Another Gun Advisory Thread

J

jwblack911

Joined
Dec 15, 2011
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So im looking into buying my first handgun. I just got my permit for 2 handguns but i only have a slight idea of what i want.

I am looking to spend no more than $600
used would be alright though
i want something VERY reliable
it will be a home defense gun also seeing range time when i can
i would like a more inexpensive round to shoot also
i want a normal sized handgun, not a compact being i cant carry in my state so i have no need for a smaller gun. especially to learn on

i am interested in Glocks, sig 226/9, and usp's

i am NOT interested in a 1911.

and lastly i have grown up with guns but i havent had much experience with hand guns. i have a few buddies im going shooting this next week to get a feel for what they have so i can get a better idea of whats best for me. that being said i will be trying out a glock 22, 23, and 19. a .45 1911 and a mystery branded m9.

also in my sate we have a 15 round limit on hand guns.



just looking for some friendly advice from the guys with a few hand guns to tell me what fits them best and what they enjoy most at the range.



---im 6, 1" 175 and have medium/large sized hands

thanks guys
 
Well, I'm bias towards 1911's for a myriad of reasons; but, it is a platform that requires a certain degree of knowledge to properly diagnose and maintain and therefore isn't always a good first choice. Since you've excluded that from your list, I'd suggest a 5" or 6" new Ruger or used S&W .357 magnum revolver. Self defense full house loads are affordable and extremely potent. Yet, you can chamber .38 specials for extended hours at the range and you won't drain your wallet in the process.

Revolvers are easy to maintain and the learning curve is very short; although its always a wise decision to budget for some formal self-defense handgun training as part of your decision to depend upon one. I'm not suggesting that revolvers never fail (I've had some along the way), but their out-of-the-box reliability IMO is far superior to any other handgun. You never hear a new revolver owner say, "Yea, first time out to the range and I didn't have any failures to feed, failures to fire, failures to eject, stovepipes or any other stoppages". That's because the revolvers have fewer components to fine-tune and just simply work all the time. Revolver owners have expectations of 100% reliability and they almost always meet expectations.

No matter which platform you ultimately decide to purchase, I would shoot several hundreds of rounds of your chosen self-defense ammo, before trusting your life to it. Make the gun prove worthy of serving as your home defense weapon, chances are if it's going to fail, it probably will within the first few hundred rounds.
 
US-STEEL said:
Well, I'm bias towards 1911's for a myriad of reasons; but, it is a platform that requires a certain degree of knowledge to properly diagnose and maintain and therefore isn't always a good first choice. Since you've excluded that from your list, I'd suggest a 5" or 6" new Ruger or used S&W .357 magnum revolver. Self defense full house loads are affordable and extremely potent. Yet, you can chamber .38 specials for extended hours at the range and you won't drain your wallet in the process.

Revolvers are easy to maintain and the learning curve is very short; although its always a wise decision to budget for some formal self-defense handgun training as part of your decision to depend upon one. I'm not suggesting that revolvers never fail (I've had some along the way), but their out-of-the-box reliability IMO is far superior to any other handgun. You never hear a new revolver owner say, "Yea, first time out to the range and I didn't have any failures to feed, failures to fire, failures to eject, stovepipes or any other stoppages". That's because the revolvers have fewer components to fine-tune and just simply work all the time. Revolver owners have expectations of 100% reliability and they almost always meet expectations.

No matter which platform you ultimately decide to purchase, I would shoot several hundreds of rounds of your chosen self-defense ammo, before trusting your life to it. Make the gun prove worthy of serving as your home defense weapon, chances are if it's going to fail, it probably will within the first few hundred rounds.
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thanks for the advice on rounds at the range. i havent ruled out a revolver im just not as much of a fan of them. even though i have been told a few times that it might be the way to go for what my interests and purposes are
 
Go to a gun shop and see what feels comfortable in your hand. Try lots of different pistols. When you find one you like, close your eyes and bring the pistol up like you were going to shoot. Open your eyes. You should not have to move your head to line them up, if you do only slightly. Personally the Sig P226 is my favorite 9mm I've ever owned. Only gun I can't get to jam. Wet, dry, even a fired round, feeds like butter. It actually ticked off the instructor last time I went to requal when he tried to use it to demonstrate a tap and rack drill. Fed the spent casing every time. I also like Kahr and Walther for 9mm.
 
I have been a 1911 fan for years, but truly came to appreciate Glocks about 7 -8 years ago. I've had a 17, 19, 21, and for the last 5 or so years have been carrying a 36...
I prefer 45 acp, but if I was going to buy another 9mm, it would be a 19. Some people don't like the way the Glocks point though.
A lot of people don't like Glocks because they have no external safety. They are perfectly safe, IF you handle the gun correctly.

I know there are quite a few people that like Sigs, but I never warmed up to them. Not because they aren't good guns, but I absolutely dispise the long first pull on the trigger. To many years of carrying 1911's I guess, and I don't like them enough, to retrain myself.
That, and I don't own guns I can't work on myself. I can do everything I could ever want, to a Glock or 1911, but a Sig is a different critter, and once again I don't like them well enough to learn how to work on them.

Revolvers are always a good choice, IF you like them. Spend as much time as you can, with all the different models you think you might be interested in, before making a decision. Handgun choice is very personal, and subjective.
 
