First handgun purchase

C

carl Wood

Inactive
Hello there

I've decided to buy a handgun. I'm looking for advice on which brands/models are proven to be good guality, trouble free and reliable.
As a little background, I grew up in Michigan, with guns but never had any use for a handgun. I have a .22 rifle for plinking, a rifle for deer and a Rem. 870 for everything else. So I am not a novice to firearms, just never had much practical use for a handgun.

Now I'm in California, where I'm sure most of you are aware, the gun laws are strict and getting worse. Frankly, I'm buying the handgun before I can't. I might really get into recreational shooting with it but I just might end up sticking it on a shelf. Even though that is the case, I still want a quality semi-auto pistol. So, any advice or opinion would be great!

Thanks

Carl
 
Try going over to Targetmasters in Milpitas and renting a few guns to find what you like. Do remember that these are rental guns and may get cleaned only once a week and tuned up only when someone savy enough to know the difference informs them that the gun is falling apart.

What do you consider recreational shooting? Autos are okay for anything resembling combat or bullseye, but typically are finicky about the consistency of the ammo and are not much for either silhouette or hunting. Now a .357, .41 or .44 magnum revolver on the other hand...
 
I would recomend buying a Sig Sauer P220. It is a 45 semi-automatic pistol that you will never regret buying. Shop around though. Good luck!
 
Hello carl, First off I would move out of Kalifornia.
No one can tell you which gun to buy. You are going to have to go to a reliable gun shop or shooting range and try one on for size. If you just want a plinker for a first hand gun buy a .22. Ruger makes the MkII which is a good one. Now if you want one for concealed carry and home protection you may want to go with a 9mm,.40 or a .45. The 9mm is going to be the more gentle of the lot and I believe would be the cheapest to go to the range and shoot. You are going to get guys who will tell you to buy this or buy that but its going to have to fit you and your pocketbook.
I personaly have and like the Beretta Cougar line of pistol, they come in any of the calibers I have mentioned above. I feel they are good value for the money and a reliable pistol. But you are going to have to try it for yourself. I also have some S&W ,and I Walthers. All fine handguns. Ruger makes a good entry level handgun. Go to a shop or range and try them out. Sort of like test driving a car.

I hope this helps :)

Happy Shooting :)

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We preserve our freedoms by using four boxes: soap,ballot,jury, and cartridge.
Anonymous
 
Guns I personally have experience with that are reliable and accurate with quality ammo/mags and proper maintenance:

Glock 17 9mm

Beretta 92fs 9mm

Springfield Armory Gov't Model .45ACP

Browning Hi-Power (In particular the MKIII
version) 9mm or .40S&W

Colt Gov't Model (In particular the 1991A1 series) .45ACP

S&W 1076 10mm

S&W 6906 9mm

S&W 645 .45ACP

Colt Delta Elite 10mm (replaced original two spring/polymer guide rod setup with Wolff 24# spring and steel guide rod, original setup known to batter gun with extended firing)

Colt Commander .45ACP

Ruger P89 9mm
 
Carl, Are you dead set on an auto? Most new handgunners are best served by a good double action revolver. No safeties, no levers and no magazine to remove. The ultimate in simplicity. Just point and pull the trigger.
A good revolver can be used for just about any handguning chore from self defense to just fun plinking.
I'd recommend a medium frame .357 Magnum with a four inch barrel. Probably the single most useful, all purpose handgun ever. With the wide variety of both .357 Mag and .38 Special loads avalible they will serve all your needs well.
Revolvers are also cheaper and there are often a good supply of quality used guns out there.


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Politically, Fashionably and Aerodynamically Incorrect!
 
I would go with a good double action revolver in 4 or 6 inch 357 magnum. Shoot it a lot with 38 special loads until you get good and then start shooting 357 loads. If you have to have a pistol buy a Glock. Why a Glock? A Glock is as close to a double action revolver as you will get. What caliber? It doesn't matter 9mm or 40 S&W. Remember a 9mm is easier for a novice to shoot and cheaper to feed. Regards, Richard.
 
Carl, I live in CA too. With hi caps outlawed, this makes the 9mm a little unsavory. Anything in .45 would be great, but the ammo is expensive, recoil harsh for some, and an auto is generally less reliable than a revolver.

My vote goes for the .357 magnum. It is the most fun and accurate gun to shoot at the range (for me at least), is ultra reliable, versatile (can shoot .38's and .357's), no safeties yet safer than most autos, and packs quite a wallop. I have one in stainless I plan on taking camping. Cost me $250 dollars, so if it gets scuffed or marred, I won't shed too many tears.

Did I mention easy to clean ?
 
One more thing, when I first went shopping for a handgun, I thought revolvers were outdated and not worth my time. I was seriously mistaken. I shoot my revolver more often then my .45 and 9mm now and feel most comfortable with it as my primary gun.

Oh yea, try before you buy.
 
In popular calibers any thing in a .357 SIG, .40 S&W, or .45 ACP are good rounds that I would trust with my life. A DAO like a Glock is a simple gun to learn how to shoot. 1911's are sweet but take a little more getting used to and practice. For my first gun if you want a pistol I would go with the Glock, unless you are really going to put in the effort then check out a 1911 style like a Kimber.

