Buying First Pistol

[usctrojan]

Fight on, trojan. You graduating this year?

OP, try the guns in your hand, and if possible, make your way to a range and shoot them. I found out that a couple of grips on models I thought were perfect for me were in fact too large for me to effectively manage recoil.

USC Alumni/legacy/TMB... aka die hard Trojan.

Totally agree with this statement. Find a gun you like and burn lots of rounds through it. I bought a gun and had to sell it a few hundred rounds in because the grip was messing with my aim. I then bought the exact same gun with a thinner grip and now I hit perfect. $50 bucks at the range could have spared me a lot of hassle.

[Chuntsman949]

yes i know i posted earlier i have shot everything under the sun except for the cz and now the FN lol, i was just seeing how cal guns rolls haha

[Rhatical]

CZ-75B in 9mm, make sure you have a chance to shoot one before deciding on anything else.

[Icypu]

Whats going on guys, I am moving from my long gun craze over to pistols haha. I have spent some time researching and now I want some opinions so in the 5-650 dollar range, what pistol would you recommend? I want to stay on the 9mm or 40 cal platform. I am open to all suggestions lets try not to turn this into a glock>everything debate!! hahaha

Go with an FNP-40 I miss my FNP-9. It was easy to clean, easy to disassemble and fired amazingly. Plus the FNP-40 can be down converted to 9mm and 357 sig!

[RT13]

This thread will end up with ten pages of opinions on various guns and you will not get the answer you seek. The Sig and Hk are pretty much the only ones out of your price range with the exception ofthe Sig sp20222 or used sigs. Otherwise your best bet is to to a range and try out different ones to seewjat you shoot best.

[high_lander]

I would go with a RIA Tactical (which of course I just bought), which was about 650 out the door @ Turners. Pick it up n the 10th. I know it's a .45, but go for it. Other wise go with the XD 40. They are running 499 @ Turners right now.

[leelaw]

Used Sig P226

CZ 75 or SP-01

Where are you located? There are generous CGNers out there that are known for helping newbies figure out what they like, or at least we could point you to a local shop or possibly a range that rents something that meets your criteria.

[Z ME FLY]

WOW... this comes up very often, like others said best bet is to go back to the range and shoot a couple of pistols. If you like the XD, you can look into the Tupperware guns like glock or S&W. Oh nevermind saw your post you went from XD to SW. Most of the pistols that are out now, have their pros and cons you just have to decide what's important to you. I'm going to open another can of worms and ask why not a revolver? I went from semis to revolvers. Had glocks, CZ75s, XD but I like revolvers.

[dadoody]

Whats going on guys, I am moving from my long gun craze over to pistols haha. I have spent some time researching and now I want some opinions so in the 5-650 dollar range, what pistol would you recommend? I want to stay on the 9mm or 40 cal platform. I am open to all suggestions lets try not to turn this into a glock>everything debate!! hahaha

Go rent and shoot until u find what u want.

[FieldsofFire]

Definitely try before you buy. Find a range that rents a lot of the more popular guns and get a test drive with as many as you can. Sig P226 or similar, XD, Glock, or a S&W M&P. You can choose the frame size and caliber. I recommend the S&W M&P.

[Rigma]

Go with the consensus...which is rent and shoot...rent and shoot.

The decision should be yours. Try them until you KNOW what you want to buy.

There are so many aspects that go into the purchase decision that nobody can or should TELL you what to buy.

Me for instance, I ended up going with what was initially my last choice in my selected group. Through rentals and shooting friends guns I made my decision. I'm slapping my $ down on a Glock 19 on Saturday because I ended up liking it for a variety of reasons, it's a good entry level auto, I want to work on skill with less expensive ammo, and once I have gained more experience at the range I feel I can make and easier transition up the price range...with the option of retaining a "standard" in my collection.

Your own experience and decision should be uniquely yours. There is a wealth of experience and OPINION available here, but the RIGHT choice for you is the one you ultimately decide on.

[goathead]

glocks get two one for each hand

[Chuntsman949]

Yah I went to firing line yesterday to shoot some more hand guns, they dont have very many let me tell you. I like the M&P and the XD the same so its gonna be tough

[DaveFJ80]

The 2 ranges (which may be a drive for you, but may end up saving you in the long run with your purchase) that I found that usually has a good selection of rental pistols are the LA Gun Club and OC Indoor Range. LAGC rents guns at $5 each, OC for $8 each. But the selection is abundant so there's lots to choose from and play with at either place.

I haven't been to that many other indoor ranges so others may have a good selection of rentals, but from my recent experience (about a month ago) those 2 places had what I was looking for.

[Chuntsman949]

where is OC indoor range? I live in newport beach... Id love to check out a new range.