Buying my first pistol, need some advice

Canadian_Sapper

Canadian_Sapper

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Hey guys,

I've been lurking on CGN a while now, and having recently acquired my RPAL, I've decided to make my first handgun purchase. I'm looking for some advice and maybe some guidance, here, so bear with me.

My objective is to shoot at the local range maybe twice a week, have a good time and become a decent shot along the way. My budget is somewhere around a thousand dollars, counting my club membership, the pistol itself, and maybe a single stage press and assorted reloading gizmos. Realistically though, that puts my budget closer to $1100, all things considered.

In any case, I'm asking for advice because I consider myself an impulsive buyer, and I've had very severe cases of buyer's remorse in the past. This post essentially serves to minimize buyers remorse, via the advice of experienced shooters like yourselves.

So from what I've read, I should be buying a .22LR pistol to get a feel for the basics of handgun form and shooting principles and whatnot. Currently, though, I'm leaning towards 9mm instead, mainly because it seems like that would be more fun to shoot than .22LR, and easier to learn on than .45 ACP. You also might notice that some of my choices are largely based on looks and history, as opposed to hard facts on accuracy or what-have-you. That's probably because I'm attracted to firearms that have some history or significance (and it helps if it looks nice, too).

The handguns that are really calling to me are the Springfield Armory XD-9, the IMI Baby Desert Eagle, the Baretta M9, and to a lesser extent the 1911 in 9mm. This is basically where I need some help. I just don't want to make an irrational decision based off a few reviews and some word-of-mouth. So I ask you to help me reason this out. Also, feel free to correct any noobish misconceptions I likely have concerning any of the above firearms. That'll probably help too!

I like the idea of the XD-9 because it seems like a tight, reliable package that'll be fun to shoot and accurate to boot. From what I gather, it's a lot like a Glock, except better looking. I'm a bit weary about the whole plastic frame thing though. Does that make it any more frail? How much more recoil does a plastic frame translate into, really?

I love the idea of the Baby Desert Eagle, because, well, quite frankly, it's just badass. Aside from that, I'm not too sure about this whole "having a double-action on the first shot and a single-action on the next shots," thing. I've been told to stay away from double-action pistols on account of the lowered accuracy and harder trigger pull. On top of that, something just doesn't feel right about having a Desert Eagle chambered in 9mm. Is that just me? Someone convince me otherwise, please! It seems to me that this would overall be a sturdier, more fun gun to have. How does it compare with regards to reliability and accuracy, though?

Speaking of which, could someone enlighten me on the topic of plastic vs. metal frame?

I like the idea of the Baretta M9 because it's a classic firearm that has alot of history too. It looks good and sturdy and fun. This applies to the 1911 as well. I don't know much else about either, though, so could someone enlighten me?

All things considered, to me, the most important trait for a firearm is the way it feels, and I guess that's very subjective. I really want a handgun that feels sturdy, reliable, and solid. I want accuracy, and some history, and most importantly, lots of fun. So tell me about these firearms, and any others you might recommend. Tell me what you feel my best choice would be. Should I even consider anything bigger than 9mm as a first firearm? And really, is there anything wrong with chambering a Desert Eagle in 9mm? I mean, maybe I'm off here, but isn't the Desert Eagle classically a larger caliber weapon? Would I regret not getting one in .40 S&W or .45 ACP instead? Gah! I just can't deal with another case of buyer's remorse! Help!

Canadian_Sapper
 
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In a 9 mil, buy a Glock 17 or CZ 75B. Best value and reliability for your buck.Find a good Ruger target for a .22. Then you can work your way up from there. Good luck and good shooting.
 
Go with a Sig P220 in .45 you can't go wrong with a sig sauer. Get the .22 conversion kit (when it's available) and you have the best of both worlds. I love the .45 because I shoot it more accuratly than any other caliber. The P220 feels great, shoot amazingly and is without a doubt worth every penny. Just my .02.
 
I think a 9mm is a good choice for a first pistol. Nice little kick and bang but very controlable. If possible, visit a few gun shops and handle all the models that you are interested in. It's funny how different one gun can be from another, even if they look the same. If you know the quality is decent and it feels right in your hand, buy it. Good luck
 
If you don't plan on competing, discard what doesn't apply to you:

Some may disagree but I'd say go for 9mm gun, G17, CZ75 or XD9 if you like it. XD is a very good gun but seem to have lesser support in Canada. Unless you wanna have both .22 and 9mm/.40/.45 later; you may loose money in the end if you go .22 route to later sell it and get a bigger gun.

