Picking a second gun

Would your wife and daughter go shooting regularly? If YES, get a 10-22 takedown and a few extra magazines. Another .22lr choice would be a Browning Buckmark or Ruger Mark IV pistol. If NO, right now, I would find a 12 or 20 gauge and begin stocking up on buck shot.

Keep an eye out for deals on stripped AR lowers. Begin your research on what types of accessories you would like for your AR. Once you have built your lower, you can start shopping for a complete upper. Figure twice what you spend on your rifle for any optics, unless you intend to keep it with iron sights. Figure three times the cost of the rifle in ammunition, and begin picking up a couple of 30 round magazines everytime you are outside of the state. No point in having a rifle unless you can feed it regularly while becoming proficient.

In the meantime, you will have your handgun, .22lr rifle and/or pistols to have fun with, and the shotgun for home defense.

You do have ten functional magazines for your handgun right? Magazines are the weak link in semi-auto firearms, and they are intended to be repairable or disposed of as needed. Having ten functional magazines for each firearm you are depending on is where I start. Having more than ten is just good planning, IMO.

Kman said:

I wouldn't try to buy or build an ar right now.
I would research and buy a quality 22 rifle first.

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I’m pulling it off right now, though I will say there were some hurdles. Got a stripped lower from Primary, which they shipped to my ffl quickly, but it wasn’t cheap. Got everything else on Gunbroker while getting advice about quality and compatibility, I’m out over a grand despite building from scratch but I did spring for high quality everything. Took a long time to get everything in given the state of the postal service. What’s sad is I could have bought a really nice rifle from Engage, but I hesitated a single day to think about it and then they sold out. Building is my only option now, there is certainly some risk of pending legislation but I’m taking my chances. All I did was buy a lower, right? Sorry officer, I never did anything with it and now I can’t seem to figure out where I might have stored it...

I don't know. If I could only pick two guns they would be a 9 mm semi-automatic pistol and an AR in 556.

if I could only pick five they would be:

Glock 19
AR15 in 5.56
Mossberg 500 12ga
Remington 700 .308
Ruger 10/22 or Ruger SR22.

Relieve yourself of this problem by setting your limit at 5 instead of 2

If home defense is your primary purpose, then maybe an AR in 556 or a shotgun, since you already have a pistol. If it's recreation, can't go wrong with a 22 rifle or a 22 pistol.

drickster said:

That's awesome info, thank you! My youngest loves shooting and really enjoyed renting a Glock44 so i've been looking at that and the Walther P22. I'ts also making me think of a .22 AR style platform for her. She is certainly into the tacticool

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Smith and Wesson M&P 15-22 light weight, adjustable! Accurate, and fun to shoot.

MEGARMS said:

Build an AR in 5.56 and then get yourself a 22 lr conversion kit. Best of both worlds

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+1 on this. Love my 22 conversion.

I'll say stripped Anderson AR lower now AND a .22LR.

I meant to say Mosin Nagant!

Alias Neo is on the right track . Don't get lost in the weeds about a * Second* gun .

If your interests and needs were narrow and focused enough for only two , it would have already been apparent to you , and you wouldn't be wondering , or asking here . 4 or 5 could give a decent stab at being reasonably broadly prepared . Your First will adequately serve as all purpose centerfire pistol .

Everybody needs a .22lr something of some flavor ( and when you creep from 5- ish to 7- ish , make that a .22lr rifle and handgun ) .

AR-15 .( Or something similar , capable of similar things , if you have a need to hear a different drummer , just because )

Shotguns . Aren't quite a binary love/ hate , but around here the Bell Curve is kinda upside down with clusters on either end . ( Count me on the pro- shotgun camp , with them fairly high up the hierarchy of needs .)

" Real Rifle "

PCC ( broadly including semiauto pistol rounds and revolver rounds ) - Also split of opinions , but will observe that shotgun haters will frequently be PCC boosters , and vice versa .

I really appreciate all the insights from everyone. I’ve been shooting for a while but am new the the gun ownership world. I tend to focus on choosing things that are going to get used over collector pieces that will fill a niche of some sort (though I stray into this territory a lot ). So this will definitely not be my last purchase.

I was over at the Bass Pro looking at their remaining inventory and it was like a strip bar on a Tuesday afternoon...not a lot there and not much I really wanted to see...but I found myself gravitating towards the 22 selections. So I am going to fill the fun and keep the family shooting niche now and then start collecting parts for a quality AR build. That will be fun to learn and take the time to get the right parts to build something really cool.

