Need help selecting handgun.

If you want 40 or larger, and are more familliar with longarms, I would recommend a 1911 style 45ACP.
 
Greetings,

I am new also and have been renting a few guns till now and am in midst of deciding both caliber and make. I have tried
.22 LR: Rugers MKII, Rugers Mark II KMK, Browning Buckmark Std and S&W 16(or 20) revolver.
9 mm: beretta 92 FS SS, Sig P226 and Rugers P89

My own suggestion would be go in a mid caliber .40 or 9 mm as your "first" gun. And preference will be for Beretta as it is very pretty or Sig since it felt so natural.

I could not get a CZ(no 75, 85, ...) either or rent or buying, though I checked only a couple of shops here.

I will probably buy a 9mm and later .22, mostly the buckmark.

And oh yes, take what you enjoy shooting, no point in finding out later.

RT0
 
I second the motion for the Glock 19 9mm. They run ~439$ with standard sights and ~519$ with night sights. If you bought a G19 @ 450$ and a I.T.I. M3 Tactical Light @ 150$ you are at your budget target of 600$ and you won't have to waste your money on a laser. You can still obtain 15 round magazines for the G19. The 9mm is a solid performer (Nobody claiming that the 9mm is not a man stopping round has ever volunteered to prove this "fact" by allowing me to shoot them with a 9mm. They are all afraid of being killed by this "ineffective" round.) and cheaper to shoot than .40 and .45 calibers any day of the week. Five of my handguns are 9mm because I trust the round to save my life, as well as my family, so long as I do my part.

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Guns cause crime like spoons cause Rosie O'Donnell to be fat!

I hunt, therefore I am.
 
For 1st time handgunners I would recommend a "wheelgun"; such as a pre-sellout Smith & Wesson Model 19 with a 4" barrel. Good all
around performer chambered for the .357 Magnum cartridge!!! :D Also, one could practice with the .38 Special rounds; whereas
reloads are widely available. :) I would argue
against the powerful .44 Magnum for first timer's due to it's excessive recoil/muzzle blast's!!! :p

If one decided upon an autoloader, it most
definitely would be a Sig-Sauer P220A in .45ACP; or the world famous P226 in 9m/m.

Vennlig hilsen,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by C.R.Sam:
Light on gun = good target.[/quote]

Sam...

Momentary on/off capability. I would NEVER use the UTL on my HK to FIND anyone in my house. But AFTER I found the dark figure, I'd light him up momentarily to make sure it wasn't, oh, say, my Dad, who, say, maybe after arguing with my Mom, left the house, drank a few beers, and decided he'd sleep in our guest room? (long shot, but not impossible). This way, the gun is already pointing at the now illuminated (and identified) perpetrator. Also, I've let my wife shine the UTL on me (detached, of course) in total darkness, just to see how blind it made me... it HURT! I couldn't see for several seconds. I couldn't even tell where the light came from. It was all around. This in itself, used properly, would prevent aimed fire from the suspect long enough for me to identify the individual, and threat level posed.

Lastly... LMike - if you'd consider a 9mm, at least LOOK at the Kahr P9 before you make your decision. What a GREAT little gun!
 
I guess I will weigh in on this one. I agree with all who have stated that first time hand gun should be a revolver. Ease of use, low cost, high reliability factor.

Having said all that, if you have your heart set on an auto, consider going to HK. A little higher priced, but well worth it. I have found that my three HK USP's in .45 to digest any and all reloads, including ones that won't chamber in some of my other .45's. They have never failed to function, regardless the weather conditions. The HK USP in either .40 or .45 would work extremely well in any conditions. If the full size HK USP is too large, try an HK USP Compact (again in either .40 or .45). Couple less round in the mag, but find one that fits your hand.

If this is going to be your first (and possibly only) handgun, go with high quality. You won't regret the purchase, if you go with high quality. You will spend a little more, but after more than twenty years of collecting, buying, selling, and trading I have replaced almost all of my low cost (lower quality) firearms with quality (more expensive) pieces. I have been fairly selective. And I have dropped my collection down from thirty to about fifteen. The value of my collection is up about 40%. Hopefully, one day, we can pass these on to our kids, relatives, etc legally. That's why I upgraded all my collection to a higher quality firearm. Just my two cents.
 
Your desire for something for CCW adds a bit of complication. For CCW you want something that is small. But that makes it harder to shoot (shorter sight radius, more felt recoil). For home defense or range use, a larger pistol would be better. You'll have to decide what compromise works best for you.

You say that you want to reload, so I'd recommend sticking either with 9mm or .45 -- .40 is a less forgiving round to reload. Most of the Glock Kbs seem to have occurred in .40 with reloads. The .357 sig is also more difficult to reload, due to its bottle-necked design. The .45 acp is very forgiving to reload, as it is a relatively low-pressure round.

There are lots to choose from. At the small end, you might consider:

Kahr: K9, K40, MK9, P9
Glock: 26,27,30

Moving up in size to compact models, consider:

Glock: 19,23
Sig: P239, 2340
Kimber Compact
HK: USP Compact (in 9mm, .40, or .45)

Moving up to full-size models:

Glock: 17, 21, 22
Sig: P220, P226, P229
HK: USP (in 9mm, .40, or .45)
Beretta: 92, 96
Kimber Custom Classic

What's most important is how the guns fit your hand. Also realize that the larger guns will be more difficult to conceal, particularly in warmer weather.

I also recommend that you get an inexpensive .22 pistol (e.g., Browning Buckmark, Ruger Mk II, etc.) for practice. As you know, .22 ammo is dirt cheap.

M1911
 
If this is your first handgun, I would run to the nearest gunstore and buy a nice spankin' new Glock 19. I would then buy 300 rounds of hard ball and about 50-60 rounds of various hollowpoints to break the gun in and see how it functions. Then I would clean it, apply a light coat of oil, get some cor-bon or pro load +p 115 or 124 grainers, load the gun and a couple of spare mags up, and call it a day.

No reason to go to .40 for your first gun. 9mm is neck and neck with .40 when comparing the top hollowpoints from each caliber. 9mm is also easier and cheaper to shoot. And, if you ever have to take your pistol with you out of the country(as unlikely as that might sound), you will find 9mm all over the world--South America, Israel, Canada, Europe--it doesn't matter.

You simply can't beat the Glock 19, whether it's a first gun, or your 50th gun.


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Let's just hope we don't get Gore'd in November.
I don't know about everyone else, but I'd much
rather get some Bush.
 
I am quite impressed with the turn out on my question and equally impressed with the quality of answers. This is exactly the kind of information I am looking for. With the enormous amount of responses I've gotton, I can't really respond to each person individually, but I give thanks to all.
I'd like to thank M1911 specifically for your response. Getting these different guns into specific catagories is very helpful.

Thanks to all.
 
1. Light on gun = target.

2. Light on gun requires pointing gun at object of illumination. I don't like to point gun at anything I am not ready to shoot.

Sam....stubborn ol coot.
 
Get the HK USP. They're priced up there with the SIGs, but you could find a 9mm or .40 for ~$575 if you look a little. If you don't want that, the Glock would be great.

Oh, the G30 will take the pre-ban 13 round G21 mags.
 
Carry semi-auto: Sig P229 .40*&*
House/range/combat semi: P226 .40*&*

Carry revolver: Ruger SP101 .357
House/range revolver: GP100 .357
 
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