Best overall pistol for my scenario?

The pressure has nothing to do with felt recoil, recoil is a factor of bullet weight.

The chamber pressure provides a faster cycle rate (like a 9mm) than a .45 so that's where the "snappy recoil" is perceived. The weight of the gun is also a big factor.

With a 5k budget I would say don't waste it on a high end 1911. Something like a Springfield loaded would be more than enough gun for a beginner and would take the next sevreal years of practice to shoot better than the gun. Truthfully, unless your pumping 10k-20k rounds per year through it you will likely never shoot better than the gun is capable of.
 
That's one HELL of a budget. Wish my gun $ was like that. Anyway....you can never go wrong w/ a Glock (Sig would me my second pick) Mostly for selfdefence I'd look toward .40 Good luck
 
Many have mentioned Les Baer, any thoughts on the Centennial model? The SA Pro sounds like a heck of gun from the reviews that I've read. Thanks.
 
paltak said:
Many have mentioned Les Baer, any thoughts on the Centennial model? The SA Pro sounds like a heck of gun from the reviews that I've read. Thanks.
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A beautiful gun, with that high polish bluing. It's exactly the same as their other guns though. The only difference is the time they spend finishing it, which doubles the price. IMO I don't think it's worth it. I'd rather get a gun by Paul Liebenberg.

The Springfield Pro is a heck of a gun. But unless you like that exact set up, I'd stay away and take a look at the Springfield Custom Carry. The Pro is nothing more than a Custom Carry spec'd out by the FBI. As such they get priority on the guns built and that often delays private orders from getting filled. It wouldn't surprise me if it took a couple of years to get a Pro now.

You can set up the Custom Carry the way you want. Sights, barrel, finish, exterior metal work, etc. You can even request Springfield Custom to use different internals if you want. Quality will be the same as the more famous Pro, the only difference is that the Custom Shop is working off of your build sheet.

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I love 1911's but for a casual shooter that wants a defensive handgun a revolver is very hard to beat

I have trained with a 1911 for many years but because I do not have the time to train like I used to a revolver is usually on my belt every day

Yes I carry everyday :)
 
md02geist said:
Agree with AustinOX. 9mm or .45. I would pass on the .40...it's just a very snappy round. IMO (based on the firearm of course) the .45 is a flatter shooting round that is easier to do follow up shots with. The .40 is quite snappy and while my wife shot my USP .40 very well, I ended up selling the pistol just because I was not happy with the .40 overall.

It's not bad. I just feel like you might as well either go for the .45 or drop down to the 9mm.

Shot placement is more important than caliber.
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You need to look at some ballistics charts, 45 acp is not the flatter shooting cartridge it is in fact inferior to the 40 S&W and the 9mm if you are comparing drop rates.
 
Go with a Glock, Sig 229 or 226, H&K, Springfield XD or XDM, etc. I prefer 40 S&W, 10mm, and 357 sig over 45 or 9mm but I own several guns in each caliber in all the major brands. I carry a Glock 22 40 S&W every day and I love it. People that are telling you that a 40 S&W is to snappy are really a bunch of whiney pu***'s. If these people were to shoot a 357 or bigger they would probably cry for a month straight. Recoil doesn't even start getting bad until you get in to the 454 or 500 S&W size or cartridges (with exception to the airweight 357 mag snubbys that weigh in at around 13 oz).
 
So I went ahead and didn't read the great depth of responses already provided here so please forgive me if I rehash anything.

Software skills > Hardware skills. That goes for everything - and especially for gun skills. That being said - on the hardware side - especially for a new shooter I'd prefer a full sized handgun (it will be easier to learn with, and easier to control). You will naturally shoot it better. I feel more comfortable with Glock 19s but I shoot 17s about 5-10% better despite not practicing with it just out of merit of the size.

I like Glock. There are a million factory parts, there is a good warranty, the company actively works with you if neccesary, it is a reliable and mechanically simple handgun. It's easy to clean and field strip. It's pretty much a new shooters best bet. 17 or 19 to keep the caliber to a light shooting, easy to control round.
 
ashtxsniper said:
Go with a Glock, Sig 229 or 226, H&K, Springfield XD or XDM, etc. I prefer 40 S&W, 10mm, and 357 sig over 45 or 9mm but I own several guns in each caliber in all the major brands. I carry a Glock 22 40 S&W every day and I love it. People that are telling you that a 40 S&W is to snappy are really a bunch of whiney pu***'s. If these people were to shoot a 357 or bigger they would probably cry for a month straight. Recoil doesn't even start getting bad until you get in to the 454 or 500 S&W size or cartridges (with exception to the airweight 357 mag snubbys that weigh in at around 13 oz).
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Recoil is subjective. Everyone is different...

