Basic, Reliable Pistol?

ya know right down to it i would get a desert eagle 50 cal. that gun will literally blow someone in half

 

If you are only going to do minimum practice the revolver is the ticket. S&W or Taurus both offer several versions and capacities as well as hammerless versions that won't get hung up on stuff.
I got my wife a S&W 640 which is a 5 shot, hammerless, Magnum rated, double action revolver.

Semi Auto's, which I prefer, are more complex and require more practice to be competent with IMO.

I don't know about LA but in TX should you decide to get a CHL you must qualify with a revolver or semi auto. If you qualify with a revolver that is all you are allowed to carry. If you qualify with an auto you can carry either.

Bottom line go to a shooting range that rents firearms and find the one you feel comfortable with and shoot well. In the end that's all that matters. The average bad situation as I recall is 2.3 seconds and 1.3 rounds fired.

 

Join a club........
And usually, you can hook up with the folks there. They'll let you experience and shoot their guns while giving you safety info and tips.

Our first gun we purchased was (and we still own) a 9mm Beretta white Onix. It's a nice piece. It's probably a bit too big to carry..... I'd get something smaller for that actually. We don't have carry permits. The Beretta has been reliable, easy to take apart & keep clean and easy to manage (so to speak).

My husband and I joined the local sportsman club and we've gone shooting on a regular basis. It's actually a good idea to do that and get a good feel for it. And from there...you'll only buy MORE guns.

The 9mm sits in a paticular place in the house with a snap cap in the chamber without a mag .... The loaded mag is nearbye with hollowpoints in it.

 

As someone already said, most of what you'll see on here is based largely on personal experience and personal opinions.

That said, I would have to essentially agree with Roland.

I am of the opinion that if I could only have one pistol (please God, don't let that day ever come), it would be a 6 or 7 shot 4" barreled .357 mag. revolver. The reason for this is that it's heavy enough to soak up a good bit of the recoil, but still small enough to keep in the center console of my truck. Also, it can double as an open carry pistol / backup when I go hunting.

I really love semi-autos, and I'm quite comfortable with them. However, all you're ever guaranteed with a semi-auto is one shot. Malfunctions happen so rarely in revolvers, salesmen can accurately say you're guaranteed all 6 (or 5 or 7 or 10) shots the pistol can hold.

Since you said cost is a factor, I would suggest looking into Taurus revolvers (as was already stated, I think). Smith and Wesson revolvers are the standard by which most other revolvers are measured, but Taurus makes some good little pistols as well. They (Taurus) are good revolvers that don't really have all that many bells and whistles. Most of their longer barreled revolvers (over 3.5") are ported, which, if you're shooting .357 mag. and are a novice, you would likely appreciate as it reduces what's known as muzzle flip.

One brand that is a little more expensive, but still, from what I've seen and experienced, very high quality is Ruger.

If you intend to carry this pistol concealed (with a valid permit, etc.), I would recommend a "snub nosed" (2" - 2.5" barrel) .357 mag. revolver (usually 5 shot). Again, extremely reliable with factory (or properly reloaded) ammo, and still very concealable. Both Ruger and Taurus make revolvers of this type.

The reasons for suggesting .357 mag. have already been stated, but it bears repeating that this particular caliber gives you the option of firing another caliber (.38 special) out of the same pistol. It's like buying two guns for one.

Also, if you can afford the price difference (as much as $120 in some cases), I would recommend that you buy one in stainless steel (as opposed to blued steel) not necessarily because they last longer than their counterparts, but rather they're generally easier to clean and keep free of rust for a newcomer.

EDIT: Forgot to mention, I second (or third or fourth) the advice to try out as many as you can before you buy. Fit and comfort with the particular pistol you choose are invaluable as you will always shoot better with a pistol that fits you and with which you are comfortable than one that doesn't fit and makes you uncomfortable.

 

IMO, a revolver will be more difficult to use under stress as opposed to a semiauto.

For a basic, simple, no frills, reliable pistol, I'd pick up a Glock 19.

