Looking for first gun

ElConquistador... I use Heinie fixed on my 35,17, and 34.... the 23 has Trijicon night sights.... the factory front/rear combo worked well on the 35 and 17, but I had to go to a Dawson .285" tall front sight, and then drop it to about .275" to get it to hit point of aim at 25yd for the 34....I'm an old fart, so thin the front blade to .090"... as to muzzle flip, the 17 probably returns faster.... I run heavy springs in both guns....the Ft Benning match started putting plates at 35+yds and I went to the 34 for the longer sight radius....there are more holster options for the 17....

I would suggest a hardened stainless guide rod and non captured ISMI spring (I run a heavy 17# spring with my Briley barrel in the 34), a Jentra butt plug, and for competition a JP mag button (it seems overly expensive for a piece of plastic,but makes a difference if you have relatively small hands like I do)...Blade Tech DOH holster (the WRS if you plan on shooting 3 gun)

there is a difference in accuracy between between 115g and 147g bullets at distances over 25yd.. the Win white box is the worst of the promo stuff at the box stores...the 147s showed improved accuracy with both the factory barrel and the Briley
 
Harkamus... my Heinies are not the straight eights...just standard sight picture... I pick up a tall front sight quicker, and the thin helps with windage..... I shoot weak thumb forward, and they index pretty well....it took me about 6mos to convert from a 1911 with Swensight (I'm that old to have a couple of Swensights on my pistols)....

I think the straight eights are intended for night sights, as there is less confusion on which is the front dot if they are all the same color... I have to close one eye to get a good sight picture with the Trijicons... I shoot competition with both eyes open
 
I've got to agree with your assessment of the "Straight 8s". I've got a set on a Glock 22, they are pretty old/dim now, I like the serrated surfaces in the daylight but the "8" configuration is hard to line up vertically in the dark. Heinie does also make a regular 3-dot tritium sight. I'll probably replace the straight 8s with 3-dot Heinies or maybe the new Trijicon HDs someday.

For the 17 I'm planning on using it only as a range gun so I went with the standard Heinie sight set, I thought about the Warren Tactical with fiber optic front but I'm not a fan of the wide rear notch... ...for this gun anyway.

I may shoot a GSSF match or two but other than that I don't think it will be a competition gun. Not sure what a swensight is??
 
ElConquistador... the sight was made by Armand Swenson, one of the top pistolsmiths of the time... if fits a regular 1911 rear dovetail and cantilevers over the rear of the slide to give a full blade sight picture... duplicating the look of a BoMar adjustable that was pretty much the sight of choice when I started shooting IPSC in 1982
 
jfindon said:
Nah, no shotguns, I want to pick up a hobby and learn to shoot. Home defense is just a slight requirement, I don't live in a bad place that would make me think I need a shotgun.
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Sounds good... the shotgun is the best home defense weapon IMO but as that isn't a prime concern, try a lot of handguns and see what likes you:D. You'll find that many guns may be similar, but one or two will "just fit" when you start shooting them. Personally, I like the grip angle on Glocks, and have a harder time changing over to the grip angle on most 1911 frames... Pick a point of aim at something close across the counter at the gun store, close your eyes and pick up the (unloaded) gun in front of you and point it from memory at your previous point of aim with your eyes still closed. Then open your eyes and check your sight alignment. Don't worry about your aim left or right, just check the vertical alignment of the sights (are you naturally pointing that particular model high or low?). When I do this, I find the Glock angle right on, but I'm always off (a bit low) when I hold a 1911 frame. Everyone has a "natural" wrist/hold angle and some gun grip angles will feel more natural than others.

Try as many different gun models as you can get your hands on, be safe and have fun.

Someone else mentioned getting a rimfire as a first handgun to learn with and this is great advice also... especially if you can get something in a .22 that's similar in design to your 9mm (or whatever cal. you decide on).

Let us know what you end up with and enjoy!
 