Don't forget you need gun case, trigger lock, possibly a safe; that'll be extra expences. Cleaning supplies, hearing and eye protection too; range bag.

Get as much ammo as you can and SAVE spent casings for future reloading (doesn't apply to .22). Saving say 2-3K cases will get you quite somewhere later. If it's an indoor range and others shoot factory ammo and don't mind you picking up after them, take that brass too.

Just don't shoot aimlessly (pun intended). Familiarize yourself and get used to the gun at home, grip, dryfire, aiming, drawing (oh, yeah, you'll need a belt, mag holders, extra mags and a holster too - more $$ to spend).

CZ75 would stand out from G17 and XD9 as it's a full metal gun and also has real SA/DA design and a hammer, so you can dryfire away in DA without having to rack the slide every time.

G17 will have the best selection of accessories and so on. It's a very good gun in many ways, don't overlook it.

XD9/HS2000 is similar to G17 in operation and is also 'plastic', very good but you may have to search for accessories.

If you have a chance, go rent all the ones you narrowed your list down to and shoot them before you invest money.
 
Yes the badass look..

That statement alone as been at the root cause of our problems with the anties!

First the best looking gun, is the one that groups everyhing in a nice neat little hole, noew thats badass.

all guns obey the same laws for shooting, from .22lr to a .50 , a nice ruger in 22lr can be had for a very reasonable price, plus ammo is relatively cheap to buy and you do not need to spend money on a press.

For a budget of 1100 and wanting a press, your missing some dollars

Initial investment Press;

A cheap kit for 300
Plus some powder, casings, bullets , primers.. lets say 150 dollars for the lot
Then you need a tumbler, a good table to setup, a good caliper, bullet puller, and a balance there goes another 200 dollars
Membership goes for what 100, 150, 200 dollars a year.

Do you having a carrying case, need some ammo boxes..

How much do you have left for a 9, 400 dollars at most!

So if you want to be badass, get your groups in a small hole and impress your friends with your skills and not your possesions.

Now if you still want to go badass, go with a nice 1911 in .45acp. Easy to learn with, some good deals on 1911, though its more costly to reload than a 9, but thats a man's gun ;)

here come the flamers ;)

TG
 
I just went through all of what you're struggling with.

I was lucky because I have a local indoor commercial range that has guns for "rent". I've shot eight 9mm pistols that the local indoor range company has... Sig 226, Steyr MA1, Glock 19, Baby Eagle, Berreta 92FS, STI Trojan, CZ Shadow, and S&W M&P of some model. Of the lot I soon figured out that for target shooting I didn't like any of the "plastic" pistols. No reason other than the lack of weight which tends to let them jump in your hand more than the more heavy steel framed options. That and the fact that this same lack of weight lent a couple of them a sort of "toy" like feel for being so light. But this last bit is just my own feelings obviously.

Of the steel framed options there really isn't any losers. Just options that fit your hand better or worse. And if you can find a Baby Eagle in your price range then go for it. It's a fantastic feeling gun. Similarly I liked the Berreta for feel as well despite the fact that it's the most hated gun of the lot by the range/store's staff. The Sig 226 was sweet as well but it didn't really fit my hand just right. Then there's the STI Trojan..... pure ### it was other than the cost (way over your stated budget if new) and the single stack mags that only took 9 rounds. In the end the CZ Shadow won me over with the fantastic sights and great feel. But up until I was told there was a Shadow coming in without anyone's name on it I was all over the idea of a Baby Eagle.

And while I know it'll earn the scolding of the Glock Group the two I disliked the most were the Glock and the M&P. Both felt WAAAAY too light and kicked like a bucking mule in my hand and I actually thought I heard the Glock rattling with each shot.

Either way you'll want to stick with 9mm if you decide to go bigger than the .22 path. It's the cheapest ammo at the moment of the center fire options. The only problem is that if you want to run any IPSC event other than production it's really not possible to meet major with a 9mm unless you buy very specific ammo or reload your own.

