First pistol. need suggestions

As others have mentioned, a long record of reliability should be at the absolute top of the list. Another factor I look at is the ease of getting the gun serviced and how available & costly are parts. There are some outstanding handguns out there . . but they are very expensive and factory customer service isn't very good. There are good guns that aren't commonly found. (Guns that are often used by police agencies will be well supported in the U.S.) I like commonly found guns that I can research & do minor work on myself, or easily find a gunsmith who has worked on them before. Its also easier and cheaper to find & buy accessories such as holsters, magazines, mag pouches, etc for common models. Such models may seem boring to harcore 'gun nuts', but not to those that want a good self defense tool.

One thing to keep in mind is that a defensive pistol is a short range defender whose primary advantage is that it is carried all the time and can be quickly put into action. I can appreciate the skilled craftsmanship of very high end, high priced guns. In the range that a defensive pistol is commonly used (within 7-10 yards or so) such very expensive or uncommon guns are not likely to work any better than a $500 Glock 17. And its very likely that they'll be less reliable. Its gotta go Bang, every time. (BTW - - - research the reliability of the particular model gun that youre interested in. Such factors as barrel length and caliber can make a major change in the reliability & effectiveness of a gun that seems to be the same as another variation of it.) IMO reliability is the #1 consideration in a defensive firearm chambered in an appropriate caliber. The other factors such as concealability, etc. can be worked around.

Handguns are for getting you out of immediate trouble till you can get to a more potent weapon with greater range - - - a rifle.

P.S. - - - again you might want to check out the S&W M&P if you think your wife will also be shooting this pistol. It comes supplied with various grips to fit various sized hands, so you can make it comfortable for both of you to shoot it. Its modestly priced and very reliable.
 
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Hey clich. I have some suggestions for you. Since you are in a gun friendly state, my first recommendation is to go to a local range and ask them about renting some different guns. You can spend a lot of money and frustration buying something first and shooting it second. Especially when you want someone else to be able to use/shoot it as well.

Once you've decided on a gun you like and are comfortable with, check out calibers. Modern ballistic technology has brought all of the popular defensive calibers to such a close performance level, you can find good ammunition for whichever one you choose.

While you are researching and going and holding and/or shooting different guns, pay attention to things like the manual of arms. That is, what type of firing mechanism does it use? Is it a striker fired system like Glock made popular and is now in use by others like the Springfield XD series and the S&W M&P's? Or is it a traditional hammer-fired single action system like in use on the venerable old John Browning designed 1911 variants so popular today? Or, is it a DA/SA system like SIG makes use of where the first trigger pull is double action (similar to a double action revolver) and each subsequent pull is single action (the hammer is already cocked).

Also spend some time doing things like ejecting magazines and working safety and takedown levers, etc. Shove it in your pants around the area you think you might want to carry it. Dry fire it (with permission), just try to acquaint yourself with what's out there.

There's very few "bad" choices when it comes to defensive pistols these days. I would personally stay way from the lower end brands like Rossi, Charter Arms, Taurus, HiPoint, etc. As I am sure someone will inform us both, these companies have the ability to make good guns, but that is not always the rule, and more often than not, the exception. Brands like Glock, Springfield Armory, FN, Kimber, S&W, SIG, H&K, etc. all make great guns which hardly ever need anything beyond an initial break-in period.

Given what you have said, if I were in your position I would look real hard at 9mm handguns. The 9mm is a great performing defensive caliber while still maintaining a very controllable amount of recoil for quick follow-up shots. It is also a great gun for beginning shooters as the frame sizes are generally smaller making them easier to hold without a ton of grip strength (your wife might like this?). They also generally tend to lend themselves well to higher magazine capacities which is always nice.

Maybe look in to something like a SIG SP2022. I've been shooting for a long time and have spent a lot of money of guns, ammo and honing my skills and I have to say, if I could only have one handgun, it would be a SIG.

Hope this helps and feel free to email or PM if you have any more questions about what I've written.

Good luck and let us know what you decide!
 
severedthumbs said:
I wouldn't go that far. It is a decent gun with its own set of issues. . The finish issues plus a video on the web showing the slide to frame fit the slide wobbles by far the worst fit i ever have seen on any polymer. Everyone say's it's normal but i would be very upset to have a gun like that or finish issue's...staying HK here !!
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I haven't had one misfire in thousands of rounds. Neither has anyone else I know personally. It fits in the hand fantastically. I have no frame/slide wobble.

I'm not sure what finish issues you are referring to...the only PPQ issues I have run into online are the "1st edition" (i think how they are referred to...they have the threaded barrel) which has been taken care of from the factory.

