Need advice choosing a handgun

I love my Ruger P345 (45acp). Shoot it better (more accurate and consistent) than any other pistol I've ever fired. And I maintained qual on 38 and then 9mm for all my 26 years of active duty in Air Force. Worth taking a look at and they're reasonably priced. FWIW

 

My brother is a state trooper in Oregon and many of the officers are switching to the .45 smith and wesson i do believe. Nice gun and there rounds are really nice as well.

 

Look at the Beretta PX4 Storm compact or full size. I have the full size in a 9mm is a really nice looking gun, the recoil is not that bad and the safety features are perfect for carry and home defense.

 

I have this handy dandy 9mm Sig P228 for sale

 

Get a .45

But if not,
Springfield Armory XDm with a trigger job.
Best 9mm I've ever owned.

 

Note to self, shoot one soon. So how do used gun sales work in CA?

 

I carry a Ruger .380 LCP. Some say it is a little light on stopping power, but it carries 6 in the clip and one in the chamber. Small enough that when its in my jeans or pants pocket, nobody knows.

 

Good point, only good thing is we only have neighbors on one side and its opposite the front door. But if by chance someone was dumb enough to stay inside after racking the slide i'd have to be careful in the hall way.

 

A 9mm, is all you need really IMHO.

Sure, there are bigger better calibers (there always are,) but you have to draw the line somewhere, or just get a .44Mag!

I have a CZ 75B. (GREAT GUN BTW.) I have a .22lr top slide for it, AND a 9mm slide for it. And guess what? They make a .40cal slide for it too!

I think Baretta makes something similar also. I can post pics if you want.

 

Jk, picks would be cool, going to google it now.

Thanks again for the advice TW

 

Coming right up sir!...

 

So, I have the .22lr, AND the 9mm slides.

I suppose you could get the .40 only, or all 3 for that matter. The thing is that the slide has it's own serial# (it's basically a gun with no handle) and they aren't cheap. I have a Crimson Trace laser grip on mine as well. I have over a grand in this set-up, BUT really it's 2 guns and 2 laser grips... SEE?

I have to sight in the laser for 1 caliber or the other though, they do not hit in the same spot. This one is the nickle, or 2 tone, I forget what they call it.

With the kadet .22lr slide (that's what they call it, because it is for saving $ on ammo while training) it makes for a pretty sweet .22 pistol.

The CZ 75(B) has been in production since, (you guessed it) 1975. It is currently used by more militarily's and police forces than any other pistol in the world. It also carries a NATO certification, which only a handful of pistols are able to qualify for. It is made in the Czech Republic and is an excellent pistol.









Oh, yeah, All metal on this one too... The only plastic on it is the grips.
Capacity is 16+1.

 

Something to keep in mind is that it's not just about the caliber, but it's also about the ammo. 9mm ball has a nasty tendency to just go through people if it doesn't hit anything hard (bones) and end up hitting whatever's behind them. If you're convinced a handgun is the way to go for home protection, then I recommend loading it with ammo that spreads like a hollow point rather than ball.

Personally, I only really suggest a short-barrelled (18-in legal min) 12ga scattergun loaded with 00 Buck for home protection. By far the best 'bang for the buck' as it were and the least danger of travelling through people, walls, etc and ending up where you don't want it.

Bottom line on having ANY gun in the house for protection is willingness to use it when TSHTF. Have you and your wife both sat down and honestly decided that you're each willing to kill another person if it comes to it? If not then having a gun can become a liability, because if some scrote is in your house and you bring out a gun--and don't use it--you're running the risk of having it taken away and used on you. Not trying to be morbid, just realistic.

 

Glock 19 will be perfect for you and for the masses. If you carry it in your truck, you won't worry about it getting a little dinged up here and there and you won't have to worry to much about corrosion. Also, it being a compact 9mm, ammo is cheaper, it has a manageable recoil, allows for for more rounds in a compact magazine and.....the new 9mm ammo being produced makes it about as effective as larger and/or more powerful rounds. I carried one on duty back in the early '90's and I loved it.

 

Consider the common calibers: 9mm, 40, and 45. Don't even look at 357 sige or 10mm for home defense. They are overpriced, the 357 sig has no real advantage to the 40 except more penetration, and the 10mm is overkill for HD, if you miss it's going into the next house. 45 ACP is a great round, but expensive. Someone said it is known to over penetrate. This is not the case. It's a subsonic round as big as a rock and is very effective at dumping all it's energy into a soft target. Recoil is usually described as a strong shove and is worse in lighter guns, of course. A steel 1911 is a sweet shooter because it's so heavy. I personally carry a glock 23, which is .40 S&W. I have been finding ammo very cheap online (federal HST 180 gr for $19/ box). 40 is very difficult to shoot, however. It's a high pressure round and the gun sit's in is usually light weight. recoil is a very quick and strong snap. The advantage is you have power approaching that of a 45 in a 9mm sized gun. It is the most difficult chambering to shoot effectively. Penetration is good with .40 (I used to switch from 45 to 40 in the winter months) and the federal hst's expand to .73". I think 9mm is a good way to go for you. It's cheap and plentiful, and it is an easy round to be effective with. You don't have to practice nearly as much to be effective with a 9mm as you do with a 40 or 45. Ok so it's a small(er) caliber, but a 9mm in the center of mass is better then a 45 in the wall. Whatever you can shoot well is the best caliber for you. I also like the mid sized glocks a lot. The 19 would serve you and your wife well. They are simple, accurate, and completely reliable. Try shooting one, you may find you like the size more then the 17/22 full sized glocks. A lot of people are more accurate with the 19/23, and it's more easily concealed if you ever want to get a CCW license.

 

I agree with everything he's saying ... the bolded part is the most important IMHO. Goes for both the caliber and the make of weapon. What feels right to one won't feel right to another.

 

Same waiting period. Do the paperwork through a licensed dealer and they can ship it to another licensed dealer.

 

Thank you very much ! nice looking gun. Ill defiantly have to look at one.

 

Our first handgun was a Beretta 92fs (9mm). That was fun to shoot but didn't fit my hands (the wife) too well.

Our next handgun was for me.....a Smith & Wesson M&P 9C (9mm). It fits my hands perfectly and really fun to shoot. It's been a nice & accurate, smooth shooting and very accurate gun. It also fits his hands and has adjustable backstraps.

Just this past summer, bought a .45 - Springfield Range Officer. That fits my hands nicely also and fun to shoot. For both of us, its more accurate than the 9mm, but I'm assuming the larger calibers will do that - at the same distance.

So, for us...the M&P 9C is all around best handgun we own because it fits both of us, can be carried (if needed), easy on the recoil, and plenty of power for protection, accurate, reliable.....

 

If you are looking for home defense than I would use a mossberg 500 12ga shotgun. You would hate to have to use your handgun in your condo and have a miss target, and have your round go thru the wall and hit a neighbor. I personally carry a colt .45acp when not at home, my wife use a sig 232 in a .380 for her carry. 13 years in the service and living all over the world, and being paid at the poverity level for the first eight years, I lived in some savery neighborhoods.