Brando1992
New member
Why I believe the Canik TP9 Series should be the end of "first pistol" discussion threads...
So I was just reading DUSTIN71986's post asking what his first pistol should be. And I was surprised by a few things:
First I realized not everyone is crazy like us gun guys and is willing to drop $500 just cause there's a good deal on the newest and greatest. I am so guilty of this! I had to have a p10c when they came out and now I'm wanting a gen 5 19... ugh its a sickness. But stepping back to when I bought my first handgun, $300 on a firearm was almost unthinkable.
Next was that no one had mentioned the canik tp9 flavor of 9mm's!
Most first time pistol buyers are looking for a budget option, likely a full size for home defense, likely anyone buying their first gun will eventually purchase a second gun to use for concealed carry if they get the itch and are passionate about shooting/self defense. Keeping everything in mind above I want to set some parameters for this scenario, as everyone's specific needs are different and everyone is coming from different places financially some people may have no issue purchasing a kimber 1911 as their first gun (over priced pieces of crap - am I too opinionated?) So the parameters are set based on what I believe most first time buyers will be looking for.
Must be compact or full size.
Must be in a commonly available caliber. (lets be real - 9mm is hands down the obvious choice here, its the most popular, affordable and available defensive round. Get out of here with that out dated .40! - more of my opinionatedness)
Must be a gun that is readily available.
Must be a gun that is purchased new.
Must be affordable.
Must be striker fired. ( I know this will get a bunch of backlash. But when teaching a new shooter how to be proficient in self defense, accuracy, maintenance of the weapon, ect... I feel that a striker fired firearm is going to serve the general public better than a DA/SA and better than a SAO with a safety to fight with and train on.)
Ok maybe those parameters may be really leaning towards only a few guns out these days... but nonetheless I feel this is what will serve the new gun owner the best and allow them to develop their skills as a shooter and start to determine what they like and don't like about pistols.
Based on these parameters my first instinct is to tell everyone the first gun they need is a glock 19.(yes I know I'm a biased fanboy) but then I get to thinking, why would i suggest a glock to someone who may never take advantage of the vast aftermarket support, upgraded triggers ect... like I do. So then guns like the walther ppq, hk vp9, czp10c, m&p9 and even the sig 320(don't drop that thun thun...) come into play. Only issues with these guns for the first time buyer is the price. Most will be hesitant to drop $500+ on their first pistol.
So a few budget guns come to mind: ruger 9e, S&W SD9ve, hi peezy, taurus (yuck) and then my preference the canik TP9SA or SF or SFX or whatever all their new models are nowadays.
Taurus has a reputation for guns that need to take advantage of their great warranty service. - not necessarily what you want to introduce a new gun owner with. Ruger has also had some spotty quality control. I used to love rugers sr pistol line, and never understood why so many people bashed them... until I got a hold of a bad one. YIKES since then I get it. I don't recommend them now but if you get a good one it will serve you well. The S&W SD9ve is actually a pretty good gun, it just has a poor trigger, sure apex kit can help but even after the apex its by no means a good trigger. Hi point.. get it if its all you can get. I wont say they are terrible, we all know they are terrible, but they work, for the most part.
Now lets talk about the Canik... DANG those guns are amazing for the price! You get an amazing trigger, very accurate gun and it feels great in the hand. It comes with a holster and 2 mags, it runs like a champ I wouldn't have any issue with trusting one as my EDC ( I usually carry a large pistols for EDC). The gun is extremely accurate and all you are giving up compared to other options on the market is the aftermarket support. But there are plenty of holster companies and sight options available now, what else would you need when it comes from the factory with as nice of trigger as it comes with??
I understand I'm extremely opinionated but I hope this will spark good discussion and hopefully point first time pistol owners in a good direction.
I have had many friends purchase these guns as their first due to me pointing them that direction, everyone has absolutely loved theirs and the time I've spent behind them have shown me that these pistols deserve a spot right up there with Glocks, M&P's and even the Walther's, Sig's and HK's.
