Need Some Help Finding My First Gun

T

TwitchyBlade

Joined
May 29, 2009
Messages
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So I'm 20 years old and I have my foid card and I'm currently studying law enforcement in college right now. I plan to be a police officer after college. I have narrowed my choices for my first firearm to the following: Sig Sauer P226 in either .357 or .40 S&W, The good old fashioned 1911 in .45 ACP of course, Glock 19 or 23 in .40 S&W or 9mm, and last but not least is my favorite gun of them all, the Franchi Spas 12 Shotgun with the folding stock *drool* (the one from Jurassic Park)

My problem has been finding a place that sells them but not only sells them but sells them at a reasonable price. For the sig the most I'm willing to spend is 800, for the 1911 about 900, the glock anywhere from 300-500, and the spas 12... well that thing has a huge price tag..

Do any of you gentleman know where the best place to shop online for firearms would be? Or know of a firearms dealer near the chicagoland area?
 
If you are going into Law Enforcement (local) get a Glock. That's what most local law enforcement seem to be carrying. As far as buying online, gunbroker is a good place to look. Good luck!
 
I would find out what hand guns are authorized for use in the department you plan to work in. Glocks are pretty much universal, but you need to know what caliber they use. Take a look at the Springfield Armory XD if it's auhtorized.

RE: SPAS 12.....The one with the original folding stock is about $1250 if you can find one. They look cool, but there are better shotguns.
 
UffDa said:
I would find out what hand guns are authorized for use in the department you plan to work in. Glocks are pretty much universal, but you need to know what caliber they use. Take a look at the Springfield Armory XD if it's auhtorized.

RE: SPAS 12.....The one with the original folding stock is about $1250 if you can find one. They look cool, but there are better shotguns.
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The spas 12 is a gun ive just dreamed of owning and i really want to own one! Ever since i saw it in Jurassic Park its been something ive loved ever since.

I have found a spas 12 for 900 but it was well used and was missing the safety... and had a butt stock instead of the folding stock.

Edit: I have heard stories of the spas 12 malfunctioning and costing lots to fix.. There is a second version of the gun that has those problems fixed. Thats the one that seems to run in the 1200 range..
 
+1 for checking with the department you hope to work for if you're looking for a duty weapon. (also good to check and see if they have any magazine capacity restrictions)

I have no experience with the .357sig round.
Modern 9mm JHP ammo is a very effective seld defense/personal protection round - and 9mm ball is about as inexpensive as you're going to get these days.
in my experience, the .40 is more abusive to the shooter than the .45ACP.
it's louder, has a harsher backblast, and more kick, due to the higher velocities it's loaded to.
That said, while I really like my 1911, the 226 is pretty nice, and the XD40 is a dream to shoot. (at least the one I got to handle was)

The Taurus 1911 is a pretty well built pistol and won't break the bank.
the XD9/40 should be available under $600 as well.
used Glocks run around $430, give or take $20. (and new ones aren't much more)
it's hard to beat a 226 in anything but price.

now, if you're looking for something to learn the basics of gun handling and marksmanship, I highly recommend the Browning Buckmark .22lr w/5" barrel. it's under $300, wally world generally stocks bulk packs of 525 rounds for about $15, and it'll last forever with basic care and cleaning. If you prefer Ruger, their 22/45 is also a great shooter, but it's a lot more difficult to take down for cleaning/maintenance.

on the shotgun side of things, I'd vote for a marine stainless winchester or mossberg with collapsing stock. You can also get a folding stock for a remington 870. any of these 3 will do you as well as the spas 12 for a lot less $$ out of pocket. (and an Ithaca model 37 pump beats them all IMHO, but it's out of production)

good luck!
 
The spas 12 is a gun ive just dreamed of owning and i really want to own one!
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Then buy one, if you must, to get it out of your system. After you discover why they're not making it anymore, THEN buy a good shotgun !!
 
Get a Glock or Springfield XD. The 1911 is my favorite , but I would not recommend it as a first gun.
 
I think the Sig would be a good choice. Either caliber .357 Sig or .40 S&W. Glocks have kind of a funny trigger system which has been known to make holes in football players legs and also the legs of Police Officers. Sig would be a safer choice IMHO. With a screen name like twitchy you probably want something with a good hefty trigger. Plus, you can change from .357 Sig to the .40 S&W simply by changing the barrel and the recoil spring. With that said, Glocks do get a lot of love around here. I'm sure others will have a different opinion. Good luck with school. -DT

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TwitchyBlade said:
So I'm 20 years old and I have my foid card and I'm currently studying law enforcement in college right now. I plan to be a police officer after college. I have narrowed my choices for my first firearm to the following: Sig Sauer P226 in either .357 or .40 S&W, The good old fashioned 1911 in .45 ACP of course, Glock 19 or 23 in .40 S&W or 9mm, and last but not least is my favorite gun of them all, the Franchi Spas 12 Shotgun with the folding stock *drool* (the one from Jurassic Park)

My problem has been finding a place that sells them but not only sells them but sells them at a reasonable price. For the sig the most I'm willing to spend is 800, for the 1911 about 900, the glock anywhere from 300-500, and the spas 12... well that thing has a huge price tag..

