First pistol purchase

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Lil Freek

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I'm looking at buying an semi-auto .45ACP handgun as my first purchase after getting my license.

I've fired off a few guns, but really don't know enough about them to say what's good and what's not. I've only used handguns in Vegas at a shooting range.

I used a 44 Desert Eagle and a Beretta 9mm.

What I learned from that is that the 9mm is easier to shoot, but the 44 was WAY more fun. Since I'm not looking to become a marksman (mainly just play around with targets), I'm opting for the larger caliber of .45ACP.

I'm aware the cost is more, but I'm not overly concerned about that for the fun-factor gained :D

For a first pistol, I'm pretty sure I'd like a Norinco 1911A1 (Gov't or Commander). Any feedback on that choice?

I've seen a few other guns that I like, but all over the $700 mark, which is a bit much for my first handgun, which I'm using as a learning/stepping stone.

Any advice for a newbie? I've already done the firearms courses, waiting on the license (should be in this week or next), and once the license arrives, registering at a local gun club.

Again, I'm not ever planning on becoming a pro marksman. If I join the police, then I'll care about my marksmanship with a handgun :p
 
My advise: 1- Get what you want and like (don't worry about it, it won't be your last gun)

2-Spend some time reading lots of these threads as this question comes up at least 2 times per week so there is lots of coverage of first pistol threads

3-people will try and convince you that 9mm (.22lr) would be a better choice for a first handgun due to cost alone and increased trigger time. They are right, but refer to point #1

Welcome to CGN
 
If you get a Norinco 1911 I suggest paying the $100 more and getting it from Armco cause its been worked over by Gunner the gunsmith and owner there. He tunes them up making sure everything is smooth including the trigger.
 
Buy whatever you want.
If you buy a clean used one, you will be able to get your money back when you change your mind.
 
Lil Freek said:
For a first pistol, I'm pretty sure I'd like a Norinco 1911A1 (Gov't or Commander). Any feedback on that choice?
Click to expand...

Both great.

My .02

1aCoffee.gif

NAA.
 
I had been looking at Marstar for some, since they're pretty close to Ottawa, but I've read a lot of positive comments about Armco, and the extra $100 isn't much of an issue.

Again with my newbieness, what's the big difference with the 1911A1-C (4.25") and the 1911A1 (5" barrel) that Gunnar sells?
There's the obvious barrel length, but does .75" make a difference? I'm a pretty big guy (6'5, 240lbs), so I'm thinking I want whichever is overall a bigger gun and will fit my hand better (and be a bit straighter of a shot)

I've e-mailed Gunnar to ask his feedback, too, but the more info the better
 
Nornico 9mm

Try to find a Norinco 9mm as ammo is a lot cheaper, or a good used 22 as great pistol to learn on and again ammo easy to find and cheap and you will shoot more...
Buy what you can afford to shoot.And a Nornico out of the box or second hand is all you need.. to start with

IMAt
 
buy 2 guns - one in .22LR and one in .45ACP. heck, you can get the 22LR in a 1911-type if you search for Chiappa (or wait for a few more months for the GSG stuff to materialize)

i keep hearing good things about Norc, as well as STI and Taurus when it comes to budget 1911 guns. if you're just gonna use it for range fun, skip the Commander since there's WAY less choices in the sub-$1000 range (basically, Norc or nothing) and just get the normal 5" Gov't. only reason i went with Commander is cuz i'm getting into IDPA, and for that type of "stuff" the shorter barrel makes more sense (since IDPA is kinda "defend with what you'd carry" and it's easier to carry a 4.25" than a 5" handgun in places where that sort of thing would be allowed - just more logical in the grand scheme of things, even if totally moot in Canada)
 
Well I have the intention of owning a few guns, and I'm realizing I was looking at the wrong ammo when I was researching 45ACP, I thought I saw 1000rnds for $350, but I must have been looking at .40SW. (1000 win rnds for $320)

So now I revert back to 9mm vs. .40SW.

Which leads me to Armco's GP K100 vs. Norinco NP58.

Is there somewhere in Ottawa with a decent selection of guns I can test fit (not shoot, just handle)?
 