So I’ve narrowed it down to 2 semi auto pistols and 2 AR platforms. The pistols are the Walther P22 and the Glock44. The ARs are the HK 416 and the S&W 15-22. I’ve read a bunch about them but have only shot the Glock.

Please keep the comments coming. You all are giving me lots to think about. I’ll post up when I make next steps.

drickster said:

I really appreciate all the insights from everyone. I’ve been shooting for a while but am new the the gun ownership world. I tend to focus on choosing things that are going to get used over collector pieces that will fill a niche of some sort (though I stray into this territory a lot ��). So this will definitely not be my last purchase.

I was over at the Bass Pro looking at their remaining inventory and it was like a strip bar on a Tuesday afternoon...not a lot there and not much I really wanted to see...but I found myself gravitating towards the 22 selections. So I am going to fill the fun and keep the family shooting niche now and then start collecting parts for a quality AR build. That will be fun to learn and take the time to get the right parts to build something really cool.

So I’ve narrowed it down to 2 semi auto pistols and 2 AR platforms. The pistols are the Walther P22 and the Glock44. The ARs are the HK 416 and the S&W 15-22. I’ve read a bunch about them but have only shot the Glock.

Please keep the comments coming. You all are giving me lots to think about. I’ll post up when I make next steps.

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If you have settled on a 22 pistol for your next gun, then do your self a favor and stick with Ruger. They have it all figured out better than any other manufacturer. For gods sake forget about the That is unless of course you enjoy tinkering and trying to figure out why it won’t cycle properly. My .02.

trickg said:

You do realize that 2 guns aren't going to cover all the bases, right?

There are a lot of ways you could go:

Ruger 10/22 rifle
Marlin Model 60 22 rifle
Henry Golden Boy 22 Rifle
Browning Buckmark 22 pistol
Walther P22 22 pistol
Sig Mosquito 22 pistol
SHOTGUN! (Mossburg 500, Remington 870 - either one)

If you want something that's less expensive to feed, look at the 22s. They also seem to be pretty reasonably priced, although everything is fetching a premium these days. Personally, my next pistol purchase is going to be either a 2020 Colt Python, or a Sig P320/M17.

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Overall, not a great choice. Mine runs OK, but ONLY with CCI MiniMags.

The M17 is SWEET. I loved mine before it fell off the boat.

Biggfoot44 said:

Alias Neo is on the right track . Don't get lost in the weeds about a * Second* gun .

If your interests and needs were narrow and focused enough for only two , it would have already been apparent to you , and you wouldn't be wondering , or asking here . 4 or 5 could give a decent stab at being reasonably broadly prepared . Your First will adequately serve as all purpose centerfire pistol .

Everybody needs a .22lr something of some flavor ( and when you creep from 5- ish to 7- ish , make that a .22lr rifle and handgun ) .

AR-15 .( Or something similar , capable of similar things , if you have a need to hear a different drummer , just because )

Shotguns . Aren't quite a binary love/ hate , but around here the Bell Curve is kinda upside down with clusters on either end . ( Count me on the pro- shotgun camp , with them fairly high up the hierarchy of needs .)

" Real Rifle "

PCC ( broadly including semiauto pistol rounds and revolver rounds ) - Also split of opinions , but will observe that shotgun haters will frequently be PCC boosters , and vice versa .

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It interesting to note that around here, a person's list of guns typically revolves around SHTF and self-defense type scenarios, which is nothing like how/where I grew up in rural SW Nebraska.

For example, most families had a series of guns: (In order of "importance")

Shotguns - most families had at least one person who hunted, and "hunting" in Nebraska typically refers to waterfowl - ducks and geese - or "upland game," which consists of everything from squirrel, cottontail rabbit, pheasants, grouse, quail, doves, etc. The default for all of that, with maybe the exception of cottontail or squirrel, is a shotgun.

22 Rifle - This is the utility and plinking gun - good for just fiddling around for some relatively inexpensive fun, or for shooting yard pests and varmints around the house if you lived in the country - it's what folks used to shoot rats and pigeons in the barn (using birdshot loads) or to keep rabbits out of the garden. Most families have at least two or three .22 rifles.

Lever gun - almost always a 30-30, either a Marlin or Winchester. This is your typical farm gun, and the gun that sits propped on the seat with the barrel on the floor in pickup. See a coyote while out doing chores in the pastures? Grab the "thutty-thutty" and no more coyote.