Do any of you gentleman know where the best place to shop online for firearms would be? Or know of a firearms dealer near the chicagoland area?
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.357 Sig is a good round from what my friend tells me. Never shot it myself, as I don't have anyone paying for it. Personally, if I was going for a first, I'd get a 9 for the cheapness of the ammo, so I could shoot more (or a .22 conversion, which would be even better). Unless you have reloading presses and such, or unless your mommy and daddy are super nice, shooting .45 is fun, but a little spendy in my book- especially for a college kid.

Hard to recommend a SPAS, as it won't really be applicable: most departments will use pump action, not semi. Thus, the shooting skills to acquire are much more applicable from the other choices. Also, if this is a first gun, you should take the money you'd save on a SPAS and spend it on ammo to shoot!

Zero
 
Glock or S&W M&P....there is a reason the majority of all LE agencies carry Glock. the M&P is catching up quick. Sigs quality control has been under scrutiny as of late, so id be a bit skeptical about a new one. XDs are garbage and thats a fact. im sure a million people will come on here to argue against me, but,
1. theyre made in Croatia, and were originally marketed as the HS2000
2. Springfield bought the rights to them, ran a HUGE marketing scheme and bumped up the price by $200
3. they break when punished, thats why NO law enforcement agency has adopted them, which brings me to my next point....
4. good luck getting parts for them. my buddy is a major dealer in the state of Iowa an supplies ISP as well as many sherrifs/police departments. he is a Springfield dealer, yet cant get a part for them. guns hes sold break, he as a gunsmith cant get the parts to fix it, so it goes back to Springfield Armory.
5. THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE SUCKS! sometimes the turnaround on getting one fixed can takes many months, and then the da*n thing breaks again.
ok, before someone freaks out on me, ill say this, ive shot plenty (20+) of them(high bore axis sucks making them snappy, and their slide is HUGE for a CCW piece), seen many break down at the range, yet never owned one. so no, i have no personal grudge. im simply stating facts. so again i say GLOCK...they run forever. i have a G17 thats 10 years old, NEVER been cleaned and continues to shoot. 1000s of rounds, no failure to feed, and no failure to fire, ever. just a drop of oil or two once in awhile and shes a happy camper.
 
as for shotty, get an 870 police magnum. built like a tank, and pumps have the benefit of digesting all rounds. door breachers and less that leathal loads can make a semi stumble.
 
I agree with the guys above who recommend researching the departments you're interested in and seeing what they are issuing.

We have a large number of agencies here in St. Louis county, and the Glock is far and away the most popular. The St. Louis PD still carries the Berretta, however, and the County guys the Smith & Wesson.
 
XD's don't ka-BOOM like Glocks, so where does that leave us?

I'd get an M&P
 
+1 for the 870--you can always get parts, accessories and the things are tough. Maybe that's why the majority of Departments use them...
 
Since you don't have experience with any of the firearms I would suggest trying to find a range where you can rent the various models and get some time behind the trigger. After you handle them you may have a much better idea of what you like and dislike. Think of it this way....would you buy a car without taking it for a test drive?

The recommendation to check with your preferred Dept. isn't a bad idea but not all that important IMO. If you like the Sig best and they use the Glock then I'd still buy the Sig. It is your personal firearm so you should own what you want; if the Dept you end up working for uses something else (or even the same firearm for that matter) you're going to be trained on it the way they want in any event.

woody d said:
there is a reason the majority of all LE agencies carry Glock.
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And that reason is almost always economics.
 
David E said:
XD's don't ka-BOOM like Glocks, so where does that leave us?

I'd get an M&P
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you just have to be smart enough not to shoot lead bullets, or buy an aftermarket barrel....like maybe LoneWolf. no ka-boom, and it still will be running when the XD is falling to pieces. but yes, the M&P is a good choice
 
TwitchyBlade said:
So I'm 20 years old and I have my foid card and I'm currently studying law enforcement in college right now. I plan to be a police officer after college. I have narrowed my choices for my first firearm to the following: Sig Sauer P226 in either .357 or .40 S&W, The good old fashioned 1911 in .45 ACP of course, Glock 19 or 23 in .40 S&W or 9mm, and last but not least is my favorite gun of them all, the Franchi Spas 12 Shotgun with the folding stock *drool* (the one from Jurassic Park)

My problem has been finding a place that sells them but not only sells them but sells them at a reasonable price. For the sig the most I'm willing to spend is 800, for the 1911 about 900, the glock anywhere from 300-500, and the spas 12... well that thing has a huge price tag..

Do any of you gentleman know where the best place to shop online for firearms would be? Or know of a firearms dealer near the chicagoland area?
Click to expand...

Try Buds Gun Shop. They usually have decent prices.

As far as your choices, they are great platforms but here's my .02. I love the 1911. Its my favorite pistol by far. However, unless you are working for some rural department they aren't going to let you carry it. If it were me I'd still get one since I'm going to be issued a weapon anyways.

As far as caliber goes, most departments aren't going to let you carry the .357 either. They are going to stick with 9, 40, and 45. On top of that, the ammo is expensive, harder to find, and doesn't have the track record of the others. Between 9 and 40, I go 9 all the way. By comparison all handguns are anemic, and with the rounds available today (federal HST) you don't really have any advantage shooting the 40. It louder, harder on the gun, more recoil and less capacity, and there isn't any payoff.
 
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