I like recoil. I would take my hunting rifles to the range on a regular basis, when I was still rifle hunting.
I would normally put 20-40 rounds through my 338's, and 375's, off the bench. I enjoyed it...
There is nothing macho about it, and just because others don't enjoy it, or are actually smarter than I am, doesn't make them whiners.

If someone isn't comfortable with a particular gun, or caliber, it is far better for them to shoot something smaller, that they aren't afraid of....
 
Based on all suggestions and reviews I've watched/read, it may come down to one of the following: PD Scout, WC CQB Elite or SA Pro. Problem is they all have a long wait time, for good reasons I'm sure, but that presents a problem if I stick to my original plan of only having one gun. I want to buy new, either semi or full custom.

I may have to rent or tag along when my friend goes while waiting for my order :(
 
If you're set on a 1911 I'd recommend a Springfield TRP. Above that price point (about $1200) you start hitting diminishing returns. Wll a custom 1911 be nicer? Probably. Would you be able to appreciate the difference? Probably not.

I don't think a 1911 is a great first handgun to own... My opinion. More moving parts, will require a gunsmith if you ever have an issue and even a custom won't be any more reliable than a lot of production handguns out there. That being said, they are a pleasure to shoot beautiful to look at and even a full size 1911 can be discreetly carried.

Here's my real world recommendation. Get a Glock, Smith and Wesson M&P or Springfield XD in 9mm or .45. Handle a bunch and see which one fits you the best and aims naturally when you bring it up. These will be über reliable, easy to service and will last forever. You'll be out about $500 and have plenty of money to spend on ammo, a holster and maybe classes. I really like my Sig Sauers and own a P220 and P226 but don't really think they give me much that the guns I mentioned above wouldn't.

I shoot competitive handgun and primarily use my Sig P226 in 9mm. I have not seen a gun go down in competition more often than a 1911, even customs. Glocks , M&Ps ect. Just run... And run.... And run.

If you plan on owning one handgun only and plan on being a casual shooter a 1911 will be fine. If you want something you can bet your life on get a revolver or a Tupperware gun.
 
benthughes said:
Would you be able to appreciate the difference? Probably not.
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I think he will be able to appreciate the difference. I know these next two comparisons will be apples to zucchinis, but he is on a knife forum. If a person can appreciate the difference in stuff like knife steel, surely he can appreciate the difference in a much more mechanical device. Also, it's kind of like saying a person couldn't appreciate the difference between a VW Passat and an Audi A4. It doesn't take that much experience to tell the difference. It doesn't take any at all.

paltak said:
Based on all suggestions and reviews I've watched/read, it may come down to one of the following: PD Scout, WC CQB Elite or SA Pro. Problem is they all have a long wait time, for good reasons I'm sure, but that presents a problem if I stick to my original plan of only having one gun. I want to buy new, either semi or full custom.

I may have to rent or tag along when my friend goes while waiting for my order :(
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PD SCOUT! Nice choice.

If you're wanting to stick with a 1911, I'd say place an order for the custom you end up deciding, knowing full well that it may take a while before you take delivery of it. After that, get another 1911 that's more budget friendly and get the feel for it. This will hold you over until you take delivery of the custom gun. Once you have the custom in hand, you can sell the lesser 1911 and make most of your money back assuming you take care of it. Guns hold pretty decent resell value. They are not like cars that lose thousands after leaving the dealership lot.

A few ways you can go about the budget friendly 1911. Get something really cheap like a Rock Island Armory, or go with something a bit more like ~850 - 1500 bucks.

You will most likely not get as much money back if you try to sell your gun to your local gun shop. It will pay off to do research and find out the local online gun forum for your state. You will most likely be able to find the "bladeforums" of your state. Where I live, it's the Outdoors Trader. When you sell on a forum like that face to face, you tend to get more money back because these guys know the value of your guns better than some shmuck at a local gunshop that just wants to lowball. They tend to be enthusiasts on forums.

