Need help choosing the right handgun

If I were in your position and wanted one gun with a $3000 budget:

I would look at mid-to-high level 1911's ( Colt, Springfield TRP, Ed Brown, etc.) in the $1200-1500 range

Get a really good IWB holster $100-200

Get 4-5 really reliable mags like Wilson 47D ~$30/ea

Spend a couple hundred on a decent reloading setup

The rest I would spend on Training; a class at Gunsite, Thunder Ranch, etc. and learn how to really run that 1911 :D
 
EdInk, I laughed out loud when I saw your list. The first three guns on it are the handguns that my husband and I bought over the past year and some months. We're relatively new gun owners, although we both learned to shoot as children. His first gun was a Springfield XDM, which he loves and which is his carry gun most of the time. It's an excellent target pistol, and he quickly became such a good shot with it that he's planning to start entering matches. My first was a Smith & Wesson Model 60-10. (For the OP, that's a small concealable stainless steel revolver chambered for .357, which I normally load with .38 +P for carry.) His Christmas present last Christmas was a Springfield 1911 "Loaded", which I also shoot. We both love it -- it is a *great* handgun, easy to shoot well.

I concur with many suggestions here that the OP's budget should be spent, not on a $3,000 gun, but on at least two or three guns. Since he's a beginner who appears to have a good eye and good coordination, making him a decent natural shot, I bet he'd love an XDM. He might also want to consider getting a .22 LR pistol "twin" to whatever pistol he picks -- a gun that's the same size and weight, but shoots .22 LR ammunition. They're easier to learn with, cheaper to shoot (.22 LR ammunition is cheap), and *fun*.
 
Jeff Cooper always felt the 1911 was manageable by recoil and noise sensitive subjects. He felt the .357 was "over penetrative" and violent.

On that line you have a world of 1911s to choose from. I'd go Colt or Kimber.
 
Auburn11,

With that price limit, I think you should be looking for about 4 guns, each suited to as specific niche.

Do you have preference between semi automatics and revolvers, and if possible, explain why? With that answer, a lot of unsuitable guns can be crossed off the list right from the start.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top