Price of First Handgun

I agree with CDR.

For your first gun, make sure it feels right. I went in intending to buy a G19. That's what all the mags said was right. First time I picked up a Beretta PX4, I was sold. It just fit MY hand just right, and turned out to be a tack driver. Now I have the G19, and multiple others, but the Beretta still shoots best because it fits best.

Hold of on accessorizing with night sights and such. Start with the gun, magazines (4+) and LOTS of range ammo. After you put a few hundred rounds through it, and consult with some experts, think about what, if anything you want to do. I had a Beretta Nano I put night sights on. It was great in dusk/twilight, but was actually a little harder to read in bright daylight.

Classes are good. You can never learn too much, especially with guns.

If you're thinking self-defense, get a gun with a rail on it. My bedside gun is a G19 with a 200 lumen light on the rail. Self defense shootings mostly happen at night, and you'll want a light more than anything else. My not particularly humble opinion, skip the laser toys and get a good, bright, light.
 
I have a Gen3 Glock 19 that is basically stock, I have a rubber Talon grip on it and an extra Magpul magazine for it, I can highly recommend either of these accessories for this pistol. I can hit my targets with this pistol as long as I practice with it, IMHO the most important upgrade for any pistol is plenty of ammo & rangetime, especially if this is your first pistol, and you are relatively new to the handgunning sport.

There are also other excellent alternatives on the market to compare to the Glock 19, such as the Sig P320, Walther PPQ, HK VP9, CZ P-07, S&W Shield, any of these are worth renting or borrowing at your local gun range to try out along with the Glock 19 to find out for yourself which one might work out a little better for your intended purpose :)
 
Jacket67 said:
Hey TFL,



I have a quick question regarding how much money I should expect to put into my first handgun purchase. I have a few options I am considering with one being the glock 19. I like the track record of it, but I don't like the idea of paying ~$500, just to spend ~$200 more on sights and an extended slide stop lever. Would I be better off buying a different gun that has better stock accessories, or is the glock worth the extra cost? I'm curious because I'll also be spending money on a ccw license, holster, ammo, classes, etc.



Thanks.
Click to expand...



Please TRY something other than a GLOCK as your 1st hand gun.
Many better choices for same or less that wont/dont need extras to be
"A comfortable" gun.

Id recommend finding local range that rents guns and try out the G19 and other BEFORE you plop down cash for a BRICK. I mean GLOCK.


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I've shot a lot of handguns. Examples being the beretta 92, sig p229, s&w sd40, glock 23, glock 19, colt series 80, xds 9, xd 9 sub compact, and a few types of .357 revolvers.

I definitely like the da/sa style, but I see why striker fired guns are great for defense. That constant trigger pull can be beneficial. I really had no complaints shooting the glock whatsoever. Honestly, I didn't feel uncomfortable shooting any of what I mentioned except for the two small xd pistols and the .40 cal pistols. I loved 9mm and .45 acp, but didn't care for the .40 cal.

I held a cz p07 in a local shop and it felt great.. roughly the same size as the glock too. My main concern with it however is the slide.... not sure if it'd be difficult to work under pressure, and if my girlfriend would be able to use it well.
 
You should check out the CZ P10 when it hits the stores. Striker fired CZ with a Glock slide profile so it fits G19 holsters.

I would also look at the Sig P320
 
I do like what I've seen of the cz p10c. If it hits the market when I go to buy a gun, I'll definitely give it a look.

As for the p320, I really love the concept of it. It's been a while, but last time I held one in the store I didn't really like the way it felt. But given its awesome reputation so far I'll probably give it another look.

I'm comfortable with the idea of a glock simply because of its track record and the amount of support it has for parts and accessories. I realize there are some great updated options out there now, but even with that, it seems as though as far as striker fired guns are concerned, glock is still doing something right.

I really want to try doing a more responsive-type shooting drill with a da/sa gun just to see if that long pull throws off my first shot under stress. I can get tighter groups with them when shooting for accuracy, but I don't imagine I'll be bullseye shooting if I am defending myself or another from a threat.
 
Honestly, for a first gun, the G19 is exactly where I would be looking if I were you. Especially if you've shot it and shot it well as you said. I wouldn't change my mind based on how a different gun felt in my hand. Its been my experience that the gun that "feels" best in your hand is not always the one you shoot the best. If the Glock shoots well for you, and it's a proven commodity with a massive selection of parts and accessories... then it sounds like your search is over.
 
