What handgun for first pistol/CCW?

B

Bel5191

New member
Hi all. New to the forum so I'm hoping for some expert opinion :). I am turning 21 in May and looking forward to purchasing my first handgun. I don't have the finances to start with a .22 to learn the basics and then move up so I need something beginner friendly.

I am looking to get a pistol that can be used for home defense and/or CC but will be suitable to learn to shoot. I want to put a lot of rounds in at the range so I get familiar with it so it can't be too expensive to shoot or wear out. I got around $700 max budgeted. A friend of mine runs a police supply store so he can get me discounts if anyone wants to recommend something a little more expensive. Thanks :)
 
Lots of options, but I would recommend starting with a 9mm. As for brands just sample some of the offerings in the store and see what fits your hand, also if you can visit a range and test fire some different models.
 
9mm is a good caliber to start, moderate price and recoil.

My house gun is a Glock 19 and it's compact enough that many carry it. Has been a great gun, the classic Glock in my book. Need to carry in a hard-sided holster that covers the trigger safely, although getting a Saf-T-Block is an option there.

The Ruger SR9c is from a great company and has generated alot of good buzz. It's smaller and thinner than the Glock so would be easier to CCW, but still has a rail for at least a mini-tac light for home defense, at least as I recall.
 
You certainly don't need to go to your maximum budget to get a good, reliable first handgun. Keep the left over for the ammo you will need for practice,
As mentioned, 9MM in a semi-auto. But you might also consider a revolver in 357 Magnum. they also chamber 38 Special for a lighter recoil, and more economical shooting. Although somewhat more costly than 9MM.
Keep doing your research, and when you can, find a gun shop/range that rents guns so you can spend a little of your budget finding out what fits you best.
 
God it pains me to say this but.........

Many years ago I had some real, high speed low drag friends make the comment that the Glock 19 was probably the best combat pistol made as far as concealability, cost, reliability, capacity, lethality etc. I scoffed not being a Glock guy.

Many years later I find myself, begrudgingly, saying that the Glock 19 is quite possibly one of the best, most rounded, pistols on the market. I ain't happy about it but it really is a fine pistol with a balance of features that make it one of the best choices of firearm arm on the market. Perfection........probably not so much. One of the the top choices you can find feature for feature.......Yes.

So its certainly not the only choice and it certainly ain't perfection but damn it if the Glock 19 isn't just about a perfect combat pistol and one not likely to disappoint.

My completely low speed, high drag opinion. Take care, shoot safe.
 
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Welcome and thanks for asking our advice

I encourage you to reconsider the .22 rimfire option.

The first year of shooting, you will probably spend more on ammunition than for the pistol (unless you choose a 22). 500 rounds of 9mm costs about $200-300 in my neighborhood. 500 rounds of 22 rimfire can be had for under $30. (I live in Alaska - shipping costs are terrible.)

If you go to the range twice a month for a year and shoot only one 50 round box per visit, that's 1200 rounds or 24 boxes. At even $20 a box (for economy grade 9mm), that's nearly $500. And 50 rounds through a semi-auto goes fast.

If you do the math on two years worth of shooting, I suspect you will find that you could get a Ruger 22 with adjustable sights and two years worth of ammo for a given amount of money or you could get a 9mm and two years worth of ammo for an amount of money. Compare the two amounts and you may find that you could afford that second gun (in centerfire) if you started out with the 22, and you would be a more practiced shot as well.

There are other reasons than economy, too.

Learning to shoot rimfire (with its almost total lack of recoil) is your entree to larger calibers without developing a flinch. Flinch is easy to learn and almost impossible to completely unlearn once you have picked it up. Learning good gun handling is essential to long-term survival. Learning good trigger control and sight acquisition is essential to accurate shooting and best learned without the distraction of recoil. (Ask why almost every advisor suggests a lot of "dry fire" practice...trigger control.)

If you go to a good range, show good gun handling skills and show polite interest in other shooters' advice, you are very likely to be introduced to a large number of other guns (and probably be invited to put a few rounds downrange through them). An accurate 22 rimfire with decent sights will put you in that position at a low price. Think of a used S&W model 17 revolver, a Ruger, Smith, Colt or High Standard semi-autos or that venerable standard, the Ruger Single-Six revolver.

So you can judge the experience that is behind my opinions and advice, here is a brief description of my background. I have reloaded my own ammo for 35 years. .357 Mag, 44 Mag, 9mm, 45 ACP 45 Colt, 454 Casull, but shoot four times as many 22 rimfire rounds as I do centerfire. My shooting buddy loads 45 ACP, 38 Special, 357 Mag and 500 S&W and he shoots even more 22 than I do. That minor caliber keeps our eyes and trigger fingers sharp.

