.243 is just necked down .308. Like 270 is necked down 30-06. Short action (length of cartridge) vs long action. You can't go wrong with any of those 4. Just hold it like you mean business and you'll be fine. .223/5.56 is fun too, and ammo is plenty easy to find as it's what the AR uses
.308 and 30-06 are and were, respectively, government adopted or NATO adopted calibers which is why the ammo is plentiful. .243 and 270 were always sporting rounds except for iirc a European country that had a small run of 243 FAL rifles years back
Handgun is better than nothing but handgun stopping power is largely a myth. "Stopping power" = being shot will make the person stop. Except for kill shots (difficult) most people shot with a handgun break off the attack from the psychology of being shot, not actual physical inability to continue. Shotguns with buckshot, on the other hand....
Go find a range/gunshop and get some training. Its not like a mixer or a waffle iron that you'll "figure out" with minimal chance of harming yourself. You might be okay, and you might hurt yourself or a loved one very badly. Go get a .22LR rifle and practice with that until you're comfortable with a firearm, then get an AR-15, some pmags, and some .223/556 for hunting, and if need be, "social" work.
7mm-08
Your welcome
.243 is just necked down .308. Like 270 is necked down 30-06. Short action (length of cartridge) vs long action. You can't go wrong with any of those 4. Just hold it like you mean business and you'll be fine. .223/5.56 is fun too, and ammo is plenty easy to find as it's what the AR uses
.308 and 30-06 are and were, respectively, government adopted or NATO adopted calibers which is why the ammo is plentiful. .243 and 270 were always sporting rounds except for iirc a European country that had a small run of 243 FAL rifles years back
Y/w!
FYI rifle isn't best for home protection typically - get a shotgun for that.
Handgun is better than nothing but handgun stopping power is largely a myth. "Stopping power" = being shot will make the person stop. Except for kill shots (difficult) most people shot with a handgun break off the attack from the psychology of being shot, not actual physical inability to continue. Shotguns with buckshot, on the other hand....
Go find a range/gunshop and get some training. Its not like a mixer or a waffle iron that you'll "figure out" with minimal chance of harming yourself. You might be okay, and you might hurt yourself or a loved one very badly. Go get a .22LR rifle and practice with that until you're comfortable with a firearm, then get an AR-15, some pmags, and some .223/556 for hunting, and if need be, "social" work.