 

For a stressfull couple of seconds, as in an attempted carjack how many rounds are you going to fire to get the hell away? The person who doesn't practice using a revolver, even with a missfire just pulls again and has 4 to 6 more chances to get out of harms way depending on capacity. With the Glock and having a misfire your going to wish you had practiced that clearing exercise a little more. Granted this is a worst case scenario. But isn't that why your carrying in the first place?

As stated above I prefer auto's but I do practice.

 

That's the thing. The G19 is an utterly reliable pistol. I took a 4 day basic/advanced pistol class with it where ~2500 rounds were sent downrange. No problems with my G19. I also took it to a rifle class but it didn't get to see as much action, for obvious reasons.

My carry gun is the same G19 with over 6000 problem free rounds through it. I'll get around to replacing the guide rod when I start having problems.

 

I have always heard to "never say never". At the range have a buddy drop a snap cap in your mag someplace with only 6 rounds loaded and one in a 6 round revolver. Use a timer and run some drills to see what the difference in times are with each while trying to place 2 shots each on 3 targets. I know you'll only end up with 1 shot on 1 target but I'm betting your faster with the wheel gun and you practice with your auto. I'm just saying misfires do happen and usually at the worst time. A person that is new to shooting and probably won't practice that much doesn't need any surprises. Also this was started as a affordable in the console type handgun question. Mag releases ever get pushed by accident? Used revolvers are usually less $ than the 19 as well. IMHO

 

Mag releases could get activated by accident; however, in two years of daily carry my mag has never dropped out.

It's really only an issue if extended mag releases are installed.


I also don't put extended slide stops on my pistols either.

A used G19 with fixed sights could cost you as little as $400. I got VERY lucky and got a LNIB G19 with XS Big Dot sights for $400 just yesterday. Saved over $200 in the process ($540 after tax for the gun, and $120 for the sights).

For defensive purposes, why would one rather carry a revolver with 6 bullets instead of the 15+1 capacity the G19 offers you?

I respect your opinion but it just seems like a semiauto would fit the bill better than a revolver.

If I could have only one handgun, it would be the G19 as it's small enough to carry all day yet large enough to fight with.

 

My response was to the original question. Inexpensive, in the car, new shooter.

In CA and other locations you're restricted to 10+1, a good revolver can be had for $200 or less, the average shoot out is over in far less than 6 or 7 rounds, fired from a few feet, in a few seconds, and the most proven 1 round stopper is still the 125 JHP 357 mag., as far as I know.

I'm not saying the 19 isn't a great handgun and one that I do carry myself occasionally. I carry semiauto's most of the time. I'm glad you like yours.

Try that snap cap drill and let me know.

 

Lsocoee,

50-50 on buy a $200 revolver or a $400 Glock and practice either way.

 

You'd be supprised. My wife actually brought it up to me. She said, the way the economy is going and her having to drive into downtown San Antonio everyday (which doesn't hold a candle to New Orleans, Houston, Albuquerque, Dallas, and Memphis - all of which we frequent at least once a year), she feels that if it comes down to her or some one else - it's gonna be some one else.

Both my wife and I never want to use our guns in defense, but we aren't going to let some one take our lives from us either.

On top of that, she actually enjoys shooting her Glock 19 (9mm auto) at the local shooting range. I think I am going to take her Glock 19 and get her a Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm (MP9). She doesn't like the angle of the glock, and the MP9 seems to be more comfortable for her to hold.

I don't know enough about guns yet to tell you one way or the other. I trust Roland and Chris to tell you the truth. What they say makes sense to me. The reason we went with automatics was two fold:

1) Automatics can carry more rounds, and with preloaded clips they are easier and faster to reload. I don't want my gun to "fall short" if I need it beyond six rounds or so.

2) In Texas, for your CHL (Concealed Handgun License) you can take the classes for an Automatic or a Revolver. If you take the class for the automatic, you are licensed to carry an automatic or a revolver. If you take the class for a revolver - that is all you can carry.

 

This is one of the reasons I like the 9mm's both my wife and I are comfortable firing them, and we don't worry about who has what ammo. We carry practice rounds for the range, and PPR's for the rest of the world...

 

P229 in .357 SIG <drool>