Who thinks they can help a gun newbie? Looking for good handgun...

Tuff, welcome to TFL. I agree with the post which suggests a trip to a range which rents guns. Get a full safety orientation and use ear and eye protection while you are shooting.

Also, I agree with the post about going with a revolver first. I have a Taurus (Brazilian) Model 66 revolver (.357 magnum), stainless steel, 4" barrel. The quality is good. It shoots well. You can shoot .357 magnum or .38 Special ammunition in it.

Do some research, reading, net surfing, shooting at the range etc. before you buy. Also, get some cleaning equipment when you buy, and learn how to clean your weapon properly.

So that's my $0.02 worth. doctor j
 
I recommend the Browning Hi Power in 9mm to all one-gun, first-gun shooters. It is accurate, reliable, perfectly balanced, and carries 13 rds. There are a number of clones out there by FEG and others which also get good marks. Or you can get an old one on gunbroker.com for $300 + or -. It will never go old or out of style.

Second nomination is the Glock 17 - reliable, reliable, reliable.
 
wow, a lot of replys, this is good.

Glock, 17, 21, 26, 30....a lot of Glocks. I figure they differences are more for personal taste than major differences or no? I think some of these guns are in a game I play called Rogue Spear/Urban Ops via the Nato 3 patch. So I'll be able to look and "try" some of thm there too....heh.

I don't know of a nearby shooting range, will have to look up that though, see where there is one. I got to shoot a 357 magnum. Good gun, good power, but a bit loud. Not incapable of handling it, but if thee is something not as loud, I'm all for it :)

9mm vs.45 - 9mm shot goes through the target , shoots at 1000 fps roughly, whereas 45 shoots at like 800fps, and has better stopping power? That right or no?
 
I'd recomend the Ruger P90 or P97 as a great, cheap(money wise, not quality), house gun. It's a 45 and kicks @$$. Don't plan on EVER trying to conceil that thing though. I've seen them new for $350(Look to spend $550-$600 for a new glock). Ruger autos aren't called "The Poor Man's Glock" for nothing!

My first "real" pistol was a Ruger P95(about a year ago) which is a 9mm that I bought used for $200. God that thing ate EVERYTHING! Even some of my ****tiest reloads when I started that hobby as well.

Ditto on the 9mm practice thing, if you use a 45 the $$$ will add up QUICK!

Good luck, and good future shooting!
DW

PS yes the 9mm bullet travels at 1000-1200fps but it only wieghs 115-147grains.(there are 7000 grains in a pound; you do the math) where a .45cal typically wieghs 200-240grs and moves at about 900fps. It's the wieght that counts in this case. What hurts more, a shotput thrown at 25 mph or a baseball at 50mph? Later.
------------------
"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself."
-Rudyard Kipling

[This message has been edited by Deathwish (edited June 28, 2000).]
 
You cannot "test drive" a firearm through a Video game anymore than playing Gran Turismo will show you what car to buy. Educate yourself on gun handling and characteristics before buying one.
 
Did you wear ear protection?A must for range shooting.I will not add any advise because about everything has been covered.You did not say how much you had to spend.Important.If on a limited buget remember many good used guns out there.
Welcome,Good Luck and be careful

------------------
beemerb
We have a criminal jury system which is superior to any in the world;
and its efficiency is only marred by the difficulty of finding twelve men
every day who don't know anything and can't read.
-Mark Twain
 
If you are a novice I strongly suggest you stay away from Glocks as they have NO safety of any consequence and unless you have your weaponscraft down pat you can hurt yourself. I would say the same for any single action auto carried in condition 1. If you go out and get some intensive training then any of these weapons would be fine though I am partial to SIG, Kimber and H&K.

Ben
 
9mm versus .45acp... don't start on that one. Use the search option and you will find more than you EVER wanted to read on that topic. Anybody who says a 9mm 124 grain +P JHP isn't a good self defense round is trying to put smoke in your dark places. Anyone that wants to argue it with me can shoot themselves center of mass with one and report back to us, ok?

The different model Glocks aren't really there to satisfy personal preference but to give people with different sized hands more choices, to give you more concealable choices than the fullsized guns, and to give different caliber choices.

The Glock is a very good carry gun and first gun. I wouldn't want to see a novice buy a pistol and then have it break several times when they first get it because they may lose interest and go on to other things. If they had had a Glock then their impression of the shooting sports might be more positive. If a novice drills it into their head that "YOU DO NOT PUT YOUR FINGER ON THE TRIGGER UNTIL YOU ARE READY TO DESTROY SOMETHING" then the Glock is perfectly safe with all of its internal safeties.

As far as the video game... no you can't begin to get an idea of a pistol from pushing a joystick.

You sound as if you are taking firearms ownership lightly. You should not. If you are not going to learn how to properly use it then you should probably just get a baseball bat as home protection. Now I am not trying to steer you away from a pistol. Just saying if you do buy one, then you should take at least a gun safety course from a local range instructor AND you should shoot often enough that you can hit a man sized target at 25 yards center of mass with regularity.

Good luck and let us know what you get.

BTW if you get a Glock then you should try one of Sidearmor's holsters. They are the best holster for the Glock that I have run across. www.sidearmor.net
 
Recommend finding your nearest USPSA club ( www.uspsa.org "Club Finder") and telling them your story. You will get to try every imaginable pistol, and no doubt receive more advice (much of it good) than you can handle.

Thinking 4" GP100, 9mm Witness (or CZ75), P97, G17......



------------------
"All my ammo is factory ammo"
 
The video games reference was mad in jest, nothing more. I do realize that 9mm and .45 is a logn debate, I can imagine how it goes, so I won't divulge too much on it.
Glock seem to be quality guns, just perhaps not one to start with? I'll have to look at some, and see about the shooting range thing.
Good comparison deathwish. I'm leaning toward .45, but I'll keep my mind open to both.
 
Tuff, it's me again. You said you had experience in shooting a .357 magnum, but it was too loud and too much recoil. Well there's an advantage to shooting a .357 Magnum,,,, You DON'T have to use magnum loads. You can shoot .38 special target loads which are low noise and low recoiling loads. The .357 Magnum revolver is extremely flexible in respect to the variety of loadings that you can shoot in it.. Don't discount the Magnum from a single experience. I think if you shot the same gun with .38 special target loads, you would be surprised at how mild they can be.
Again, go to a range and rent as many as you can and pick the one that fits YOU best.
Another thing, most folk who frequent the ranges are quite friendly and will often offer to let you shoot their firearms. Hang around the board a while and you'll see how nice these folks really are...Mark / FL
 
A 185+P moves at over 1000fps out of the Glock 30. That's either Corbon or Golden Saber.

The 40SW is basically half way between the 9 and the 45 when it comes to popular calibers.
The 45, on average, moves slower but takes less speed to expand. The smaller calibers, 40SW, 9mm, need the extra speed in order to create a worthwhile expansion.

You get a 45ACP moving at over 1,000fps and you got one deadly round. This is why you will find that those that own under 4" barreled pistols like the Golden Saber 185JHP's or other simialar load. Good penatration and good expansion.

------------------
"It is easier to get out of jail then it is a morgue"
Live long and defend yourself!
John 3:16
NRA lifer
GOA
GSSF
KABA
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top