I'm not at all knowledgable about guns, but, given the relative proximity of the fan and the excrement these days, I've decided it's time for me to get one. I know others here know a lot more than me, so I was looking for some advice.

I'm hoping for something general purpose -- something that could be used recreationally for hunting turkeys or ducks up in Maine, could be used to defend my home in a pinch, and, if all hell ever really broke loose, would be good at longer distances for basic militia-type activities and deer hunting. It should also be sturdy and easy to maintain and fairly cheap (both the weapon and the ammunition). It doesn't need to be hyper accurate (since I'm not a great marksman, anyway), nor does it need a large clip capacity (if I'm firing more than a few shots between reloads, I've done something stupid), nor do I care much if it's light (I'm very strong and I probably won't be toting it long distances that much). I also don't care about appearance.

That's a lot to ask, but I've got my eye on a long gun that I think would fit all my desires a little, even if it wouldn't excel at any of them individually. It's a Savage 24f shotgun/rifle over-under combo, with a 12-gauge and a 30-30. I figure the shotgun part will work for turkey and duck hunting and the gauge is large enough that it would have all the stopping power one could want for home defense, while the 30-30 would allow me to buy cheap bullets for target practice, and the rifle would be useful if things ever really fell apart in this country.

What do the people here who are knowledgable about guns think? I understand that a combo rifle/shotgun has its drawbacks, but one of them is weight and that's not as big an issue for me. I suppose I could buy a separate shotgun and rifle, but I'm looking to keep costs down and my wife would probably freak out if we were suddenly a multiple-gun owning family -- it's like pulling teeth to get her agree to just one.

Given your stated criteria, the firearm you suggest will perform quite adequately.

It wouldn't be my choice, since it's a 'jack of all trades' and I prefer specific tools for specific jobs, but given your specified constraints it's a competent choice.

Remember that the finest firearm on the planet is merely an ill-balanced club if you don't have ammunition...

You might also look at the Thompson Center Encore, which is an action that can be switched to any number of calibers simply by purchasing the correct barrel. You could have a shotgun barrel, a rifle barrel and a rimfire barrel, the rimfire barrel being even cheaper for marksmanship practice.

That way you could own a single firearm, but switch the barrel depending on intended usage. It's lighter than the Savage and you can use a telescopic sight.

Info HERE

For your purposes,I would get an alarm system

Turning a person loose who knows nothing about guns is not wise.we have too many like that now:o) Just a suggestion.

If you want to hunt,take lessons. I am with your wife.

MaryAnne:

For your purposes,I would get an alarm system

Turning a person loose who knows nothing about guns is not wise.we have too many like that now:o) Just a suggestion.

If you want to hunt,take lessons. I am with your wife.

Was there any indication that he wouldn't get adequate training prior to the purchase?

Alarm systems are great, I have one. If someone robs your home when you aren't there, they can alert the authorities, who will arrive sometime within 5 minutes and never.

If you are home, they also alert the authorities, who STILL arrive from 5 minutes to never.

If they are intent on causing you harm, 30 Seconds is a VERY long time, 5 minutes is an eternity...

YOU, and no one else, are responsible for your personal safety.

The odds of being attacked in your own home are quite low.

They are NOT Zero...

Given that it's relatively cheap and simple to take precautions, it seems foolish not to do so.

Of course I completely respect your right to not have a firearm for any reason or no reason at all.

How many people would ahve a long barreled gun laoded and ready to fire?

If a crook gets in your house,chances are it is already too late.

I have a shotgun and Luger.Do you think I keep them loaded and ready to go?Not with Children round. As it is my Grandson loves to look at all the thing Grandma has.

One day he opened the drawer that has the luger in it.The shells in another place.And keeping them locked would mean you would have to unlock the gun cabinet.

I still say an alarm would be best. Are your guns locked up?Just asking,because I know you have a young Son .

For myself I know what a nut with a loaded gun can do.In many cases you do not even have to pull the trigger if it has a faulty firing pin. Trust me,I have good reason not to want a loaded gun. All it takes is one mistake.

MaryAnne:

How many people would ahve a long barreled gun laoded and ready to fire?

If a crook gets in your house,chances are it is already too late.

I have a shotgun and Luger.Do you think I keep them loaded and ready to go?Not with Children round. As it is my Grandson loves to look at all the thing Grandma has.

