help me with my first handgun purchase.

R

rantingrelentlessly

New member
I'm a rifle guy, but I have almost no experience with handguns. I'm going to purchase my first one (I own a hi point .380 but it was given to me). The gun I buy will be primarily for home and personal defence. I think I want a full size .45. I shot a friends rock island 1911 today and didn't care too much for it. Right now I'm leaning toward either a Smith & Wesson M&P45 or a Ruger SR45. Are these a good choice? Which one would you recomend? Would anyone recomend something else and why? My price point is around $600 or so.
 
A Glock 17, and take shooting lessons. The fundamentals of pistol are: stance, grip, sight picture and trigger control. After you have that under you belt, it won't matter what gun you choose. Of course a $ 5,000 STI Open gun is easier to shoot faster and more accurately than a KelTec.
 
A S&W M&P 45 has a pretty good kick, but a well made gun, I shot one today. Have you fired one before? I don't know anything about the Ruger, but they make good products.
9x45 gave you some good advice. I'd add to that.

Don't buy a gun you haven't shot.
Find a place that has a variety of weapons you can try. Yea, you may pay a few bucks for the privilege, but it's much better than buying something you thought would like but hate.
A 9mm is relatively inexpensive to shoot, is generally a milder recoil, and there's a much bigger variety of grips to try, particularly for medium and smaller hands.
I also shot a Ruger LCS 9mm today, and would fit in the smallest of hands, and was very easy to shoot. Lots of variety in th e9mm world. Again, go out and try a few before you buy.

Good luck, let us know what you do.
 
45 is a fine round, but can be a bit snappy in a polymer pistol.


9mm has always been popular, but modern hollow point loads like the Federal HST are proving that the 9mm can be just as good terminally as 45 and 40.

Many police departments and the FBI are switching back to 9mm.


There are many reasons I usually suggest 9mm over 45 most of the time... One of the major reasons to go 45 is if you want to go 1911, as that's the original caliber. If you don't care for the 1911, then just go with a 9mm. You get lower ammo cost, lower recoil, easier to shoot, more rounds for a given size, and many more options in the gun you get.


If you insist on 45, then the new PPQ in 45 is said to be good. FN has a 45 FNX, and it's a big gun, but it holds a lot of 45 because of it. I find it too large personally.


If you decide to look at 9mm, there are way too many to list, but I personally like the M&P, FNS, VP9, PPQ, 226, CZ 75, and others. There was no order to that list, just wrote as I pulled them from memory.
 
Not liking the full size RI 1911 gives the impression no 45auto will be acceptable. I mean to say the 1911 fits most very well and handles fine but lacks in some areas. The area it lacks in won't be apparent until many range sessions.
 
I'm not much into plastic and striker fired guns without a manual safety that's all the rage these days as a "FIRST" gun. I think that's a mistake for many. A good 1911 in 9mm or 45 would be fine but single action only. A GREAT gun to start with is the CZ PO1 with the rail, factory night sights and good parts. The other great first gun is a standard CZ75 B in 9mm or 40 S&W. If you like revolvers a 4 or 6" GP100 in 357 mag would be my pick. 357s are great for the guy who wants 1 do everything handgun.
 
Both the M&P and SR45 get great reviews. Either would serve you well, and are way below the $600 budget. Don't let peoples comments about the 45 being "snappy" discourage you. Its a very pleasant cartridge to fire in a handgun. I have a bunch of different 45 pistols, and even the lightest, at 17 ounces, is remarkably easy to control.

Take a look at the Kahr C series 45s. They are single stack, and have capacity of 6, 7 or 8 rounds. The shorter grip length Kahr takes the larger magazines of the longer grip siblings. I have a Kahr CM45, and it comes with a 5 round magazine, but takes the 6 or 7 round mags, making it a nice small pocket pistol with the 5 round mag, but then for home defense, the 7 round mag gives you 7+1 capacity. They are in the mid $300s, and are very well built pistols. Something to consider.

Also take a look for a Ruger P90 or P97. These are out of production, and were seriously overbuilt pistols. They will last several lifetimes, and can be had for $300 and change. Great pistols for the money.
 
Barring the 1911 style, if you can get your hands on an HK USP.45 I loved it when I tried it (on multiple occasions), as well as any other HK pistol chambered in .45acp. Only problem is it is very unlikely that would be in your price range.

Maybe the PPQ would be my next recommendation, though I've only fired it in 9mm.
 
9mm, 40sw, 45acp = same thing.

OP you need an economical cartridge. 9mm or 40sw is fine. 45acp is unneeded.

Either pistols mentioned will do fine.

Take a piece of paper and write "M&P" on one side, and "SR" on the other.

Throw the paper in the air and let it hit the ground. Whatever side is facing you, that's the pistol you buy. :D
 
Two full sized .45 ACP pistols that I own and are well within your budget are the Stoeger Cougar 8045 and the SIG Sauer P320. I purchased the Cougar for just over $400 NIB and the SIG for just under $500 NIB, both with 2 magazines and the SIG with night sights.