And at a $1000 to $1100 budget for the whole setup I think you'll be shopping used. I got a deal on my Shadow but it still used up all your $1K budget other than enough left over to join a club. And you'll soon use up ANOTHER $1K in ammo either buying the cheap commercial offerings or setting up to reload with the tools and the supplies to churn out your first couple of thousand rounds. CF ammo just isn't cheap. It'll get better from there but with 9mm being so cheap in the first place the payback numbers for reloading are up somewhere around 3 or 4 thousand reloads vs just buying factory.

I'm actually actively looking for a .22 for practice and use at other indoor ranges that host .22 only matches of various sorts. While I love my new 9mm I've caught myself flinching quite often from expectation of the kick. A nice .22 will train you to avoid this so you can transition easier to IPSC.

BUT..... There's always a "but" isn't there.... :D If you're on a budget AND if you want to shoot IPSC this coming season AND if you can't see yourself buying two guns over the next 4 months then I guess you could do worse than to start right out with a 9mm. OR.... Shop for and buy a nice used .22 and shoot a lot over the winter at indoor ranges or outdoor or whereever and learn your chops. Then in the early Spring sell the .22 and buy a used 9mm. That way you've had a winter of cheap training and you should be able to adapt to the 9 more easily and with less ammo. This .22 and then 9 option is probably your best route since it let's you shoot more. And for us beginners shooting more is better than shooting bigger. I'm not as much on a budget as yourself by the sounds of it but shooting $60 to $75 worth of ammo at a crack each time I go is getting a bit much. With a .22 and buying in bulk it would be more like $16 to $18 instead. That's a lot of gas and pizza money... :D

On the single vs double action issue. My Shadow is DA. I've been praticing decocking the hammer and making my first shot from a fresh mag a DA shot. It started off pretty rough but it's wearing in nicely now. Soon I'll be looking at polishing the mechanism to smoothen it up so it's like the one I had a chance to shoot. That one was like BUTTA! BUt the DA thing isn't a big deal. It just takes a little practice and pulling off that first shot with a little more control and time. Remember that all the YouTube vids of IPSC are the hot money guys. WE ARE NOT GOING TO LOOK OR SHOOT LIKE THEM for quite some time so don't be self concious about taking the extra second for that first shot to squeeze it off with control.
 
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There is lots of purchases related to a single gun that need to be done;
safe, pockable case to transport it, trigger lock, LOTS of ammo (you never have too much ammo), another lockable case to transport it, hearing protection, eye protection, mags (you can't have too much mags too ;)), good quality holster/mag holders, etc.
A first handgun is never the last, almost every new shooters find their bank running down quite fast, ;).
 
Glock 17
Advantage Arms .22 adaptor for cheap practice. Get the version you can put the same sights as yours on later.
Case of ammo...
Get some heinie sights and kramer leather when you can.
 
The 'plastic' isn't the worry that it seems to be, there are some incredibly high round count Glocks out there. 9mm is a good calibre to start on, quite efficient, decently accurate, and won't break the bank. The steel vs. plastic question can only be decided by the shooter, but durability isn't a factor, it's more what you prefer. The recoil of a 9 is pretty minimal, and my plastic gun (an M&P) is actually one of the softer recoiling 9's I've owned (Glocks are pretty soft too). As far as steel 9mm's go there are lots of good choices, the CZ is a terrific pistol, the Browning Hi Power, Sigs - all good. Reloading for the 9 is easy and cheap, take a look at the Lee turret press - easy enough to learn on but capable of decent volumes, and with good 'feel' that's important to producing safe rounds.
 
Buy 22LR, any LR, revolver or semi.

G17+22kit
CZ75+kadet
SIG226+22kit

Train with 22LR until you get a feel and can place shots anywhere
you want within 1-2" radius from 15 yards. Then buy some 9mm ammo and
alternate between 22 and 9mm.

It does not really matter what you buy, it is what you do with it that matters.
I've shot PPC 550s/600 with stock Glocks. $600 guns. Beat guys with 3K guns.

The heavier the gun the easier it is to shoot accurately, assuming you can
hold the gun steady. Too heavy and you start to shake after 10 shots.

Train to shoot 40-50 rounds without rest; reload while holding the gun pointed downrange.
Train with weights if 22 ammo is too expensive or you don't have time to go to the club.
 
