Need Advice for first Handgun Purchase

[captain_chau]

So my 21st birthday is fast approaching, and I've decided it's time to figure out which handgun I'm going to get as my first sidearm! I've narrowed it down to either 9mm parabellum or .45 acp (I've shot both before in addition to a myriad of other calibers). if it's going to be .45 acp I'm going to go with a M1911A1 design but i haven't decided which brand (Gi, rock island?). And then there is the 9mm w/ the walther p-1, hi power, luger, etc to choose from.

I'd appreciate any recommendations!!!

[Chaos47]

Rock Islands are good to go for a 1911 on a budget. If you can get it for not much more the Tactical is probably worth it over the GI.

Walther P-1 P-38, Cool guns but I wouldn't suggest them for a first gun. (I Want one some day)
Hi-powers are awesome pistols! (They can be pricey but there are good clones out there) (Love my FM Argentine Clone)
Lugers are super cool but expensive. (I Want one some day)

You didn't list GLOCK so I assume you have something against them so I will jsut say they are great first guns as it is hard to make it not fire. I will just leave it at that. (Love my G34)


And to rock your list...
You might think about a 22LR pistol. Hard to beat the price of the round...
Browning Buckmark
Ruger MK series and 22/45

[PandaLuv]

Welcome !


I can't agree with you more, if you want a 1911 it has to be a .45. But for your first gun, I highly recommend getting a 9mm. There are many many reason why and I wish I started with 9mm. 9mm is a lot cheaper than .45, I'd say almost by half if you buy at Walmart, 9mm has less recoil, thus more accurate rapid fire, there is less flinching when you start practicing. Many new and regular shooters like me still flinch without realizing it, but I tend to do it a lot less with 9mm. With the right JHP ammo, ballistics are pretty close to .45ACP, except 9mm has better velocity since its a smaller bullet.


Let's talk about guns, how many have you shot so far? I recommend shooting at least 10 before deciding. It depends if you like SA/DA, SAO, striker fired, safety, no safety, decocker/safety, so on an so forth.


I personally think that glocks are great starter guns, but they are not for eveyone. I'm personally a sig fan lol.

Feel free to ask us questions.

Good luck.

[m98]

^^^op said "9 millimeter parabellum" >cod?mw elite player?





J/k.....9mil will be the cheapest to shoot vs 45.

Next is to go rent some guns and try em out if you can. If ur dead set on a 1911 but want to spend only a few hundred bucks then go Ria tactical 1911's. If money isnt much of concern, imo go springer 1911. Their customer sevice is untouchable.

[Ackrite]

You can't go wrong with Glock. But then again, I'm a fanboy.

[missiontrails]

For about every 100 rounds of .45, you can buy about 200 rounds of 9mm. That means more trips to the range for the same $$ if you go with 9mm.

[Breadfan]

XDM

[Bill Carson]

You can't go wrong with Glock. But then again, I'm a fanboy.

This

[captain_chau]

^^^op said "9 millimeter parabellum" >cod?mw elite player?





J/k.....9mil will be the cheapest to shoot vs 45.

Next is to go rent some guns and try em out if you can. If ur dead set on a 1911 but want to spend only a few hundred bucks then go Ria tactical 1911's. If money isnt much of concern, imo go springer 1911. Their customer sevice is untouchable.

why play a video game when you can shoot the real deal? lol... the thing about me and glocks is that I've never been a big fan of guns made out of plastic, i'm a guy who likes traditional steel and wooden grips! that's why i listed the classics like the 1911, hi power, luger and p-1! but i'm always open to suggestions! like the pro's and cons of each, so far I've shot only the 1911 on the list, so the others are a bit of a stranger, i've also shot .357 magnum, 38 special, 32 and 25 acp , and of course .22 lr


and as for .22lr, I know it's cheap but my dad's going to transfer me one when it's my birthday so that's my second small arm =P

[nocomply25]

plastic? I think you should take a look at what polymer is really before calling it plastic. I have a MP9...love it. Sold my kimber 1911 to get it. You have to know the difference between a gun for fun and a gun for self defense. Get a gun that eats all ammo and is reliable for self defense. Get the 1911 for fun...Unless it is a custom 1911, then i would trust my life to it.