If you do go for a centerfire, 45 ACP is a good choice for personal defense, but 9mm is a lot cheaper to buy ammunition over the counter, so if you don't reload, 9mm. However, 38 Special/357 Magnum is more versatile. Whatever you get, get something accurate.

Lost Sheep
 
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If I were you, and I was being mindful of my budget, I'd look for a full size Glock Police Trade-in... 9mm or .40cal. And I would also buy a new Glock 26/27 compact in the same caliber. If your friend can get you law enforcement pricing, he probably also has access to police trade-ins. A used Glock 19/21 is in the $375 range, and a new 26/27 is $400'ish. Your magazines and accessories will be interchangeable between the guns, and training with one will be 90% similar to the other... so you don't have to learn 2 different weapons.

In other words, don't limit yourself to just one "do-all" gun if you don't have to. Get 2 guns that do the job you want them to do perfectly. A full-size gun doesn't CCW very well, and there's no reason to limit your bedside table to a .380 sub-compact. There's a right tool for every job.
 
My vote goes to a used G19. There's a reason Glocks are the standard all other polymer guns are measured against. They aren't pretty, don't have great triggers, ect... but they work, they're reliable, and they're easy to clean/maintain/replace parts on.
 
I'd stick with something in 9mm to save $$ on ammo and then pick something that has had little in the way of issues which as a first time shooter you won't want to deal with. Do as much research on the internet as you can (you can start here) about the ones you may consider.

Most compact 9mms can be CC'd okay with the right clothing and you probably don't want to go down to pocket size gun - I find that they can be no fun to shoot at a range and are relatively limited in what you can use them for (so although there are some nice ones, don't get sold that you need the lightest, thinnest gun for CC). The larger compact 9mms are generally double-stack magazines, too, and so will hold plenty of rounds which I find a plus.

The best choices in your price range that I have considered (or have bought) are the Ruger SR9c, Beretta Px4 Storm (either compact or subcompact), Sig P250sc, Glock 26 or maybe S&W MPc. On a slightly larger scale A CZ P-9 Duty might work or maybe a Springfield Arms XDsc. Walther's P99c or a Sig P239 ore nice but might be hard to find without pushing your budget too much. They all have different triggers (long vs' short pulls, DAO vs' DA/SA, etc) which are pros or cons depending on what you like or feel comfortable with. The safeties all vary, too, from too many (the Ruger IMO) to really nothing (the Sig P250SC - long trigger pull, though). I would try them out to which one feels the best in the hand. They all have pretty good reputations. (I have a Beretta Px4 compact which has a very nice almost full-size grip and Sig P250sc which has a shorter grip but which I have learned to feel comfortable with. Both are real easy to disassemble / assemble for cleaning and shoot well at the range with no problems. Just lube them well and rack the slide a lot to help break them in if they're stiff).

If you have a range to go to where you can try different guns as far as triggers, grips, weight and recoil, etc. it would help a lot. But in general the gun that feels comfortable in the hand to begin with will be the one you shoot best with, also.
 
Mosin44az said:
My house gun is a Glock 19... The Ruger SR9c is from a great company...
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Both are solid guns reasonably priced. If you are going to go with a 9mm, they are two guns I would make a point at looking at. You should almost certainly be able to find someplace to rent a G19; you may be able to rent a SR9c. The SR9c should be available for the low $400s, while a police trade in G19 should be similar - if you can find one.

I will also humbly submit the Walther PPQ for consideration in 9mm; prices can be found for less than $500, and it's a very high quality pistol. The Walther PPS is on the high end of your budget, but is very concealable and surprisingly pleasant to shoot - that latter is important, because you want lots of trigger time on your new gun.

Beretta and Springfield Armory also make good weapons, as well as Taurus. Make sure you handle any gun you plan to purchase first, and handle lots of them! No matter the quality of the gun, if it doesn't fit your hand, you will be discontent.

Is your budget for just the gun, with additional money for a holster, or is that $700ish for both? Good holsters can range from $25 for a Remora, 60ish for various Galco's or Crossbreeds, and $100 plus for a Kramer or Milt Sparks. Being new to this, I'd stick with something you can actually pick up and handle in a LGS or your friend's police shop. Count on ending up with at least two different holsters, as you figure out what one works best for you.

Also don't forget an extra magazine and cleaning supplies.

