Thinking of buying my first firearm- opinions?

If you're able to find a place to rent/fire a variety of guns, I recommend you try the Ruger SR9 or SR9c. Most comfortable (for me) and best shooting 9mm I've ever owned. It's the only gun I've used that I can reliably do the following with:

- pick a random aiming point 10+ yards away
- close my eyes
- raise gun at arm's length and try to target my selected spot
- open my eyes and be either dead on or within a fraction of a degree

I guess that speaks well to how well it fits my hand/body. Glocks never have felt comfortable to me (grip angle is all wrong).

I've put more than 3500 rounds through mine with no real problems to speak of... 3-4 failures to eject (mostly lax moments on my part but one was a squib) and 3 light strikes. The light strikes went away immediately after I cleaned the striker and channel (a little excess lube had collected on the striker and it was catching brass flakes/crud.)

 

Got to look at a ruger p90 today. My foreman brought that and his g21 for me to look at.

After getting to spend about 30 mins looking at the g21, i really fell in love with the glock. It fit my hand really well and just felt right. I am going to go with the glock i think. Here is a pic of his guns.

I have my appt to get my handgun saftey certificate, as well as take that beginner class on friday night. I am very excited, luckily so is my gf!

 

+1 on the recommendations to look at the sr9, springfield xd, ..and i'd throw in s&w m&p, and walther pps as well... if the glock feels good to you then that is great, ..assuming this is exclusively your firearm... glock has quite a following..

just a tech tip w/ glocks though, only buy jacketed ammo for it, since the rifling design isn't really compatible w/ unjacketed lead... remember safety, safety, safety, ..and the best safety is the one between your ears...

have fun!

 

I don't own a Glock but my impression of them is that if you happen to sort of "limp wrist" the recoil and absorb too much of the force it won't chamber the next round properly. They sort of need you to be stiff, helping redirect the force. It's one thing for me, but not something I'd expect out of my wife scared shitless in a home defense situation. I'm not home 24-7 and if she needs it I don't want to have to trust her to have perfect mechanics. Again, its just my opinion and being in NJ I am far from an expert on handguns, but that's the reason I did not buy a glock for my nightstand.

Somebody suggested shooting a few and going a range. Bring your girl with you.

 

+1

it's not just exclusive to glocks... that's why proper grip, sighting, and trigger control should be learned.. ..then progress to learning how to deal w/ the most common types of malfunctions...

 

All the more reason to get your significant other involved in the decision from the start. Again, I'm talking about my wife. I don't know how serious of a relationship the op is in, but its not something to sleep on. If in two years she's your wife with a bun in the oven this could be the gun that saves her life. That carries more weight with me than how it fits in MY hand. I can adjust. I wanted her comfortable from the very start.

 

Part of the reason why I want a firearm is so my gf can protect herself if need be. She will be attending the class with me on friday night. And yes we are serious, we own a house together lol!

I'm curious to know about this "limp wrist". I am not a big guy, but I do work with my hands and consider myself pretty strong. Im hoping I dont have an issue with it.

If it matters, I regularly use a "powder actuated tool" (hilti gun) which i believe is close to a .22 size charge up to 200 times a day some days. I know a 9mm is alot stronger, but maybe that can attest to my physical ability.

 

limp-wristing is having too loose a handle on it, ..letting the gun excessively recoil backward/upward - it can cause fail-to-eject or misfeed malfunctions in worst cases... you want a firm grip 60/40, ...60% weak hand, 40% strong hand... arms pretty much locked out, ..and when pulling the trigger, let it break cleanly (no jerking, anticipating recoil) so that the shot "surprises" you - that's a good way to start practicing..

here's mad ogre w/ a demo of the bad and the good when it comes to grip/deployment for self-defense pistol:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y02IZlFSeuc

 

Check out Bullseye in San Rafael. You can try XD's, Glocks, Smith and Wesson M&Ps, Walthers.

I would strongly recommend the Springfield XD's. They are extremely reliable, I have never had any misfires ever. You ever damage the barrel you can swap it out in 20seconds. They do have lifetime warranty. They are worth every penny, and you can choose from 9mm, 357, 40, 45acp. Anytime I go to Bullseye I drop at least 1000rds. My fingers usually hurt after loading that many.

For most starters, an XD40 or XD9 is a great way to go. In Cali, you only get 10rds, so I would say 40/45 is the way to go. Larger pop per trigger pull. The 40 is a decent savings when you drop lots of rounds though. My main shooter is an XD45ACP tactical in Olive Drab. I always go back to that one. I even ran my girl through a whole range of guns and she loves the XD45 as well You ever wanna meet up I'm in the North Bay.



