9mm Beginner Pistolas! - Which One & Why - (Real world use only please)

What would your choice be for beginner pistolas from the following?

  • Glock 17

    Votes: 67 31.9%
  • M&P

    Votes: 58 27.6%
  • XD

    Votes: 3 1.4%
  • Other

    Votes: 82 39.0%

  • Total voters
    210

Neoborn

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Just got my restricted and wanted to get everyone's point of view. Which one would you / did you chose and why? I would very much prefer pro and amateur input alike with real world experience not hypothetical conjecture, thanks much.

I recently shot a glock 17 with no real input on how shoot better and no guidance. I would love to be able to use the pistol for some kind of competition. but haven't really researched that yet (IPSC I think its called). Either way I would love your real world point of view on general choice and why.

I appreciate all your input in advance

Neoborn
 
M&P 9mm all the way was my first handgun and great for a beginner and beyond. Iv improved quite a bit since I first got mine. Love it. Easy to maintain and to problem solve on. Price is great as well and it eats any ammo you feed it with minimal cleaning needed. I shot glocks,springfield,h&k,sigs and ruger 9mm before making my choice.
 
Glock is a good one to learn how to shoot on, safe gun to operate, no safeties and #### to mess with, cheapish gun and mags, all kinds of holsters and gear, pretty much ready to go for IPSC production class...just point and shoot.
Personal preference for me is a good old Beretta 92...I find them one of the easiest to shoot, and least snappy versus some of the plastic guns...
My first gun, was a 9mm SIG P220, I always was a fan of SIG since shooting them down in Florida at a tourist range when I was 16. It's reliable and accurate, but took me a while to shoot really well with it.
 
I have a preference for metal frame pistols. Your options are all plastic so I chose "other". Sig, CZ or Beretta would be my choices. Also consider a nice 1911...

It's not so much that I have a problem with plastic. It is mor about the weight & how it absorbs recoil. I find the heavier handguns easier to control.
 
+1 for the Glock.

Or the CZ75/85 series or BHP MkIII for a "metal" double stack 9mm.

For a "metal" single stack 9mm I'd go for something quality on a 1911 platform.

:canadaFlag:
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NAA.
 
I know you don't want to read this but if you scan down through the last few weeks worth of postings you'll come across at least 3 threads that ask the same question as you have.

And my answer is still to find one of the sadly rare commercial ranges and pay to shoot a bunch of their guns. Figure out for YOUR SELF which guns you like.

By the variety of replies you'll get it's clear that there's a great gun option for everyone out there. But what I, or any of the other posters in your thread like is very likely not going to be what YOU like.

As for what guns are reliable and accurate? I have yet to find a 9mm that is not both reliable and accurate. And I've even had a couple of Norincos.... :D Actually they shot AMAZINGLY accurate and tight groups.

Since you have said you aspire to play in IPSC or IDPA or similar handgun sporting matches you'll want to look over the rule book and study what features you must have and what limitations the events have. For example in IPSC Production the CZ Shadow is a very winning gun that a LOT of us use. For IDPA the Shadow has trouble meeting the maximum weight rule for Stock Service Pistol without using balsawood grips. But there are scads of great guns which work for either.

Whatever sort of handgun matches you persue you'll need extra mags and a decent holster. So avoid guns which are hard to find mags for or which cost the world when you do find them. Or guns which seem to be ignored by holster makers.

Also add your city and province to your User info. It would make suggesting local places to go a LOT easier for us.
 
I learned on a CZ Shadow, and I compete in IPSC with it still, but I prefer my M&P 45 as my sidearm if I had a choice/need for one. That's just me....

Metal guns are good, as (IMHO), you become more accustomed to recoil and have a less pronounced flinch when firing one. Berettas (again, IMO) are good, if you have the hands for them. Sigs as well, although I have found the weight of the CZ Shadow better suited for quicker follow up shots in IPSC.

CZs and 1911s are great to learn on, as they work with you. So are Browning Hi Powers. Glocks (and to a lesser extent, M&Ps) have that mushy trigger on take up, and Glock still has that odd grip angle to get accustomed too....

