Handgun for beginner/intermediate shooters

[tdubgunner]

My recent interests have been in the "mid" tier handguns, such as the VP9, HK45 (yes, I am a HK, & Sig, fanboy), FNX45. The 1911 is my most accurate, I guess because that is what I trained on it the most. The Glock 19 is my first adult purchase but I just like it because of it's reliability.

After watching many reviews that compare this gun to that, etc., I am wondering, when push comes to shove, for the beginner/intermediate shooter like myself (i.e. I am definitely not Jerry Miculek), do the differences in .02 micron trigger take, slightly cooler grip pattern, 1mm higher beavertail, etc, really matter?

I mean, I am not a match shooter (though that would be cool one day), so the extent of my sport will be hitting a paper or steel target or self-defense and I presume that in self-defense, if you achieve a 2" grouping, it is just as great as a 1" grouping in times of stress unless you're starring in a major Hollywood action movie.

I just want to hit my target center mass consistently, no matter what handgun I use. Am I wrong to think this simply about my firearms?

[ACfixer]

As with pretty much everything else in life, it's more about the Indian than it is the arrow.

If you can't make do with a Glock 19 then you need to spend more time at the range and not the gun store.

[zMot]

IMHO your pretty much right on track. Any of the handguns you are referring to will generally speaking outshoot most shooters, right out of the box, without any mods. The differences will begin to show after you've shot a few 100 thousand rounds, and I can say from person experience, Jerry HAS shot more than that. When you get there, you begin to understand those small differences and how they will or can effect your shooting.
Keep striving for the 1" groups as they tend to turn into 2" groups or larger under true stress, and technically speaking a 2" group under those circumstances are more damaging than a 1" group.
The simpler the better.
I went to a gun show a couple of weeks ago with a good friend of mine, he wanted to by a new handgun. He asked me what was the best guns to buy. The answer is very simple, the one that fits in your hand, and points where you intend, with your eyes closed.

[steel30]

Not everyone is a bulls eye shooter, but training and being efficient with the weapons of your choice is a great place to be. If you are hitting center mass consistently out to 25 yards (12" plate) with a few different handguns of your choice then that is an achievement.

[Revhendo]

Just out of curiosity, have you ever tried a revolver?

[bsg]

As with pretty much everything else in life, it's more about the Indian than it is the arrow.

that's the way it usually works in life.

[Bananajacksonthe 3rd]

My first handgun purchase was a glock 23. I thought I had done my research and thought it was right for me, while the glock was nice the round is what I came to hate. The best thing you can do for your self is go to a range and rent anything you are potentially looking to buy. See how it feels after putting 50-100 rounds through it, if you still agree with it after shooting it, then it is the one!

[lostinsurf]

The Glock has you covered for defense. Now forget defense and think fun and training.

All shooters need a .22 handgun. I don't see it on your list. It is the best trainer there is.

Go rent, or borrow at the firing line, until you know what fits, feels right, and has a trigger that you can control. This is what shooting is about. You're not buying a purse that looks pretty online and everybody talks about.
It has to fit your hand and eye for you to bond with it. You can't discover that reading or talking to your buddies.
Miculek is a man after my own heart; he's a wheel gun guy. Love those six gun triggers. Hate that striker fired mush and mine have custom action jobs.
New kids on the block usually have never practiced or even fired a revolver, but talk incessantly about how much better their semi-auto is. Don't buy until you don't need to go online to get advice. You'll know the answer yourself from practical experience.

[ElDub1950]

Until your skill and accuracy is only being limited by the inherent accuracy of your guns, then spending money is just for fun (nothing wrong with that).

Not saying new guns can't make skill development easier or more fun but in the long run spending money on good training classes is more effective that spending money on new guns.

[tanks]

My recent interests have been in the "mid" tier handguns, such as the VP9, HK45 (yes, I am a HK, & Sig, fanboy), FNX45. ...

I just want to hit my target center mass consistently, no matter what handgun I use. Am I wrong to think this simply about my firearms?

There is a big difference in shooting your VP9 and your HK45 if it is a DA/SA model (I have both).

You will need to practice DA quite a bit to be proficient whereas VP9 (and other striker fired guns) is a lot simpler.

[BigPimping]

Only practice will make you skillful. Not the weapon itself in most cases.

[Lead Waster]

"If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball"

If you are good with your Glock 19, you'll be pretty good with most other pistols (maybe not DA only ones).

Practice with your 19 and you will be very good, it does not cheat and let you get away with anything like a 1911 will. Just the fact that you shoot a 1911 better indicates that you have some work to do on trigger control, because a 1911's awesomeness hides less than perfect trigger control. Not so with a glock trigger, or even less forgiving DA gun.

[caliberetta]

I just want to hit my target center mass consistently, no matter what handgun I use. Am I wrong to think this simply about my firearms?

Don't worry what other people think.

[Rhyyke]

"If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball"

If you are good with your Glock 19, you'll be pretty good with most other pistols (maybe not DA only ones).

Practice with your 19 and you will be very good, it does not cheat and let you get away with anything like a 1911 will. Just the fact that you shoot a 1911 better indicates that you have some work to do on trigger control, because a 1911's awesomeness hides less than perfect trigger control. Not so with a glock trigger, or even less forgiving DA gun.

This. I spent the first couple years of my shooting career only shooting 1911s and thought I was hot sh*t. Then I picked up a Glock and to my great dismay I was terrible.

In terms of what you want to get out of your guns, you probably won't really need to spend more than $1k on a handgun.

[himurax13]

"If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball"

If you are good with your Glock 19, you'll be pretty good with most other pistols (maybe not DA only ones).

Practice with your 19 and you will be very good, it does not cheat and let you get away with anything like a 1911 will. Just the fact that you shoot a 1911 better indicates that you have some work to do on trigger control, because a 1911's awesomeness hides less than perfect trigger control. Not so with a glock trigger, or even less forgiving DA gun.

This.

The Glock's trigger is terrible and it doesn't fit my hand very well but I am accurate with mine, LOL.

Learn how to prep the trigger while it is in recoil so that you can break the next shot as soon as you have a good sight picture. That and using proper support hand grip will help you along.