Best pistol for a beginner?

Just get a nice polymer 9mm on the EE. 400$ can get you a nice Ruger SR9. If you wanna do 500$ you can get some of the range kits, Smith m&p or walther ppx.
 
Congrats on getting a handgun, there are some good options in your price range , and just slightly higher. We just got our first a few months ago. My wife got the GSG 1911-22, and it is a great gun, I have shot it and liked it so much I bought a used Sig 1911-22 as my second handgun( same gun). For $420 you get a nice 1911 , drawback is you only get one mag with the gun, extra mags are about $35 each. There are a few on the EE ranging from $325-450 right now.
My choice was the FNH FNS9 LS, for $499 you get a fantastic, well built .9mm with 3 mags and 2 back straps in a really nice case, I can't say enough about this gun, love it, only drawback is not much tech support or parts availability yet in Canada.
Our employee just bought the Canik Tp9sa, $569 for the pistol with 2 mags, 2 back straps , a holster and a mag loader, haven't shot it yet, but it is a very nice pistol to handle.
YouTube is your friend, watch as many videos as you can on the guns you are interested in, and have fun making your choice, for me this was the best part, researching what I wanted was a lot of fun :)
 
IMO, it's hard to fault the GSG at the price, which can be sub-$400 brand new with some searching around. Add a couple extra mags and (ideally) the ZRTS kit, and you're good to go!
After that you can get your 9mm. Your 45. And on it goes....

GSG_zps79epr5tr.jpg
 
Brianma65 said:
There's a Jericho and a CZ for $450 on the EE. There was a S&W sdve 9 for $300 awhile ago. Not sure if it's still there. The smith is not bad for $300 but I wouldn't pay any more though
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For a new shooter I would stay away from the S&W SD9 VE as it has a really heavy trigger on it unless it has had the Apex trigger kit installed.
I just got one and with the heavy pull a target after 1 mag looks like I was using 00 buck on it.
 
If cost is that much of an object, you should forget about anything in .45. Unless you reload, .45 ammo is very expensive. Get a good .22 and work on your marksmanship fundamentals until you can afford to shoot something bigger. A Ruger 22/45 should not cost too much more than $400 and should be accurate, reliable, and durable out of the box.

My recommendation for a centrefire pistol would be a Glock 17 or S&W M&P 9. The only lower-priced gun than those two that I would consider would be a S&W SD9. In that case, you will likely want to change out the factory trigger springs for the Apex spring kit.
 
Hi, I have a used (about 900 rounds), virtually new condition Ruger 22LR...22/45 Target version. Great gun, shoots almost anything, very accurate. I'm 6'4" with big hands. Unfortunately the grip is a little too small for me. I bought a Ruger MarkII target and it's better (fatter) and works better for me. If you're interested let me know. Asking $340. New online right now with tax...$491 (alflaherty.com). All cleaned up and ready to go. BTW...cleaning a Ruger is not as hard as it's made out to be. A little odd to close it up at first, but following youtube video closely...step by step, it was fine. I'm in Toronto.
 
rosco1e said:
Hi, I have a used (about 900 rounds), virtually new condition Ruger 22LR...22/45 Target version. Great gun, shoots almost anything, very accurate. I'm 6'4" with big hands. Unfortunately the grip is a little too small for me. I bought a Ruger MarkII target and it's better (fatter) and works better for me. If you're interested let me know. Asking $340. New online right now with tax...$491 (alflaherty.com). All cleaned up and ready to go. BTW...cleaning a Ruger is not as hard as it's made out to be. A little odd to close it up at first, but following youtube video closely...step by step, it was fine. I'm in Toronto.
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Nice to offer, but in order to avoid upsetting the CGN overlords, you need to use the Equipment Exchange (EE). ;)
 
CV32 said:
It won't take long for the hankering for a centerfire (probably a .45, lol) takes over and you can resist no longer. I assure you of that. :) But if you want to be a better shooter, the .22LR has better potential to keep you out of trouble in that regard. And you can get off to a good start without breaking the bank.
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I'll second that...I may have had my m&p22 a month before I got the 9!
Nice to see you here, CV32!!!
 