1000 rounds of 45ACP ought to be around 350, yeah. at least that what i recall seeing at SFRC.

ottawa sucks for places to look at guns unless you come to a range with someone. best thing is to find out where most of the people are signed up to and join that range. personally, i go to Connaught with NCRRA. don't expect to find every type of handgun under the sun, though. you might be able to get a general sense of a certain TYPE of gun, but not a particular model. for example, you could find a 1911, but will it be a Norc, S&W, or Taurus? who knows. ditto for Beretta - will it be a Beretta, or a Taurus? and how old? who knows. but they ought to be close enough to say "yeah, this is about right for me". and same for Glock - you might find a S&W MP or a Glock of a different caliber, but it ought to be close enough to give you at least a general idea.
 
It's a bit of a drive but I was in GunMart in Brockville a couple of weeks ago and Brian had a decent selection of handguns there. I only looked at .22 and 9mm. He had some Brownings, Rugers and a Sig in .22. In 9mm he had a S&W M&P, Glock 17, Beretta 92FS (he had a really good price on that) and a SIG as well but I can't remember the model. The only .45 I saw was a Para Ordnance and the prices was decent.

Lil Freek said:
Well I have the intention of owning a few guns, and I'm realizing I was looking at the wrong ammo when I was researching 45ACP, I thought I saw 1000rnds for $350, but I must have been looking at .40SW. (1000 win rnds for $320)

So now I revert back to 9mm vs. .40SW.

Which leads me to Armco's GP K100 vs. Norinco NP58.

Is there somewhere in Ottawa with a decent selection of guns I can test fit (not shoot, just handle)?
Click to expand...
 
If you're looking at 9mm and .40 now and still like the idea of a 1911 the STI Spartan is now available in 9mm.

If you're open to other options I would suggest you work out some way to try some handguns in each caliber before you make up your mind on which to get. If there's no Rent-A-Gun range in Ottawa it may well be worth a trip to one of the cities that has such a thing so you can try out a wide variety of guns to figure out which ones fit your hand and natural hold well, which have the sort of trigger feel that you like and which you seem to shoot well. The cost of such a drive and for ammo may seem like a lot but if it lets you zero in on a gun that you really like without having to buy and sell a bunch of them it would be time and money well spent.

If you're like many of us a centerfire gun will have you shooting with a flinch that makes your group size somewhat shotgun like. While it is possible to work through that phase with a center fire gun it will cost a lot in ammo and likely will frustrate you greatly. Using a .22 as a training aid for curing this affliction is a handy thing which will cut the cost of ammo and speed up the learning of good habits. So even if your first gun is not a .22 your second gun should be.
 
Great Ottawa gun store - lots to try!! (not)

Lil Freek said:
Is there somewhere in Ottawa with a decent selection of guns I can test fit (not shoot, just handle)?
Click to expand...

I'm sorry to say....
I'm sad to report...
There's no decent gun place...
Of any sort.

Excuse the Dr. Seuss, but I would suggest a trip to Montreal or some such place. I took the opportunity as I took the family there for a few days and spent a couple hours fondling everything I could at one particular location. It really got me on the right track. This was especially helpful as I was brand new to this whole thing and I knew nobody personally to sort of help me out.

Good luck
 
I came on site again today to browse, now I'm into buying a 1911ai-c from Armco. Emailed a simple question got a quick full reply, awesome. Now I'm going through the hops for my first handgun, cool! Thanks for the posts, oh, about how much is commercial 45 ammo?
 
singleaction said:
I'm sorry to say....
I'm sad to report...
There's no decent gun place...
Of any sort.
Click to expand...

Actually you should take a trip over the river in Hull and visit EM Precision. Quite the good selection (for the region anyway) and Eric, the owner, is great to deal with.

Pretty much the only place in the region that stocks hollow points, tac lights, handguns, restricted long guns, etc.

ht*tp://www.emprecision.com/?lang=en
 
SUB MOA said:
I came on site again today to browse, now I'm into buying a 1911ai-c from Armco. Emailed a simple question got a quick full reply, awesome. Now I'm going through the hops for my first handgun, cool! Thanks for the posts, oh, about how much is commercial 45 ammo?
Click to expand...

Anywhere from 50cents to 60cents.
 
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