So I was just reading DUSTIN71986's post asking what his first pistol should be. And I was surprised by a few things:
First I realized not everyone is crazy like us gun guys and is willing to drop $500 just cause there's a good deal on the newest and greatest. I am so guilty of this! I had to have a p10c when they came out and now I'm wanting a gen 5 19... ugh its a sickness. But stepping back to when I bought my first handgun, $300 on a firearm was almost unthinkable.
Next was that no one had mentioned the canik tp9 flavor of 9mm's!
Most first time pistol buyers are looking for a budget option, likely a full size for home defense, likely anyone buying their first gun will eventually purchase a second gun to use for concealed carry if they get the itch and are passionate about shooting/self defense. Keeping everything in mind above I want to set some parameters for this scenario, as everyone's specific needs are different and everyone is coming from different places financially some people may have no issue purchasing a kimber 1911 as their first gun (over priced pieces of crap - am I too opinionated?) So the parameters are set based on what I believe most first time buyers will be looking for.
Must be compact or full size.
Must be in a commonly available caliber. (lets be real - 9mm is hands down the obvious choice here, its the most popular, affordable and available defensive round. Get out of here with that out dated .40! - more of my opinionatedness)
Must be a gun that is readily available.
Must be a gun that is purchased new.
Must be affordable.
Must be striker fired. ( I know this will get a bunch of backlash. But when teaching a new shooter how to be proficient in self defense, accuracy, maintenance of the weapon, ect... I feel that a striker fired firearm is going to serve the general public better than a DA/SA and better than a SAO with a safety to fight with and train on.)
Ok maybe those parameters may be really leaning towards only a few guns out these days... but nonetheless I feel this is what will serve the new gun owner the best and allow them to develop their skills as a shooter and start to determine what they like and don't like about pistols.
Based on these parameters my first instinct is to tell everyone the first gun they need is a glock 19.(yes I know I'm a biased fanboy) but then I get to thinking, why would i suggest a glock to someone who may never take advantage of the vast aftermarket support, upgraded triggers ect... like I do. So then guns like the walther ppq, hk vp9, czp10c, m&p9 and even the sig 320(don't drop that thun thun...) come into play. Only issues with these guns for the first time buyer is the price. Most will be hesitant to drop $500+ on their first pistol.
So a few budget guns come to mind: ruger 9e, S&W SD9ve, hi peezy, taurus (yuck) and then my preference the canik TP9SA or SF or SFX or whatever all their new models are nowadays.
Taurus has a reputation for guns that need to take advantage of their great warranty service. - not necessarily what you want to introduce a new gun owner with. Ruger has also had some spotty quality control. I used to love rugers sr pistol line, and never understood why so many people bashed them... until I got a hold of a bad one. YIKES since then I get it. I don't recommend them now but if you get a good one it will serve you well. The S&W SD9ve is actually a pretty good gun, it just has a poor trigger, sure apex kit can help but even after the apex its by no means a good trigger. Hi point.. get it if its all you can get. I wont say they are terrible, we all know they are terrible, but they work, for the most part.
Now lets talk about the Canik... DANG those guns are amazing for the price! You get an amazing trigger, very accurate gun and it feels great in the hand. It comes with a holster and 2 mags, it runs like a champ I wouldn't have any issue with trusting one as my EDC ( I usually carry a large pistols for EDC). The gun is extremely accurate and all you are giving up compared to other options on the market is the aftermarket support. But there are plenty of holster companies and sight options available now, what else would you need when it comes from the factory with as nice of trigger as it comes with??
I understand I'm extremely opinionated but I hope this will spark good discussion and hopefully point first time pistol owners in a good direction.
I have had many friends purchase these guns as their first due to me pointing them that direction, everyone has absolutely loved theirs and the time I've spent behind them have shown me that these pistols deserve a spot right up there with Glocks, M&P's and even the Walther's, Sig's and HK's.