Charlie Moore said:
Here is a thought-provoking article on the .40 vs. 9mm...

http://www.imakenews.com/valhalla/e_article002168437.cfm?x=bk1b43S,bj7QPlVl,w
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While the above may be true, I recently read a different article that said that that juries don't care about caliber, but they DO care about the number of shots fired. So if you're not concealing,... I'd go with the largest and reasonably cheap caliber you can find. UNLESS... you're going to be spending a lot of time at the range, then, I'd just go with a 9 mm. Otherwise, I think I'd get a .45. Also... make sure you have the appropriate ammo ready for the various uses. Like, a magazine full of hollow points ready at home.
 
Les Snyder said:
ElConquistador... the sight was made by Armand Swenson, one of the top pistolsmiths of the time... if fits a regular 1911 rear dovetail and cantilevers over the rear of the slide to give a full blade sight picture... duplicating the look of a BoMar adjustable that was pretty much the sight of choice when I started shooting IPSC in 1982
Click to expand...

Wow... I haven't heard that name for quite awhile. A good friend was fortunate enough to pick up an early Colt that Armand had done. Not long after that, he stumbled into an original Pachmeyer Colt too. My memory isn't what it use to be, but IIRC the Pachy was a long slide (6inch) he had built
 
gormandu said:
...I recently read a different article that said that that juries don't care about caliber, but they DO care about the number of shots fired.
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It's my opinion that too many people fret about what a prosecutor or jury will think regarding various technical aspects of a self defense shooting. Type of bullets, reloads, trigger or other gun modifications seem to be common concerns. If your equipment and ammunition are legal and you were authorized to use deadly force, then you should be OK.
 
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timcsaw said:
Sounds good... the shotgun is the best home defense weapon IMO but as that isn't a prime concern, try a lot of handguns and see what likes you:D. You'll find that many guns may be similar, but one or two will "just fit" when you start shooting them. Personally, I like the grip angle on Glocks, and have a harder time changing over to the grip angle on most 1911 frames... Pick a point of aim at something close across the counter at the gun store, close your eyes and pick up the (unloaded) gun in front of you and point it from memory at your previous point of aim with your eyes still closed. Then open your eyes and check your sight alignment. Don't worry about your aim left or right, just check the vertical alignment of the sights (are you naturally pointing that particular model high or low?). When I do this, I find the Glock angle right on, but I'm always off (a bit low) when I hold a 1911 frame. Everyone has a "natural" wrist/hold angle and some gun grip angles will feel more natural than others.

Try as many different gun models as you can get your hands on, be safe and have fun.

Someone else mentioned getting a rimfire as a first handgun to learn with and this is great advice also... especially if you can get something in a .22 that's similar in design to your 9mm (or whatever cal. you decide on).

Let us know what you end up with and enjoy!
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Thanks, I'll try that out when I get out there.

I'm really getting anxious, I can't wait to take this friggin course and shoot some guns. I'll have to call tomorrow because they didn't return my e-mail from yesterday regarding class availability.
 
M&P 15-22 for all day shooting. There crazy fun to plinking with :)
 
If you aren't going to carry it anyway get an a r15, or some other carbine, they are more effective and easier to use than a pistol. Consider a .22 rifle also so you can practice. If you have to have a pistol get a glock 19. The glock is simple, reliable and has the same trigger pull on each shot.

If you know nothing about guns take a class
 
Well, I'm officially scheduled for the October 15th NRA class. Called today and they still have a few spots open.
 
jfindon said:
Well, I'm officially scheduled for the October 15th NRA class. Called today and they still have a few spots open.
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That should be very helpful. If you aren't familiar with pistols, hopefully they will have a good selection at the class, and you can learn how each model operates, and which ones you like shooting the best. It should really help with your comfort level, as well as safety. Money well spent
 
Just had the course today. Long story short but they called last month a day before it was supposed to happen and told me it was rescheduled. My guess is that they overbooked.

Anyway..

Good experience, I'm definitely glad I took the class.

I handled two revolvers, a 1911, and a H&K to do some dry fires and learn about loading/basic control. We listened to a bunch of lectures, then went down to the range. I started with a .22 Ruger, then went to a .45 1911, then to a .357 revolver that was using .38 specials. Not really a fan of revolvers.

