Help With My First Handgun

My "go to" home defense weapons are a Glock 21 .45acp and an HK USP .45acp. Either one will serve you well.

My favorite handgun of all time is the 1911 in .45acp

The caliber you choose is just as important as the firearm you choose. I personally would go with at least a .40S&W, .45acp, or 357mag.
 
I am a SIG fan, but nothing wrong with a glock. Since this is going to be fun and recreational I would look hard at a browning high power- nothing feels better in my hand and is a great shooter.
 
Sig Sauer makes about the finest handgun available IMO.
I have 2 : a P225 in 9mm and a P229 in .40
never ever ever had a single hiccup with either, and I have put them through the paces time and again.
a little more pricey than a Glock, but like the saying goes, you get what you pay for.

and no modifications are necessary to get it how you like it!
 
I'll put in my two cents being that you asked for it, even though it probably wont make a difference against the Glock crowd. I love my S&W M&P.40. I don't think you can beat the ergonomics of it. It not just an adjustable back strap. I've handled many XDs and Glocks and it seems no matter what they change, you're still trying to wrap your hand around a box. The S&W is on par with all the safety and reliability standards out there right now. I've never had an FTF or FTE issue out of several hundred rounds.

Ergonomics was big for me. YMMV. Not to mention S&W has been making handguns for a long time...
 
Since your looking to go with a 9mm. I vote for the M&P. I really, really like my 4". It's the only 9mm I currently own. It fits my hand better than the Glock & has better fit and finish than my XD's did. Also, after shooting a good bit of IDPA I think the trigger is better than my XD. Can't compare it to the XDM, haven't shot one.

I say vote with your wallet, buy American, get the M&P:)

GregB
 
Finally a topic on the Busse forum where I can add value. There are many fine handguns to be had and I own (or at least have shot) most major brands. If you think knives are habit forming, just wait until you let this genie out of the bottle.

In terms of semi auto, Glocks are awesome. The finish is indestructible, they work even when filthy (but better when well-maintained) and even someone with modest mechanical skills can take it completely apart and put it back together in a matter of minutes. The trigger can be lightened or made heaver. Someone mentioned you need to use jacketed ammo, which is way more expensive. But you can also use laser cast (non jacketed) if you reload. They are hard enough. Even though Glocks are awesome, they aren't the only game in town.

I have become a huge fan of the Springfield XD platform. Dollar for dollar they can't be beat. They are very similar to the Glock in many ways. They cost less and come with a lot of handy freebies for someone just starting out including a holster (not a good holster, but a holster). Some prefer these to Glocks because they allow you to keep your wrist at a slightly different angle (more like a 1911). Personally, I've never noticed a difference.

SIGs are also extremely nice. They feature a decocker, which is handy. The downside for beginners is that you need to get used to two different types of trigger pulls. Loaded and decocked, the first time you pull the trigger, it is a double action meaning the hammer is drawn back as you pull the trigger then it releases. This makes for a heavier trigger pull. After that, the gun remains cocked so the second shot is a much lighter trigger pull. This is something that takes a while to get used to. Of course, if you just want to target shoot, don't need to worry about that because when you insert a magazine and rack the slide, the hammer will already be back (you need to decock the hammer to safely holster).

Many have said they love the 1911. I agree with them completely. There is a reason the 1911 has been around for 100 years. It is the ultimate handgun. It, too, differs a bit in how it works and takes some specialized training/practice to use safely and effectively for self defense. The downside to the 1911 -- at least a classic 1911 -- is capacity. They don't hold as many rounds. 1911s can be modified until the cows come home and the trigger pull on a tuned 1911 is better than any other type of gun ever. Anyone who loves guns will have on or several eventually. Kimber is a good 1911 maker as is Springfield. I am also a huge fan of Les Baer. They make full custom 1911s made to your exact specifications for a very fair price. Les Baers need to be shot a LOT before they are broken in and reliable though. You can get a 9mm 1911, but don't. 1911s are meant to be .45s.

Walter and H&K also make nice handguns that are unique in their own ways. I would consider either of those as well.

There are three popular semi-auto manufacturers that I dislike. The first is Smith & Wesson. For me, none of the controls are in the right spot to use quickly and effectively. The Ruger has a safety that is in an odd spot that makes drawing and shooting from concealment a little more difficult than with other guns. The Beretta looks kind of cool but, compared to a Glock, Sig or Springfield is a big, heavy turd.

In terms of holsters. For concealed carry, the only holster I'll use now (after trying many) is the Milt Sparks Versa Max 2. Many of the group I train with have come to the same conclusion. These are made to order and you'll have to wait a while, but it is worth the wait. Plus, you should spend some time learning to shoot well before you worry about holsters (and if you get the XD you'll have a holster to use while you are waiting for your Sparks).

