Best Starter Hangun?

M

muzzleflash

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Hey guys wuts up?

This is my first post on this sight so i thought i'd say Hi! :D Seems like there are some pretty knowledgable guys on here. I like to think i know at least somthing about shooting but I'm gonna keep my mouth shut and listen right now. :p Anyone have any suggestions on a starter handgun. Interested in putting a lot of rounds through it (practice makes perfect). Interested in the tactical aspects of handgunning and am a student with not a lot of money. :D
Any info would be awsome.
 
I would suggest buying a Ruger Mark II .22LR. Cheap to shoot. Easy to clean. Great pistol to learn the basic handlingand shooting skills of a pistol.Don't go with a large cal. pistol such as a .44 Mag. I have seen people develop a flich due to starting off with such a large cal. pistol.[/code]
 
Ruger Simplicity

Rebel Rouser said:
I would suggest buying a Ruger Mark II .22LR. Easy to clean.
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Easy to clean? If you mean just swabbing the bore, sure. Taking the bugger apart and reassembly is a total pain in the ass.
 
hey Josh welcome to the board. funny you mention the tactical thing, check out Abby Fish and Game Club for the tactical pistol stuff on Sundays. Nights have been slow lately, but we are planning on getting them going again.
As for a starter pistol, as I always say, get out and try some first. there are a ton of us on here that don't mind letting people try our guns out, all you usually need to do is pay for ammo. Once you find one that fits you and works for you, that's the one you buy.
 
muzzleflash said:
Anyone have any suggestions on a starter handgun.
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S&W model 10. Cheap to buy and shoot, especially if you reload. Revolvers are very safe and easy to shoot. .38 is a bit more interesting to shoot than .22.

My 2¢.
 
Normally I would agree with a Smith & Wesson model 10...cheap ammo, generally accurate catridge/gun, light recoil and don't have to look thru the grass to find your brass for reloading. The long barreled revolvers never felt right in my hand so kept a few 4 inchers but that does'nt help the new shooter. I'd pick one of a number of good 9mm's(glock, sig, cz,etc). 9mm ammo is cheap, can be accurate in the right gun, light recoil. A good one will cost however and I've just had too many bad experiences with cheap ones. You might find a good used gun and that would save some money. For used just make sure you're able to take out shooting within a few days of purchase and buy from dealer how will take gun back/or fix properly if it has problems. I would stay away from guns with any type of alterations and look for plain, stock used gun. If your able to trying some out prior to selecting one, that's also excellent advice. Happy and safe shooting to you. :)
 
If you want to start slow & stady get a .22; Ruger and Browning are good guns...

if you want something cooler get a 9mm, Norincos are pretty cheap, but I recommand getting something of heigher qualiy...
 
IM_Lugger said:
If you want to start slow & stady get a .22; Ruger and Browning are good guns...

if you want something cooler get a 9mm, Norincos are pretty cheap, but I recommand getting something of heigher qualiy...
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I started out with a SS Ruger MK11. I comes with me to the range every time. Always start the day with it.

I then moved up to a NZ 85b from Armco Machine and plating. (7x61) Great handgun.
 
If you are interested in the tactical aspects of handgunning then I would stay away from Ruger Mk.II or S&W 10, and instead get a 9mm pistol.

CZ 75/85, Glock 17, Beretta 92, H&K USP and Sig 226 all have very good reputations. You can use all of these for IPSC production later if you choose. I personally think that it is better to save up for a first rate firearm than to save some money on Norincos. If possible, try them out before to see which one feels the best.
 
Josh M said:
If you are interested in the tactical aspects of handgunning then I would stay away from Ruger Mk.II or S&W 10, and instead get a 9mm pistol.

CZ 75/85, Glock 17, Beretta 92, H&K USP and Sig 226 all have very good reputations. You can use all of these for IPSC production later if you choose. I personally think that it is better to save up for a first rate firearm than to save some money on Norincos. If possible, try them out before to see which one feels the best.
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You can also look at .22lr top ends for these as well. This lets you keep your trigger the same for practise.
 
The Browning Medalist is a very fine .22lr target postol. There was a guy on this board with a few of them for sale a while back (a few weeks.) They are a $400 gun (or more) and that's alot for a .22, however Browning has an excellent reputation and the Medalist (and Challenger) are top end target pistols.

I own one and would recommend them.
 
I'm jumping on the .22LR bandwagon as well. It'll help you build the basics--sight alignment, breathing, trigger control--without giving enough noise or recoil to cause you to develop a flinch. Most common centrefire handgun cartridges like 9mm, .40, or .45, and even magnums like .357 and .44 aren't going to hurt when shot (if you've got half decent grips), but the recoil--if you're not used to it--can cause development of an involuntary flinch that will be damn hard to get rid of and diminish your accuracy (as Rebel Rouser mentioned up-thread).