One day he opened the drawer that has the luger in it.The shells in another place.And keeping them locked would mean you would have to unlock the gun cabinet.

I still say an alarm would be best. Are your guns locked up?Just asking,because I know you have a young Son .

For myself I know what a nut with a loaded gun can do.In many cases you do not even have to pull the trigger if it has a faulty firing pin. Trust me,I have good reason not to want a loaded gun. All it takes is one mistake.

I'm not going to argue the merits of firearms ownership, since it appears you have a personal and emotional reason that is driving your opinion.

But your 'too late' comment is incorrect. I can open my touchpad safe in the dark in less than 3 seconds. Especially if alerted by my alarm system. (And why can't a person have BOTH instead of one or the other?)

You are wrong,BG. I felt this way long before anything happened

I know you would like to chalk this down as another emotional woman.

Why would I have guns in my house if it was all emotional?

I will sound like Knot now.Do you have a loaded gun in your house? If not,a gun would be of little use in case of a breakin.

A young friend of mine has a baseball bat.That,I can agree with.

As to hunting,as Arkady mentioned,that is a different story.But many accidents take place then too. I can name one famous incident.

But your 'too late' comment is incorrect. I can open my touchpad safe in the dark in less than 3 seconds. Especially if alerted by my alarm system. (And why can't a person have BOTH instead of one or the other?)

I am sorry,I cannot see you remembering the lock code with a burglar inside your house.

MaryAnne:

I will sound like Knot now.Do you have a loaded gun in your house? If not,a gun would be of little use in case of a breakin.

A young friend of mine has a baseball bat.That,I can agree with.

Yes, I do. In point of fact more than one firearm in my house is loaded. An unloaded firearm is a useless machine.

But every single one of them is well secured and only a couple are rapidly accessible. (and those are inaccessible without the right code, which is known ONLY to myself and my wife)

A baseball bat (or a dog, or a golf club, or a kitchen knife) is just fine, as long as the intruder doesn't have a firearm, isn't trained in some form of martial arts and isn't high.

MaryAnne:

But your 'too late' comment is incorrect. I can open my touchpad safe in the dark in less than 3 seconds. Especially if alerted by my alarm system. (And why can't a person have BOTH instead of one or the other?)

I am sorry,I cannot see you remembering the lock code with a burglar inside your house.

I use THIS type of rapid access system. (Although I'm considering going biometric), and have accessed it under alarm conditions before.

But even if you were right, I'm no worse off than not having a firearm in that case, right?

I don't hunt, and don't believe in guns as a defense against an intruder. (However, I respect others rights to use them) In many cases I've read about, the intruder uses the element of surprise to his advantage. I have outside security cameras, and an ADP alarm system (which has a built-in mic and speaker, and is connected by phone line to the ADP security center. When it senses an intruder, it alerts a live person at the security center. They at first challenge the intruder and listen for a response. If they are suspicious, they will notify the police. Even when not activated, the system alerts us when any of the doors are opened. I also have an authentic Boston Red Sox bat I keep it by my front door. At close range, it's quicker and easier to use ective than a long-barrel rifle.

I have a similar system, except my connection is backed up by secure cellular.

I agree on bat v. rifle, but perhaps you should consider bat v. handgun...

And as with MA, I completely respect your right to not have a firearm for any reason or no reason whatsoever.

And I very much appreciate your stated respect of my rights as well.

Good point about the ammo. Do you have a recommendation for good ammunition, both for a 30-30 and a 12-gauge? I understand there are a bunch of variations of rifle bullets (round head, hollow point, full metal jacket, etc.) and I assume shotgun shells come in lots of varieties, too. And there must be variations in quality of same-type ammunition among brands. If what I want for a shotgun is something good for large birds, and what I want for a rifle is something good both for target practice and, if things ever fall apart, white-tail deer hunting, do you have recommendations?

Could you explain why one might choose a rimfire barrel over a centerfire rifle barrel, other than price? I've got a general sense for how rimfire and centerfire works, but not their relative merits.

I'll check out the Thompson Center Encore. I looked into a couple other weapons where you could swap barrels, but not that one. Any idea how long it takes to switch barrels? My assumption is that if you have something like the Savage, you could actually have both barrels loaded at once, so if you were out hunting turkeys and spotted an opportunistic shot at a deer 100 yards off, you could theoretically take it. It sounds like you wouldn't realistically be able to swap barrels in that situation.