first handgun need advice

[watsonville]

hi im new to the forum and i will be turning twenty one in may i need advice on selecting a first handgun i have a few in mind i will post at the bottom and if i could get any input on them that would be great im not into glocks so i would appreciate the glock talk to a minimal there nice tryed and true guns but just not for me ...i know 9mm is insufficient for self defense,home protection get a 45 i know but it's my first handgun and i have a shotgun for hd this handgun will be used for self defense,range practice,and possibly ccw if california decides they wanna shape up these gun laws{slick chance in hell](700$ price range for gun and got extra cash for the rest)

1.ruger sr9c
2.s&w 686 357. 2.5"
3.ruger sp101 357. 2.5"
4.s&w m&p compact 9mm
also open for suggestions just not glock not against just not a fan

[THE NEW GUY]

You gonna get a lot of "use the search button", so I'll help you out.

Test out a few as you would a car.

Remember the price of fuel as its the same with ammo.

Pick your tools as needed: Home Defense, plinking, carry, off roading, racing, cruising, ect.

Hope this helps a little.

[THE NEW GUY]

Oh and nothing is wrong with 9mm. Just get decent ammo like Speer Gold Dots.

[MrOrange]

My standard response for a first handgun:

Decent used Colt, Ruger or Smith medium frame 4" .38 or .357 revolver.

It's much easier to become comfortable/proficient with a revolver than with an auto. Autos are easier to run full speed around a course of fire, and a single-action trigger makes it easier to get those 25 yard head shots, but for the overwhelming majority of home self defense situations the revolver will be more than enough. (Sez the guy with a lasered lightweight .45 in his sig!)

You should start out with .38 loads, in particular wadcutter target loads are very precise and easy to shoot with little recoil. After many rounds, and maybe a bit of competition, you can move up to .357 loads.

I've been shooting since about '78, and my first gun ever was a Smith M66, but I still find full-house .357 loads on the edge of comfortable rapid-fire control. With a short barrel, control and velocity go down, to the point you start to lose the reason for a magnum in the first place.

So of your choices, I'd say a 4" 686 far and away, with the SP101 a distant second.

[GILMORE619]

Out of what you listed i would go with a revolver. I have a two smiths in 357 a 586 6" and a 327 2" the 586 was my first handgun and started my addiction. I never really thought much of wheel guns till i shot the 586. Its nice to be able to shoot 357 mag and 38 special out of them.The ruger is a great gun and way cheaper to buy so if you go the revolver route thats the way to go IMO. Ive got a M&P 9mm compact that was my first semi auto and I love it wouldnt ever get rid off it. Do you have a range were you could rent any of the guns your interested in?

[Old4eyes]

Unless you have a good chance of carrying, I'd go for a 4 inch barrel of the 2.5 inch barrels you propose. You lose velocity and gain muzzle flash on that shorter barrel. Do some research on how muzzle velocity is affected by barrel length, especially for 38 specials. This is from a guy whose wife has a 686 + in a 2.5 inch barrel. Sweet gun, just wish she had gotten it in a 4 inch.

The internet gossip group has reported problems with the SR9c, so do some homework there.

S&W M&P line seems to be a very ergonomic pistol. But you mention going for a compact (as well as mentioning the SR9c).

I am guessing you are going for the smaller guns, given those two selections and the idea of the short barreled 357's. I'd suggest going for a "standard" size before a compact. The recoil will be stiffer with a smaller / lighter gun, although I would not state that a Smith 686 is a lighter gun. Try before you buy. Have fun and be safe.

[resident-shooter]

Use the search button and buy S&W.

[XDRoX]

First off, 9mm is not an insufficient HD round. Nothing could be further from the truth. IMO you're better off getting a 9mm, since you are more apt to shoot it more often because of the cheaper ammo. Trigger time is your best defense.

Now that I got that off my chest

Not a fan of the Ruger. I do like the M&P. My buddy has one in 45acp. Really nice pistol.

Concerning revolvers, I prefer a Smith over the Ruger unless you are asking about getting a new Smith. I'm not a fan of the locks. Especially for HD. I'd get the Ruger if I were buying new. If it's a pre-lock Smith you're talking about, then I'd get that over a Ruger any day of the week.

Like others have said, why a 2.5" barrel? These aren't very fun to shoot at the range. I'd definitely go with at least a 4" barrel.

I have pretty much all the major brands of pistols and I like Glock the best.

[watsonville]

thanks to everyone that replied so far opinions noted

[CarlozRossi]

SR9c... That was my choice for my first handgun and couldn't be happier. Got it @ markleys for $525 OTD. I don't know if they have it for rent there, but your welcome to shoot mine when I get back into town later this week. I usually shoot there every weekend.

There's so many positive reviews online its just ridiculous. One of the reasons I got it. Not to mention it got handgun of the year last year.

[rob145]

SR9c is an excellent weapon. I've never had issues with Ruger. My first gun was a Ruger LCR and ended trading it for a Glock 26. Also, the 9mm is sufficient for defense. Just practice with the 115gr ball ammo and use the Speer Gold dots 124+P for your carry load. This is also the carry load for the NYPD and they have had an excellent track record with it.

[J.D.Allen]

Buy the sr9c and spend the rest of your budget on quality ammo. Then shoot the hell ot of it. With good ammo like Gold Dots or Ranger T's the 9mm is plenty sufficient for SD. And with the price of practice ammo you'll be able to shoot it a lot more which is the most important thing.

[Oceanbob]

If you stay with 9MM

Then get the M&P 9C....it will run 100% for you. Also you can transition to CCW if we ever get to 'shall issue' status.

I'am not a Ruger fan in auto-pistols. Revolvers yes; even then Smith get's my vote. If you get a Revolver get a 4 inch.

Have fun....then start planning on your second weapon (one is never enough)

Bob

[n0xname]

All depsnds on ur budget

[gorenut]

I would advise just getting a full size for ease of use. Don't restrict yourself banking on CA's laws changing for CCWs anytime soon... you'll be waiting a long time and by then you'll most likely have enough money to just get a compact.

Out of your list, I would just get an M&P (except full size). Shoot the hell out of it and if it has any issues, take advantage of S&W's lifetime warranty. When your tastes become more refined, you can get work done on it (APEX and all that jazz). M&P just seems like something that you can grow with as far as being your first handgun. There are enough aftermarket accessories to always find something new to do with it. I'm quite fond of revolvers, but I've come to terms that semis might make better first handguns due to ease of self-maintenance should any minor issues occur (though none can argue the simplicity of a revolver's manual of arms).

PS: yea.. to echo what others have mentioned.. 9mm, as far as handguns go is not really short-changing yourself. With modern ammo-tech, its quite effective. Of course all handgun calibers will pale in comparison to shotguns.