Both are very soft shooting (softer than my model 1911) and quite accurate. Both have Picatinny accessory rails if you should choose to mount a light, laser, or light/laser combo.

The Cougar is an all metal (aluminum frame) traditional double action, hammer-fired pistol that shoots double action for an uncocked first shot, and single action for subsequent shots. It has a slide mounted safety/decocking lever but the lever can be relatively easily converted to a decocker only if you prefer that arrangement. Magazine capacity is 8rds.

The P320 is a "Glock-like", polymer-frame, striker-fired pistol with a consistent trigger pull action and no manual safety. Magazine capacity is 10 rds.

In my opinion, 9mm Para, 40 caliber S&W, .45 ACP are all fine center-fire pistol cartridges for self-defense. I have both 9mm Para high capacity (20rds) and .45 ACP pistols that function in that capacity, and I sometimes carry a .40 cal S&W. Personally, I like shooting .45 ACP a little better than 9mm Para and I seem to be a little more accurate with it. I do not find the recoil characteristics at all unpleasant.

.45 ACP is more expensive than 9mm and that can certainly be an issue if you anticipate shooting a very large number of rounds. I can generally find 9mm Para ammo at around $11-12 for a box of 50 and .45 ACP for $16-18 for a box of 50 so the difference is not humongous.
 
Glock 17 or 19, with tritium sights and one or two "happy sticks" (33 round mags.) You might find other guns that seem more pretty, or better fitting, or whatever, but either Glock will ALWAYS work, accurately, whether you maintain it or not.
Mine just do what handguns are supposed to do. If you get one, or both, you'll find that you can't find anything wrong with it. If you just don't feel any attachment, stick it in a bug out bag, or in your glove box, or anyplace where you need a gun that will always work.
 
I can't claim to be any sort of expert, as I just purchased my first handgun about a month ago, but I figure I'll pass along my experience and the advice I was given.

If you're not planning on carrying daily, a full size steel frame pistol is probably going to be your best bet. The weight helps to control the recoil, and the larger frames typically allow, in my experience, for an easier and more comfortable grip.

This leads to a very important point. How the gun sits and feels in your hand should be at the top of your list of factors. If you have the access, try to find a range that will let you rent a few of your considerations to try them out. At the very least, pick them up and handle them in person.

$600 is a little more than what my budget was, which gives you a ton of options. It's extremely easy to feel overwhelmed, but take your time and do your reseaech. I personally went with the CZ 75B Omega in 9mm, which I absolutely love.

I also just purchased a Sig Sauer SP2022 in 40 S&W, which is a hammer fired, polymer frame gun that is somewhat of a medium size, jack-of-all type gun.
 
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If you were close to my part of Va I could let you shoot a couple of 45's including the SR45.

My SR has been a good pistol, even my 8yo son at the time I first bought it didn't have much issue shooting it accurately. Now at 11 he loves shooting the 45's a bunch, way too much but casting and reloading minimizes the impact on the budget.

I will admit what some of the folks above have hinted at, I now enjoy the 9mm's more than the 45's. a 124gr cast stretches my lead stockpile almost double what the 45's do. Small primers are easier to find, and use less powder.....So since acquiring my 2 45's I've bought 4 9mms to go along with the 9's I already had.

I'd really take a close look at the new ruger 45...
 
Get your hand on a Sig P250 or P320 to feel the grip. I have a P250c in 40sw and I just love that grip as it is oval.
 
Sounds like your useage may include carry, so I'd look at a compact chambered in 9 Luger. The ammo will be far less expensive, and the pistol will be concealable without extraordinary effort. If you get a railed gun you can attach a light or laser or combination for home defense.
 
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Get a good used 38 spl S&W Revolver. Learn the basics of good marksmanship with it. I would leave all the plastic fantastic and other semi autos on the shelf. 38 spl has served America for over a hundred years Low recoil accurate and simple to use :)
 
I think I want a full size .45. I shot a friends rock island 1911 today and didn't care too much for it. Right now I'm leaning toward either a Smith & Wesson M&P45 or a Ruger SR45. Are these a good choice? Which one would you recomend? Would anyone recomend something else and why? My price point is around $600 or so.
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For what you want to use it for, you really want the latest & newest version of the full size 9mm S&W M&P, or the new Ruger American 9mm, try to rent or borrow one or both first to pick the one you like, or the one you can learn to like.
 
Of the given choices I would go for the smith. I owned an sr45 and it was a nice gun, but there are almost no holsters available, no sights, and extra mags are priced and a little rarer than average. Mine also didn't like cheap ammo which made it cost prohibitive to shoot. It was accurate and reliable with good ammo, but couldn't overcome its few drawbacks. Plus, I didn't like the manual safety, though ymmv.

For a first handgun though, I would go with a G17 or G19 though, or a 9mm polymer style pistol that you may like more.
 
Both of your choices are good. I would also suggest the XD mod2 .45 that comes with a 9 and 13 round mag, holster and more. Shoots great and I paid $529 OTD for mine new. It even tells you where to hold it. lol
 
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