If I may chime in - I am getting the wife a CZ75 in 9mm. She has her PALR on the way. My thoughts are is there a better gun with similar fit as this one as we can go to $1500. Was thinking the Tanfoglio III looks similar to the $900CZ but the question is does the extra money justify better things like quality or parts availability? I also want her to learn with a double actions so she can pull from the holster and fire her first shot DA each time a new mag is loaded then go to SA FOR 2nd shot.
I personally think the Beretta PX4 is a good fit for me and is known to have less felt recoil and felt really light and steady in my hand plus I am a lefty so it has ambi features. I will appreciate feedback as it is 35 years since I last had pistols and the choices are way better and numerous now. The guns will be used for club targets then I will progress to TacMod type shooting as I am getting a Modern Hunter rifle as well.
 
You can't go wrong with a cz75, feels so nice in the hand. Shots just as nice, beautiful pistol. If you will end up shooting it much consider the cz85 combat, it's got ambidextrous controls and adjustable rear sights. Look and ergonomics are pretty much the same as the cz75, I'm a lefty also.
 
To the OP...I went the route of getting several 45s and 9mm pistols because that was what I 'liked'. Problem was, they cost me so much to shoot...I wasn't able to afford to put the amount of practice in that was required to develop any sort of skills.

My most recent purchase was one of the new S&W Victory 22s...and man, I wish that it had been my first pistol. I can spend hours at the range and not feel much of a pinch on the pocketbook. My confidence and marksmanship have greatly improved.

Not trying to talk you out of the bigger calibers, just set some $ aside down the road for a 22 for that 'cheap' practice.
 
You will get lots of opinions and here is yet another. Pick up a 75B new or used in 9MM. Note not a 75 Pre B. Install a 13 pound mainspring and learn to shoot it. You will have a gun for the rest of your life and aside from ego and peer pressure no need to ``upgrade``. In time you may want to look at different sights but sights aside you will have a gun that will last a lifetime. There are other options that may cost more but none will shoot any better, be any more reliable or be better built.

Take Care

Bob
 
Canuck44 said:
You will get lots of opinions and here is yet another. Pick up a 75B new or used in 9MM. Note not a 75 Pre B. Install a 13 pound mainspring and learn to shoot it. You will have a gun for the rest of your life and aside from ego and peer pressure no need to ``upgrade``. In time you may want to look at different sights but sights aside you will have a gun that will last a lifetime. There are other options that may cost more but none will shoot any better, be any more reliable or be better built.

Take Care

Bob
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Miss my pre-b, but have no regrets going to an 85C either.

M
 
gnmontey said:
Miss my pre-b, but have no regrets going to an 85C either.

M
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Great pistol. I wish CZ would start making the Combat model with the new frame. I like to reverse my mag release to the right side and I am right handed. That said I have a Ken Soucie tuned 85 Combat that I will never sell. The gun has the fastest, smoothest trigger and reset of any of my CZ`s. I use it for backup now to my 75 Shadowline only because of the ability to reverse the mag release. The Shadowline has a slightly longer reset than what Ken achieved. I don`t have the ability to take advantage of the faster reset but there it is. I do have a New Edition with a 13 pound mainspring and it is my ``always wanted one`` gun. When you buy a CZ you have to understand they tend to multiply.


Take Care

Bob
 
tazik said:
Having a budget of under $400 for a 1911 and not wanting a .22, ...., what about your budget for the ammo ?
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That's what I thinking... Guns are cheap, it's the ammo that will hit you (pun intended :p )
- If you don't have the $$ for the gun, you probably don't have the $$ for the reloading setup that will help you save $ on ammo.
- The only way you'll get your money out of the reloading setup is by shooting lots... which means you're still spending $$, but expending more ammo.

And to be a little more productive in answering the OP...

For less than $400 (and not in 22lr), this is not a bad deal
https://www.tradeexcanada.com/content/star-model-b-super-9mm-parabellum
 
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