First pistol..... well here is my 2cents,

Buy a combo !

.22 bull barrel semi and a .357 in revolver, if you absolutely want a semi well I'd opt for the .45 over the 9mil, main reason (my personal opinion) the .45 packs a wallop, I just love the kick on my Springfield, and the plates go down every time regardless the size...

Unless you are convinced that the only thing you want is a new gun I would explore and look for what is available in used (and not only in stores). For under $1,000 you can probably dig up a good pair (semi .22 and .357 revolver) plus the basic reloading gear.

One thing to keep in mind though is ''shooting costs'', we'll leave the .22 aside because this is the most inexpensive ''fun gun'' to shoot, let it be target or plain plinking. Factory reloads or if you reload the 9mil will be cheaper than the .45, secondly one must also take in consideration the time it takes to reload (not my cup of tea). Now another thing to consider is if instead of a 9mil or .45 you get a revolver in .357 mag a full load gives a good wallop.

A plus you also get with a revolver is that you don't need to run around picking up your brass, secondly reloads are cheaper as the gun (.357) also shoots .38 which is a very nice caliber in wad cutter for target shoot.

Oh yeah one last thing (personal opinion again) I would not get a .45 or 9mil and buy a conversion kit for .22 even though there are a lot of pro's the main reason is that, if down the road, you want to trade or sell you need to sell the price of 2 guns in one ! Follow my drift, if you want to upgrade or change out your 9mil or .45 your conversion kit won't fit another gun unless similar and you just might not be looking to change out for a similar gun!!! Same applies to the .22 , seperate guns are seperate guns and can be sold more easily than one gun asking for the price of two...

Not sure if I can get the pics to download here PM me and I'll show you a nice combo.

Okay so it was 3 cents...
 
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Thanks for all your replies guys! I didn't expect such an overwhelming amount of advice. To clarify, I don't mind buying used at all, and I agree that it would be a logical choice considering my budget. I'll take a look at those conversion kits too, because that sounds like a mighty fine idea, and a good way to get used to shooting before moving onto higher calibers without necessarily having to purchase and get used to two completely different firearms. I'm still looking for some input on the BDE, though, keep that advice coming!

TightGroup said:
Yes the badass look..

That statement alone as been at the root cause of our problems with the anties!

First the best looking gun, is the one that groups everyhing in a nice neat little hole, noew thats badass.

So if you want to be badass, get your groups in a small hole and impress your friends with your skills and not your possesions.
TG
Click to expand...

Is there really any way to say ''I want a firearm that's visually appealing,'' without sounding like a total duche? I resent that, seriously. I don't want to come off as some excited bloke who just wants to impress his friends, far from it. I simply feel that buying a gun that appeals to me visually is something that'll contribute to my own customer satisfaction. Is there anything wrong with that? I'm definately not saying I would ever buy a firearm (or anything for that matter) based on the way it looks alone.

I'm going to the club tonight to get my membership. I'll talk to a few members, and see if the club has any guns to rent. Otherwise, I'm looking at the CZ 75 now too, seeing as so many of you have recommended it. Maybe a P226 with a conversion kit could be fun too. Gah! The choices, the choices!

Canadian_Sapper
 
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There's nothing at all wrong with buying something that you like to look at. Performance first of course but given that there's any number of guns out there that perform there's no shame or ridcule in selecting one that makes you smile when you are cleaning it.

I also have to agree with CloClo on the idea of NOT getting a conversion kit. Especially when you can buy various .22 semi's for the same price as a conversion kit. Yes there is something to be said for the different shape grips but if you stick to .22's that have a 1911 like grip angle and general grip size then they will feel close enough to whatever else you get in the larger caliber.

And when you consider that S&W 22A's, Ruger 22/45's and Browning Buckmarks all cost roughly the same as a conversion kit I'd have to say that it just doesn't make sense to buy a kit instead of just having two guns that can then both be used at the range without changing out a bunch of stuff.

I was just looking at a Buckmark for $374 at Cabela's Canada an hour ago. I seriously doubt you can buy a conversion kit for much less than this and if you sell either the ready to go gun is obviously going to sell a lot easier.
 
I had the XD9 and really liked it. No .22 conversion though. What fits your hands/feels good should be the main thing you look for.
 
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