People who haven't used one won't understand what a great value this gun is ;)
 
Sulaco said:
Maybe look in to something like a SIG SP2022. I've been shooting for a long time and have spent a lot of money of guns, ammo and honing my skills and I have to say, if I could only have one handgun, it would be a SIG.
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Solid advice right there. In my opinion, the SP2022 is hands down the best pistol for the money on the market. They shoot like laserbeams, and are 100% reliable. My SP2022 has a better slide to frame fit than my much more expensive P226, and the trigger is nearly as good. If they fit your hands well, and you dig the controls, SIGs are the best there is.
 
moonwilson said:
Solid advice right there. In my opinion, the SP2022 is hands down the best pistol for the money on the market. They shoot like laserbeams, and are 100% reliable. My SP2022 has a better slide to frame fit than my much more expensive P226, and the trigger is nearly as good. If they fit your hands well, and you dig the controls, SIGs are the best there is.
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Same here. I prefer it to any other handgun I own or have shot in recent memory. It's really quite remarkable how accurate mine is. It makes me look good at the range! ;) It has also been 100% reliable. Heck, I've had Glocks fail more than this SIG!
 
clich said:
Hmm don't really have a preference but for what others have said I may like a hammer better. More mechanical feel. But that is definitely not a deal breaker either way
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Something I don't believe was mentioned in this thread is that most striker fired handguns come without a safety lever because the trigger is technically the safety. This is frightening for many new CCW holders. This is why I like the XD. The grip safety locks the trigger, so unless your palm squeezes the grip safety like the back on a 1911, you can't pull the trigger. It also prevents the slide from moving backwards on the XD if I'm not mistaken.

Most hammer fired guns are double action/single action and usually have a safety lever that may have a decocker which drops the hammer for you. What that means is if you get in a situation, you have to remember to flip the switch and turn it "on." The only exception I can think of are double action only handguns, the thinking behind no safety on double actions being that the trigger pull is long and hard in most firearms.
 
harkamus said:
Something I don't believe was mentioned in this thread is that most striker fired handguns come without a safety lever because the trigger is technically the safety. This is frightening for many new CCW holders. This is why I like the XD. The grip safety locks the trigger, so unless your palm squeezes the grip safety like the back on a 1911, you can't pull the trigger. It also prevents the slide from moving backwards on the XD if I'm not mistaken.

Most hammer fired guns are double action/single action and usually have a safety lever that may have a decocker which drops the hammer for you. What that means is if you get in a situation, you have to remember to flip the switch and turn it "on." The only exception I can think of are double action only handguns, the thinking behind no safety on double actions being that the trigger pull is long and hard in most firearms.
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SIG DA/SA guns don't have safety levers. They have decockers so you can safely drop the hammer on a loaded chamber and carry the weapon in DA mode. To fire the weapon, all you have to do is squeeze through the heavy DA pull. There's no safety to fumble with. After the first shot, or if you manually cock the hammer, you have a 4.5lb SA trigger pull. It's a pretty sweet setup (my favorite).
 
Yea I neglected to mention Sig because, if you ask me, their quality went down hill over the past few years, but that's neither here nor there. People like them.

I have wanted to try the Sig dak trigger system (double action kellerman) if only to compare that with my LEM.
 
clich said:
Thank you fish. One thing I need to take into account is that I need my wife to be able to shoot it as well. I only wanna spend about 500 cash but hopefully I can get an extra 200 with trading in an a-500. Im thinking a 9mm may be my best choice. Cheaper les recoil for the wife but hollow points for stopping power. I also think that I don't need anything crazy as far as mag size. I think a 10 round is the very most I would like. I think something like a 6+1 is good enough for SD and I can always carry a second magazine. dunno if ill find a 6 but I'd settle for a 10. Just no bigger. I don't plan on getting into any fire fights EVER so a 15 or 20 mag is out of the questiin. knowing I got 7 rounds is plenty for my comfort level.

I also need a way to carry it comfortable and concealed. Does a slim belt holster conceal well enough under a T-shirt? Is an IWB comfortable to move and drive with, etc. I feel like I have a long journey ahead of me.
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late to the party, but...
I agree with a LOT of the posts here.
a killer reliable, hammer fired, metal frame single stack 9mm sounds like a police surplus Sig P6 (also called a P225) that can be found in the $350-450 price range, feels good in hand, easy to control, dead simple to take apart & clean.
another option in a polymer frame that no one has brought up yet - the sig p250.
$400 +/- $40 gets you a full size, compact, or sub-compact pistol in 9, 40, or .45.

Kahr also makes a good pistol for not a lot of $$.

Crossbreed supertuck IWB holsters are great -- enough so that they have been copied by a couple of the "big boys".
another vote for the Buckmark .22 -- can be found for $275-325 and easier to disassemble & clean than the Ruger Mk series pistols. (which are great, but not so easy to tear down & put back together)
Get a good pistol belt -- for example, rayban here on BF makes a great looking double layer carry belt for a very reasonable price.
 
There are few real choices if you want to deep carry.