Let's get one thing out of the way. The OP referenced a first handgun not a last handgun. If the purchase ultimately is a Glock 19 the OP will eventually find that, for whatever reason, something else is desired. After this much research if the OP does not buy a Glock 19 that nagging feeling of what might have been will continue and a G19 will eventually be purchased.

When I wanted a 10MM I did some research and came to the conclusion that a G29 was a great all around gun. I ignored the fact that I really wanted a Colt Delta Elite and that I did not need an all around gun because I was not limited to a single firearm. About six months later I picked up, at the insistence of my wife, a Colt Delta Elite on a bit of an "impulse purchase" that was going to happen eventually anyways. Now I know me. Regardless if I had purchased the well reasoned G29 or the Delta first I would have eventually ended up having to try both.

Assuming it fits you go ahead and buy the G19 or you will be left wondering what might have been. Don't spend a lot of money on modifications. Buy a GOOD reinforced gun belt and a reasonable holster. The gun belt will be there when you decide you should have bought something else than the G19. Frankly I think most people buy to large of a handgun for concealed carry, find it uncomfortable, and quit carrying it. I believe you ultimately will be better served by something else that is smaller but I strongly encourage you to try the G19 that your research has led you to. I will ignore the fact and the hypocrisy of the fact that I have ordered holsters to attempt to carry that Delta Elite as a primary handgun.
 
Whatever you get, don't second guess it too much. I did that quite a bit and lost a good bit of cash trading pistols.

I have since settled that for me, it's all about CZ.

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Get your G19 and take that $200 for add-ons and buy ammo and learn to run your gun before doing anything else.;)
 
There is a ton of great advise on here so far!

I am a huge fan of the glock 19. I may even buy a second so I can have one that is stock.

If it fits your hands and you shoot it well theres no reason to look further. There are plenty of other reputable brands and great guns on the market. Its too easy to look for the "best" newest and greatest and end up spending more time in the search, buying selling and then realizing if all that effort was concentrated on one gun you would perform with it way better than if you eventually found a gun that was "best". - you can trust me on this.. When I turned 21 I got my CHL and in the first year went through 10 guns, came back to the 19 because of after market support.

Now that Ive been shooting for a few years and have developed my fundamentals I still love the g19 but i also enjoy cz's M&P's and sigs.

If I were in your shoes I would get the g19 and possibly look into the m&p9, sig 320, walther ppq and hk vp9. All these options have similar track records to the glock, are striker fired and have plenty of after market support.

Each gun I buy I expect to purchase a holster and sights. But that is just because I have found a set of sights that work best for me.

Put some money into a good holster and belt, this will be crucial for comfort and concealment. Both can be bought at a good price from aliengear and they have a good return/warrenty and trade in program.

Put as many rounds as you can through it before deciding whatall you need to add. If its a home defense gun I would consider a light to put on the rail and night sights.(factoy glock are cheap and good) If you are dead set on getting sights as soon as you get the gun I would go with those.
 
I don't know our exact situation, but my advice, if you like the Glock 19, would be to go try a Glock 19, XD9 mod2, S&W M&P(or m&p 2.0 with thumb safety) and decide which you prefer. It is best, to rent and shoot all three.

If you really like the Glock, buy and shoot. Reload and repeat. After MANY rounds, you may decide you have struggled with something silently for 1000 rounds....then improve it. My Glock 23 has probably 800 through it and it has:
-my version of the $.25 trigger job
-smooth face Glock trigger - $15
-new mag springs....to stop FTF's - $10
-Ameriglo sights $38
-Extended mag release $5

The sights were NOT required, but I like them.
 
I have to go with a VP9 . Everything is good right out of the box.
I just passed the 17.000 (yep, seventeen thousand) round mark with my VP9 and all I did was clean it after every trip to the range.
Nothing needed replacing and it still shoots like on day one.
 
Nobody has said this yet, but the Glock is a moderately priced gun, too. There are cheaper ones, sure, but you can also spend a lot more. It is as reliable as any, and you have proven that you shoot it well and it is comfortable for you. Go ahead and buy it if you are ready, but the advice you have received to shoot it a while before deciding on modifications is very good advice.
 
