What research are you supposed to do before you buy a gun?

Can I go to a gun store without knowing **** about guns? Or are they going to be like, look at this fuking idiot

Some might take advantage of you, others are honorable.

I would go to a small independent gun shop for honest advice

Other than getting raped on price & reliability... Theres not much they can steer u wrong towards.

As long as your sure on price & reliability, the rest comes down to preference and what function you want the gun to serve. If this is your first gun, your preferences will be limited to what function you need it to serve, you wont have alot to go on.

Id say

1) Decide why you are buying this gun?
2) What gun fits that role? (pistol? Rifle? Shotgun? 9mm? .308? .50BBMG? sub-compact? Full-size?)
3) Preferences (safety? no safety? Ambidextrous? Folding stock? )

So the biggest problem is that most guns you'd want for Boogaloo-type defense - I assume that's why you're buying? - are sold out right now. Glocks are gone, pump shotguns are gone, every flavor of semi-auto rifle is gone, pistol ammo is unobtanium.

Gun shop guys are generally retarded (either just stupid or way too hardcore, paranoid, and militia-ey even for a gun guy), so the best idea is to ignore whatever advice they say and go in with a pre-made list of guns you want to buy. And it should be a pretty phucking long list, cuz most of the stuff on it is going to be sold out.

For a noobie gun owner, I'd say

#1 choice: AR15
#2 choice: Pistol caliber semi-auto rifle in 9mm/40/45 (long guns are simply easier to shoot than handguns)
#3 choice: Full-size Glock
#4 choice: Other plastic 9mm/40/45
#5 choice: 1911 or other steel semi-auto pistol in 9mm/40/45.
#6 choice: 357 revolver
#7 choice: 12 gauge semi-auto shotguns (tough to find one that's reliable and short-barreled enough to move around at close range)
#8 choice: 12 gauge pump-action shotgun (pumps tend to jam unless you practice a lot)
#300000000 choice: any super-compact concealed carry pistol (they SUCK to shoot).
#300000001 choice: any revolver with a caliber higher than 41. You're not phucking Dirty Harry.
#300000002 choice: any high-caliber bolt action hunting rifle (useless at close range, and you'll never be able to take a legal self-defense shot at long range).

Go into the gun shop with this misc page open on your phone, go down the list, find anything that's available. Tell the weird gun counter guy you want to buy X - he'll probably know you're new, it's cool. One gun store guy I know says there's more new people in there than regulars in there these days. He'll help you with all the background check chit, it'll take like 10 mins.

Once you have the gun, pay whatever scalper prices for ammo you have to in the store, or go online and pay the scalper prices on there (it's legal to buy ammo online in the US and ship it to your door).

This might be a helpful resource OP: https :// bfy.tw/PCFq

1st off you need to figure out why you are buying a gun. Hunting, home defense, conceal carry, skeet shooting, etc...

i agree with this but i think somewhere in the top 3 you have to add in having a small carry gun, something like the sig p365 or the smaller glocks.

Buy online

Don't bother with researching because no matter how much you know atleast one of the ex-special forces guys behind the counter will be smarter than you and extol the virtues of .40 or explain how a 12g shotgun with alternating loads of rock salt and slugs is the best home defense

Gun shop employees are always stupid, srs. There is the occasional one that knowssomething, but for the most part, they suck.

What do you want a gun for? We can solve this for you in probably 10 minutes.


ETA: knowing absolutely nothing else, a Gen 4 Glock 19 is what you want.

ETA2: I’m assuming you’re in CA based on name. Gen 3.

Thanks amigos. So it sounds like I should just go to the gun shop and tell the guys I'm new. It sounds like the community isn't as gate keeping as I thought it originally was.

The reason for wanting one is: I literally just want to shoot at the range. I've always wanted an AR and I have the money now - so I figured, why not?

The problem is, I live in Jersey. From what I hear, our gun laws are strict as ****. No where near as strict as NY or Cali, but strict. I'm getting all this from reddit. I really don't know ****. But from what I've read, if I wanted an AR, i need to do some weird AR pistol mod? But then that gets me nervous. I don't know **** about guns. If I get caught by cops with this mod, do they know it's legal because of the mod or am I ****ed? What if the guys at the range see this and call me on it being illegal.

Also, i had no idea you could buy ammo online. That's pretty cool

Just buy any 9mm Glock
Hopefully not the G43
But G43x is okay

Looks like I can get these in my State because they're either classified 'Other' or Non-NFA (still don't know what this is) firearms

If yall had to choose between 9mm, 5.56, and 300 - which would you go for and why?

Troy A4 "Other" Fire Arm

https://techopsinternational.com/troy-a4-other-firearm/

Dark Storm DS-15 Non-NFA Firearm Typhoon 5.56 Black

https://www.dark-storm.com/dsi/ds-15...on-5.56-black/

MODMAT SBF

https://modernmateriel.com/product/modmat-sbf/

Asked for da phased plasma rifle in da 40-watt range.

5.56