Looking for first gun

For a first gun go with a tupperware model in 9mm. Glock, XD, HK they will all do you fine. Save the 1911 for a second purchase. You will thank us all later after you go to the range a few times and buy ammo. A glock 19 is a good solid first purchase for sure. The XDs are fine as well. If you like paying more pick up a H&K. you can bet your life on most of them after a 2 hour range trip and 200 rounds through it. I would say if you weren't going to use it for defense a 1911 is fine. But since you are, it takes more time to break them in and they cost a lot more to shoot in .45. A 1911 in 9mm will be cheaper to break in but what's the point.

All that being said I carry a glock26 and a ultra 3" 1911. The glock I trusted after 100 rounds the 1911 after about 800 with 6 Failures to feed and 4 failures to eject. It's smooth as butter now and I love it but I I expected to break it in and would have never bet my life on it out of the box.


My gun I take to the range most? my glock 17C.... I can shoot it all day with little recoil :)

To each there own and good luck with your purchase.

-E
 
Get the Glock , its the AK-47 of the pistol world . Get some formal firearm training also , good luck.
 
So "formal training", is that done at gun ranges? WIll they let me try or rent a bunch of guns the same day, and does anyone know a rough cost of doing that?

I may look at the Glock 17 and Glock 23 as well.
 
We just had a thread on this not too long ago: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/880211-First-handgun-advice

My short answer for a range gun would be a Glock 19 or 17 whichever feels better to you. A 100 round "Winchester White Box" of 9mm is ~$25 at WalMart .45 is ~$35 .40 is in between the two. If self defense is your purpose then I'd go with a Glock 23 or 22. The .40 will be 2 fewer rounds in each, have a little snappier recoil, and be a bit more expensive to shoot.

Glock and XD are both good guns. The Glock has a much shorter trigger reset and a crisp breaking point, I prefer it to the XD. The XD has steel 3-Dot sights which are nice and is a pretty solid gun. I've owned several different Glocks and a few XDs, I still own and carry a Glock. I have to admit that the XD is a little sexier looking, especially the XDm, Glocks were radically different back in the day but look somewhat boring these days... ...I guess boring can be good though.

The HK is expensive, I don't doubt they are good guns but unless you have money to burn I don't see what makes them better enough to justify the cost.

A .45 1911 would be great for a range gun, plan on spending closer to $700 to get a good one. It will be more expensive to shoot but the trigger will make it easier to shoot well. The extra weight will also make it easier to shoot. For a self defense gun you can't beat the simplicity of the Glock/XD, I love the 1911 but a safety can really complicate things under pressure.

...also, I'd stay away from the new gen4 Glock until they get the kinks ironed out.
 
well if you go with a glock i would replace the recoil spring on any glock for self defense they are plastic and are the only thing i have seen break. ( i like glocks but they dont like me) i am a 1911 guy but the cz 75 and eaa witness as well as the xds are really nice guns. but between 9mm, 40, 45 and 357 sig i would find a gun like then pick a caliber 9mm is the cheapest to shoot with ammo prices these days thats something to think about.

also one good things about glocks is you can completely take them with with something like thisglock_armorertool.jpg
as the other guns mentioned are bit harder when you get into the trigger assembly and ect
 
I'll have to look into this CZ gun too...

Honestly, the price difference between 9mm and .40 isn't much at all, I'm seeing $5 more per box, which I can handle. It's all a matter of how they feel when I shoot I guess, because caliber arguments never end up going anywhere.

My list is dominated by Glocks now, either the 17, 22, 19, or 23.
 
what J-mon commented about was the recoil spring's guide rod, where it bears against the barrel....get a hardened stainless rod and single spring... I believe that the dual spring recoil system in the Gen 4 is not having a good day
 
It's kind of crazy how close to the real thing my airsoft gun is... Looking at broken down pictures of a real Glock, it seems like I'd be pretty comfortable tearing it down to a certain point already.

hUE5B.jpg


I know that's just the basics and that the internals are likely much different, but I'm still surprised how close it is.
 
My recomednation for the Glock is based partly on your familiarity with the grip frame and sight picture of your airsoft pistol. I used to do airsoft with my son and having a familiar format to practice in the basement with is a plus. I have a couple of M4 airsoft rifles set up to match my LMT M4 clone. Good training tool.

If you find you like the HK or CZ75B, I have used those as well as many thousands of shooters and they are very reliable and accurate guns. My carry gun is a CZ75B. My house pistol is the Model 17 with 33rnd mag. Not because I think I will miss 32 times, because waiting for the police to arrive and not thinking about reloading while keeping someone at bay is a nice thing & concealment is not an issue.

From your demeanor in this thread of being willing to accept advice, I would guess that the "trigger" ploice see is unintended on your part. If you get the chance to talk to an officer in a non defensive manner, they may be willing to advise you on what it is they see. I have numerous friends in LE and have questioned them on how I should react and steps to take if pulled roadside or if an officer spots my carry gun. I have a CCW and if an officer pulls me, they know that before they approach the vehicle, so they are double on guard because there "IS" a gun on board and many officers are not gun people.

Bill
 
jfindon said:
What kind of "kinks" are we talking? And how do you tell which generation it is?
Click to expand...

If you buy new, it will be the latest generation (IV), which has the recalled captured recoil spring.

If you want some more advice, go to your shooting range and sign-up for an introduction to handgun course offered by the NRA, or basic handgun self-defense class by a local trainer. Get some hands on training in a room with a qualified expert. Spend some money to learn things correctly

Honestly, there is a lot of bad and simply wrong advice being given in this thread. I won't waste your time getting into a flame war to foul-up you posting.

