for pointing me towards the gp100 and others. This model is at the top of my list. I will be looking around to different places pretty soon and this is one model that I will be looking out for.

@mikec
thanks for the detailed information regarding MD handgun legislation as well as the link to the mdgunsafety website. i will be completeing this tonight. I will have to look into the MD shall issue group, as concealed carrying was something that I was interested in (not really necessary but if I have that right I will execise it...)



I am amazed at how many responses as well as the amount of information that you guys have provided. I appreciate it. It's given me a good headstart into my first purchase.

another question, on this PDF (from MDSP.org) it states for handgun transporting, "...basic requirement during transport is the handgun must be unloaded and in an enclosed case or enclosed holster with the ammunition separate..." . Does this mean that I will also be required to buy a case for it? It says enclosed holster but that isn't clear to me.

Thanks for the help guys!

EDIT:: to clarify my question, only for transporting to and fro a range/repair shop/dealer. BTW anyone recommend any shooting ranges.

 

[HardHatMan]

Yes, you are not allowed to just drive around with a handgun in your car even if it is in a non-accessible area, locked in a case and the ammo is separate. You have to be on your way to a range, dealer, home or place of business. It's always a good idea to have a locking case for your gun. It would actually be required by the state of MD if you have children in your house.

There are a bunch of ranges around the state, but it depends on where you are located.
EDIT: Just saw you live in SoMD, here's a link for the Myrtle Grove range, http://www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/southern/myrtlegrove.asp . I have never been, since I live in the MoCo area, but some members here speak highly of it.

I would also give a recommendation for the Ruger GP100. It's a great, solid, well built wheel gun. One of my favorites out of the ones I have shot.

 

[Dead Eye]

Welcome!

A Ruger GP-100 (.357 magnum, 6 shot, 4" barrel, blued, w/Hogue rubber grips, shown)

 

[g19fanatic]

Yes, you are not allowed to just drive around with a handgun in your car even if it is in a non-accessible area, locked in a case and the ammo is separate. You have to be on your way to a range, dealer, home or place of business. It's always a good idea to have a locking case for your gun. It would actually be required by the state of MD if you have children in your house.

There are a bunch of ranges around the state, but it depends on where you are located.
EDIT: Just saw you live in SoMD, here's a link for the Myrtle Grove range, http://www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/southern/myrtlegrove.asp . I have never been, since I live in the MoCo area, but some members here speak highly of it.

I would also give a recommendation for the Ruger GP100. It's a great, solid, well built wheel gun. One of my favorites out of the ones I have shot.

Welcome!

A Ruger GP-100 (.357 magnum, 6 shot, 4" barrel, blued, w/Hogue rubber grips, shown)

I will have to check out Myrtle Grove. Thanks for the info guys!