Buying Your First Handgun

Just bought my first gun today. I went with a glock 17 9mm. I've shot it before so I am comfortable with it and it was fairly cheap. I'll probably invest in an AR15 next

 

I looked a long time for a home defense handgun also & wanted something the wife could handle. The best gun I have owned...The Judge! Mine has a 3" barrel, 3" chamber, that can fire .410 mag shells, the .45 Colt round (which can do some heavy damage), slugs, or a combo of any round. This gun is VERY versitile, from a 265 grain bullet to bird shot for varmits & snakes. Since the weight of it is on the heavy side, the recoil is nothing compared to my 9mm compact. The wife loves shooting the 0000 buck & hitting the target 9 times in 1 shot. So in the middle of the night when your eye sight & aim may not be good, 1 shot in the general direction will count.

 

Those are good but illegal in Kalifornia.

 

Sorry to revive old threads... I have a tendency to do that . I just turned 21 and in the state of VA that means I can legally purchase and carry a handgun. I found this thread very helpful and I know it's kind of a big range of calibers but I'm considering anywhere from a 9mm up to a .45 ACP. I'll go to the range with Dad so he can let me try some of his guns in different calibers before I narrow down too much further. But does anyone have suggestions on a reliable but affordable handgun for concealed carry and within my range of calibers? I do understand the concept of you get what you pay for, but 99% of the time there's a place you can get quality at a good price. I also would prefer a semi-automatic. I understand revolvers are simpler to pull and use for a beginner, but I intend on going to the range more often and learning the gun like it's a part of my body. Thanks guys!

 

honestly i carry everyday i bought a Springfield Armory XDS its a single stack 45 with the regular mag you get 5 rounds in the mag and 1 in the chamber. with the extended mag you can buy you get 7 in the mag and one in the chamber..that is the same as most 1911's out there it weighs way less and is thinner and smaller all around..its shoots awesome i have a piece grip extension on one of my 5 round mags and it makes it easy to get a full grip on the gun without my pinky falling off. this is my everyday carry from now on unless i want to carry openly something like my full size Smith and Wesson M&P40

 

Dsully - there are no fewer than 20 or 30 distinct and common models for CCW in 9/40/45. You'll find fans of most of them on this board, so it's going to be hard to make a recommendation without making ten. You might check out some of the concealed carry forums for ideas.

 

I was actually looking on the springfield site at these last night. Something I'll take into consideration... My 2 concerns are 1) Does it jump horribly? and 2) Does the holster wrap around the grip safety and potentially switch the safety off and you stand a chance of an accidental discharge?

Thanks for the heads up. Perhaps I'll do some more research on the forums and go to the range with pops to narrow down my caliber and choose from a smaller range of guns then.

 

the holster that comes with the gun does not wrap around the grip safety...the trigger is also a hinged setup like a glock...its not gonna go bang unless you pull the trigger and have the grip safety depressed

 

No problem. If you have specific questions about anything, there are lots of folks here who will help! Regarding your q about the XDs, I have not shot one so I have no clue about recoil, though I assume it's similar to something like a G36, which I would describe as having a good amount of recoil, but nothing I would consider extreme or painful. Training with good stance and knowing how to get back on target is important with tiny 45s.

Also, no, any good holster will be designed to hold the XD without engaging the grip safety.

 

Yeah, this is true, I don't see them making a holster that would make their own gun unsafe to carry. So thanks to both of y'all for the advice. One more question on the XDS... What is the gun made of? Is it the ABS plastic? My dad told me that he's seen those guns in pieces because the material isn't very durable. He said that's why he isn't a big fan of GLOCKs either. This may be a more biased opinion, but I want something durable as well.

 

the gun is plastic with metal rails..its a durable plastic..springfield has a lifetime warranty so if you have any problems they will take care of it

 

About how much does that gun run? And it's not any extra for the warranty right?

 

Note taken. Ill highly consider after shooting my dads 1911. If that jumps a lot on me then I know the XDS is not for me lol

 

also they are supposed to making the XDS in 40 and 9 i think this year or sometime next year

 

Oh good! Maybe ill check out the .40 too in case the .45 is a bit too jumpy.

 

40 is pretty snappy..if you hold a handgun right its easy to keep under control..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvr8tCL_3Bs

 

damn that's a great video! ill have to remember to watch it right before I go to the range to give it a shot.

 

As noted by Rmodel, there are going to be several recommendations for the best CCW- so I'll throw mine in. For an all-time favorite, I'd go with a 1911 in commander (4" barrel, full length grip). I've carried them for 20 years, and in my feeble mind, they're the best compromise between controllability and concealability. For a cheaper, lighter, more concealable gun that's still acceptably accurate, I like my Kahr CW45. Just my opinion- others with more expertise will chime in as needed.

 

yeah 1911's are nice to carry they are pretty thin but they are also heavy..i traded my 5 inch 1911 for my XDS and some cash on the other guys end