New to firearms!

[Hot Water]

* 3/6 edit *

Over the weekend, I picked up a HK USP from a fellow Calgunner. Excited to pick it up next week!
GF wants to try and shoot the Glock 19 and HK p2000 since they fit her the best.
* end edit *

* 2/27 edit *
So earlier in the day, GF and I went shooting with osis32 (thanks again, it was awesome).
Super nice dude. He had a few guns we got to try (Tactical XD[40], Glock 35, USP40, SIG226[40], sp01[9mm], cz75 compact[9mm], and a cheater gun I can't remember with a light trigger which was FUN)

For me, the HK usp 40 shoots the best and feels the best.
The SIG 226 40 was a close second, but didn't like the controls as much.
Glock 35 was third, felt lighter and less controllable?
XD didn't fit my hand and had a rough contact spot, so no go.
I've decided to switch from getting a Glock 34 to a HK USP 9mm full size. I really like the magazine release and the recoil. I'm set!

For the GF, she didn't like the 40 calibers, so she didn't shoot them much, but thought the SIG was ok.
The CZ75 felt best for her, but since most were 40's she says inconclusive
She wants to do more research, so we're thinking of hitting some ranges to shoot some 9's

Learned alot about shooting and handling guns safely. And so much fun.
*end edit*

Howdy Calguns!

The girlfriend and I are interested in picking up this hobby

We shot some guns in Las Vegas and it was so much fun that we decided to pick up our first pair of pistols for 99% range use. His and Hers. The only handgun we have experience with so far is a Glock 17 Gen 3.

Before we buy, we were thinking we should try out as many hand guns as possible to narrow down what we really like. We've tried holding the guns at a gun store, but they didn't let us shoot any of them. She liked the Glock 19 feel, I liked the Glock 34 feel.

Calguns, what would you suggest we should do before buying our first handguns? Money is pretty tight, so we're looking for an alternative to renting every gun from a shooting range.

Are there any alternatives?
Should we just roll the dice on what feels good in the hand?
Tips/advice? If you had to do it again?

• We're OK with used guns
• Our max budget for each gun is probably $6-700
• We're thinking 9mm for the cost effectiveness in shooting, but haven't shot anything larger to form any judgments!
• We're in San Francisco!

Thanks Calguns! Excited to get started!

[Litespeeds]

Welcome to this great hobby. Go check out a CZ 75 SP-01 or a CZ 75 P01. That would be the perfect pair of his and hers.

[deephouse]

Welcome!

I'd say start discreetly sharing your experience with your circle of friends and you might be surprised as you may discover some in your circle are gun owners AND DIDN'T KNOW IT.

That said, you might be able to go on range trips with them and shoot their guns to get a little more exposure, at a personal level.

I've had a mix bag of experiences with gun rentals. More bad than good...

Good luck!

[SoCal Bob]

Welcome to Calguns. Did you like the way the G17 shot? If so, you could pick up one of those to get started and then try others as you go. You might substitute a G19 if that feels better in your hand(s).

[91SDLegend]

Welcome to the community! Typically you SHOULD try them out first. I would look at a list of 9mm that might attract you. Everyone has their own taste and feel. 9mm is a great round regardless and cheap.

Depending on what you plan to use the pistols for, possibly a G17, G19.
Sig 2022 is another great option but they're both completely different platforms. Glock being strike-fired system compared to the 2022 being a hammer-fired system.

If you have some wiggle room in the budget that'll allow you to test some guns, I would suggest that. Especially if you're buying two. Your girlfriend might prefer something else than what you would like.

Depending on where you live, there might be some members who are actually willing to let you test their own personal handguns.
If you're in San Diego, I have a few you can try out.

My suggestion, make an attempt to test a few at the range

[AO3]

Check out CZ handguns like the 75 models. You won't be disappointed.

[morrcarr67]

Welcome to the club.

I'm going shooting this Sunday. If you're near Rancho Cucamonga let me know if you can come out and I'll bring some stuff for you to try out.

Since you are both new to shooting I recommend that one of your guns be a 22lr as it is cheaper to shoot and will have less recoil than a 9mm. This will help with the mechanics of shooting.

Sent from my ASUS_Z00TD using Tapatalk

[Milsurp Collector]

Get a .22LR first. Fun and easy to shoot, and nice ones can be inexpensive (for guns). But the most important factor is the low cost of ammo. Ammo will always be less than half the cost of 9mm. That will encourage you to practice more often and develop you skills more quickly. If you decide to move on to something more powerful you can always sell the .22, although because of the fun factor and low ammo cost you will probably end up keeping it.

[readysetgo]

Welcome aboard!

I'd say just go for the Glock if you liked it. Springfield XD has promotion for free magazines right now, that's nice. Also like the suggestions above, get one centerfire and a .22lr rimfire for cheap fun and practice, buy more ammo with money saved.

Also consider Calguns monthly events at several locations, depending on your area. What's your location?

Good luck.

