Introduction and advice request

[h0rza]

Hello folks,

I'm a 30something dude from Romania, currently in the process of getting myself a gun carry permit.
Things have gotten pretty rough here, at times, and I foresee it getting even worse in the next couple of years so I've taken to myself to get me a weapon that I will use on self defense, if necessary (hopefully never) and probably for range shooting and because I like weapons a lot. I managed to navigate the complex business that is getting a gun permit in a very restrictive country so right now I'm looking for advice about getting the actual guns.

Only weapons I fired so far were a pretty lame, in-country produced handgun (the "Carpati") and the age-old AK variation while I was a young conscript, so the experience is downright limited.

I'm asking for some advice on what to buy for the stated purposes.
I thought about buying a reliable 9mm handgun for practical purposes (like a Glock or Beretta). But on top of that, I realized I might want to own a shotgun too.
On the topic of shotguns, I didn't find too much info. What I can buy in-country are some kind of hunting weapons that I think, from the pictures, are double barreled and I have to reload them by hand once I fired the two shots. Also they look kind of long (in the 70 cm or so).

The pump-action shotguns that I see in every action movie now, are they following the same legislation as the ordinary shotgun (my country's laws are kind of vague on the matter)? Are they shorter? Can I load buckshot AND slug bullets (or whatever they are called) in the 12 gauge shotgun, in case this is the only option available here? I've seen some beautifully hand crafted shotguns on some sites (DeHaan, Thomas Ferney) - but they look like hunting rifles too. Am I having a different idea about a shotgun, here?

Anyways, I'll follow some topics on the forum here maybe I'll dig up some answers. Meanwhile thank you for reading this and maybe also enlighten me a bit on the matter.
Have a great day!

 

[Joq867]

Let me be the first to say welcome, and good luck. I have no idea about the gun laws in your country, so I will not be any help, but even a so called hunting shotgun could be cut down ( to a legal length ) to make it a little easier to handle in tight quarters and with practice can be reloaded quickly. Good luck.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Salut, ce mai face?

Sorry, that is all the Romanian I remember.

Are you in Romania at present? Are you immigrating to the USA?

 

[LarryC]

Welcome to INGO. To answer your questions is somewhat hard due to not knowing what is available and legal in your country. One question I can answer is relative to the 12 Gage shotguns - yes you can shoot both pellets and slugs from the same gun. When purchasing the slugs - some are made for "rifled barrels" some for smooth bores. If you wish to shoot both you would want a smooth bore - you can shoot pellets from a rifled barrel but it will may tend to lead up the rifling. As to length of the barrels - most manufacture's in the USA do offer various lengths - our laws require a minimum of 18" (from the bolt face to end of muzzle).

A pump or semi-auto is preferred in this country as a defense weapon and yes the same laws apply here on Pump as to a single shot, double barrel or semi-auto shotgun. As to a defense handgun, in my opinion the caliber you choose would depend on the availability and legality of the types of different ammunition in your country. In my opinion if I had to use a FMJ (full metal jacket) round nosed bullet I would opt for a 45 caliber. A 9mm is a pretty good defensive round in this country but only because we can use advanced design hollow point high velocity bullets. My personal opinion is that I would never rely on a 9mm with FMJ round nosed ammo.

 

[Sylvain]

Welcome!

 

[gstanley102]

The for you to start is with ammo.
What can you easily get?
You'll want to become proficient with the gun you buy,
so ammo cost will also be a factor.

 

[indykid]

Welcome to our group!

For pistol, your choice of either Glock or Beretta would serve you nicely. Not sure if Romania is similar to Italy when it comes to caliber, but I know in Italy a civilian cannot own a military caliber, which is why the normal Beretta for the rest of the world is 9x19mm, in Italy it is 9x21mm.

You would have to check your laws about shotguns. Not all countries allow semi-auto and some restrict the number of rounds it can hold. Any hunting shotgun would serve nicely for home defense. With it being easy to change barrels, you can get a standard length barrel for hunting, and a shorter one for home defense. Again, the laws in Romania would tell you what you can actually have. Having the standard length barrel on the shotgun if your government mandates inspections would keep the police happy, and when they leave you can put on the home defense barrel.

 

[h0rza]

Haha, great advices guys, thanks a lot.

From the bottom up :

A great idea to have two barrels, one for inspection/hunting and the other for defense.
I should check the ammo costs yea, i plan to do some range shooting with it.
I should get myself a smoothbore then and go with a .45 caliber handgun if available, as far as i know hollowpoints are not allowed here.

Pretty good romanian there - I'm in romania and i plan to stay and own the guns here.
I'll have to check regulations related to the barrel length - it's pretty awkward to ask questions here as the self-defense laws are kind of strict on the matter and one can't freely use a gun to defend himself or his property - there has been a case recently when someone shot a thief in his own house and the legal matter dragged a bit, with media coverage and all the bells. This being the situation, the police will keep me on a short list, should I inquire too many details

Thanks a lot for your support! Have a great day!