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For 1911 fans and all firearms enthusiasts
www.1911forum.com
 
Greetings To All; Lot's of good opinions here; but after you have test fired your
choice's, and you still want an auto loader;
go for the Sig-Sauer P220A in .45ACP. It's
a "Rolls-Royce, in a world of Cadillac's. :)

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member
 
I too, agree that your first handgun should be a 4" 357 revolver. Shoot 38s for practice and use 38+ps or 357s for defence. Practice as much as possible, that is essential. If you must start with an auto, I would recomend the Glock 19. 9mm amo is very cheep so you can practice as often as time permits. The glock design makes it one of the easiest to use firearm on the market today.Just rack the slide and squeze the trigger. No buttons or gadgets or decockers.The glock pistols are absolutely "stake your life on it" dependable.
But the decision is altimately yours and yours alone. You should try out several makes and models and calibres. The gun I recomend or any one else may not be the perfect gun for you.
 
I too, agree that your first handgun should be a 4" 357 revolver. Shoot 38s for practice and use 38+ps or 357s for defence. Practice as much as possible, that is essential. If you must start with an auto, I would recomend the Glock 19. 9mm amo is very cheep so you can practice as often as time permits. The glock design makes it one of the easiest to use firearm on the market today.Just rack the slide and squeze the trigger. No buttons or gadgets or decockers.The glock pistols are absolutely "stake your life on it" dependable.
But the decision is altimately yours and yours alone. You should try out several makes and models and calibres. The gun I recomend or any one else may not be the perfect gun for you.
 
If you are buying just one handgun, check out the HK P7M8. The ultimate 9mm. Costs a bit, however, but is ultra safe, fast firing, and extremely accurate. And concealable.
 
Welcome to TFL, Carl. As you can see, there are almost as many opinions as there are posters. On one hand, it is indeed hard to go wrong with a good .357 revolver. S&W, Ruger, Taurus all make a variety of versatile, sturdy, reliable handguns at several price points.

That being said, I favor auto loaders myself, and I have several SIGs, Berettas, Kimbers, and an H&K that have been virtually flawless (OK, the Tomcat was a finicky eater until she got properly exercised) in calibers frangine from .32 to .45. The SIGs have been exceptionally good.

Best advice you'll get, though, is do your homework (as you're doing now), get down to a short list, and go to a rental range and try some out. Ultimately, it comes down to what you shoot well and feel good with. Don't get too hung up on caliber (a hit with a .22 is better than a miss with a .45), but do go for the biggest one you're comfortable/capable with.

Lastly, be careful with what you wish for. Two years ago I wanted A (one) gun for home defense, and look what happened - I'm up to 11 (my name is Mike and I'm a gun-aholic :) )
Best regards, M2

[This message has been edited by Mike in VA (edited March 17, 2000).]
 
I have several different handguns and this list is in no order other than what I carry most..... colt lw.45, glock 32 in.357 sig, glock 26, and glock 17.


I have shot three of the four in IDPA . None of them have ever failed to fire and are accurate enough for me.. Cost wise go with a nine otherwise any would do.
 
Revolver: 4" quality brand..stay away from S & W if possible due to their just-released agreement with the gov't
Auto: Glock...minimum parts, easy to repair if breaks down with minimum skill, durable
 
I have owned several pistols over the years. Listed below are the ones I rank the highest in accuracy and reliability.

(No particualr order)

Smith-Wesson 357 686 4"
Smith-Wesson 357 66 2"
Ruger SP101 357 3"

Browning HP 9mm
Glock 23 40cal
 
Carl Wood:

Whenever you get to the range to try some rental guns, see if you can get some speedloaders or an extra mag so you can figure out how easy it is to reload each one fairly quickly.

Now try the reload again with your eyes closed simulating a low-light environment. Also, in a real oh feces day you want to be looking around for other threats while you reload, not staring at the gun.

Also try shooting with your non-dominant hand only (left hand for righties).

Other stuff to try to find out how well the gun works for you: Try very short range (like 4 feet) fast shooting like 5-6 shots and see how well you can shoot going without sights and shooting totally by "feel".

Shooting with sights, try moving the target back progressively farther to see at what range you start having trouble keeping rounds on the vital zones.

Start from a low ready and come up at a fairly close range target and pop it twice fast and see which design works best for you.
This is sighted fire again.

If you can get a shooting coach to give you a hand, this would help immensely. I'm talking about someone used to coaching shooters on marksmanship, handling, etc. Not the clerk who only knows which end the bullets come out.

Having said all that, my first handgun was a Glock 17. I never regretted going autoloader first.

Hope that helps.

Edmund
 
IMHO, the best gun for the beginner is the .357 revolver, with a 3-4" barrel, in a medium frame. My favorite teaching gun (favorite carry gun) until it was stolen was a Ruger Service Six .357 with the 2 3/4" barrel and roundbutt. While some of the more modern autoloaders are easy to shoot (e.g., the Glocks), they function best with full power ammo. The .357 revolver will work with anything from .38 midrange wadcutter all the way up to the hottest .357 magnum loads you can find. Safety is easier with the revolver for the novice. And last, if you ever have to point it at some miscreant who intends you harm, THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO DOUBT WHETHER A REVOLVER IS LOADED OR NOT.

In addition, even on my blued guns, I polish the muzzle. *grin* More psychological effect.
 
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