Handgun recommendation wanted.

If you believe you should leave a Glock unloaded because it is safer... you have no business even owning one. There is nothing unsafe about a loaded glock. The main safety is the user. Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to destroy something and that loaded Glock can NEVER fire on its own. Bad gun handling habbits and poorly trained shooters are what make Glocks less safe. There is nothing wrong with the design of the gun. Again, if you feel a loaded Glock is somehow less safe than a gun with a manual safety, get rid of your Glock. It's not the gun that's unsafe it's the user. You are obviously not comfortable enough with that weapon to carry it porperly. It's no different than guys that carry a 1911 with the hammer down. If cocked and locked make you uncomfortable then you have no business carrying a 1911 just to say you have a 1911. Find one that can be carried in a configuration you are comfortable with and stick with that. HKs can be carried hammer down with safety on or off. So can Berettas.
 
Infi-del said:
There is nothing unsafe about a loaded glock.
Click to expand...

Unless you're sticking a clip-draw on one and shoving it in your waistband. :D I think clip-draws are the answer to an unasked question, but that is just my opinion. I'm admittedly low-speed, high-drag.

A loaded Glock is like a loaded revolver.
 
There is a ton of info in this thread, some good, a lot really bad.

I would strongly recommend a pistol in 9mm. Of the major pistol rounds suitable for self defense, it is far and away the cheapest and most readily available. This means you can buy more ammo for a given amount of money while still getting practice with a full power load. Many people have been recommending .22lrs, but they only allow you to practice sight alignment and trigger manipulation, not recoil control. Putting rounds on target quickly with acceptable accuracy is a recipe for success when it comes to self defense shooting. With a quality pistol reliability debates enter the realm of theoretical importance only. I've got about 10k through 4 9mm pistols in 18 months. A CZ75B with no malfunctions, and CZ75B compact with 1 malfunction that was easily fixed by immediate action, a M&P9pro with no malfunctions, and a M&P9c with no malfunctions. Those who have been touting the revolvers reliability are glossing over the fact that they can fail, and when they do usually lock up so tight the malfunction cant be fixed without tools.

A hard budget range and more defined purpose would be helpful in identifying a suitable handgun. Will you be carrying it? If so, what is your typical wardrobe? What is your body type? Do you feel comfortable without a manual safety? Will you devote time to range trips, dry drills, and supervised training? If the answer to that is no a gun is not for you.

My perfect handgun might feel like crap to you. Case in point, glocks just don't work for me without a grip reduction. I fully acknowledge they are well designed reliable pistols, but I prefer other designs. If you more clearly define your question it will oftentimes answer itself.
 
S&W Model 13, blued steel .357, fixed sights,can fire anything from mild wadcutters to full house .357's. Grips can be changed to accomodate almost any size hand. Put 6 rounds in it and forget it's there until range time or you need it. I've owned mine for 15 years. I also own a Glock 19, and love it, but it does require a bit more commitment as far as I am concerned. If you are going to practice more than once in a while, it is a fine choice. Good luck, and enjoy!
 
I have learned quite a bit from this thread myself and there are a whole lot of good suggestions in this thread.

I think the next step is to start trying the different options out there and finding what works best. The road has been well pointed out by everyone who positively contributed to this thread.
 
Infi-del said:
If you believe you should leave a Glock unloaded because it is safer... you have no business even owning one. There is nothing unsafe about a loaded glock. The main safety is the user. Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to destroy something and that loaded Glock can NEVER fire on its own. Bad gun handling habbits and poorly trained shooters are what make Glocks less safe. There is nothing wrong with the design of the gun. Again, if you feel a loaded Glock is somehow less safe than a gun with a manual safety, get rid of your Glock. It's not the gun that's unsafe it's the user. You are obviously not comfortable enough with that weapon to carry it porperly. It's no different than guys that carry a 1911 with the hammer down. If cocked and locked make you uncomfortable then you have no business carrying a 1911 just to say you have a 1911. Find one that can be carried in a configuration you are comfortable with and stick with that. HKs can be carried hammer down with safety on or off. So can Berettas.
Click to expand...