There is an advantage to them (the Glock/M&P), however, as they are striker fired and will have the same trigger pull each and every time, whereas the CZ and Sigs are DA/SA and the 1911/Browning are only SA.

Try them each and buy whichever one feels better to you; not whichever one looks better or you feel will make you look better (a trap I sometimes see beginners fall into)
 
I vote other- get a nice GP100 or S&W 686. You can shoot cheap 38spl and heavy 357 mag out of the same gun, they look better, dead simple and aren't bottom feeders.;)

If you master the long heavy DA revolver trigger pull, you can shoot anything well..
 
Glock. Toyota Camry of the gun world. Simple yet well appointed, very reliable, super easy field strip, lots of OEM and aftermarket support, truly a purchase you will never regret.

A very close 2nd would be the S&W M&P. I actually prefer the grip and "feel" of the gun to the Glock however the points in the first paragraph far out weigh the benefit of only a marginally better grip.

My $.02
 
They're probably all good. I like my Shadow: you can do a lot to improve an already good gun by yourself, for very little outlay.
 
How high is the budget? I got 2 pistols at the beginning, a Beretta 92FS, loved the feel in my hands and a Ruger 22lr for cheap trigger time. Try to hold all the guns you would like in your hands, sometimes it's nice on picture but don't feel that great when holding it, and sometimes a retailer will propose you something you never thought about and you find that it fits you perfectly, grip, weight and sights.
 
Glock or M&P - either one works, and will continue to work. The M&P is marginally easier to pull apart, and comes out of the box with useable sights. The range and carry kit makes the M&P a slight favorite - you're going to end up buying all that crap eventually, may as well get it for free.
 
I went with the M&P and I'm VERY happy with it. I've got smaller hands so the interchangable backstraps really made a big difference and allowed me to adjust it to fit my hand just right. She's rock solid reliable and certainly is more accurate than I am right now.
When I was shopping for my first pistol I was thinking the Beretta 92 or a SIG-P226 but after getting them in my hand the feel wasn't right. The best thing you can do is go down to your local gun shop and see how the different pistols feel in your hand - if there's a range with loaner/rental guns close to you go try a few out, see what works best for you.
 
1) Your fist pistol should probably be a .22

2) I would go with a full-framed 9mm with a long sight radius as your first 9mm after you cut your teeth on a .22cal. It's really personal preference, but I would hmbly suggest either a SIG226 or a Beretta 92FS. This way you can practise both double-action and single-action pistol shooting on the same platform.

It doesn't hurt that the 92FS can take .40 mags that will feed 9mm and legally give you 14+1 capacity.
 
Ilike the shadow as a first 9mm but as you will hear a lot try before you buy.It comes down to the same as ford,chevy,dodge all have trucks that will do the job but it is personal taste and fit come in to play
 
I know you don't want to read this but if you scan down through the last few weeks worth of postings you'll come across at least 3 threads that ask the same question as you have.

And my answer is still to find one of the sadly rare commercial ranges and pay to shoot a bunch of their guns. Figure out for YOUR SELF which guns you like.

By the variety of replies you'll get it's clear that there's a great gun option for everyone out there. But what I, or any of the other posters in your thread like is very likely not going to be what YOU like.

As for what guns are reliable and accurate? I have yet to find a 9mm that is not both reliable and accurate. And I've even had a couple of Norincos.... :D Actually they shot AMAZINGLY accurate and tight groups.

Since you have said you aspire to play in IPSC or IDPA or similar handgun sporting matches you'll want to look over the rule book and study what features you must have and what limitations the events have. For example in IPSC Production the CZ Shadow is a very winning gun that a LOT of us use. For IDPA the Shadow has trouble meeting the maximum weight rule for Stock Service Pistol without using balsawood grips. But there are scads of great guns which work for either.

Whatever sort of handgun matches you persue you'll need extra mags and a decent holster. So avoid guns which are hard to find mags for or which cost the world when you do find them. Or guns which seem to be ignored by holster makers.

Also add your city and province to your User info. It would make suggesting local places to go a LOT easier for us.

best answer.
 
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