Anyway, I went back to the Ruger and started shooting and must have caught the eye of the one instructor. She mentioned in the beginning of the day that she competed and just one some medals in a recent event, and she told me she wanted me to shoot her personal competition Ruger.

Basically, she said something along the lines of me having the complete package, that I was a natural and had a great future in the sport. She said she definitely wants to see me back at the range because she was that impressed with me for never holding a gun before. I was pretty much hitting the same hole for the whole magazine.

Went back to the classroom and passed a 45 question test with a 100, got my certificate and left. Next week I'm going back to try out the Glocks mentioned earlier, and from there I'll decide what I actually want to buy. It was fun as **** though.


Oh, and I signed up to be a member of the NRA since it was a $10 discount if I did it at the class.
 
This might get me flamed but I'll post anyway.
I would stay away from Glock as your 1st handgun. Both Gen 3 and 4's have had problems that don't look like they have been fixed. Just research it on the web, you'll see.
They are also harder to shoot well due to the grip angle.
I would also stay away from a 1911 unless you want to take the time to learn how to handle and shoot it well. Not to mention expensive to shoot.
Answer, a S&W M&P 9mm. Cheaper to shoot ($10/box on sale), much better grip angle than Glock, optional external safety if you want it, just as reliable and durable as any other gun mentioned in this thread, arguably better trigger than Glock, certainly better looking than Glock, made in the USA.
In the interest of full disclosure I own and really like my Gen 2 Glock 19, IMHO, THE classic Glock, one of the better handguns I've owned. One of of worst was a Glock 22, could never shoot that thing worth a damn. H&K USP and M&P 40 shot much, much better.
I also will be picking up a Springfield 1911 MilSpec hopefully sometime in the not too distant future. More as fun gun than home defense or for CCW.

SW-MP-9mm.jpg
 
Charlie Moore said:
I like this article's frankness:

http://pistol-training.com/articles/trust-no-one-an-insiders-perspective
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Mr. Green is entitled to his opinion but he's hardly unbiased. Did Henry Ford cause his competition to lower their quality and make the whole market cater to price?? Or did Henry Ford make a better mousetrap with a better process? If all guns are essentially the same as Mr. Green says then why would I buy a $700 SIG instead of a $500 Glock?

Sure, any mechanical thing can fail but I've got enough experience with a Glock to know that it will work when I need it. I've put 1000s of rounds though Glocks and I can count on one hand the number of malfunctions I've had, you pull the trigger it goes bang, it's that simple. Clean, dirty, oil, no oil, any ammo you can find, they just work. I've put 1000 rounds through mine without cleaning it and it still keeps chugging. I know it's going to go bang, I know the bullet is going to go where I aim, I know the magazine isn't going to fall on the ground by itself.

In addition to being reliable I like the trigger pull, it's the same pull every time and has a short reset... ...shorter than any other DOA I've tried (not that I've tried them all). Because of the short reset the Glock is easy to shoot fast, just look at what people are using in competition. I like that it's simple to operate and has no unnecessary external safety. Another place that Glock raised the standard (yes I think they raised the standard not lowered it as Mr. Green claims) is with their Tenifer finish, other companies like Springfield and S&W have copied it but Glock was the first and raised the standard with a better finish. Glock made a gun that was the same size as the competition but lighter, held more rounds, more reliable, better finish, and less money. That's why people like them.

...so all this being said... What did I buy in 1989 when I got my first handgun? Yes, a S&W 5904. Not a bad gun but nothing really good about it either. I didn't want a Glock, they where too radical (ugly).
 
Of course Glock isn't perfect. They need to learn that if it's not broke you shouldn't fix it. Their Gen4 "upgrade" has been a disaster, they should have left the recoil spring alone.

Also years ago they had a problem with slide rails breaking (in the "E" serial number range I believe). I assume this is what Mr. Green is talking about.

In Glock's defense they have taken care of the problems.
 
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