I agree. Also with lesser cheap guns if you drop them they can fire.But the op never mentioned budget?? Or I missed it? Is it gonna be for home protection or carry? My choice of carry is a Glock/Springfield compact. 40 or 45. But a quality 357 would be a good gun. You can practice with 38 and stop ppl with 357 Mags :eek: I would get a qualiy gun. SW or Ruger at least. IME Taurus is cheap because the tolerances aren't very good. If you have the $$ get someting better. You life may depend on it if you pull it out. But the best thing to do is go to the range and rent a few and then decide IMO
 
I have 3 pistols. One is a Colt Lawman 357 that my uncle left me when he died, the other is a Rossi 357 snub nose blued steel (thats my truck gun) and the other is a Beretta 92 FS 9MM that I have had 10yrs or so and Ive only shot it maybe 10 times in my life since I bought it new. I like all three pistols, but honestly my dream pistol would be a Glock 19. I want one so bad it hurts. I just dont have the money to get one now. Actually, to be honest, the Rossi, out of the three, I do own, is the most comfortable to hold shoot and carry. Like I said earlier its a 357 but I keep 38 specials in it. The Colt Lawman is my house pistol, the Rossi is my truck pistol and my Beretta is a safe Queen. I do have experience with the Beretta because of my Military background and some Law enforcement background. I just like that Glock the best. Carrying the Beretta everyday got really heavy.
 
Paddling_man said:
Unless you're sticking a clip-draw on one and shoving it in your waistband. :D I think clip-draws are the answer to an unasked question, but that is just my opinion. I'm admittedly low-speed, high-drag.
Click to expand...


I'd tend to blame that on the clip-draw and the method of carry. There are tried and true ways of carry that have served most gun owners well for generations. Things like clip draws and pocket socks and the like just seem to be an excuse not to carry a weapon properly.

A loaded Glock is like a loaded revolver
Click to expand...

I'd agree with that although the Glock does have a few more safety features going for it than a basic revolver. But point taken. As long as the trigger is left alone. The gun is harmless.
 
Wildone39 said:
a Rossi 357 snub nose blued steel (thats my truck gun)
Click to expand...

Do you leave this weapon in your vehicle 24/7? If so are you not worried about someone breaking into your vehicle in the middle of the night and turning your own weapon on you or someone else?

I for one walk out with my Glock 36 and take it in at night everyday. My carry gun is never more than 2 feet from me at any given moment. I keep a loaded Remington 11-87 police over top of my bed in a hidey shelf I built into the wall.
 
I will parrot some of the other recommendations: get a .38 revolver, go to the range and test a veriety of them out to see which feels best. I think a .357 is a bit large for someone who isn't extremely familiar with hand guns. Nevermind the autos at this point in time. If you start shooting, and decide you want one then you can always pick one up. If you are only going to own one hand gun a revolver is the best choice IMHO.
 
TexAg10 said:
There is a ton of info in this thread, some good, a lot really bad.

I would strongly recommend a pistol in 9mm. Of the major pistol rounds suitable for self defense, it is far and away the cheapest and most readily available. This means you can buy more ammo for a given amount of money while still getting practice with a full power load. Many people have been recommending .22lrs, but they only allow you to practice sight alignment and trigger manipulation, not recoil control. Putting rounds on target quickly with acceptable accuracy is a recipe for success when it comes to self defense shooting. With a quality pistol reliability debates enter the realm of theoretical importance only. I've got about 10k through 4 9mm pistols in 18 months. A CZ75B with no malfunctions, and CZ75B compact with 1 malfunction that was easily fixed by immediate action, a M&P9pro with no malfunctions, and a M&P9c with no malfunctions. Those who have been touting the revolvers reliability are glossing over the fact that they can fail, and when they do usually lock up so tight the malfunction cant be fixed without tools.

A hard budget range and more defined purpose would be helpful in identifying a suitable handgun. Will you be carrying it? If so, what is your typical wardrobe? What is your body type? Do you feel comfortable without a manual safety? Will you devote time to range trips, dry drills, and supervised training? If the answer to that is no a gun is not for you.

My perfect handgun might feel like crap to you. Case in point, glocks just don't work for me without a grip reduction. I fully acknowledge they are well designed reliable pistols, but I prefer other designs. If you more clearly define your question it will oftentimes answer itself.
Click to expand...

Some good points. To them I'll add, if the OP gets a Glock, Advantage Arms make IMHO the absolute best 22lr conversions for them. With a simple additon of that you can make your range time quite productive. I like to take about 200 rounds of the ammo the weapon is actually chambered for, and then another 500 rounds of 22lr with my AA Kit. By the end of the day I've had quite a range session.

And as far as fit of the Glock in the hand. It probably won't be as big a deal for the OP since it sounds like he has little experience with handguns in general. Most people who cannot be come comfortable with the I find it's for one of two reasons. 1. They've shot traditional grip weapons all their life and just cannot get around the Glock. 2. Have not put enough rounds through a Glock to become acclimated to it. I HATED the Glock grip when I got my first one. 1,000 rounds later... I don't even notice it. And I can go back and forth without much difference in result. But since the OP is new to this... he shouldn't have any grip preference established.
 
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