Thoughts on First Handgun

Meroh said:
I have three Norincos; the NZ85 in 9MM, their Sig clone in .40 and a 1911 in 45. All would be a good choice in 9mm; and bought on sale, great value. 1911 has a great trigger, and these seem to fit everyone. NZ85 has great SA trigger and good DA Trigger; Sig clone has questionable DA trigger, not a bad SA trigger (but a long takeup and reset). Which do I like best? All of them!
Click to expand...

I am pretty new to firearms and last year I bought my first rifle and first shotgun from a CGN member. We became friends and as for my first handgun, I bought it from him also. He was close enough that I was able to travel to his house and I counted at lease 48 maybe 50 handguns and he said that I could pick up whichever one catches and feel which one fits best and he will sell me that one with the exception of about half a dozen which are sacred. Like Meroh said, I couldn't decide because I liked all of them.

I don't even think that if I shot all of them, that I could even decide because I am not a professional shooter or a handgun expert, I just want it to go bang. So I have 12 handguns to chose from because the others were way out of my price range. I did get a crash course on stuff like Les Baer's, Wilson combat's and Manurhin's. A few guns to aspire to. I asked him what he thought was the best gun for me and he asked me what's my dream car? 67 Stingray and he said that he is a Porsche guy and if I had a chance to buy my dream car, why would he talk me out of it. Point taken.

So he said that the perfect gun for me is the one that I dreamt about and longed for even before I got my RPAL. Even if it is the worse gun in the world, because I have held it up in such high esteem because of all the emotions it conjures, I will never regret buying it. So as much as I was fascinated with his Chiappa Silver Rhino (so cool) it was a bit out of my price range, when I thought about it long and hard, the gun that a really wanted was a Beretta 92. He has a couple and I bought one that looked brand new for $600. He threw in 2 extra 9mm magazines and 2 .40 cal magazines. I am pretty sure that I am good to go with the 96 magazines although I did have a couple of Sig and Glock guys come up to me and complain that I was doing something illegal, because of the 15+1 rounds. Hate people like that, they don't know anything about magazine capacity laws and they still push their noise into other people's business. These are the people who always have an opinion, regardless of whether they are wrong or right. Same people that would have undoubtably told me I should have bought a Glock or a Sig as my first gun or a 2001 Mustang as my first car. Now that I have a couple more handguns (one of which is a stainless Sig 228), and even though I like them all, I still prefer my 92 because it's my first handgun and the one I will pass down to my son.
 
My first handgun was a $99 Norinco Tokarev 9mm from Canam. It was cheap, worked fine and was really fun to shoot. I could never afford to own more than one handgun at a time when I started off so I would keep trading up until I found a gun that fit me best.

You can buy an NP22 and 1000 rounds for the price of a Glock, if money is tight I would go that way and trade up over time. If money is not an issue I would start with the Glock and trade up if you are not happy with it.

Just by bringing your new gun to the range you will meet other shooters that will let you try their guns.
 
LastOutpost said:
I am pretty new to firearms and last year I bought my first rifle and first shotgun from a CGN member. We became friends and as for my first handgun, I bought it from him also. He was close enough that I was able to travel to his house and I counted at lease 48 maybe 50 handguns and he said that I could pick up whichever one catches and feel which one fits best and he will sell me that one with the exception of about half a dozen which are sacred. Like Meroh said, I couldn't decide because I liked all of them.

I don't even think that if I shot all of them, that I could even decide because I am not a professional shooter or a handgun expert, I just want it to go bang. So I have 12 handguns to chose from because the others were way out of my price range. I did get a crash course on stuff like Les Baer's, Wilson combat's and Manurhin's. A few guns to aspire to. I asked him what he thought was the best gun for me and he asked me what's my dream car? 67 Stingray and he said that he is a Porsche guy and if I had a chance to buy my dream car, why would he talk me out of it. Point taken.

So he said that the perfect gun for me is the one that I dreamt about and longed for even before I got my RPAL. Even if it is the worse gun in the world, because I have held it up in such high esteem because of all the emotions it conjures, I will never regret buying it. So as much as I was fascinated with his Chiappa Silver Rhino (so cool) it was a bit out of my price range, when I thought about it long and hard, the gun that a really wanted was a Beretta 92. He has a couple and I bought one that looked brand new for $600. He threw in 2 extra 9mm magazines and 2 .40 cal magazines. I am pretty sure that I am good to go with the 96 magazines although I did have a couple of Sig and Glock guys come up to me and complain that I was doing something illegal, because of the 15+1 rounds. Hate people like that, they don't know anything about magazine capacity laws and they still push their noise into other people's business. These are the people who always have an opinion, regardless of whether they are wrong or right. Same people that would have undoubtably told me I should have bought a Glock or a Sig as my first gun or a 2001 Mustang as my first car. Now that I have a couple more handguns (one of which is a stainless Sig 228), and even though I like them all, I still prefer my 92 because it's my first handgun and the one I will pass down to my son.
Click to expand...

