Pistols!

Personally, I think that chasing a 1911 for your first ever handgun is not the best idea. I don't think it must end it tragedy or failure if you go that route anyway, but I think there's better ways to go. I'll make my case against the 1911, I'll make my case for others, and you can take whatever you wish from it and I hope it serves you well.

The 1911 is an old design that does not lend itself as well to current manufacturing methods. There are many fantastic 1911 style pistols being built RIGHT NOW, but my argument is that to get a really decent 1911 that will make you happy for a very long time, it's a far better expenditure to spend some decent money to get it. I have no evidence, but it's my belief that very few (or nobody) was building cheap 1911 pistols until recently because you couldn't make a very good pistol without the time and expense to do so and it wasn't until the demand for these guns REALLY shot through the roof that everyone and their brother decided it would be lucrative to make one.

And it didn't take long after so many different manufacturers started building them (around the price it TAKES to build a decent one) before some unknown (to U.S. market) companies decided they could undercut the high dollar 1911's and get anyone on any budget a 1911 pistol for low dollars. That's when the RIA's, Taurus, ATI, Cimmaron and _______'s 1911 pistol started flowing between $400 and $500 dollars.

Maybe I'm just trying to apply my own experiences to your situation, but I think your first handgun should be better than that. So if it's 1911 or nothing, I'd be setting my sights quite a bit higher than RIA.

I also don't think that .45 is the best choice simply because of the economics of it. In factory ammo, you're looking at a significant leap in price from 9mm. And while I hope & expect that you'll definitely handload for it, the same argument applies. Comparing 9mm to .45 with their "standard" known range load, you are sending TWICE the volume of lead with each shot in .45. And at the load bench, the bullet is (by far, not even close) the most expensive part of the reloaded round, not including the brass case which we re-use. And getting a hold of 1000pics of 9mm is going to be cheaper than the same amount of .45 brass also.

Personally, I also believe that a very nice .22cal semi-auto would make a fantastic first handgun and you'd be doing more shooting for less money, and that would result in you becoming a better handgun shooter more quickly. But for sure, the experience of shooting a center fire is definitely different than a rimfire. I love my rimfire handguns and I've done a LOT of shooting with them, but it isn't the same as centerfire. I love it and would never give it up, but it's not the same experience.
 
.22 is fairly common place around here. I have at least half a thousand on hand. I just don't like shooting .22's. Never have really. It's fun occasionally, as for me, I just like to know I'm shooting something. If you guys recommend it though, I could see about getting some sort of .22 Pistol.
 
True for now, but mainly because of the "shortage."
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I doubt we will see a return to inexpensive bulk .22lr ..... with the EPA regulating industry in general, and the lead smelting industry in particular, bulk .22lr will go the way of toilets that actually work*: regulated out of existence.


*you remember those- the 3 1/2 gallon per flush models of our youth, that did not require 3 flushes to empty the bowl? Hardware that lasted ...... well forever?
 
I'll be interested to see what develops here and what you end up with. You must imagine that it's at least a little fun for many of us to see a young guy just getting rolling.

Unlike many who started shooting when they were 5, 6, 12 or whatever, I didn't take my first shots until I was 15 years old and I was 16 years and 3 months when I got my first ever handgun, a Smith & Wesson Model 17-6, six-inch barrel K-frame revolver, .22cal. To this day, it is one of my most prized possessions.

That was a gift. The first one I bought came six months later, and that was a six-inch Smith & Wesson Model 686, .357 Magnum, in stainless. :D

Both of these revolvers will outlast me and it won't be a close race. These will be just as good when someone inherits them as the day that I got them.
 
Contacted the LGS today and asked if they have any of the 9E's in stock and how much they are. Haven't got an answer let, will yet you guys know. Thanks.
 
I'd be setting my sights quite a bit higher than RIA.
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What, in your opinion, is wrong with an RIA? Is it the materials? Construction? Inquiring minds want to know.

I've not heard a lot of people complain about them.
 
What, in your opinion, is wrong with an RIA? Is it the materials? Construction? Inquiring minds want to know.

I've not heard a lot of people complain about them.
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I wouldn't go as far as to say it's "wrong", I just don't believe the 1911 is a platform best done on a shoestring budget, which a Rock Island pistol at $400-$500 is. You've obviously had fine experiences with them and I think that's terrific. And it sounds like you've used parts of them to build fine running pistols, perhaps you should get in touch with the OP's Dad and do a budget build for him.

I like a 1911 and I have a couple of them, but they aren't what I specifically chase. When my opinion is asked on a 1911, I start higher than a $500 budget. That's my comfort zone. YMMV.
 
I think I might just get the Hungarian .32 ACP. I could start casting bullets for it and it'd be pretty economical. As far as I know, they're pretty good. Reliable and they go bang every time. Accurate too. I think it might just be a good beginner gun in place of a .22, since I can't reload .22.
 
I just don't like shooting .22's. Never have really. It's fun occasionally, as for me, I just like to know I'm shooting something.
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I'm with you. A few guys always come on these type threads singing the praises of .22... Not for me. And you mentioned .32 earlier... a wimpy round you won't be happy with either.

There are so many great and economical 9mm's to choose from in this era... Big choice is between polymer and metal (weight). I have a Ruger SRc (mine's in .40) and like it a lot. If you can swing the $ for an SR9c I think you'll be happy. Owning one is almost like having two guns because of the magazine/grip choice... One for carry, one for range. But if you won't be carrying, the 9E should be fine too if you can find one.

You might want to look here at some interesting inexpensive guns too:

http://www.classicfirearms.com/hand-guns?p=1

http://www.cdnnsports.com/media/wysiwyg/catalog/index.html
 
Welp, I've decided in what I'm going to get. It's not the .32 or the .22. I don't really want to say what it is at the risk of making anyone mad. I think I'll be happy with it and I think It will prove to be a great firearm. Thanks for all your help.
 
I've decided in what I'm going to get. It's not the .32 or the .22. I don't really want to say what it is
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OHH... No fair!.. You gotta say! It's what makes these threads so much fun... We won't be mad!
 
I have neither owned nor even shot a .32 of any variety, so take my comments for what they're worth.

The .22LR is often recommended as a beginner's pistol and with good reason. There's really no substitute for time on the trigger for developing muscle memory. The .22LR has very little muzzle flash or recoil (if any), and ammunition has been (historically speaking) very, very inexpensive. Just a few years ago, 3 or 4 cents per round would have been about right, price-wise. Now, we're seeing more along the lines of 10 cents per round. Even at that price, though, you can shoot 500 rounds for $50. Compare that to 9mm, which is pretty inexpensive among the centerfire cartridges. The absolute cheapest ammo I bought in 9mm in the last year was $89 for 400 rounds. That's 22.5 cents per round, so 500 rounds would cost me $111.25, more than twice what the .22LR would cost me. The absolute cheapest .32 acp for sale by CTD is 31.2 cents per round, so that 500 rounds is going to run $156.10, by my math. (Everyone is invited to correct my mistakes. I went to law school because I can't do math.)

So .32 is going to be 3x as expensive as .22, and about half again as much as 9mm. I thought I saw a comment that your local store usually has 9mm. Does it also consistently stock .32? Can you reload economically enough so that the .32 can compete with the .22 or 9mm? Even if you can, how does reloading .32 stack up against reloading 9mm, money-wise? Any idea? You can't reload .22LR, but you can reload 9mm. In order to make and apples-to-apples comparison, you need to think about reloading .32 vs. reloading 9mm.

As I noted above, I've never had a .32, which means that I've also never looked for ammo for one. What I do know is that I only had trouble finding 9mm for a very brief period in 2013, and it's been plentiful here ever since. Just a few phone calls to local stores should answer the ammo availability question for you.

I don't know how expensive that Hungarian .32 is but there are a wide variety of economical 9mms on the market. Someone mentioned the SR9e. Honestly, I wish I had some room in my budget for a new pistol, and that one would be on my list. In your shoes, I'd probably sit tight for a couple of months (which I know is hard to do when you're jonesing for a new gun), and here's why: for the last few years, Ruger has pretty consistently come out with a new model, and then followed up with a compact version shortly thereafter. Start saving now for an SR9e in compact, by whatever name they're going to call it.

Or, if you're still looking for a 1911, maybe a 1911 in 9mm?
 
Mosin-Marauder said:
Welp, I've decided in what I'm going to get. It's not the .32 or the .22. I don't really want to say what it is at the risk of making anyone mad.
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I agree with CWKahrFan. We won't be mad. We're dying to know what you've chosen.

(Heck, even if someone is mad, they still have to behave themselves according to TFL rules! ;))
 
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