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- May 9, 2002
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- 12,657
Well, all the cool kids are starting firearm threads...peer pressure is a mutha!
Honestly, being a gun n00b, I do have some questions about a potential firearm purchase as well as thoughts on a particular firearm that was already purchased by my father-in-law. I'd like to get a little info on the pros and cons of a particular shotgun so I know what might go wrong, what kind of ammo to feed it, and how it behaves in a less than ideal situation.
As you all know, I'm pretty doggone longwinded so I apologize in advance for the coming wall o' words
OK, so yesterday I helped my father-in-law buy a shotgun. He's in his mid sixties and is suffering an eventual loss to cancer. Luckily, most of his ducks are in a row, so his "loose ends" are pretty light in scope. He and my mom-in-law bought a nice RV and traded in their hitched camper about a year ago that my m-i-l intends to keep using for travel after dad passes on. However, he worries about her on her own. She is a largish woman, but is obviously in her sixties and will be camping in parking lots over night while traveling (the lady loves the casinos
). Dad wanted to get something that was light enough for her to wield, compact enough to swing in a close quarter RV, and had a presence to make someone think twice before entering uninvited (think the bark of wracked slide).
After poking around a bit, we found a very very lightly used (used meaning probably bought, fired a couple times, and thrown in a closet) Mossberg 500 "Persuader" at Gander Mountain. 18.5" barrel, adjustable telescoping stock (with places for 5 extra shells
), and even one of those nice tacticool nylon loops on the slide. The thing looks like it came out of a zombie film, but at just over 6.5lbs and packable, it fit the bill. To be honest, if they had another I probably would have bought it
My question is, what are some of the things to watch out for on the 500's? This is going to be a very light use gun. My predictions? We take mom to the range and she fires it a few times. It hurts her shoulder, but she agrees to keep it in the RV to make dad feel better. After dad is gone, it rides around in the RV until she gets tired of it or gets to the point where she no longer wants to travel that way. It'll probably then be handed down to me. My main concern is that it is stored or prepped to always be at the ready while mom has potential use for it. If she ever touches the thing it's going to be in a perceived life or death situation. The guy talked dad into pheasant shot. The RV is a large on, but in the situation where mom's going to use it, it'll be close enough to blow a man out of his boots. Anything else she should feed it instead?
OK, now for MY end of things
. I too am in the market for a firearm. It might be pistol, could be a revolver, could be a shottie, could be a rifle. I'm all up in the air as to for what to get. I've look at it a hundred different ways, and I've decided it would probably just be best to ask the source found here in the cantina.
As a lot of you know, my family had our place of business broken into, robbed, and set on fire at the beginning of August. We are almost 100% back in and better than ever!
However, the experience has left me feeling violated. I mean, this is a safe area...or so i thought. If it could happen here, it could happen at home. Also, what would have happened if someone had been here when it happened. What if someone had come by in the process?
I have decided that I want to purchase a firearm for both home/vehicle and office protection. I already have a single shot 12g shotgun that I used for killing pumpkins as a youth. Not a bad gun, but obviously not the best of # of rounds. I also have access to an extremely old 5 shot .38. However, until i get that double checked by a smith, I won't be using that.
What I am looking for:
That's really all I need. I received a check for some personal property that I lost in the fire. Most of it, I don't think I will bother replacing. However, the wife wants most of that to go towards a nice trip (our last one before trying to have kids..yikes!), so I have a budget of really no more than $500.00 or so. Basically, she is NOT a gun person, but understands my logic. However, she does not understand the investment of gun. Over the years, she has grown used to me coming home with knives that were 50 bucks her or 70 bucks there.This is going to be something that i just come home without much of a paper trail. All she is going to know is that whatever I buy was "on sale"
she won't know the difference between a $200 piece and a $500 piece
Final random question, how well do shotgun shells keep long term? I have some that were not kept in the best of conditions that go with my single shot 12g. However, I never fire the thing. Some of them are close to 9 years old. If you think they would still work, I'd just give them to my father-in-law to put through mom's new 500.
Thanks for reading, and sorry about the length!