Bolt Rifle - this is for the hunters who choose to hunt for whitetail or mule deer, often in 30-06, but just as often in 243 or 270. Another segment of the bolt gun owners are the guys who like to frequent the prairie dog towns for some sport varminting.

Handguns - not nearly as common out there as long guns because in small town Nebraska, people don't really think about guns in terms of self or home defense - they think about them in terms of utility, i.e., putting food on the table and/or enjoying some time out in the country hunting, or taking care of pests.

A lot of my friends had gun cabinets and racks in their homes full of shotguns and rifles, but often times the family didn't own a handgun. Out here it's almost the opposite - people gravitate towards handguns first to have something on the nightstand when things go bump in the night.

As per 22LR handguns, the Glock 44 has had a lot of negative reviews about it being ammo sensitive.

Also, insofar as new production Walther semiautomatic pistols that shoot 22LR, the Walther PPQ 22LR as opposed to the Walther P22 is considered to be more reliable in operation. If you go read some of the Walther forums, you'll see this consensus.

In the past two years, one of the best reviewed 22LR semiautomatic pistols is the Taurus TX22. It's on the MD approved roster and there are versions for sale with 10 round mags.

Guns are like tattoos once you get one you get another and then another and it continues. Get a 22 for the wife and daughter makes them think your considering their point of view and then get something else down the line.

.22lr handguns break into two catagories , with occasional functional overlap - Understudy Clones of centerfire handguns , and on purpose designed to be .22lr pistols .

Both are legitimate approaches . Even if a .22lr pistol doesn't match your centerfire , a meaningful amount of basic marksmanship skills will transfer to all handguns generally . And sometimes a clone will have sufficient accuracy and reliability to serve as a general purpose .22 pistol .

My Colt branded ( mfg by Umarex) full size 1911 .22lr also serves as my general purpose semiauto .22lr .

While by no means exclusive , the two most recommended purpose built .22lr semi's are the Ruger Mark whichever , and the Browning Buckmark .

And don't overlook .22 Revolvers ! ( With apologies to vintage S&W's ) the gold standard is the Ruger Single Six , particularly the dual cylinder .22lr / .22WMR . At a more modest price point , John From Md currently has an excellent thread on his detailed dive inside his Wrangler .

I’d try to find a loophole with the wife and buy an AR-15 lower and an M&P 15-22. Without knowing what regulations and restrictions are in the pipeline I’d like to have the possibility of being grandfathered in should anything come down. The M&P 15-22 will buy goodwill with the family and you can use it to practice with too. It’s fun and economic. While you’re waiting for your third, you can be picky about buying your AR parts because the firearm part is already in your possession. It’ll give you time to see what you like/don’t like about the 15-22 for when you build your own.

Happy wife, happy life.

Make sure she enjoys the hobby, then you'll look forward to pondering your 12th etc. purchase.

Ah...youth.

One MUST have a shotgun in the mix somewhere be it a single shot, side x side, semi auto or pump in 870 or model 12! (make sure it's a 12 ga) you'll never outgrow it.

Just 1 of MANY holes you need to fill and the 12 ga is a great home defense IMO.

So as I’ve been looking around a new one pops into the mix...CZ Scorpion Evo or mini. My LGS has one on the shelf I need to look at. I know...I know...it’s out of the blue. It scratches the fun range toy and good home defense itches. And I suspect it will be more fun for the girls to shoot. So it’s a tangent, but I’m going to check it out.

fidelity said:

As per 22LR handguns, the Glock 44 has had a lot of negative reviews about it being ammo sensitive.

Also, insofar as new production Walther semiautomatic pistols that shoot 22LR, the Walther PPQ 22LR as opposed to the Walther P22 is considered to be more reliable in operation. If you go read some of the Walther forums, you'll see this consensus.

In the past two years, one of the best reviewed 22LR semiautomatic pistols is the Taurus TX22. It's on the MD approved roster and there are versions for sale with 10 round mags.

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Yeah I’m reading the same stuff about the 44. I didn’t know about the other Walther. I’ll check it out. Thanks!!

drickster said:

Yeah I’m reading the same stuff about the 44. I didn’t know about the other Walther. I’ll check it out. Thanks!!

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We have put a few hundred rounds through our 44 and haven’t had a misfeed yet. There are lots of YouTube videos showing how nice it shoots.