If you want to shoot a cheaper round, that rules out .45 ACP and .40. Most likely, 9mm would be your best bet for a cheap round, unless you plan on reloading your own bullets. A glock 19 might be a good gun, 15 rounds of 9mm, and glocks are pretty dependable, and less pricey. My personal favorite, from my limited experience, is the Sig Sauer P226. Same as the glock, 15 rounds of 9mm, and available in .40 and .45 as well. Also, I like the steel feeling of the gun, the metal makes it shoot more solidly, IMO. And I prefer DA/SA, since a heavier draw weight for the first round feels safer to me, and the fact that the gun doesn't need to be cocked the whole time makes me worry less about the springs (although leaving a glock cocked is not supposed to damage the springs). However it's a lot more expensive.
 
Sigpro in 9mm can be had new for under $500. Built like a tank, ridiculously accurate and reliable and has the smootherst trigger of all Sigs or pretty much any DS/SA pistol I shot (and I shot many) .
Put CT laser grips on it, decent light and you got yourself a perfect HD pistol. My preference is a .40/.357 Sig option, but those are not the cheapest ammo calibers.
 
Imo you are doing everything right so far as in trying out different firearms to see
What best suits you ! I did that with my
First handgun as well ! And then choose
After putting at least 100 threw each gun
Also if i were you id see if i.could come up
With an extra 100 or 200 bucks more and
Get a shotgun as well as handgun as imo
Shotguns are way better for home defense
Then any handgun.plus there also fun.to shoot !
 
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I'd be inclined to try out full-size 9mms with a light rail, or full-size revolvers. If you want home defense, a light (and ideally laser grips) are awesome.

S&W M&P 9mm, 686 .357; Springfield XD (not my preference, but see how it feels); Glock 17; Ruger SP101.
 
Revolvers! The world isn't flat and your gun shouldn't be either!:D--I'm just old school with a couple of Pythons.--KV
 
As a instructor I would highly recommend you try a gun before you buy it. Semi's are great, but there are many different models and styles and each has it's characteristics. Revolvers are simple, easy to load and unload, simple to clean, and safe. If you can shoot well with a revolver I would start there as a first firearm. You really need to try some options before you buy.
 
My Brother just got a Sig Pro 2022, with 15+1 9mm. It's got a thinner grip than my StarFire M30, we can both reach the safety, de-cocker, and mag release without having to turn the pistol to the side. My Starfire shoots well, but the grip is way too large for average hands, I inherited the gun so it's part of the family.

I choose to carry a Ruger SP101 in .357 magnum. It's only 5 rounds, but the power of that round is well above 9mm. It has a track record for being a man stopper. I've used the same hollow point round from Hornady in 9mm and .357 magnum to shoot at a thawed turkey. I could put a golf ball in the 9mm cavity, but the .357 mag cavity could hold a grapefruit.
I changed the grips on mine to the Hogue Monogrip, and the gun feels great in my hand, sights very well for me. Plus, for backpacking or hiking in black bear country I feel that a 180 or 200 grain hard cast flat nose bullet would be better than any 9mm. I don't have direct experience shooting bears, but it's what I carry for them.
 
The Glock 22 would be a great choice and I see it's one that you have a chance to shoot. .40 is not as cheap as 9mm but it's a much better defense round, I think it's a good compromise. The Glock holds 15 rounds so you're good there.

The good thing about the Glock is how simple it is... ...I'm always puzzled when people recommend a revolver because Glock doesn't have an external safety. The Glock works like a revolver, point and shoot, that's it. If you want an extra safety measure then keep a full mag but empty chamber, just make sure your wife is able to chamber a round.

The Glock is dead reliable, I've put 1000 rounds through mine before without cleaning it and it just keeps going, rain or shine. You can't do that with a 1911 or even an XD. The Glock also has a great trigger with a shorter reset and crisper pull than the other plastic pistols (that I've tried anyway), you'll appreciate it after you've gained some experience.
 
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Don't overlook used, including LE trade-ins. This 9 mm 6906 LE trade-in has a 13 rd capacity[12+1] and cost less than $325 in VG condition at my LGS.

Like many handguns, most are owned and/or carried a lot...shot very little.

Low comparative cost of ammunition will allow you to shoot a lot.

A former hunting partner from NJ says you have some very restrictive gun laws, if so would be worthwhile to do your own research before you buy.

Best.
 
Glock 19. And a .22 conversion kit.

M&P 9mm and a .22 copy of it.

Good for protection , concealable and cheap practice goes along with.

Badge54
 
Bigfatts said:
Go to a gun shop and see what feels comfortable in your hand. Try lots of different pistols. When you find one you like, close your eyes and bring the pistol up like you were going to shoot. Open your eyes. You should not have to move your head to line them up, if you do only slightly. Personally the Sig P226 is my favorite 9mm I've ever owned. Only gun I can't get to jam. Wet, dry, even a fired round, feeds like butter. It actually ticked off the instructor last time I went to requal when he tried to use it to demonstrate a tap and rack drill. Fed the spent casing every time. I also like Kahr and Walther for 9mm.
Click to expand...

This is dead on. No person can tell you what will fit your hand better than yourself. That said my hands are large, 4 1/2" wide and the best fit for me is my M9 Beretta 92F. It also eats everything I feed it including Blazer non-reloadable which a lot of guys say jam frequently. I would also get a 9mm over a .45 for your first handgun to carry. Something else to consider is a gun with a .22 conversion kit to get used to shooting a handgun and save on target shooting. Either way, you can't learn enough about your gun so practice a lot with an experienced friend until you become content with your skills. And after that get an outside opinion from someone who you trust will honestly judge your improvement. Good luck and be safe.
 
I have a Sig P229 chambered for .40 S&W. It's a great pistol, but I don't think you'll find a new one in your price range. Since you mentioned Glock, I'd recommend a 22 or 23. They both fall in your price range and are considered to be very reliable. Also, accessories and replacement parts are abundant. In fact, I am thinking about picking up a 23 myself.
 
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