Bersa, CZ, Glock, etc. all make options.

I chose the Kimber Ultra RCP II - Made in USA - .45 ACP, 7+1 single stack, 1911 condition 1 carry, carry melt treatment - means the piece was designed from the beginning to be carried and deployed from concealment.

Custom shop treatment means a 4-5lb trigger break. That is important to me. I experienced 3" groups at 10 yards with the trough-sight.

I can get all my hand on the grip, and the recoil is better than my Glock 23.

You have lots of options. The more spendy options are worth what you can afford to spend. In my opinion. Seriously.

best

mqqn
 
Glock, specifically the G19. Many USSOF have been switching over to the Glock. I know for a fact SF has them in Afghanistan right now.

 
fmajor007 said:
lol!!! True, true.

Unfortunately, tragically, it's not the only incident of it's kind and especially nowadays when the perp all-too-frequently has serious firepower in-hand.

Not that the cartridge in the chamber is the only part of the solution, but it sure helps to have the right 'medicine' from the start!!!
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Also, better body armor. Or actually wearing body armor would help too.

ANYWAY....back to the guns..


It's a funky gun, but solid if you can find one, is a Browning BDM. Should be able to find one in great condition for $500. Very solid pistol, just kind of an oddity.
 
You could even look at .380 but I have heard some people say it has problems stopping people when shot with it. I have not seen any cases myself but thats what someone told me.
The good thing is that it is easy to shoot and a little smaller I believe. The .32 is even smaller. I would choose 9mm over that though.

I would suggest looking at the Ruger LCP orLC9 or the keltec pf-9 or pf11. Don't have any experience but they are light and small considering they are 9mm.

http://ruger.com/products/lc9/models.html
http://www.keltecweapons.com/our-guns/pistols/pf-9/
 
Thanks guys. Got to my gun shop last night and I think its between the Cz 75b and the glock 17/19 (whats really the difference besides length) They a definitely different breeds. I like the Glock is light and had stellar ratings, but I also like the weight of the Cz, makes it feel sturdy and reliable, and its equally amazing ratings. Its bigger than I originally had wanted but the more I think about defense and really target shooting the more a full sized pistol seems to be the better overall choice. Only thing I lose is some concealability but I think that can be over come with with the right holster. I think I may go with the cz but I'm not sure yet. I will continue to gather info and make the purchase on Friday.
 
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Hammer27... yeah.. when a couple of SFOD-D operators showed up at the Ft Benning 3 gun match 5 years ago with G35s, you knew something was changing... Gen Schwartzkopff's bodyguards in the first Gulf War (the Delta guys not the AF guy in the blue jacket) were carrying Glocks in 10mm according to the general
 
You can't go wrong with a CZ75B, it's a battle proven firearm. The slide, barrel and grip on a G19 is shorter than the G17's and it comes with 15 round mags instead of 17 rounders. Glock has an awesome reputation that's deserved, but some people have had issues with the Gen 4 models though. I have around 1,300 rounds through my Gen 4 17 and have only had two malfunctions, both were within the first hundred rounds.

The grip angle is very different between the CZ and Glock. Did you draw both up with your eyes closed then open them up to see where you are aiming? Many people naturally point a Glock high due to the grip angle.
 
hwyshredder78 said:
You can't go wrong with a CZ75B, it's a battle proven firearm. The slide, barrel and grip on a G19 is shorter than the G17's and it comes with 15 round mags instead of 17 rounders. Glock has an awesome reputation that's deserved, but some people have had issues with the Gen 4 models though. I have around 1,300 rounds through my Gen 4 17 and have only had two malfunctions, both were within the first hundred rounds.

The grip angle is very different between the CZ and Glock. Did you draw both up with your eyes closed then open them up to see where you are aiming? Many people naturally point a Glock high due to the grip angle.
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No I did not try that. Although now that you mentioned it, the angle did seem a bit off. Ive actually gone ahead and ordered the cz75b. I liked it the most and from everything I read the only downfall I could find is its size and weight. It comes with a 16 round mag but I think ill get a 10 just to shave a few ounces from my hip. May carry the 16 as a back up but in all honesty if heaven forbid I every gotta use it, if I cant do what needs to be done in 11 shots, ill probably already be a goner. I'm not LE or military so there should be no reason to have more than that. Thanks everyone for their input.

Now my newest question is what type of ammo for a 9 Luger?
 
Congratulations on your purchase, it's a fantastic gun! The ten and sixteen round mag should weigh about the same, the magazine follower is what limits capacity in the CZ, I could possibly be wrong here though.

Lots of great choices available, just make sure that your gun likes the load before carrying with it. Corbon and Hornady are my first two preferences for carry, both have been totally reliable in my handguns. I don't believe that the CZ is rated for +P+ ammunition so I would stay away from it. If you're not reloading, Winchester White Box 100 round value packs work well for target shooting.
 
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