because it takes several thousand rds to learn to use a pistol with adequate accuracy, safety and speed to make it of any real value to you. A rifle, perhaps, for slowfire hunting, you can learn well enough in 500 rds. But that's still $150 if you use milsurp 308, at the very least
For defensive ability with the pistol, I suggest a quality AirSoft gun first, while you learn to use a flashlight and the gun, learn point shooting, learn to use either hand by itself, learn to shoot with both eyes opens, swiftly using the sightins, while you learn fast draw, pivots/traverses, use of cover, etc. At 1/2 c per shot, and no trip to the range, the Air soft is a lot better than even the 4.5c per shot 22lr, and if you shoot yourself with it during a fast draw, you will THANK me a lot!
2000 rds of Airsoft with a good coach, or perhaps even with just forum-advice, some books, and a video or 2, you will be ready for the (used) sub $300 .22 handgun. At a savings of $40 a thousand rds, you will have already paid for the Air Soft. With face and throat protection, you can learn things with Airsoft (with a shooting buddy) that can't be learned with live ammo, too.
Saving $200 per thousand rds,as vs centerfire ammo, the .22 has come close enough to paying for itself, at a lousy 1000rds, that you can certainly sell it without losing a dime on the deal. That's IF you don't want to keep it around for teaching others. About 2000rds of .22 is needed, tho, to get you ready to learn about the centerfire, if it's a mild, easily used rd, like the 9mm.
If you don't know a LOT about using your pistol, it's just a "bluff" and you can bluff just as well with the "mere" .22 as with any other gun. Nobody wants to get shot. A bullet in your torso means either go to the hospital or die of the infection. If you go to the hospital, by law they HAVE to tell the cops about gunshot wounds, so you are going to prison or die if you get shot. So, if you leave the attacker an "out", 80% of the time or more, the .22 will suffice without having to be fired., If you are skilled with it and know to empty it at his head, it will suffice about half of the remaining 20% of the time, too. So the odds are 10 to one, that IF you are skilled and determined, the 22 will suffice. We pay a LOT of money to get another 5% of sufficient ability, by using centerfires! It's called the "law of diminishing returns". 5% of the time, nothing you have or can do will save you, the attackers get the jump on you, shoot you first, etc, skill can't handle everything.
For defensive ability with the pistol, I suggest a quality AirSoft gun first, while you learn to use a flashlight and the gun, learn point shooting, learn to use either hand by itself, learn to shoot with both eyes opens, swiftly using the sightins, while you learn fast draw, pivots/traverses, use of cover, etc. At 1/2 c per shot, and no trip to the range, the Air soft is a lot better than even the 4.5c per shot 22lr, and if you shoot yourself with it during a fast draw, you will THANK me a lot!
2000 rds of Airsoft with a good coach, or perhaps even with just forum-advice, some books, and a video or 2, you will be ready for the (used) sub $300 .22 handgun. At a savings of $40 a thousand rds, you will have already paid for the Air Soft. With face and throat protection, you can learn things with Airsoft (with a shooting buddy) that can't be learned with live ammo, too.
Saving $200 per thousand rds,as vs centerfire ammo, the .22 has come close enough to paying for itself, at a lousy 1000rds, that you can certainly sell it without losing a dime on the deal. That's IF you don't want to keep it around for teaching others. About 2000rds of .22 is needed, tho, to get you ready to learn about the centerfire, if it's a mild, easily used rd, like the 9mm.
If you don't know a LOT about using your pistol, it's just a "bluff" and you can bluff just as well with the "mere" .22 as with any other gun. Nobody wants to get shot. A bullet in your torso means either go to the hospital or die of the infection. If you go to the hospital, by law they HAVE to tell the cops about gunshot wounds, so you are going to prison or die if you get shot. So, if you leave the attacker an "out", 80% of the time or more, the .22 will suffice without having to be fired., If you are skilled with it and know to empty it at his head, it will suffice about half of the remaining 20% of the time, too. So the odds are 10 to one, that IF you are skilled and determined, the 22 will suffice. We pay a LOT of money to get another 5% of sufficient ability, by using centerfires! It's called the "law of diminishing returns". 5% of the time, nothing you have or can do will save you, the attackers get the jump on you, shoot you first, etc, skill can't handle everything.