Face to face sales are perfectly legal in most states as long as you sell the firearm to someone that resides in the same state as you and don't knowingly sell to a convicted felon. This might be a little intimidating, but be smart, play it safe, and you'll be fine. If you're super scared, conduct the sale at a local gun range. Nothing will happen. No one is gonna be foolish enough to mug you inside a gun range. And if it's a popular gun range, they will be in the know on such local gun forums and that it's really common to do these types of transactions in these types of places.
 
benthughes said:
If you're set on a 1911 I'd recommend a Springfield TRP. Above that price point (about $1200) you start hitting diminishing returns. Wll a custom 1911 be nicer? Probably. Would you be able to appreciate the difference? Probably not.

I don't think a 1911 is a great first handgun to own... My opinion. More moving parts, will require a gunsmith if you ever have an issue and even a custom won't be any more reliable than a lot of production handguns out there. That being said, they are a pleasure to shoot beautiful to look at and even a full size 1911 can be discreetly carried.

Here's my real world recommendation. Get a Glock, Smith and Wesson M&P or Springfield XD in 9mm or .45. Handle a bunch and see which one fits you the best and aims naturally when you bring it up. These will be über reliable, easy to service and will last forever. You'll be out about $500 and have plenty of money to spend on ammo, a holster and maybe classes. I really like my Sig Sauers and own a P220 and P226 but don't really think they give me much that the guns I mentioned above wouldn't.

I shoot competitive handgun and primarily use my Sig P226 in 9mm. I have not seen a gun go down in competition more often than a 1911, even customs. Glocks , M&Ps ect. Just run... And run.... And run.

If you plan on owning one handgun only and plan on being a casual shooter a 1911 will be fine. If you want something you can bet your life on get a revolver or a Tupperware gun.
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The problem with so many 1911 "customs" is that a lot of them are worked on by people that really shouldn't be... They are very simple too make extremely reliable. Just because a person can swap parts on one, doesn't mean it is always a good thing.

I have always done all my own work on my 1911's, and everyone of them have been 100% reliable, with thousands of rounds through each of them.
The problem with so many customs is that they think the tighter it is, the better. Granted you don't want one that rattles, but there comes a point where reliability suffers, in the quest for better accuracy.
 
@ harkamus - I will more than likely get a production 45 to hold me over, maybe something from the SA line.

I really appreciate all the inputs from everyone. I hope I'm not coming across as snobbish for going after a higher end 1911 as my first and perhaps only gun. In pretty much everything I get into, watches, knives, etc. I found that I'm not a collector. I usually look for the best quality, fit, and finish that I can afford AND sings to me. I realize the law of diminishing returns, but in just about any hobby, practicality usually goes out the window and it's mostly emotion. Thanks sincerely!
 
Excellent choice. Nah, you don't come off as snobbish. You picked a decently easy to shoot caliber and just want something nicer than the average Joe. You're like me in that regard. I have no use for lower tier stuff that I won't ever use. Stuff that gathers dust bothers me. It's the same way with knives, although I don't own any currently.

Now if you said you were going for a 10mm, .454 Casull, .50 ae, 44 magnum, or something crazy like those as a first caliber, you would have gotten much different responses. .45 on a full size steel frame is very tame to control. Heck, even in a full size polymer HK45, it wasn't bad.

Some newbie advice when you pick up your Springer or whatever lower 1911 you decide on, get some Azoom aluminum .45 snapcaps and practice dry firing when you're not on the range. The idea is to practice trigger control so that from the start of you applying pressure to the trigger, all the way to when the hammer drops and through follow through, that the front site doesn't move much or at all. The live firing sequence happens in fractions of a second, but those fractions of time are enough for the operator to completely miss the target, which in a self defense situation can spell disaster for you or a bystander. Remember this. Anyone can pull a trigger. Not everyone can hit what they aim for.

It's a lot more than just picking up a gun and pulling a trigger. When you spend some time dryfiring, you'll begin to see how subtle differences like how much index finger is on the trigger end up affecting the front sight post. Then you'll start playing with grip (although thumbs should be forward IMO...none of this 70s style teacup grip). After a while, things become muscle memory.
 
Sounds like a plan. I strongly suggest getting a Baer over a production Springfield though. It's a much better gun, and depending on the model you can find them for ~ $1600.
 
kamagong said:
Sounds like a plan. I strongly suggest getting a Baer over a production Springfield though. It's a much better gun, and depending on the model you can find them for ~ $1600.
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Thanks kamagong for all your inputs. Any suggestions which Baer around that price (it could be a little higher but must be new and relatively easy to acquire)?
 
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