Which 9mm handgun

[napalmdeath]

GLOCK 17 or
you can grab a S&W 686 and shoot 38 spl & 357 magnum.
A wheel gun is a good choice for target shooting.

[NoChanceCW]

I agree, get a 22lr pistol.

It will take you a couple thousand rounds to get comfortable with pistols. Which makes it a math problem.

2000 rounds of 9mm on the cheap is about $600.

2000 rounds of 22lr and gsg 1911 22lr is 350 (used pistol) + 120 (ammo) = 470
2000 rounds with used Sw mp 22 pistol = 570 ish
2000 rounds with Glock 19 tac solution upper combo from irunguns = 630

For basically the cost of ammo learning to shoot 9mm you can buy a 22lr pistol and ammo. Sounds like a much better deal to me.

Gsg 1911 runs most ammo
Sw mp 22 runs most ammo (I used federal auto match with 99% reliability)
Glock 17/19 with tac solutions runs cci min mag 40gr round nose best, can be picky with others.

Feel free to pm me if you need other info, spent loads of time with 22lr pistols to practice drills.

[tk1360]

Let us know what you end up going with.

My first pistol was a TT33 Tokarev as it was too cheap to pass up and I enjoy the therapy of the full dismantle, clean and reassemble after shooting corrosive.

I have cycled the stable a bit but have settled on a Ruger Mark 2 for .22lr/plinking and CZ SP-01 Shadow/ Sig P250 both in 9mm for something a little bigger.

EE is a great space to check out stuff for less than retail or else get a deal on something well taken care of.

Best of luck and enjoy shooting pistols.

[naktabar72]

Cz Shadow

[City Boy]

I'm not much of a handgun aficionado, but everyone liking the same pistol grips and controls is like everyone liking the same size pair of pants.

My hands are fat and stubby ... I've tried a 1911 and it shoots great and feels great, but my thumb can't reach the mag release. I've tried a m&p and it works, but doesn't feel great for whatever reason and I've tried a Glock with finger grooves and it felt really comfortable, but almost everyone else hates them.

You'll have to try on a few pistols just like trying on jeans ... and it will feel different when it comes time to shoot them too.

That much I know.

[bogozzo]

I agree with those folks who say to try them out (range rentals?). For me one thing I didn't see mentioned is do you like the sights, they are a key element of the "feel". 9mm is great fun but each pistol behaves differently for recoil so again, if you can try it out you will make a better personal choice.

[Nic3500]

Smaller hands: 1911. Single stack 10 rounds for 9mm, very nice.
Othersize CZ are great.
Beretta are on the bigger size and heavy.
EE is good to get good quality pistol for a decent price.

But I always have my 22 with me to start my session. It's good to refocus when I have been away from the range a while.

[shifty1000]

+1 for starting the range day off with a .22. nothing wrong with spending some quality time going over proper technique and stance before going up to a larger caliber. Cheaper to shake the dust off with .22 then with 9mm or .45. I personally love shooting my CZ Shadow fits my hands perfectly and looks good too.

[Ramzzz]

I have shot, for 9mm, CZ SP-01 Shadow, M&P 9, Ruger 9E, Glock 17, Beretta 92 and a Alfa Proj revolver and I would trade them all in if it meant being able to keep the CZ. It is that good.

For 22lr, I have shot all the typical semi's and by far my fav is either the Buckmark or the Smith and Wesson 22 Victory...both fantastic out of the box and a phenomenal value.

[VinnyQC]

I have shot, for 9mm, CZ SP-01 Shadow, M&P 9, Ruger 9E, Glock 17, Beretta 92 and a Alfa Proj revolver and I would trade them all in if it meant being able to keep the CZ. It is that good.

For 22lr, I have shot all the typical semi's and by far my fav is either the Buckmark or the Smith and Wesson 22 Victory...both fantastic out of the box and a phenomenal value.

^^Agree with this guy. Shadow is a bit over your budget, but it's currently the best quality/price ratio in 9mm imho. The buckmark line of guns is the best 22lr. Period. High quality, super accurate, easy to clean, less expensive than similar Ruger Mark 1,2,3,4.

In 22lr I have a GSG, an alfa-proj revolver and a buckmark, and my buckmark sees 10,000 rounds for every 1,000 in the gsg and 500 in the wheel gun.
In 9mm I have a shadow, a 1911 and a SIG P226, and pretty much only the shadow comes to the range with me. Other 2 I should sell.

My first handgun was my buckmark, and I'm happy I started with an high-quality 22lr. When you start, you make frequent trips to the range and shoot a LOT of ammos. First 12 months with that gun I shot over 10,000 rounds with it. Would have cost me a fortune in 9mm, especially since I didn't reload back then.