Well said. I feel like I have to go with my gut. I can always trade up or buy a second one.
 
Dunkn said:
Well said. I feel like I have to go with my gut. I can always trade up or buy a second one.
Click to expand...
Exactly.

Handling a gun at a store won't let you know how it recoils when shot, or if there are annoying edges that dig into your hands, again, under recoil. A friend of mine has a gun that's like that. Can't remember which one, but holding it and shooting it are really different.

Hammer vs striker? Plastic vs steel? Again, at a store you won't be simulating shooting for a couple hours.

Make your best educated guess, buy something, get some instruction, learn on it, make friends with others at the range, try out their guns, and in a year or so at the next round of Black Friday or Xmas sales, buy something more in line with your views at that time.

Enjoy the journey. :)
 
CZ 75 Glock 17 or 19 . the CZ because the way it fits my hand and it's reliable. the Glocks are Reliable and you can get parts and mags for them . as for the Walther or how ever you spell it I shot one and didn't like the way it felt in my hand . or if cash is in short supply get a Norinco NP 29 1911 in 9mm. several guys at the range really like them. there you go 4 solid pistols to shoot .
 
cement head said:
CZ 75 Glock 17 or 19 . the CZ because the way it fits my hand and it's reliable. the Glocks are Reliable and you can get parts and mags for them . as for the Walther or how ever you spell it I shot one and didn't like the way it felt in my hand . or if cash is in short supply get a Norinco NP 29 1911 in 9mm. several guys at the range really like them. there you go 4 solid pistols to shoot .
Click to expand...

Is Norinco a Canadian brand? I’m not familiar with the brand.
 
Dunkn said:
Is Norinco a Canadian brand? I’m not familiar with the brand.
Click to expand...

Norinco is Chinese, but given the fact that most of Norinco's stuff is banned for import into the USA, they're quite common in Canada. Most of Norinco's stuff is knockoffs of other firearms (CZ, Sig, etc.), at a fraction of the price. They are not manufactured to the same quality standard as the originals, but you get what you pay for, and for the most part they go bang. I've had several Norincos pass through my hands over the years, and I've never had a bad experience. I still have my Norinco M93 (Colt woodsman knockoff), and I'm not allowed to sell it, as it's my wife's favourite... there is a lot of hate from some on this site towards Norinco, but as stated, I've never had issue with them. Another option to look at is Girsan out of Turkey. I have a Girsan Regard, which is a Beretta 92F, made on machinery that was purchased from Beretta. It is incredibly well finished, and is a very nice piece. They recently came out with a strike fired pistol that is supposedly modeled after the S&W M&P (called the MC23, I think), that I have heard good things about. My first pistol was a 1952 TT-33 Tokarev, and although it is a really neat gun, in hindsight, it was a poor choice for a first pistol. The ergonomics are weird, and it shoots a round typically purchased as surplus (not typically great for accuracy).
 
cement head said:
CZ 75 Glock 17 or 19 . the CZ because the way it fits my hand and it's reliable. the Glocks are Reliable and you can get parts and mags for them . as for the Walther or how ever you spell it I shot one and didn't like the way it felt in my hand . or if cash is in short supply get a Norinco NP 29 1911 in 9mm. several guys at the range really like them. there you go 4 solid pistols to shoot .
Click to expand...

CZ75 I agree with. Glocks are great working guns, but not exciting for me at all. I just got back from the range, and today I was shooting 3 Norincos; NZ85B (clone of the CZ75 with Ambi safeties; Norinco NP58 (sig P226 clone in .40 S & W) and thier 1911 in .45. I like them all. The NZ feels the nicest and has the best trigger; the 1911 because it feels great and has a great trigger; and the NP50 because it always shoots where I point, and has a bit of snap when I fire it. 9mm is cheaper to shoot, so the NZ85B,NP29, NP sigs in 9mm would all be great starter pistols; if you have small hands, the NP29; medium to large hands; any and all of them.
 
I have a Norinco NP29, shoots very well, it's a heavy all steel gun, I'd buy another one if I was still looking. Also have a Sig P226 and a CZ75 Shadow. I'm waiting for the Shadow to show up in the mail but the Norinco and Sig have both been flawless. I personally like the hammer fired DA/SA guns. I shot a glock at a training day and wasn't a big fan. It worked flawless but just didn't feel right to me. Start with what you can afford and upgrade over time if you want. There will always be new pistol shooters looking to get in to it without spending a fortune so it should be able to be sold down the road when you upgrade.
 
