Whats a good Cheap 9mm for a first time shooter?

jamesD83 said:
I don't need another 9mm, but everytime i see the norinco np29 (9mm 1911) i want to buy one, cause I've never tried. $359?!! Are you kidding me?!
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A friend of mine at the club bought one. It was no where near the NP29 I had about 10 years ago. It began peening the slide almost immediately. The gun went to a 'smith who installed the proper length barrel link. Since then it works ok. I am generally a fan of Norinco for build purposes but I have to say for not much more money there are a lot better options out there. The Girsan line for example. I got one used for $400 and the build quality is on par with my Berettas. Fit and finish is light years ahead of my three Norincos bought 10 years ago.

Take care

Bob
 
Elkbooger said:
Its also a hybrid / polymer, so very lightweight.
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DO NOT get a lightweight 9mm for a small girl with small hands!!! 9mm is a gamy little cartridge, and she won't be able to control a lightweight or a "plastic-fantastic". Says the voice of experience.

My wife (5'4" 109 lb - she's currently distressed about how little she weighs) has a HK P30L; paid a lot for it, can't shoot it. If she locks-up her wrists and swears a lot, she can get-off ~7 shots before the impacts just wander-off. I can shoot it with my big meaty hands, no problem (except that it has a crummy DASA trigger, and you can't get aftermarket parts for HK's) - she can't shoot it at all. We even hung a chunk of 1" solid steel in a scope-mount on the front bottom picatinny rail; it helped, but not all that much. So you know, she has no problem shooting a SR1911 in .45; even competes with it.

Get your gf a 9mm 1911 - something all-steel, and the single-stack 1911's have slender grips and SA triggers right at the back where small fingers can reach them. That's what "SHE" has now, and she's insanely happy (and accurate) with it; she has a bad wrist, and the weight of the steel 1911 absorbs recoil so she can put 100+ rds downrange before the recoil starts to bother her and she switches to her Buckmark.

- And get your gf a Maglula Aplula for loading the mag's - trust me! ;)
 
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gwesson said:
So you know, she has no problem shooting a SR1911 in .45
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I had my wife, who had very little firearms experience before she met me, out at a range on the weekend. She is 5'4" and around 120lbs and she fell in love with my Norinco commander sized 1911 in .45. she tried all of my 12.6 compacts from 22 up to 380, but, found she could easily one hand the1911 and hit bowling pins at 20 yards at will. She ended up using all of the ammo we brought out for it! ��
 
NP22 is a good one meaty gun without being too over the top like a beretta or a 1911
yet the weight helps with the recoil for the ladies ,my wife loves mine
cheers
 
OP, I recently picked up a Citadel 9mm 1911 (Legacy Sports - I believe the pistol is manufactured by Armscor in the Philippines) and it's a great handgun.

Since it's built on a 1911 platform (and is all steel), it has little to no recoil in 9mm - certainly nothing like the Norc 1911 in 45ACP I also own.

It's a little more expensive, but has a decent trigger, a full-length guide rod, and is all steel. Your GF might like something like that, and if not, YOU probably will!
 
Norinco NP-22 was my first and remains solid shooting after more than 1500rds. It hits the gong at 50yds and you can't beat the price. Upgrade the grips to hogue or pachmayr when you get a chance along with some mec-gar mags. It is a reverse engineered Sig P226 clone with aluminum frame and steel slide.
 
B.H.B said:
Norinco NP-22 was my first and remains solid shooting after more than 1500rds. It hits the gong at 50yds and you can't beat the price. Upgrade the grips to hogue or pachmayr when you get a chance along with some mec-gar mags. It is a reverse engineered Sig P226 clone with aluminum frame and steel slide.
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Change the mainspring to get a much lighter trigger pull on your NP 22.

That said, the Girsan copy of the Beretta 92 is a much better buy frankly, (Fit & Finish). Norincos also have the added disadvantage of not being able to cross the border in to the US. Something anyone living close to the 49th might want to consider if they intend to shoot in the US USPSA or IDPA..

The NP 22 is certainly a good copy of the Sig 226 though.

Take Care

Bob
 
Walther PPX kit. My sister loves it, over my Sig P250 nonetheless, and she is of small frame. Excellent first pistol and the kit is priced attractively for a first time shooter.
 
I agree with what a couple of other posters have suggested - consider a revolver. The simplicity of operation and lack of flying brass might be appealing characteristics. Alpha Proj makes 9mm revolvers, if you're stuck on that calibre, as do other manufacturers.
 
Calahan said:
I agree with what a couple of other posters have suggested - consider a revolver. The simplicity of operation and lack of flying brass might be appealing characteristics. Alpha Proj makes 9mm revolvers, if you're stuck on that calibre, as do other manufacturers.
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Yup...I have the 9251 (9mm with 5 inch barrel). While one of the chambers is a bit sticky with extraction, it is a fantastic firearm and well worth the $. Nice adjustable sights, good weight (I like heavy) and a really nice trigger in SA.

With that being said, i wouldn't rule out the 22LR route. I recently picked up a Smith and Wesson SW22 Victory. I have about 1000 rounds down the pipe so far and i absolutely love it. I love the sights, trigger, mags, ease of disassembly/cleaning and the accuracy is superb and every as bit as good as my buckmark. It is quickly becoming my go to range toy. The buckmark still has a better fit for my hand and the trigger is better but the sw22 has the better sights (fiber....my buckmark is the el cheapo version with standard sights) and the easier cleaning/tear down.

But the main selling point for your GF is that the SW22 has a relatively small frame/grip area. Some people with large hands (myself included) complain about the small grip but it is just big enough to shoot comfortably. It will even shoot very well with Remington Gold...the worst of the worst. I put 360 rounds of it through it today before it had a malfunction (failure to feed...not the guns fault).
 
Thanks for posting your recommendations guys.

I got my rPAL recently and have been asking myself this same question. Shot a Glock 17 today and managed to hit 8/10 plates at 108' (according to the instructor). Love hearing that contact ping... I'm hooked.

Waiting to hear back from the EE page, hope to find a gently used Glock 17. If not, maybe i'll try to find someone in my area who can let me try something similar. Hope I get approved to join. Fingers crossed.
 
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