[crufflers]

A Glock 17 and a Buckmark would be a sweet combo for some variety rather than two of the same.

[rauldelga]

Have you considered a 22lr pistol? I regularly buy bricks of 22lr at 0.055cpm using slickguns.com. Compared to 9mm (0.15 - 0.25cpm), you can pull the trigger more times using a 22lr if you are on a budget. Heck you can likely get a marlin 795 rifle and buckmark pistol for one of you and plink hundreds of rounds on a budget. But of course, you can't go wrong with 9mm either!

To answer your question, i highly recommend to try before you buy. You'd be surprised how friendly the community is and i have no doubt you will eventually be invited to a range day to test out guns. Additionally, you never know if some of your coworkers or friends are shooters so give them a shot! I'm very biased but you can never go wrong with a CZ, my fiance and myself love them because they fit the hands perfectly and make us look like we can aim.

Overall i find myself shooting 22lr the most because...well..its a third of the cost to shoot compared to 9mm. My friends who don't own 22lr always end up having no bullets at the end of the day while i just keep plinking on (of course i share)

[9mmContagion]

Welcome to the club.

I'm going shooting this Sunday. If you're near Rancho Cucamonga let me know if you can come out and I'll bring some stuff for you to try out.

Since you are both new to shooting I recommend that one of your guns be a 22lr as it is cheaper to shoot and will have less recoil than a 9mm. This will help with the mechanics of shooting.

Sent from my ASUS_Z00TD using Tapatalk

Very kind gesture! We need more members like this!

OP, the best way is to try as much as possible. It may seem expensive to rent at the range, but long term effects of buying a gun you find to be not happy with after purchasing will cost you more in the long run. That said, if you both liked the 17 and would be happy with that, I would go hold the Glock 19. If that feels better in your hands get that, as that has the same recoil and ergos as the 17 with a slightly smaller frame

[Garv]

Some ranges charge one fee to rent all of their guns, find that range.

There are monthly Calguns shoots in several areas, see if you can visit one of them.
Many of our folks are more than willing to let you try things out.
(Where are you located?)

Do not buy until you know what you are comfortable with.

The Glock is a good starting point, you won't stop there...

Ask most of us here how we know....

Good luck.

[CmdrChuch]

If money is pretty tight, then I recommend another hobby!

Seriously though, like other member said:
1. Decide on a function first. If it really is just a range gun, then there's nothing wrong with a 22 (especially for cost). If you might also want to use for home defense, then a 9mm would probably work better.
2. Consider fit. Without even having to fire any, like you can do at some ranges, decide which guns meet criteria 1, but also fit well.
3. Pick the ones that best fit for 1 and 2 and take them shooting. Write down the ones you enjoyed and performed well with.
4. Do research when you've got it down to a few, use this forum, suggest recommendations and go from there.

Welcome and enjoy!

[Hot Water]

Welcome to Calguns. Did you like the way the G17 shot? If so, you could pick up one of those to get started and then try others as you go. You might substitute a G19 if that feels better in your hand(s).

Ya we were both very surprised on how little recoil the G17 had. We thought there would be a lot more!

Girlfriend likes the G19 feel. I like the G17 feel, but was eyeing the G34 for a little bit more $. Would a G34 be good as well?

Depending on where you live, there might be some members who are actually willing to let you test their own personal handguns.
If you're in San Diego, I have a few you can try out.

My suggestion, make an attempt to test a few at the range

Wow thanks for the offer! Unfortunately I'm in the bay area (San Francisco)

Welcome to the club.

I'm going shooting this Sunday. If you're near Rancho Cucamonga let me know if you can come out and I'll bring some stuff for you to try out.

Since you are both new to shooting I recommend that one of your guns be a 22lr as it is cheaper to shoot and will have less recoil than a 9mm. This will help with the mechanics of shooting.

Sent from my ASUS_Z00TD using Tapatalk

I will look into 22's as well! 9mm felt pretty good. I'm San Francisco so I can't make it down there Thanks for the kind offer though!

Welcome aboard!

I'd say just go for the Glock if you liked it. Springfield XD has promotion for free magazines right now, that's nice. Also like the suggestions above, get one centerfire and a .22lr rimfire for cheap fun and practice, buy more ammo with money saved.

Also consider Calguns monthly events at several locations, depending on your area. What's your location?

Good luck.

I'm located in San Francisco! I will definitely check out the events and look into a 22! I used to shoot pellet guns and they were pretty fun to plink with!

Some ranges charge one fee to rent all of their guns, find that range.

There are monthly Calguns shoots in several areas, see if you can visit one of them.
Many of our folks are more than willing to let you try things out.
(Where are you located?)

Do not buy until you know what you are comfortable with.

The Glock is a good starting point, you won't stop there...

Ask most of us here how we know....

Good luck.

San Francisco! Are you aware of any ranges with a flat rate around my area? I didn't know they let me move around, most I saw were rent this gun for 30 or 60 bucks.