Honestly, being a gun n00b, I do have some questions about a potential firearm purchase as well as thoughts on a particular firearm that was already purchased by my father-in-law. I'd like to get a little info on the pros and cons of a particular shotgun so I know what might go wrong, what kind of ammo to feed it, and how it behaves in a less than ideal situation.
As you all know, I'm pretty doggone longwinded so I apologize in advance for the coming wall o' words

OK, so yesterday I helped my father-in-law buy a shotgun. He's in his mid sixties and is suffering an eventual loss to cancer. Luckily, most of his ducks are in a row, so his "loose ends" are pretty light in scope. He and my mom-in-law bought a nice RV and traded in their hitched camper about a year ago that my m-i-l intends to keep using for travel after dad passes on. However, he worries about her on her own. She is a largish woman, but is obviously in her sixties and will be camping in parking lots over night while traveling (the lady loves the casinos

After poking around a bit, we found a very very lightly used (used meaning probably bought, fired a couple times, and thrown in a closet) Mossberg 500 "Persuader" at Gander Mountain. 18.5" barrel, adjustable telescoping stock (with places for 5 extra shells


My question is, what are some of the things to watch out for on the 500's? This is going to be a very light use gun. My predictions? We take mom to the range and she fires it a few times. It hurts her shoulder, but she agrees to keep it in the RV to make dad feel better. After dad is gone, it rides around in the RV until she gets tired of it or gets to the point where she no longer wants to travel that way. It'll probably then be handed down to me. My main concern is that it is stored or prepped to always be at the ready while mom has potential use for it. If she ever touches the thing it's going to be in a perceived life or death situation. The guy talked dad into pheasant shot. The RV is a large on, but in the situation where mom's going to use it, it'll be close enough to blow a man out of his boots. Anything else she should feed it instead?
OK, now for MY end of things

As a lot of you know, my family had our place of business broken into, robbed, and set on fire at the beginning of August. We are almost 100% back in and better than ever!

I have decided that I want to purchase a firearm for both home/vehicle and office protection. I already have a single shot 12g shotgun that I used for killing pumpkins as a youth. Not a bad gun, but obviously not the best of # of rounds. I also have access to an extremely old 5 shot .38. However, until i get that double checked by a smith, I won't be using that.
What I am looking for:
- Does not have to be small, but I would like it compact enough to ride in my truck. No Kentucky Long Rifles Please
- It does not have to fit in my waistband. I'm not looking for something to pack when I'm not packing a gun. This won't be for on the street, although if I do purchase a handgun, I will probably go ahead and get a CCW.
- It has to be cost effective and reliable.
- Pretty is not an issue. While i would love a very nice looking gun, this one is going to be stored in a truck or tucked in a nightstand.
- Corrosion might be an issue. I work in a pool store with lots of chemicals. It doesn't take much time in this atmosphere to start the pitting process. It might be left here from time to time.
- I would like stopping power, but more importantly to me is cost effective ammo which is easy to obtain (no $5 a pop rounds if it can be helped).
- Over penetration is not a real concern, but some info as to what kind of ammo would stop a bad guy, but not kill the neighbor 3 houses over would be greatly appreciated.
- And a distant point, something that could theoretically take larger game if it is a rifle that you recommend. I don't hunt, but if my truck gun rides around with me I would like it to pull the double duty of not drawing a lot of attention as well as being functional on camping trips where run ins with larger animals is possible.
That's really all I need. I received a check for some personal property that I lost in the fire. Most of it, I don't think I will bother replacing. However, the wife wants most of that to go towards a nice trip (our last one before trying to have kids..yikes!), so I have a budget of really no more than $500.00 or so. Basically, she is NOT a gun person, but understands my logic. However, she does not understand the investment of gun. Over the years, she has grown used to me coming home with knives that were 50 bucks her or 70 bucks there.This is going to be something that i just come home without much of a paper trail. All she is going to know is that whatever I buy was "on sale"


Final random question, how well do shotgun shells keep long term? I have some that were not kept in the best of conditions that go with my single shot 12g. However, I never fire the thing. Some of them are close to 9 years old. If you think they would still work, I'd just give them to my father-in-law to put through mom's new 500.
Thanks for reading, and sorry about the length!