Buying Your First Handgun

Exactly I grew up shooting rifles, but never shot a pistol until I joined the military. So I'm not "too" familiar with them. I'm comfortable with a 9mm, so I'm gonna go that route for gun #1. Later on, if I get tired of it or want to step up the caliber, I can. But yes I agree, well placed shots center mast are KEY. When the Zombie Apocalypse breaks out......there's gonna be a loooot of shooting.....and reloading... Can't let my arms get tired wielding a big ol' "Dirty Harry"

 

I've had my grandfathers 1910 Browning 380 for about a year now and it really shows its age when you pull the trigger. Since im 21 now im looking for a pistol and i have a few things in my sights.

Let me mention first that i am looking for 9mm and also something UNDER $400

A gun thats at the top of my list right now is the Ruger P95. I have a Ruger long rifle and i trust the quality of these guns.

Also with Ruger i am looking at the Ruger SR9 or SR9c

I like the Sig Sauer P250 as well.

anymore suggestions and comments are very helpful.

thanks!

 

keep an eye out on the www.georgiapacking.org forums lots of great deals can be had on pistols.... also you need to join www.GeorgiaCarry.org if youre not already a member tacomarotto

im partial to the smith and wesson M&P line...i have a 9mm compact and also some full size mags so i can have 18 rounds if i want or the 13 with the compact...

 

I just got my first handgun...ruger gp100. It is not a CW but it is a great nightstand gun and a blast to shoot. The problem with handguns is it turns into a addiction....one is simply not enough.

 

Thanks for the tip man. Ill take a look at those Smith and wesson M&Ps

yea revolvers are good for bedside weapons.

 

That was the last handgun that I bought a few months ago in the 6" barrel. Excellent shooter especially after trigger smoothing and spring replacement.

FYI, 357 is a high velocity ammo that if used in home defense, you run the risk of shooting through.

 

Yeah I've been doing some researching and come to the decision to get the speer .38 in the 125 grn bullet for self defense.

 

http://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=108

 

Agreed, I have both 45 and 9mm and most of my home defense guns are in 9mm, in fact I have a few 9x18mm Makarov guns laying around the house with Hornady defensive rounds in them because I know I can put rounds center of mass or better with the guns and a HP to the chest is going to do damage no matter who the intruder is. Also my wife can handle the 9mms better then the 45 so her being able to defend herself and me being able to snipe with my pistols makes 9mm my round of choice. Don't get me wrong I love 45, my 1911 and FNP-45 get out a lot and also have Hornady HP in them just in case.

And look at how shameful 9x18 looks compared with 9x19... it is sad looking, but I am not ashamed, I wouldn't want to be shot with it. Plus I teach my wife 2 in the chest and 1 in the head.

 

My buddy just got a full size RIA, nice gun, I bought a $1300 Kimber Tactical Entry II the same day he bought his RIA 1911, neither of us have had issues. I like mine better but I also spend ~3 times more than he did, neither of us have regrets, and I haven't had any issues shooting his RIA, it may not be as smooth as my Kimber but it isn't bad.

One tip I read with 1911s in general, a guy swore by putting toothpaste on the rails of the 1911 and manually racking the slide 100+ times, no ammo, no mag, and not letting it slam home, prior to taking it to the range for the first time. Claimed that the grit in the toothpaste smoothed out the action. My buddy and I did this, it was a bit weird, but cleaned it all up after the toothpaste action and haven't had any issues. Maybe it was a waste of time, but I will be perpetuating the old wives tale on my 1911 and future 1911s.


OP: I would seriously recommend adding CZ and FNH to your list of reliable pistols, both have a large following, large military sales history and both make a quality pistol. I own 3 CZs and 1 FNH and am very happy with them and would recommend them to entry and experienced shooters, just the same. just my .02.

 

Check out the Sig SP2022, ~$350 new from CDNN.com, also the Steyr M9-A1 and the CZ-75, all come in 9mm and .40 and they are all really nice pistols for under $400. And I would seriously recommend the CZ-75.

Forgot to add the FNP-9 and FNX-9 from FNH also see CDNN for these, the FNP-9 is on close out as it was discontinued for the FNX-9 and both can be had for ~$400 or less and are great pistols.

 

Toothpaste??? I can't say anything negetive or that it doesn't work... other than: it sounds very odd. Its the first I've heard of it.

Just for the fyi.. I'm a huge fan of glocks. But I understand if you have to pay full price for one it makes other options that much more tempting.

 

I too have been on the search for a handgun for home/self defense purposes. I'm confident in my ability to shoot all caliber type pistols but am going to have to teach my wife shooting and safety basics and basically build her confidence up as she has never fired a pistol before. For my purposes I'm probably likely to settle for a 9mm as I really want her to be able to handle and protect life and property if I'm not available. That said, my biggest concern is the safety of little 3yr old girl. What safety precautions do you guys take from your children? I'm sure my kid won't be able to pull the slide at this age but I'm thinking down the line in several years. I'm going to purchase a small bedside safe along with the pistol when the time comes. Ultimately, I want to be safe but have easy access to it if the need arises.

 

I like barrel locks personally. Teaching gun safety is the best prevention method IMO. I take my five year old out and have got him comfortable with bb rifles and .22 rifles. He knows about my pistol. But at his size and strength and given the length of a pistol I'm not comfortable with that yet.

 

http://www.nrahq.org/safety/eddie/infoparents.asp

 

Good advice but I'd recommend a different medium:

FOLLOWING IS FOR NON-STAINLESS AUTOS!

Get a small tube of Permatex Valve Grinding Compound, or machinist's lapping compound.

Use a Q-Tip and smear a thin layer in/on the rails and cycle it about 100 times. Then clean the rails and add a few drops of Break Free or any other Teflon-based oil.

Whit

P.S. Brownell's does carry a special lapping compound for the stainless variants.

 

The toothpaste thing through me for a loop, but I tried it and havnet had any issues. It was really weird, but it didnt smell bad, which is something I cant say for the rest of my gun chemicals...

The price range of a full retail Glock makes me want other things, as I am not a fan of Glocks, but that is more of a shooter comfort thing, because I know Glocks are well made and extremely reliable. But a police turn in is a hard thing to pass up if it wasnt abused and the price is right.

 

toothpaste is an extremely fine abrasive that polishes your teeth...its just creating a matched wear pattern by putting it on machined parts

 

I'd heard it years ago, when I was first getting into 1911s. I used it on a Mil Spec Springfield that felt rough when pulling the slide. I can't say it made a lot of difference, but I know that gun went bang every time.
On my old Colt Commander, the lockup wasn't tight at all, so I never felt a need to slick it up. A looser slide messes with accuracy, but tends to help with reliability... so it's a fine line.
You can play with some of the high end 1911s, and compare the action with low end- the differences will be obvious.

 

I went to look around at some shops recently, and after holding dozens of pistols, I've pretty much narrowed it down to 2 choices : Sig P250 9mm (sub compact, extended magazine) and or a Walther P380. Anyone have any range time on these 2 handguns? Looking forward to a Tanner Gun Show coming up in a couple weeks here in CO. I'm hoping to find a great deal on either. FYI. The 2 pistols I saw were at Gander Mtn. and <$500. Price was nice.