It's these shooting basics developed from .22 shooting that you will be able to use if you move to a larger calibre handgun or even rifle or shotgun (if you're not already a rifle or shotgun shooter of course). The detailed mechanics will be different for the different types of shooting (obviously) but the foundation that you'll build will be common--allowing easier mastering of different firearms. I've seen a lot of new shooters start with centrefire handguns, never master the basics, and never reach their full potential. Can a new shooter start with a centrefire handgun and become a good shot? Sure, there are probably lots of folks that have--but starting with a .22 will give you better odds at getting there (IMO of course).

The other benefits mentioned by the other folks here are also good reasons--low cost of ammunition and low(er) cost of good .22 handguns like the Ruger MkII or the Browning. Especially if funds are tight--get a .22 now, build the basics, have fun and enjoy shooting it now, then when you've got a bit more cash go for something bigger!
 
My advice to you is go hang around any ranges in your area and TRY, TRY, TRY. You would be surprised at how many of us Gunnutz are more than happy to let people try out our firearms. True story; I was at TSE in Calgary about a month or so ago with my own guns, a Beretta 9mm and Ruger P90 .45 ACP, and felt like playing with their Ruger .44 Magnum. I really wanted to make some noise, so I went and bought a box of .44 Mag and borrowed the Ruger. I went into the bays and everybody's eyes lit right up when I walked in with this cannon. By the time all the visitors were done trying it out, I think I had ten rounds left in the box of fifty that I had purchased at the range for I think around $40. Sure, I didn't get to plough through the entire box of ammo on my own, but I was able to let a few other people feel the rush of firing a hard-hitting .44 Magnum. If this was able to convince even one of those people to pursue firearms as a hobby, then I believe it was money and time well spent. Bottom line: most of us are quite willing to let people try out our equipment, as we are more than eager to share the enjoyment that our hobby/sport/pastime/whichever provides to us and to get more people interested in firearms. More than anything, we are in this to have fun and get to know other like-minded individuals and keep the firearms culture in this country alive and well, so I think that most people on CGN would agree that each person we can help get interested in firearms helps all of us out a little bit every time we turn somebody else on to our culture.
I think most ranges will let you try pretty much any guns that they have in their facility as "range guns" to let you figure out which might be the best for you to start out with. Personally, I started out with a Beretta 92 Vertec 9mm, and this has worked well for me. All the advice in the world isn't going to be able to tell you which gun you should start with; the only way is to try out as many as you can beforehand and decide for yourself which one fits you best and go forward from there.

Regards and best of luck,
-GB
 
I did my club level handgun exam on Thursday night - have to wait until Monday for the marks. One of the handguns we used for the practical aspect of the course was the Ruger Mk II. For my first handgun, I have bought a Ruger Mk II. I find this one fun to shoot. I always thought I'd get a DA revolver for my first handgun but I guess now that is going to be down the line. As the gentlemen here say, try out a number of handguns to find what you like. For me it is the Mk II.

Ripstop
 
Hey,
Thanx for all the info everyone. I'v done a bit of handgunning before and know about breathing, tigger contol etc. I think I might go for somthing a little bigger than a .22. It seems like everyone agrees that saving up for a quality pistol would be worth it so I think that's wut i'm going to do.

Thanx agian
 
One last piece of advice then I'll shut up :lol:! Research the different handguns that you're thinking about buying--this site is a great resource for lots of unbiased information on many types of handguns--do a search for the ones you're interested in. And, as GladdBag suggested above, try as many different models that you're interested in--on the range if possible. I've had the bad experience of a buying handgun that felt and looked great but didn't shoot all that well, as well as a handgun (that I end up buying) that didn't feel great in the hand but I could shoot good. Good luck!
 
High Standard Victor :Used But Not Abused EH!

My pick for a starter handgun would be a High Standard Victor.. a used one made in Hamden Conn or an equally quality High Standard.
There is a Victor on htis board now for $400.00 and it will retain that $400 plus value for the foreseeable future.
It has the same grip angle as a Colt 1911A1 which is one pistol you will probably encounter in your pistol shooting career. With the Victor you can do a lot of practice for very little $$ and if you tire of it soon you can easily trade it off. You can also shoot an NRA 900 Match in .22 with it and gain some valuable experience. With a holster you can learn the rudimentary aspects of other "gun games" like IPSC or IDPA
The other alternative is to TRY EVERYTHING! All sorts of actions and calibres.
At your local handgun club and others to which you may have "welcome newbie" access.
We have all gone thru this process. I started in 1961 with a Model 10 or M&P
Victory Model and 200 cartridges that came with it. It cost me $21 total.
After firing off all the shots I traded it off for a used Browning HP in 9mm and added a Browning Challenger.. The latter two pistols served me well for ten years until I could afford others. The .22 Challenger with a Medalist barrel lasted for 30 years of plinking and target work.
 
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