Bottom line, try out any gun you think you may like and shoot it before you buy. The gun you use will need to fit your hands, it doesn't matter how it feels or performs in anybody else's.
 
CWL said:
The gun you use will need to fit your hands, it doesn't matter how it feels or performs in anybody else's.
Click to expand...

This is what is important. For example, you should be able to reach the magazine release without having to change your grip on the pistol. You should be able to reach the trigger with the pad (beneath the rear portion of your finger nail) of your index finger and not have the rest of your index finger rubbing against the side of the pistol. If the pistol fits you properly, you can learn to shoot the pistol well - any pistol. Consider a Glock or S&W M&P - they are reliable service pistols at a reasonable cost and are good values. Get a 9mm to start with.
 
Yep there was a recall on the recoil springs. They have since fixed the issue. my gen4 g19 had the problem and they sent me a new one in the mail. My gen4 26 did not have the issue and I picked it up 2 months ago. I'm a lefty so the chance to reverse the mag release was enough to pick up some gen4s. the gen4s are stamped on the slide and the grip texture is different there not hard to tell apart. the gen4s also have changeable backstraps and are a bit slimmer than the gen3s. I wouldn't fear picking ups gen4 just make sure it's a recent one. check the web on how to check the serial numbers before you go to the store. Then you can do a quick ref check. Glock just changed there shooting sports program but if you sign up this year you can buy one next year at leo pricing plus you can compete in there matches which is lots of fun. gssfonline.com





CWL said:
If you buy new, it will be the latest generation (IV), which has the recalled captured recoil spring.

If you want some more advice, go to your shooting range and sign-up for an introduction to handgun course offered by the NRA, or basic handgun self-defense class by a local trainer. Get some hands on training in a room with a qualified expert. Spend some money to learn things correctly

Honestly, there is a lot of bad and simply wrong advice being given in this thread. I won't waste your time getting into a flame war to foul-up you posting.

Bottom line, try out any gun you think you may like and shoot it before you buy. The gun you use will need to fit your hands, it doesn't matter how it feels or performs in anybody else's.
Click to expand...
 
From your demeanor in this thread of being willing to accept advice, I would guess that the "trigger" ploice see is unintended on your part. If you get the chance to talk to an officer in a non defensive manner, they may be willing to advise you on what it is they see.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I've thought about walking up to them and asking, but never actually followed through.


What exactly is the problem with the spring, does it just break? How will I know if mine has the issue or not when I get it? Actually I guess I can Google what the problem is too.

About the comment above regarding hitting the mag release without repositioning, that may be an issue now that I hold the G19 airsoft model. The tip of my thumb is right on the edge of the mag release, I have to reposition slightly to release it. Although I can catch it with my middle finger so that may work afterall.
 
jfindon said:
About the comment above regarding hitting the mag release without repositioning, that may be an issue now that I hold the G19 airsoft model. The tip of my thumb is right on the edge of the mag release, I have to reposition slightly to release it. Although I can catch it with my middle finger so that may work afterall.
Click to expand...

One of the pluses of a Gen 4 Glock is a larger magazine release and the grip is shorter front to rear. I suspect you would not have the issue with a Gen 4 Glock 19.
 
The spring won't break or anything. It was causing jamming from not being stiff enough. It wasn't a big deal. They sent me a new one with a quick call to there GA facility. You shouldn't get one unless the shop you go to hasn't sold many and has old stock.
 
Thanks guys, the larger release sounds good and I'll be sure to bring up the recall. Can you figure it out just by taking the slide off?
 
Pardon if I missed it as I have basically glanced through this thread, but do you have a budget you need to stay within?

I'm a 1911 guy myself, but I agree that for a first purchase...the G19 is a great choice. Easy to disassemble, easy to clean and a consistent trigger pull. In my area, a G19 goes for around $575-585 for standard 3-dot sights and you're looking at over $6-- for night sights.

Go to a gun shop and get some hands on so you can get a feel of what feels good to you. Some shops will let you dry fire while some frown on it. That way you can get a feel for the trigger. Rent one and then shoot a couple boxes of ammo. If you don't like it, then look around some more. I wouldn't settle for something that you may not like.

Good luck!
 
for me, i would avoid a Clock, since they are striker fired for a first gun, you can really see it like you can the hammer of a 1911.

the ammo for a 9mm is cheaper though if that is an issue.
if you ever do decide to carry, a full size 1911 is actually a lot easier to conceal that you would think for a full size pistol, because of the narrowness and single stack mag. that being said, most that i have seen only hold 7 or 8 round plus one in the chamber.

i know that the glock didn't fit me like i like pistols to when i shot one, and the XD was the same way. the 1911 has been the best for my hand. as it has been said though, if you can manage to borrow or rent one of each and shoot them side by side then you will be better off.

i already know what I am buying for my first handgun, and that will be a 1911, most likely a kimber, ruger SR1911, or a WWII era colt .45 M1911A1.

I know you said something about a 1911 variant, Depending on your budget, i would look at Kimbers, they are absolutely great 1911s, i havent got to shoot a ruger SR1911, but i have shot enough of their guns to know that it is gonna shoot good.

that being said, you may also want to take a look at a different pistol, a berreta cougar 8000, its a .40 gun, shoots like a dream (actually, look at the stoeger cougar 8000, same gun, same machines, owned by berreta, made in Turkey)


good luck on your first gun


PS: So you know i am 19, shot my fair share of pistols and revolvers, learned to shoot a pistol with a .45LC ruger new model black hawk when i was 15 (or was it 14....anyways). i was taught by a family friend who is an NRA pistol coach, i got to shoot all his pistols at some point in time which is how i learned to love the 1911 (as well aas the cougar 8000)
 
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