Want to purchase my first gun

[john37]

Hi Everyone,
So i'm very new to guns but am very interested in buying my first handgun. I've been to the range w/a buddy that knows a little and have tried a variety. These are the guns i've shot...kimber 1911, hk usp .45 and .40, a few glocks 9mm and .40, some s&w revolvers .44 mag, 38 sp., .357 mag, sig 226 .40 and i think that's about it.

anyways, i like the way the sig and usp felt but i'm left handed. I havent been able to shoot the HK p2000 but checked it out at turner's and love how it's ambidextrous it's also very comfortable in my hands. I'm thinking of getting the hk p2000 9mm. for recreational shooting. anyone have one? what's your experience?

it seems like most of you have 1911's but the .45 is a little too much...especially if i take my gf to the range(she's only 95lbs)

i look forward to joining this community! thanks for any advice.

[Greenspartan117]

Welcome to the forum! I'm a lefty as well and all I have are Sigs. A P220, P225, and a P226. I find that the controls on Sig's actually work well for me. I don't have to look at the controls at all as it's pretty much instinctive. it's probably just me. You can have the HK USP sent back and made lefty friendly of course or even turned to an ambidextrous gun :-D. Most of the time, the controls such as the slide stop can be negated by "slingshot-ing the slide closed" I usually shift my grip a little just to make sure my trigger finger is off of the trigger and with that finger I hit the decocker on my Sigs. It is a really quick process.

Oh I've taken my girl out to the range with my P226 (9mm) and she was able to handle it pretty well I think (5'0" maybe 100 lbs). As for the HK P2000 they are JUNK!!!!! J/K I've only heard good things about them and praise. I personally don't like the decocker switch they have on the left back side next to the hammer. It is difficult for me to operate everytime I look at it. It is comfortable though. As for the "effective bullet" debate, I personally think that a good HP in a gun you can shoot accurately is more important than having a gun that shoots the biggest bullets that you can't hit a broad side of a barn with. (i.e. a Sig, HK, Glock in 9mm v.s. a .50AE Desert Eagle for example, I know the DE is cool but I don't think I could hit anything repeatedly!)

Shop around. Going with either an HK or Sig would be a fine choice. I personally like both and they handle recoil well.

[///D]

I'm biased towards the 1911 But if the USP feels and shoots good to you that should tell you something. That's not a bad choice seeing you are a lefty and it has ambi features....it's a good choice IMO. For the g/f, the USP compact 9 would be good as well. Other choices I like would be the Sigs (229 & 226)..maybe even a CZ

[john37]

thanks green spartan. where's the cheapest/best place to get one in OC?

[Greenspartan117]

thanks green spartan. where's the cheapest/best place to get one in OC?

Well the last two guns I have were purchased from a dealer in Washington State and sent here. It is a little more involved process and require a little more time but I personally feel the savings are justifiable. Turner's has decent prices when it's on sale, Ade's in Tustin is a shop you should stop by as there are a few HK USP on consignment there. He's a really nice guy, just make sure he's open before you visit him. Online I do my price checking on www.gunbroker.com and www.budsgunshop.com. I hope that helps out a little.

[virulosity]

You are doing the right thing by trying out all the guns you are interested in. Get the gun that YOU shoot well. Todd Jarrett will swear by the 1911 but I just can't shoot them. I went to the Turner's sports fair and shot a full magazine through a top of the line para ordinance and didn't hit a single target. Then I went and shot a USP elite and hit 10/10 targets. Is the USP a superior handgun to the 1911? Who cares, thats what I shoot best with.

[FatKatMatt]

.22 .22 .22 .22 .22 .22... you get the picture ja? .22 is likely the best round to start on, it's cheaper than anything out there, it has no recoil, and the guns it's chambered in are good quality and inexpensive (Ruger makes sub-$300 .22 pistols and rifles). I suggest you buy an inexpensive .22 to practice with, save your money and then decide what a good centerfire pistol would be later on.

[virulosity]

I would have to agree with Matt on this one too. At least own a .22 before you get a centerfire handgun, or get both!

[Millions-Knives]

I've always liked the P2000. It's must've had one of the most comfortable grips I've felt yet. It's also got interchangeable back straps that may accommodate smaller hands i.e. your g/f. 9mm is very practical especially if you plan to own the versatility of a cheaper range round and adequate home defense. Walter P99? I think it was that was also extremely comfortable and had an ambi release if I remember correctly but I've always fancied HKs.
Good luck with your purchase and congratulations in advance.

[tankerman]

I'm biased towards the 1911 But if the USP feels and shoots good to you that should tell you something. That's not a bad choice seeing you are a lefty and it has ambi features....it's a good choice IMO. For the g/f, the USP compact 9 would be good as well. Other choices I like would be the Sigs (229 & 226)..maybe even a CZ

I shoot 1911's, ambi-safety works great, ambi mag release yep they got those. The slide stop is already set up for a left hand shooter, I don't have to take either one of my hands off the gun to release the slide, trigger finger comes up and releases the slide. Try it you'll see what I mean. 1911 are set up better for lefties

[mike100]

If you liked the HK's, look at the HK P7m8 as it is truely ambidextrous. That particular model is on the CA approved list, but production just ceased recently (you can still find new ones). You might also want to wait for the new hk45 and it's 9mm version (p30) to come out (any month now)-CA safe handgun approval may be a problem though. These are fully ambi and have a couple of refinements that the usp series came up a little short on.

If you can find a cz-85, that's ambi also, but hard to find in this state. I heard you can order the parts to make a cz-75b into an 85b though.

[sammy]

A .22 is a must have first gun. I waisted a lot of center-fire ammo developing my skills. Besides the .22 is so much fun to shoot and range fees will almost always cost more than ammo.
As far as the P2000 I have one in 9mm. It is one that always goes to the range with me, too much fun. Shoots smooth, very little recoil and just give a loaded magazine a firm bump into the pistol and the slide loads and chambers a new round that easy. Easily one of the best purchases I have in my collection.

[fast318]

Not one gun is perfect for everyone. Take all the advice that we are giving you and get something that you can afford to purchase and shoot frequently enough to become familiar with.

I always recommend a .38 Taurus revolver to people looking to purchase their first gun. Taurus makes a very affordable and reliable revolver and .38 ammo won't break your budget. You can also save money by buying remanufactured ammo without having to worry if it will reliably cycle a semi-auto.

If you are inexperienced with handguns and you decide you want to use this weapon for self defense it is less likely to malfunction due to bad ammo (or mags). You won't have to try to clear a stove pipe or fail to eject/chamber in a high stress situation with a revolver.

[john37]

thanks to everyone for the advice.
do you guys think that the 9mm ammo will cost too much to learn/practice with? one of the reasons i was thinking of getting a 9mm is b/c the ammo would be cheaper.
if i get a .22 to practice w/then i'll have to purchase another gun. What is a good .22 semi auto to practice with? i'd like a good quality gun though that i can have for a longggg time, maybe if it isn't too much i can get both and go w/the .40 for the p2000 instead of the 9mm.
thanks again for the responses.

[john37]

i'm sorry, i just saw this. But what's the differences between the p2000, p30 and p3000? i havent seen the p30 or p3000 in person but are they newer versions? are they better?