One consideration to keep in mind is that many of the polymer framed choices offer a selection of back straps to customize the grip. H&K are the industry leaders in ergonomics with back straps and side panels. My first 9mm was a WWII Inglis Browning Hi-Power and my first striker fired pistol was a Smith & Wesson M&P 40. Currently my favourite 9's, in no particular order, are:

1. Springfield XDM
2. H&K VP9
3. CZ 75 SP-01 Shadow
4. Walther PPQ M2 (5" barrel)
5. Beretta 92FS

It's your money and preferences that take priority. My only advice would be to shoot .22 for a year while trying as many 9's as you can get people to let you. Most sport shooters are more than happy to let you have a go and answer any questions. There are also a lot of video and written reviews available. My only caveat for YouTube is turn off the video if the idiot handles the firearm without a proper safety check. Good luck with your quest.
 
Dunkn said:
I really like the aesthetics of the Walther PPQ M2. Who is the distributor of Walther in Canada? All of the retailers are sold out as far as I can see...
Click to expand...

Try IRUNGUNS. You can get Jarvis to make a 106mm barrel, ship it to IRUNGUNS, they switch barrel and ship gun up. That way you can get a relatively Non-pinocchio barrel PPQ.
 
Kopanoak said:
One consideration to keep in mind is that many of the polymer framed choices offer a selection of back straps to customize the grip. H&K are the industry leaders in ergonomics with back straps and side panels. My first 9mm was a WWII Inglis Browning Hi-Power and my first striker fired pistol was a Smith & Wesson M&P 40. Currently my favourite 9's, in no particular order, are:

1. Springfield XDM
2. H&K VP9
3. CZ 75 SP-01 Shadow
4. Walther PPQ M2 (5" barrel)
5. Beretta 92FS

It's your money and preferences that take priority. My only advice would be to shoot .22 for a year while trying as many 9's as you can get people to let you. Most sport shooters are more than happy to let you have a go and answer any questions. There are also a lot of video and written reviews available. My only caveat for YouTube is turn off the video if the idiot handles the firearm without a proper safety check. Good luck with your quest.
Click to expand...
This is good advice 22 till your really comfortable
 
Kopanoak said:
One consideration to keep in mind is that many of the polymer framed choices offer a selection of back straps to customize the grip. H&K are the industry leaders in ergonomics with back straps and side panels. My first 9mm was a WWII Inglis Browning Hi-Power and my first striker fired pistol was a Smith & Wesson M&P 40. Currently my favourite 9's, in no particular order, are:

1. Springfield XDM
2. H&K VP9
3. CZ 75 SP-01 Shadow
4. Walther PPQ M2 (5" barrel)
5. Beretta 92FS

It's your money and preferences that take priority. My only advice would be to shoot .22 for a year while trying as many 9's as you can get people to let you. Most sport shooters are more than happy to let you have a go and answer any questions. There are also a lot of video and written reviews available. My only caveat for YouTube is turn off the video if the idiot handles the firearm without a proper safety check. Good luck with your quest.
Click to expand...

You’re local to me - do you shoot at Nova?
 
What are going to use the pistol for? You didn't say if you have time on a handgun or not.

For the first handgun I believe there is merit in sticking with a DA/SA pistol. First and foremost they are inherently safer pistols for new shooters to handle due to their longer DA trigger pull, In addition most either have a manual safety or a decocker for added protection. There are several excellent options open to you. CZ 75/SP-01 Series, the SIG 226, Tanfoglio and the Beretta 92FS come to mind. Certainly the Shadow is an excellent pistol and it has been the choice of a lot of IPSC shooters for good reasons. Until recently the 92FS in the form of a M9 along with the SIG 226 served the US Army and others well. Both designs are time proven.

Of the striker fired pistols, the PPQ is king for accuracy, ergos and trigger out of the box IMHO. Add to that the ability to change sights front and back in minutes with nothing more than a screw driver is a consideration. There are lots of very good options in the striker fired field including the SIG 320 series, the M&P Series and the new CZP 10 would be the next pistols I would look at. If you like the grip angle of the Glock, the Gen 5 version would another solid choice. The new IPSC Production rules for 2019 allow the striker guns to competewith lighter triggers and I suspect there are going to be a few eye brows raised next year when they show up at matches.

There are not a lot of handguns made today that are not reliable. You just have to find one you like. If I was just starting out I would try to get to an IDPA or IPSC match and see what they are shooting. I know most of the guys would certainly let you try out their guns after the match. Find one you like and plunk your money down.

Take Care

Bob
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom