Help a total noobie pick a good first handgun?

Dax420

Dax420

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Hello Everyone, I'm new here.

A bit of background: I'm a Canadian city-boy. When I was younger I did a few seasons of hunting with my father, I still have my hunter number but my old FAC has long since expired. I've put a few thousand rounds down range with everything from a .22LR to a 30-06, but I've never fired a pistol. I stopped hunting when my father passed away and I haven't been to the range in 10 years.

Next weekend I go for my Restricted Possession and Acquisition license course. I'm doing the course because my boss is also taking the course and wanted a familiar face to do it with, and now I have a shooting partner. The more research I do the more excited I am to start shooting again.

Any "first time pistol shooter" advice, or "Canadian handgun owner" advice would be greatly appreciated. I already know about LTATT's and have read as much as I can about the rules and regulations for restricted firearms ownership as I can. I'm looking for "experienced wisdom" not "here are the rules".

Now for the inevitable, which gun should I buy and what caliber?

My first thought was "I'm getting a Glock. Action hero style." however after looking at several models online they don't really appeal to me visually. Nothing against them, they are just kind of "plain" looking. I do however like the technology used by the Glocks. After some basic online research I am leaning towards the Springfield XD Tactical 5" in Bi-tone finish (oooh shiny) but I can't decide/don't know enough to pick a caliber, I also haven't been able to find a dealer for this gun in Canada, can we even get these here?

I was thinking of going 9mm since it's cheaper to shoot, however the more I look into it the 10 round restriction makes me think I should be going with a larger round. The XD 9mm holds like 19 +1 rounds, the XD 45ACP holds 13+1. Knowing that I can only get a 10 round clip anyways, doesn't it make more sense to go with the .45? Exactly how much more expensive is it per shot to step up from 9mm to .45ACP? Also, is this a good first handgun?

Also important, buying a gun. Should I be looking at local gun stores or ordering online? I have a feeling that importing from the US is going to be cheaper, but a pain in the ass for paperwork. Anyone have experience with this?

Also, I live less than half a block from Wanstalls, so I will be visiting them in the near future.

I'm obviously going to try to rent/borrow a few different guns to try before I drop down cash on a weapon, but I would at least like to be headed in the right direction instead of wandering aimlessly down the path.

Thanks all!
 
Budget?

And I don't follow your logic on the neutered mags....only being able to hold 10 rounds max is not a determining factor when choosing a caliber....at least not IMO

Interesting that you don't want a glock in favour of an XD....I'm not sure about the tactical model, but I've always considered the XD to be a rip-off of a glock, with the added annoyance of a grip safety

When trying to figure out what first gun to buy....handle lots of them to see what fits best, and shoot lots if you can. Buy one and shoot it. If you don't like it you can always sell it here on the equipment exchange.

I would buy mail order over retail....in my experience, you can save a lot. Buying from the US isn't as hard as you may think either, just comes down to how much the exporter charges. Here in Ontario, there is a store near the US border which will take care of everything for $100, only hitch is you have to meet them at the border.

Good luck with the search
 
If you're in Maple Ridge, you should head over to DVC Ventures, on Broadway in PoCo. They have all kinds of handguns that you can rent and try before you buy. That would be the best place to start, I figure
 
budget and again budget...one of the capital question !
what it's the main purpose?...plinking only?
IMO first gun could be a good used 9mm from EE forum
(ex:Beretta 92FS - SIG 226 - CZ75)

American Eagle 9mm/115 gr box at Reliable Gun cost $12/box when you buy 1000rnds
American Eagle 45ACP/230gr same dealer cost $ 20.75/box when you buy 1000rnds
 
Go with 9mm because it is cheap to shoot. A box of 9mm costs ~$15-16 .45ACP costs about $25.

The XD is a nice pistol and is a good value gun. Go to Wantalls and see what feels nice in your hand. All of the $500-$700 pistols will treat you well as a range gun. You may even want to go to DVC Ventures in PoCo where you can try out a bunch of different pistols (don't need a PAL).

Purchasing from the US will cost you a lot of time and money it is not worth it for anything you can easily buy in Canada. If you found something not currently in production and not available on the second hand market it may be worth it to go that route but for current production stuff it is not. There Canadian online store that may be cheaper than local store so shop around a bit (if you don't mind waiting for shipping).
 
Go to DVC Ventures and try out some guns.They rent and are fantastic guys/ladies to deal with. You don't need a RPAL to try them out as they will supervise you etc. This is the BEST thing going and you would be doing yourself a disservice doing anything else.

TRY BEFORE YOU BUY!

PDB
 
Dax420 said:
I was thinking of going 9mm since it's cheaper to shoot, however the more I look into it the 10 round restriction makes me think I should be going with a larger round. The XD 9mm holds like 19 +1 rounds, the XD 45ACP holds 13+1. Knowing that I can only get a 10 round clip anyways, doesn't it make more sense to go with the .45?
Click to expand...

I don't follow your line of thought on this.....but oh well.

Go to several different stores. Touch & feel. Find one that fits your hand.

Locate a local range that rents guns..try as many different ones as possible.

Don't shy away from buying second-hand (many a good deal has been had).

Do your research, find out what you can expect to pay for either used or new.

When your at a store looking, inquire about ammo costs, accessory availability, replacement parts (should something break) and resale value should you want to sell & get a different gun.

9mm factory ammo will generally be cheaper than 45acp. 40S&W will fall in the middle, but this is not written in stone. Again, keep your eye glued to the EE for factory ammo for sale. If its a local sale & shipping is avoided, great deals can be found.

As for price & caliber....the larger the calibre, usually it gets more expensive. Thats the reason so many shooters get into reloading (but thats a whole different thread)

Start saving $$. You will find that this whole "shootin stuff" hobby is fun & addictive.
 