Lost Sheep has a Very Valid Point about getting a .22 for your first pistol to learn on. I would try my best to get both a .22 and a 9mm. For .22 pistol, I would recommend sticking to:
  • the Ruger Mark II or III,
  • Browning Buckmark,
  • Smith and Wesson 22A,
  • or Beretta Neos.
If you decide on a Walther, I'd also consider the Walther P22Q, but only if you like the Walther full size models - the P22Q uses the same sort of magazine release as the PPQ and PPS, so there's no change in handling. The P22Q seems to be an improvement over the older P22, but it is picky on ammo, and the 4 bulleted choices above are IMHO better built.
 
Dollar per dollar, it is hard to beat the Glock. More importantly, you can fit a used 19 and a 22lr conversion kit for it under $700. I wouldn't hesitate to go that route if money were an issue or I was looking for a 9mm.
 
Glock's are very good. If you want it for CCW, you may want something smaller than a Glock. Look into the Kahr CW series of pistols. Also, the Springfield Armory XD and S&W M&P are nice alternatives to the Glock. 9mm is definitely the way to go for caliber choice.
 
I am looking to get a pistol that can be used for home defense and/or CC but will be suitable to learn to shoot. I want to put a lot of rounds in at the range so I get familiar with it so it can't be too expensive to shoot or wear out.
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You've described the S&W M&P9c. They're in the vicinity of $500 and great shooters. 9mm ammo is plentiful and relatively low cost.
 
I would recommend a S&W J frame (used) and then buy lots of ammo with the extra money leftover.

J-frames are pretty common and they are concealable, potent, reliable, and accurate.
 
"I don't have the finances to start with a .22 to learn the basics and then move up so I need something beginner friendly."
That doesn't make any sense to me. Have you looked at ammo cost? The initial cost of the gun is peanuts if you want to learn to shoot it well.

I like the Glock 19 with a 22lr conversion idea. I don't have one, but I know there are a few that are supposed to work very well. You could get a police trade in and the conversion for well under your budget.
 
"I got the Advantage Arms Glock conversion and I love it for training!
I'm paying $13. for 500 rnds of 22lr!
I AM SAVING OVER $117 compared to 9mm! My conversion unit was paid for in 1000 rounds!
Same sights, same trigger pull!
Is it perfect training? NO
Is it close? YES
Is it registered? NO "
http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=432998
http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/index.php/t-277721.html

Some limitations though.

Police trade in Glocks are regularly around $400
Buds has a Glock 27 shipped for $429
That leaves you $250 for the 22lr and a good used one can be had for that easily. Can probably get the Glock cheaper other places also.
http://www.summitgunbroker.com/GLOCKS.html
 
I also encourage you to consider a 22 as your first handgun. You have not provided any leanings toward a revolver or pistol choice in general.

Unless you just shoot all the time, the usual trend is you start out with a handgun which you shoot a bunch as you are learning how to grip the gun, sight alignment, adepting to the recoil, and having a lot of fun. The 22 is perfect for this. What you learn from a shooting 22 stays with you for all other handguns.

My sense is that you are leaning toward a semi-auto pistol. So the 22 handgun recommendation is a Ruger 22/45 with a 5" bull barrel.

If you go with a carry sized pistol in a center fire caliber first, I would suggest you go with either 9mm or 40S&W caliber. The Ruger LC9 or SR9 is a good choice. Keep in mind that shooting a handgun that is smaller will be harder to shoot accurately and it will almost always have more recoil than a larger framed handgun which are more difficult to conceal.

The Glocks are always a good choice. I would go with the middle size; Model 19 (9mm) or M23 (40S&W). They are extremely reliable, reasonably accurate, and easy to shoot. But they are a bit larger than the compact size.

I think the question you have to ask yourself is... which is more important to you now, buying something that is easier to carry or easier to shoot at the range? Your choice will be dependant on this answer. Choosing the middle size Glock 19 or 23 kind of straddles the fence. It works, but will be a bit harder to conceal.
 
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I encourage you to reconsider the .22 rimfire option.
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Me too.
For a first handgun for carrying maybe a .380 but I saw Bersa makes a solid .380 and also an exact copy but chambered in .22lr! Hopefully I can pick one up at the next gunshow. But the Bersa's seem to have the least problems for any of them.

This is if you don't want to go with a revolver of course ;)
 
Thanks for all the input guys. My buddy does get police trade-ins so I'm going to look into maybe getting a .22 and a 9mm. That way I could shoot the .22 a lot and work on learning the 9mm.
 
The SR9c is a fantastic little gun. Accurate, compact, light, good capacity with the short mag and great with the extended.

That said you can't go wrong with a Glock either but, my vote is for the SR9c. Picked up mine for $430.
 
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