My first pistol

R

Rockginjack

Inactive
Hi,

I'm new to this forum and new to handguns. I have good experience with shotguns and a few rifles, but I've only shot a couple of friend's handguns in the past (9mm and a .45).

I finally bought my first handgun after reading oodles of reviews, a Sig P229 elite 9mm. I was initially leaning towards the .40 S&W, but I chose the 9mm because I haven't shot more than 100 rounds and I thought that I should get more familiar with something that had less recoil and wasn't that expensive to shoot (not including the cost of the Sig). I guess I could have gone with a .22, but just didn't...no in-depth reasoning. I just like the idea of the 9mm. The Sig did feel a little heavier than other brands, but it was also very comfortable in my hands and I didn't mind the weight.

I was just wondering if there were opinions regarding a .40 as a first handgun and/or other issues that I may have not considered.

Thanks,
RJG
 
Hi,

All I want to say is that, you did good deciding to start with a 9mm. Best caliber to start with in my opinion.


All the best
 
You made an excellent choice. I have several 9mm pistols and I think they are completely functional for self defense. You do not need anything more.
 
Hi. Welcome to the firing line. I am very new as well, but the people on here are really nice and have answered many questions for me. I bought my first handgun this year. I have never owned any firearms before of any kind.

I too battled with which to get 9mm, 40mm, but in the end I got a 9mm because I figured the ammo wouldn't be too much of an expense.

I shot my friend's .40 Glock and I really enjoyed it. I don't think the recoil was bad at all in my opinion. My next gun might be a .40 or a .357 Ruger GP100 that my friend my sell me. Anyways good luck and good shooting.
 
Now that you have a handgun in 9mm I'd recommend that, as soon as possible, you go out and buy another in .22 caliber and use that gun to practice, practice, practice. As relatively inexpensive as 9mm is, .22 is infinitely cheaper. A box of 550 rounds of Federal bulk ammo at Walmart will set you back $13.50. That comes out to to about 2 and 1/2 cents per round. A box of 50 9mm rounds, also at Walmart, goes for around $15, when you can find it. That's 30 cents per round. So, shooting .22 is 14 1/2 times cheaper per round than 9mm.

I'm like a lot of avid shooters on this forum, I own a bunch of handguns and do the majority of my shooting with a .22. I've found that the skills you acquire with a .22 are transferrable to other calibers. The more you shoot, the better you get, and cheaper is better!
 
I've shot the P229 and 226, not the Elite version though. You made a great choice for a first gun.

+1 on getting a .22 as well, just not the Sig Mosquito.
 
I second your getting a .22LR pistol for practice. Too bad there is (AFAIK) no conversion units for the Sigs.
 
Thanks to everyone.

I really appreciate all the input.

I like the idea of getting a .22 and including it to improve my skills...great suggestion.

I've read lots of great information so far and it's one of the better forums I've seen.

Thanks again.
 
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