Being a cheapskate and never listening to gun snobs, I did it differently. When I was buying my first handgun, I didn't know if it was something I would like and whether or not I would stick with it. Probably, in defiance of gun snob suggestions, my first purchase was a slightly used Hi-Point C9 for $125. Although it was ugly and heavy, it was reliable and accurate and I decided to buy another handgun. I bought a S&W SD9VE on sale for $289 because it was very similar to a Glock 19 and was over $200 cheaper. I then traded the Hi-Point to my neighbor for a Taurus 38 special revolver. The much maligned Taurus also proved to be reliable and accurate so I bought a new Taurus TCP. All of my guns are reliable, accurate and my total out of pocket expense is less than the cost of a slightly modified Glock. They all also have lifetime warranties as does my RIA 1911.

I shot my son-in-law's modified Glock 19 several times and every time I shoot it, I know I made the right choice.
 
I have a quick question regarding how much money I should expect to put into my first handgun purchase. I have a few options I am considering with one being the glock 19. I like the track record of it, but I don't like the idea of paying ~$500, just to spend ~$200 more on sights and an extended slide stop lever. Would I be better off buying a different gun that has better stock accessories, or is the glock worth the extra cost? I'm curious because I'll also be spending money on a ccw license, holster, ammo, classes, etc.
Click to expand...

Some further thoughts:

The Glock extended slide stop lever is cheap. Most Glock parts actually are cheap, compared to competitors.

Sights don't have to be expensive. Glock makes a set of steel sights, if for some reason you think plastic sights won't do. Except that they will do.

You will end up spending extra money, but not on the things you think you will. Spend it on a couple (at least) extra magazines, and a tolerable holster. Ask us first, but there are some decent holsters that are quite inexpensive. A decent belt, because I can about guarantee you that the one you have now isn't adequately stiff.

A Glock "armorer's tool" is less than $10, last I looked. That and a needle nose plier is all you need to take it almost completely apart. (And get it back together. :-) )

Then sink bunches of money into ammo and instruction.

The G19 is a decent first gun. That may end up being all you decide you need. At this point in the game, you don't have the experience to make wise judgments as to modifications. And, advice from an internet gunboard is worth exactly what you paid for it.

As always, standard disclaimers apply: IMHO & YMMV.
 
The Glock 19 is a fine choice for a first handgun, simple to operate, good support from the manuf., cheap ammunition often nearly as cheap as current .22 LR, ...and the gun itself can be found for a lot cheaper than $500.

I'm not a Glock lover by any means, (still don't like the trigger compared to a 1911) but used one in a 4-day Defensive Handgun Course with good success. Shot Distinguished, in fact. I found the stock sights more than adequate (3-dot though made of plastic), and the slide stop just the right size (you might want to wait on changing the slide stop til you decide on a holster as it might not fit well, or visa versa.)

I'd save your money for ammuntion and familiarization for the first year or so, then customize as you see fit for your circumstances. Good training doesn't have to be expensive. Check out Front Sight's courses out there in Pahrump, NV for their handgun courses. They often run sales that are fantastic...mine went for $89 several years ago.

Best regards, Rod
 
if your lookin for other options, the xd mod 2 service is a very nice firearm. feels good to grip, shoots very well. and with the gear up promo( 4 mags,holster and mag holster) makes it a sweet deal. its a great shooter out the box.
 
So, unless I'm mistaken, there's almost a consensus here:
  • There are many Good Guns out there.
  • The G19 is one such Good Gun, but not the only one.*
  • You should buy a Good Gun, and it should be one fits your hand.
  • It should also be one that you shoot well.
  • For a first handgun, training & ammo are a better investment than most Gun Gizmos. (BAUUR: "Buy Ammo, Use Up, Repeat.")

Several posters have mentioned that you'll need a decent belt, and I agree. I'm a firm believer in having a good belt for carry. When I first tried carrying, I used a cheap Wal-Mart belt. It had nowhere near enough support. Having enough support keeps you from having to hitch up your pants every few steps, and that's a move that telegraphs that you have a pistol. Good belts aren't cheap, but they'll last you for years. Feel free to dive into the Gear and Accessories forum, or start your own thread there to get suggestions.

* = IMHO, "compact 9mm polymer pistol" may well be the most crowded field there is in pistols.
 
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