First Gun

[zfields]

Personaly, I would do 50 of each, then narrow it down and do 100 through 2-3 top choices.

[locosway]

Thank you all for the great suggestions! I was thinking of going to the gun range tomorrow ; maybe two if the first doesnt have all the guns i wanna try

how many rounds should i shoot through each gun? i was thinking shoot 20 through each. and if i like the gun after shooting it, then shoot a minimum of 50 through those. does that sound like a good idea?

You'll know after the first magazine if you like the gun or not. If you do like it, then shoot as much as you like until you're satisfied that it's the gun for you.

[G-Solutions]

Slightly different approach

One other option that has not been mentioned before.

Take a class and rent the gun from your preferred list from the instructor. In case you're in Orange County, you may want to check with TJ Johnston (www.allsafedefense.com).

Going to the range and renting a gun is a good start, but you will find the true strengths and weaknesses once you work with your handgun, have to cope with the weight, reloads and malfunction drills. A good instructor will be able to point out which advantages one gun has over another for your specific requirements.

When you head to the gun store, expect a hefty bias from the guys behind the counter. I've seen very few instances where sales guys were truly neutral. I've had to deal with attitudes like "Son, REAL MEN shoot .45's" or "A 9mm is a .45 set on STUN" (strangely, that person would not agree to letting me stun him ).

If you encounter attitudes like that, it is an invitation to leave. I've started out with a .40, went up to .45 and finally changed over to 9mm. My personal preference. I can see why other shooters would prefer other calibers or prefer one system over another.

Key point is that you need to be comfortable and confident with the weapon that you end up buying.

[hkfooey]

Keep in mind that the 92 is relative big in grip - try it first.

I own one way, way, way back when I saw it in the 1st Lethal Weapon movie (or is it Die Hard?).

[DaHummerMan]

One other option that has not been mentioned before.

Take a class and rent the gun from your preferred list from the instructor. In case you're in Orange County, you may want to check with TJ Johnston (www.allsafedefense.com).

Going to the range and renting a gun is a good start, but you will find the true strengths and weaknesses once you work with your handgun, have to cope with the weight, reloads and malfunction drills. A good instructor will be able to point out which advantages one gun has over another for your specific requirements.

When you head to the gun store, expect a hefty bias from the guys behind the counter. I've seen very few instances where sales guys were truly neutral. I've had to deal with attitudes like "Son, REAL MEN shoot .45's" or "A 9mm is a .45 set on STUN" (strangely, that person would not agree to letting me stun him ).

If you encounter attitudes like that, it is an invitation to leave. I've started out with a .40, went up to .45 and finally changed over to 9mm. My personal preference. I can see why other shooters would prefer other calibers or prefer one system over another.

Key point is that you need to be comfortable and confident with the weapon that you end up buying.

I'm in LA County. and i've visited Gun World in Burbank. there didnt feel to be a heavy bias. the salesman listened to what i wanted when i first got in. listened to my feedback, showed and me let handle a bunch of different handguns. my top 3 were the SIG P226, Beretta 92Fs and the 1911 (this felt the best in my hand, but i dont think this would be a good first gun. was there bias, probably but definitely not heavily biased.

back when I saw it in the 1st Lethal Weapon movie (or is it Die Hard?).

in the first Die Hard and the first Lethal Weapon Bruce Willis and Mel Gibson both used a Beretta 92f (the same exact 92F was used in both movies though. after the originals they switched to the 92FS.

[locosway]

I'm in LA County. and i've visited Gun World in Burbank. there didnt feel to be a heavy bias. the salesman listened to what i wanted when i first got in. listened to my feedback, showed and me let handle a bunch of different handguns. my top 3 were the SIG P226, Beretta 92Fs and the 1911 (this felt the best in my hand, but i dont think this would be a good first gun. was there bias, probably but definitely not heavily biased.

There is nothing wrong with a 1911 as a first gun. However, if you don't have the basics down before hand, you'll likely develop some bad habits from shooting a .45. The other downside is .45's cost more to shoot, so you'll have less range time than if you went with a smaller caliber handgun. Unless of course you're the type of person who can afford to shoot all day long with any round...

A few companies make a 9mm 1911, and the Sig and Beretta also come in 9mm as well.

[iareConfusE]

As someone posted before, read this thread I made: http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/s...d.php?t=397489

The suggestions that people give you are almost always given because they own that particular firearm, and it's almost always a biased suggestion. Not to say that their suggestions are bad ones, but you should find what's right for you, regardless of what many people have or recommend. You owe it to yourself to find the right gun the first time around. If you have extra money to burn, then you can always buy more guns later on, but I feel that it's important to love the gun you choose to buy and use as a defensive pistol.

There is a lot of criteria that people should pay attention to when choosing a gun. You take the time and effort to find the right gun for you, so that you aren't wasting time and money buying a gun that may or may not work for you, only to sell it a month later because you aren't shooting it well.

[esartori]

I had a 1911 as my first gun. But that's because I tried it and had tried glocks, berettas, etc. You might find u like them too. I fell for the sa mil spec

[luckygunner]

The best thing you can do is rent a handful and see which you like the best. There is nothing wrong with any of the suggestions mentioned. I would suggest you look at CZ 75, 1911, Beretta 92 or a Browning Hi Power. That should give you enough of a breadth firearms that you should find a niche that you like.

If you reconsider steel/polymer the FN pistols are a good value.

[DaHummerMan]

As someone posted before, read this thread I made: http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/s...d.php?t=397489

The suggestions that people give you are almost always given because they own that particular firearm, and it's almost always a biased suggestion. Not to say that their suggestions are bad ones, but you should find what's right for you, regardless of what many people have or recommend. You owe it to yourself to find the right gun the first time around. If you have extra money to burn, then you can always buy more guns later on, but I feel that it's important to love the gun you choose to buy and use as a defensive pistol.

There is a lot of criteria that people should pay attention to when choosing a gun. You take the time and effort to find the right gun for you, so that you aren't wasting time and money buying a gun that may or may not work for you, only to sell it a month later because you aren't shooting it well.

I did read your thread before posting here. thank you for that write up. it's awesome!

and I am sorry for posting such a topic that continually repeats here.