I didn't know about DVC Ventures. I will be checking that out for sure. Thanks!

Budget is... already blown at this point. I had no idea how expensive these things were in Canada. Either way I am going to be spending a lot of money so I would rather pay a few hundred more now than be looking for a new pistol this time next year. Under a grand would be good.

I would agree that the XD is just a Glock knock-off. But for some reason the aesthetics appeal to me more. I know that looking good is a terrible factor to consider when purchasing a gun, but... I don't want to spend a ton of money on something that I don't love every aspect of.

Compare this and this. The slide on the glock is just so... boring. (Nothing against Glock fans, personal opinion only)

Actually, the XD isn't that nice looking anyways. I think I just like the nickel/SS look more than the flat black.

Without stating a huge debate, can someone give me the pro's and con's of a 1911 compared to a "glock" style pistol with the covered hammer? I have found some beautiful 1911's but from reading some American web forums it really seems like the newer style pistols have a lot going for them in terms of technology and customizations. I suppose they are all talking about CCW and we are talking about range guns, which could be the reason for that.

What about 10mm or .40? Better question, how does one even go about deciding what caliber they want?
 
I don't think you can talk about glock vs 1911 without starting a huge debate....its impossible :p

I own both and love both...two very different guns though.

Perhaps 50calshooter will post here...I think he took the finish off the slide of his glock and its now a beautiful stainless similar to the pic of the XD you linked.

Personally, 9mm is a great choice to start with...very affordable and managable, but its not .45...thats for sure.
 
actually it was someone else, but here's the pic

02-AAKitG20.jpg
 
I wanted to explain my logic about the caliber/capacity, as ignorant as it may be.

This gun is 99.999999999% for plinking. It's not for home defense. I'm not sleeping with it under the pillow. I'm not even going to tell people I know that I own it.

Yet in the back of my mind I keep thinking about the SHTF scenario. Remember what happened during the 1994 LA earthquake? Total anarchy, looting, no cops anywhere. It would be nice to have some firepower in a situation like that. I would hate to be facing a horde of zombies I Am Legend style and be cursing myself for buying a 9mm to save on ammo costs...

Am I being silly?
 
Dax420 said:
I wanted to explain my logic about the caliber/capacity, as ignorant as it may be.

This gun is 99.999999999% for plinking. It's not for home defense. I'm not sleeping with it under the pillow. I'm not even going to tell people I know that I own it.

Yet in the back of my mind I keep thinking about the SHTF scenario. Remember what happened during the 1994 LA earthquake? Total anarchy, looting, no cops anywhere. It would be nice to have some firepower in a situation like that. I would hate to be facing a horde of zombies I Am Legend style and be cursing myself for buying a 9mm to save on ammo costs...

Am I being silly?
Click to expand...

No you are not silly, what wrong is to have some tools handy just incase. I shoot paper and reload for accuracy, that said all my gun is soley for papers. as what is the best cal or best gun out there, it is easy to answer. It is your first gun, it has to be reliable, inexpensive, easy to handle and has a cool factor to you, what else doesn't matter.

Trigun
 
Dax420 said:
Yet in the back of my mind I keep thinking about the SHTF scenario. Remember what happened during the 1994 LA earthquake? Total anarchy, looting, no cops anywhere. It would be nice to have some firepower in a situation like that. I would hate to be facing a horde of zombies I Am Legend style and be cursing myself for buying a 9mm to save on ammo costs...

Am I being silly?
Click to expand...

Yes. 9mm will kill zombies
 
deets said:
Yes. 9mm will kill zombies
Click to expand...

Good to know.

The logic goes something like: "There are 5 zombies, you have 10 rounds, do you want .45 or 9mm?"

I guess a more logical discussion is, bigger bangs are more fun at the range, but is the bigger bang worth the extra ammo costs...
 
Dax420 said:
Good to know.

The logic goes something like: "There are 5 zombies, you have 10 rounds, do you want .45 or 9mm?"

I guess a more logical discussion is, bigger bangs are more fun at the range, but is the bigger bang worth the extra ammo costs...
Click to expand...

If you reload 357mag, it is just a little more than 9mm and it is not just bigger bang. But looks like revolver is not in your list.

Trigun
 
Dax420 said:
Good to know.

The logic goes something like: "There are 5 zombies, you have 10 rounds, do you want .45 or 9mm?"

I guess a more logical discussion is, bigger bangs are more fun at the range, but is the bigger bang worth the extra ammo costs...
Click to expand...

there are a couple things you should take into account.

firstly, you will learn to shoot better with a gun that is comfortable has less recoil. (cant kill zombies you cant hit)

secondly this will not be the last handgun you buy this year. :p You might disagree now, but if you spend any amount of time on this evil evil website you will become a gun hungry liberal hater like the rest of us. :D

So do it right, buy a 9mm first, and use it as a stepping stone and save money on ammo til you can afford a nice .45, cause everyone should have both calibers.

also food for thought, if zombies invade there wont be any mag restrictions. 1911 holds 7 or 8 bullets. some 9mm hold 17 :D
 
Not a revolver fan, sorry.

Even the 1911 looks a bit "dated" to me. I'm looking for something with some technical chops, and I will likely be looking at upgrades down the road. Sounds like Glock is a good option after all...

EDIT:

>if zombies invade there wont be any mag restrictions.

Can you even own a 17 round mag? How does the law on this work, you can own a large mag and not fill it all the way, or are 17 round mags illegal to possess?

>buy a 9mm first, and use it as a stepping stone and save money on ammo til you can afford a nice .45

I think I might just do that.
 
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