There are so many great guns now

P

Psychedelic Bang

New member
There are just so many great pistols nowadays. How do I you chose what to buy?

I know: whatever feels best in your hand, whatever you shoot best, whatever your budget constraints are.

But even within the confines of that, I find there are so many amazing choices.

I can think of at least 6 semi-automatics that all, "feel really good in my hand, I would probably shoot about the same, and are about the same price."

** Probably shoot about the same - --?

"Its very hard to go and rent a gun at a gun range right now. We have had a few gun range suicides in recent years. Now if you want to rent a gun you need a membership, you need to show up with a friend, you need a ccw, and you need to bring your own gun"

To check out 6 different pistols, it would just be too much hassle.



(btw, this might have been better off in general discussion, or general handgun forum.. I realize that now lol. I was just thinking about semi-auto's in my head, but I am not sure if it translated into the post.)
 
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Well, to be quite honest other than handling in a gun shop, talking to friends and on-line research you basically have to just take a chance. For the most part this works pretty well, but I’ve had a couple of gun that I just didn’t like. If that happens trade or sell it and get something else. For the most part we’re not talking about major investments, so a misstep isn’t that big of a deal.
 
You really don't need to shoot a pistol to get a feel for it. You do need to try different brands of ammo to find the ammo that particular pistol shoots best. Unless you're reloading.
However, it's not a bad idea to add how good their customer service is to the "I know:" list. Some are far better than others. And maybe the cost and relative availability of extra mags.
And Roy did not wear sequined shirts. Geez!
 
Sometimes you will not shoot a pistol that feels great in your hand as well as you will one that doesn't feel as good.
 
If I don't remember seeing them in the Shooters Bible, in 1972, I'm not interested in them. ;) :D

(That's not too far from the truth.)
 
Evaluating guns based on what feels great in your hand at the LGS can be misleading. By any objective measure, my Gen4 Glock 21 with the large beavertail backstrap has terrible ergonomics but with several thousand rounds of live-fire practice, and probably 10X that much dry-fire practice, I can hit my targets reliably and accurately all day with this gun which most people have told me feels like a 2X4 in their hand!
 
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I can relate to all of this. Currently I'm shooting 9mm and 380 and in the past have owned and shot 38/357 revolvers. So I've been contemplating another caliber like the 40cal, 10mm or the 45acp. and just in those there are so many platforms to chose from.

Now where I am located the closest range is 30min away and they do rent a few but the selection isn't big. The next nearest range will not rent to nonresidents. Then the next closest that rents is over an hr away.

I was able to meet up with a member/friend from another forum and was able to shoot a couple of his 45's which was a nice experience.
 
A little hassle is worth it ...to rent the guns you are interested in ....vs spending $ 600 or so ...on a gun you end up not liking very much.

( Yes, in my area too....you need to have a gun with you if you go into range alone to rent, or bring a buddy ...and you have to use range ammo in their rental guns....and yes, you have to be a member ). But so what...in my view anyway...

Good luck ...and I hope you have fun with the process.
 
I went through that process myself, recently. Ended up somewhere I didn't expect.

Even running 50 rounds through 6 different guns, won't really give you a solid appreciation for each, but at least it's a starting point. Among the latest crop of really fantastic Glock/Springfield/Smith/Sig/Walther striker guns, I have to think that if you buy any of them, its benefits will outweigh any drawbacks and eventually it will be a "good enough" solution. The benefits of any one over any other are truly slight.
 
There are a lot of excellent guns no doubt about it. It is getting easier for me though. I have all the polymer wonders that I care to have ( 3 of them is enough) so I can completely weed those out. I have 4 metal framed auto's, with the exception of maybe another 1911 so I can actually shoot it (my wife just doesn't like giving up the Colt on range days), I pretty much have all the auto's I care to have. So my choice has been narrowed down to building my revolver collection which are by far my most enjoyable guns.
 
For me I try to avoid herd guns, guns that require excessive ego, and gravitate toward stuff no one that I shoot with has.
 
ritepath doesn't wanting guns that the others don't have require a good bit of ego?:D What guns require "excessive ego" to own?

There are many good guns, at great prices available today. It is a good time to be an enthusiast. I pretty much like them all!
 
Smith and Wesson M&P 9 2.0 (full size)

Because: It feels so good in my hand. Such great balance. Its a, "big brand," I have a personal aversion to small brand firearms. I like, "a big, known company," when it comes to weapons. I already own a Smith snubbie, so another Smith is a natural I guess. Although I will conceal carry this gun, that is not its primary purpose. Its primary purpose was: a semi-auto so I can take some handgun training classes.

I very easily could have gone with PPQ M.2 or HKVp9 but just cause the M&P is a $100 less than those, and a $150 less than Glock does not make Smith and Wesson a lesser gun. I am not 100% sure that when you buy a European gun you are paying more for, "better manufacturing, and better engineering," you might just be paying more for taxes, regulations, healthcare, whatever the European governments can tack on to the cost of making firearms in Europe.

Smith and Wesson: You get a lot more for your money. I guess now this is a semi-auto forum thread.. lol

XJKBZ5O.jpg



(btw, I was able to just walk out with this today cause I have a FL cwl.. just in case, it was kind of not clear in my post. I did purchase this firearm at around 3pm today, and I just got home etc)
 
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Psychedelic Bang said:
Smith and Wesson M&P 9 2.0 (full size)

Because: It feels so good in my hand. Such great balance. Its a, "big brand," I have a personal aversion to small brand firearms. I like, "a big, known company," when it comes to weapons. I already own a Smith snubbie, so another Smith is a natural I guess. Although I will conceal carry this gun, that is not its primary purpose. Its primary purpose was: a semi-auto so I can take some handgun training classes.

I very easily could have gone with PPQ M.2 or HKVp9 but just cause the M&P is a $100 less than those, and a $150 less than Glock does not make Smith and Wesson a lesser gun. I do not believe that when you buy a European gun you are paying more for, "better manufacturing, and better engineering," you are definitely paying more for taxes, regulations, healthcare, whatever the European governments can tack on to the cost of making firearms in Europe.

Smith and Wesson: You get a lot more for your money. I guess now this is a semi-auto forum thread.. lol

XJKBZ5O.jpg



(btw, I was able to just walk out with this today cause I have a FL cwl.. just in case, it was kind of not clear in my post. I did purchase this firearm at around 3pm today, and I just got home etc)
Click to expand...
The 2.0 will be my next handgun purchase.

I've tried Glocks, HKs, Sigs, and FNs but I prefer the M&P line. It doesn't hurt that they usually run $100 or so less than the others.
 
Really, most any modern pistol will work well if you just shoot it a lot. Learning to shoot whatever you buy and practicing a lot is the most important thing.
 
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