My girl with my XD45 w/Viridian SXD Green Laser indoor @ bullseye San Rafael

 

Thats a great video. I am going to check out more of that guys stuff, he seems very knowledgeable. I wish wehad private property around here where we could "plink" like that guy. Luckily there are quite a bit of shooting ranges near me.

 

I'd recommend buying an accurate .22 as a first handgun then spending a year or two shooting it before moving up to a larger caliber. Not only are .22 rounds much cheaper, you are going to find much more opportunities to shoot a .22 and also find it useful for hunting.

The percentage of civilians who have to use a handgun to protect themselves is extremely low. Not only is is darn hard to hit anything at night with a pistol, many more spouses, friends and kids are shot by people "defending" themselves than are criminals.

Get a target .22 and have fun knocking down tin cans and bagging squirrels and rabbits for the fry pan. If you want a practical home defense weapon get a pump shotgun. Just the universally-known sound of a pump shotgun cambering a round will scare off most intruders and if you have to shoot at someone you stand a much better chance of hitting them with a shotgun than with a pistol.

 

Wow that is very generous. Great post too! +rep when i am not on my iphone Thanks alot! San rafel is a bit of a drive from san mateo though lol. Once i get my HSC, i will shoot the xd and the g17 and decide then. Just holding them isnt enough obviously!

I am pretty firm in wanting a 9mm first however due to cost concerns at this point in my firearm purchasing career. I am however looking into .40 and .45 trying to become as knowledgeable as possible and because i know myself and i will want another firearm after getting this one

 

Good post.

I was considering a .22, but i found that i could buy a 9mm for not that much more.

I will most likley never hunt, as i have no desire to.

I live in the city (near san francisco) so there is really nowhere anywhere near me where i could shoot at cans or the like.

I appreciate your opinion, and will be shooting a .22 in my little beginner class on friday night.

 

really?

... there is much more to consider here, than what appears on the surface.. at home-defense "ranges", ..the spread is only about the size of a ping-pong ball, perhaps up to tennis ball (i'm assuming "legal" barrel lengths here)... handguns are much more versatile for an indoor scenario, manueverability around corners ("slicing the pie"), "drop-ins" into doorways/etc,.. as long guns are more unweildy in close-quarters and the longer sight-radius in largely not realized, especially in a chaotic engagement close-range... i'm not saying shotgun isn't effective here, ..but i disagree w/ your denegration of handgun for home defense..

 

It's mostly been said already. One thing I'll add though: a lighter pistol feels nice when you pick it up, and especially if you have to carry it in a holster, but delivers more recoil when you fire it, because it has less mass.

So if you can, fire the pistol(s) you're considering before making your final choice.

 

Hello, only made it through the first page but sounds like you are getting lots good advice. I'll chime in on the gun itself. My wife and I just went through the same thing and after shooting everything we could we opted for a sig 226 in 9 mm. It's a little pricy but a great gun we both enjoy shooting (no ofence to anyone but we are far from gun nuts) but really enjoy shooting so far. Some people have chimed in at the range saying we should have bought a 45 to home defense but just smiling and saying thank you has worked pretty well. Anyway shoot every gun you can till you find one that fits your hand and you will both be happy.

 

I'm not so much denegrating handguns (I carried an issue M1911A1 for years and have owned and fired handguns since i was a kid) as I am recommending shotguns as a home defense alternative for many people.

For one thing, a shotgun is not going to be subject to as many legal restrictions as a handgun. Also, it takes constant practice to maintain your skill with a handgun and, even more importantly, training and experience to be able to react appropriately to an emergency situation. Even highly-trained police officers sometimes empty an entire clip at close range without landing a single hit.

There are also other reasons to consider a shotgun for home defense, and one one is related to a point you mentioned. At a range close enough to require defending yourself, a shotgun loaded with birdshot is either incapacitating or lethal (I can attest to this personally, having treated a good many gunshots and bagged a good many corpses). However, birdshot is far less likely to be lethal after it has passed through an interior wall or door and is much less likely to injure a family member or neighbor.

 

You have nothing to worry about. I brought it up entirely because you said there was a woman in the equation. I just went thru this not all that long ago when my wife and I decided to start a family. My dad had great advice. He told me "Don't be an asshole and expect her to shoot a Desert Eagle."

 

Right, not everyone needs a hand cannon. I used to have a 6" barrel .44 magnum revolver that would literally put bruises on my hand. Conversely, my sister has a European-made Walther PP chambered in .380 ACP. I've fired it several times and find it very accurate with little recoil; it's a pure pleasure to shoot. I'd recommend something similar for any "little lady," or anyone for that matter.