One other thing to consider is caliber. This is something people love to discuss/argue about. You say you want a 9mm. 9mm is popular with beginners to be sure and is an acceptable caliber for self defense. It is also very common around the world and cheap(er) target ammo is plentiful. I'd rather go with something that makes a bigger hole. 10mm is popular with some military types, but ammo is hard to come by. .40 is another good choice. .357 SIG is a newer round that I like for carry. If you get a Glock (as long as it is a newer Glock) or a SIG chambered for .357 SIG you can also get a .40 barrel and use the two interchangeably -- the .40 for practice and the more expensive and powerful .357 for carry. I prefer the .45. It makes a big hole. It is also relaxing to shoot.

Beginners sometimes worry that bigger caliber guns will "kick" too hard and shy away from them. .45 makes a bigger boom, but it is a nice smooth recoil. The .357 -- and even the 9mm -- seem more snappy to me. I rarely shoot anything but .45 any more.

The best thing to do is find a range where that has a number of rentals by various makers and try them all to see which you like best. It is also helpful if you get some instruction from a competent coach so you have some fundamentals down and know what you're doing before you start evaluating guns on which you shoot best. Until I became a truly proficient shooter, I couldn't shoot a 1911 to save my life. Now I'm surgical with them.

Try a lot of calibers too.
 
230grains said:
My third handgun, wanted one since I was a kid.

I sold it pretty fast. It may as well be a .45 acp carbine. FUN gun though. I'd spend less money and get a usp tactical if I were to do it all over again.
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But it will never jam, good SHTF gun to have. I feel more comfortable with one at my bedside. you should have kept it and got a tactical too, i heard they are going to make a mark 24 that is the size of the tactical but has the legendary reliability of the mark 23, and 1 inch groups at 25 yards, forgetaboutit
 
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Excellent choice, could not agree with Ken more! have carried wheel guns and semi-auto weapons in 30 yrs as a LEO, RG is correct about the hard ball ammo, but that is the case with most auto's.

You will really like the Glock and the best safety is using common sense and then you could always leave one out of the pipe if having a safety is paramount.

another plus is the fact that a Glock will shoot without the magazine engaged.

also your budget was 800. look around and you should be able to find one easily for 500. with the GNS, which I highly recommend and that is tax included...



lunde said:
You'd be hard-pressed to find a better combat handgun than the Glock 19.

Glock19ToMankind.jpg


All joking aside, it strikes the best balance of size, weight, capacity, reliability, and any other factor you can think of. The only time I would suggest something else is if it doesn't fit your hand, but the new Generation 4 version may solve that with interchangeable backstraps.

My wife's only pistol is a Glock 19. Here is mine, which has an OD frame, in its Del Fatti ISP-SS (IWB) holster:

isp-ss-g19-1.jpg
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I'm a 1911 man and at 800 you are scratching the surface on some pretty good 1911's. However the Glock 19 at around 500 bucks cant be beat. If you can, try out the Gen 3 vs the RTF grip. I really like the RTF! However the glock grip is not for everyone. Otherwise, the S&W M&P feels pretty good too. I myself like the HK USP full size 9 also--Can carry it cocked and locked and I shoot it almost as good as my 1911's...but not quite.

I think you have to decide what sort trigger pull you want, whether its da/sa, dao, sao etc and test what feels good in your hands...
 
eljugador said:
Good SHTF gun is a tactical shotgun.
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The benelli m4's dropped from 2k down to 1500, still expensive but that with a mk23 and either an hk 416 or lwrc piston would be the ultimate no-fail setup imo, alot of ppl swear by lmt on here, so does one of my friends, but all the magazines are saying lwrc was prob the ar of the year last year, stole it from the acr i guess, the acr didnt live up to the hype from what i read, the reason i got a mk23 above a 1911 is that reviews said that you would have to spend upwards of 2k to customize a 1911 to get the accuracy and dependability of the Mk. plus the mk is modular, you can just buy the stuff from factory and drop it in and you still have a 4moa gun factory, if you dropped in new components into a modded 1911, it would end up being alot more expensive over time to my understanding, its hard to beat the look of a 1911 though
 
You don't have to spend 2K on a 1911 to get a good one. My hand-assembled/hand-fitted Les Baer was $1,500 (but that was about 8 years ago).

As for shotguns, I'm partial to the Remington 870. They are a dime a dozen and it will never be hard to find parts.
 
A big +1 for the Glock 19. It was my first centerfire autopistol, and is still my favorite. It is a tremendous amount of firepower in a small, light, indestructible, comfortable package. For an all-round 9mm autopistol, no better weapon has ever been made, IMHO.

But if you really want a great gun for recreational use, and will serve you well if the SHTF, try a S&W revolver. I find revolvers much more fun to shoot than autopistols, and they're more accurate in my hands. A Glock 19 is a fantastic weapon, but it's not much fun to shoot, at all. Glocks are like hammers, they do their jobs simply and reliably, but they're not something you look to for beauty or pride of ownership.
 
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