[tacticalcity]

why play a video game when you can shoot the real deal? lol... the thing about me and glocks is that I've never been a big fan of guns made out of plastic, i'm a guy who likes traditional steel and wooden grips! that's why i listed the classics like the 1911, hi power, luger and p-1! but i'm always open to suggestions! like the pro's and cons of each, so far I've shot only the 1911 on the list, so the others are a bit of a stranger, i've also shot .357 magnum, 38 special, 32 and 25 acp , and of course .22 lr


and as for .22lr, I know it's cheap but my dad's going to transfer me one when it's my birthday so that's my second small arm =P

Skip the .22lr. Proper dryfire practice will give you everything you get from a seperate .22lr handgun.

Nothing wrong with a 1911 or Hi-Power. Of the guns on your list I vote for these hands down. Both SAO handguns. SAO is fairly easy to master. Your first handgun should be something that you are going to be able to master fairly quickly. Save the complicated stuff for the next gun, or the gun after that. Meaning skip the DA/SA guns for now (this comment always pisses off the DA/SA guys but they are wrong and I am right ). With these two SOA handguns you have to turn the safety into muscle memory, but you have a consistant trigger pull each time, and it is a short light pull with a short reset. So they are pretty good choices and meet your requirement of an all metal gun.

After you get the gun, find a course near you. Plinking with your buddies, no matter how good they are, is no where near as beneficial as a professional course. Local schools usually have 1 day courses for around $160. Up here in Sacramento Gray Ops www.gofast1.com is a great choice. See the Competition, Action Shooting and Training Section for a school near you.

The more courses you take, the more you will see the appeal of the Glock and Glock like guns. From the outside looking in, it is easy to have all kinds of notions about what does and does not make a good gun. I too hated the Glock, until I had some training and compared the effectiveness of the Glock against the Beretta 96FS I was so hot to trott for before I really knew what did and did not make a good combat handgun. Glock won hands down when training from a holster, and realistically. But just plinking at the range where I could cheat and rarely use the DA pull or decocker, the Beretta seemed like the winner. Real life works a lot differently than a flat range, or how we imagine it would be when just reading about it online.

[451040]

Glock 17 or 19

[DrewTheBrave]

the thing about me and glocks is that I've never been a big fan of guns made out of plastic, i'm a guy who likes traditional steel and wooden grips! that's why i listed the classics like the 1911, hi power, luger and p-1! but i'm always open to suggestions! like the pro's and cons of each, so far I've shot only the 1911 on the list, so the others are a bit of a stranger, i've also shot .357 magnum, 38 special, 32 and 25 acp , and of course .22 lr

It sounds like you have a pretty good idea of what you like. Just don't knock a polymer-framed pistol until you've tried it

All that's left for you to do is to go to a range and rent as many different styles of handguns as you can. The right gun for me might not be the right gun for YOU. Some suggestions since you seem to like full-sized steel/metal framed guns:

Browning Hi-Power
1911 (RIA, Springfield, S&W, Sig, etc)
Sig P-series (226, 229, 220)
CZ-75 (includes SP-01, P-01, PCR, etc)
CZ-97
Beretta 92/M9
Stoeger Cougar
Smith & Wesson 3rd Generation semi-autos (5906, 4506, etc)

Don't be afraid to try some polymer guns while you're at it! You may be surprised.

[paul0660]

Proper dryfire practice will give you everything you get from a seperate .22lr handgun.

Except for holes in paper.

Important to me.............

[captain_chau]

It sounds like you have a pretty good idea of what you like. Just don't knock a polymer-framed pistol until you've tried it

All that's left for you to do is to go to a range and rent as many different styles of handguns as you can. The right gun for me might not be the right gun for YOU. Some suggestions since you seem to like full-sized steel/metal framed guns:

Browning Hi-Power
1911 (RIA, Springfield, S&W, Sig, etc)
Sig P-series (226, 229, 220)
CZ-75 (includes SP-01, P-01, PCR, etc)
CZ-97
Beretta 92/M9
Stoeger Cougar
Smith & Wesson 3rd Generation semi-autos (5906, 4506, etc)

Don't be afraid to try some polymer guns while you're at it! You may be surprised.

I'll give the rental a try when i can find the time!