Educate me (sig, glock,1911,walther)

Norm123

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New to the forums. All my shooting buddies highly recommend check this place out. I've been shooting long rifle since before I could walk. But pistols are new to me. We have three clubs in my area. I've visited all. Many of their members taking the time to show me some different pistols. I originally didn't consider the .22lr thinking it was in my opinion a "girls gun". But a guy was shooting a sig 1911 and I was really impressed. Low recoil, cheap to buy, cheap to shoot. But not practical for a match should I ever want to compete. Right now the gun will be used for informal once a week club shoots.

So I started looking at guns double and triple my original budget. Like the glock 34, sig P226 9mm. Both these guns having .22 kits available. I was very close to buying a girsan regard 9mm. But the conversion kit .22lr was more then the pistol if you can even locate one. I know the glocks are super reliable. But the sig feels good in the hand.

I didn't start this topic to bash glock or sig. I just thought I'd ask some other shooters which they prefer and why? I have no idea what a fair used price of these firearms are? I have found both types locally. The sig being practically new and the glock with some moderate wear. I don't mind investing more in a quality gun. I know norinco has some options. But I'd prefer a pistol that down the road I can get most of my money back. Perhaps there are other firearms out there I am simply not aware of that I should be checking out?

Thanks
 
I'm not a fan of the conversion kits. But thats just me. If I was you.. I would buy a cheap 22 pistol (not a mosquito) and a glock. Practice a lot. .22 and 9mm would be the cheapest route.. but a 1911 in 45 is pretty entertaining also. Cost benefit.... 9mm and 22 if you have cash left over.
the glock has tons of aftermarket and reliable as heck stock. .22 will help your technique at a lower cost. That's it
 
Most people swear by the CZ 75 and its variants. And it has a conversion kit I believe.

That being said with you current selection: sig, glock, 1911, and walther; May I recommend a GSG 1911 its a .22 pistol that is both fun and on the budget side.

My recommendation not to get a conversion kit and look to get a GSG 1911 or a Ruger Mark III for a .22. Also I believe sig sauer has discontinued the .22 conversion kit and now only offer a .22 handgun.
 
When I was in your position about a year ago I went with a .22 and a 9mm. I got a Sig 1911-.22 ( exact same gun as the GSG 1921-22) because I wanted to shoot a lot for cheap,lol, and a 9mm . You should try and hold as many types in your hand as possible, and buy the one that fits you best, it's hard to buy a ####ty gun these days, there are so many good choices out there :)
I watched hundreds of YouTube vids on the guns I was interested in to narrow my search, did my research and made my choice.
I have no experience with conversion kits, so I can't comment on that, but enjoy the search, it's all part of the overall experience!
Good luck
 
Personally I'm not a fan of 22 pistols, the novelty and savings wore off after the first range trip. I found them to be very boring and the 22 conversion I had for my 226 was both finicky and inaccurate as ####. Although if I was to buy a 22 pistol it'd be a ruger mark something because the one I tried was dead on accurate and was very reliable.

As for the glock vs sig comparison, I've owned both, but still own glocks. Most people will prefer the "feel" of the sig as the grip is a little more ergonomic to the hand, but the bore axis is what won me over for glock. The bore sits so low to your hand that any recoil the gun generated was EASILY mitigated by a proper shooting/grip technique. I found when I went back to my 226 it felt so awkward shooting it with such a high bore axis. On top of that, I feel the DA/SA triggers are dead. There's really no benefit to having to learn two trigger pulls instead of one single pull of a striker fired gun, but that's mostly just my opinion.
On top of that, if you're trigger picky, the options are endless with a glock. Sure you can add an SRT kit to the 226 and change out some sprigs but no one offers nearly as many trigger configurations as glock.
Some will make the argument that plastic guns are cheap, glock lacks quality or the usual uneducated rhetoric but you can comfortably discard any of those opinions as nonsense.
Either choice, you're getting a fine combat pistol that will likely outlast you in terms of reliability. As I usually recommend to people, try shooting both before buying. How a gun feels doesn't mean squat compared to how it shoots and recoils with your body mechanics.
 
I've done some reading. Yes the conversion kits can be finicky. But everyone seems to agree .22lr CCI mini mags run through the sig really well. Before I pull the "trigger" on a local P226 9mm purchase. What is the average asking price of these guns in great condition?
 
I agre with MackForce on a cheap .22lr pistol along with a full size 9mm. As for Sig P226 pricing I've seen prices ranging from $700 to $1000 depending on condition and accessories along with country of manufacture. Sig pistols made in German generally go for a higher price as they are held on to and harder to come across. Just be sure to to check the frame rails for cracks or extreme wear.
 
I'm a fan of Glocks, but have no experience with the 22 conversions. I guess depending on your budget, I would also support the idea to buy a good 22 pistol (I like Ruger MK's and Browning Buckmarks), and a 9mm of your choice. Not sure what rules your "club shoot" operates under, or if anyone there would care, but a Glock 34 isn't IPSC production legal because of barrel length if that's important to you. CZ and Glock have the best aftermarket especially here in Canada if you feel you want to swap some things around. (sights, springs etc) If you have access to the EE here you should quickly be able to see fair market value on the pistol(s) of your choice. Buy at around that price point and you should be able to recoup most of your money if you decide to change platforms or decide pistols aren't your thing. Go easy on the accessories until you're sure its a keeper, the add ons don't retain their value like the guns do. A used Glock 34 should fall in the $750-850 price range depending whether it's a Gen 3 or 4, condition, number of mags etc. Good luck!
 
I make the same recommendation to anyone who is first getting into the game of shooting and enjoying handguns: try them out!

I learned that I prefer heavy metal and aluminum to polymer firearms: Sig, 1911 and other bulky platforms. I simply seem to shoot better with them, even the light and small ones like the Boberg I own. I think, and this is for me only, I can feel the polymer shift in my grip and that causes 'poorer' shooting compared to other firearms (it's about shooter to firearm fit, not the firearm specifically, so no brand or model bashing intended).

You won't know what you like, what shoots best for you, until you get a chance to try them out. I think that is why the handgun section of CGN's Equipment Exchange thrives so well: people try a Sig to find out the grip angle sucks for them, they try a 1911 to find out its too heavy for them, they shoot a Glock and find the plastic feel is bad for them... or whatever it is that is not better for them over something else (again, it's about shooter to firearm fit, not the firearm specifically). I know your profile says Nova Scotia so I can't recommend you go down to the local gun range or gun club here to try stuff but surely someone in the vastness of CGN could let you 'shoot along' at their range local to you.

The advantage to the .22LR kits is having the identical grip, grips, trigger, length of pull and so forth to the centerfire caliber: I even make sure my .22LR kits (I have two) have the identical height of bore, height of sights and identical sights to my centerfire caliber. It is a cheap way to transition from dry fire to "projectiles on target" shooting, followed by full centerfire practice.
 
Skip the .22 until you have more guns. I only own .22s to introduce newbies. I'd rather shoot a 9mm any day.
 
Haha, it seems buying a pistol is very similar to my last purchase of a chainsaw. Lots of pros and cons. Everyone has a pretty strong case for so many different brands and models. But it sounds that firearms don't tend to loose a lot of value if properly cared for. So if I do want to switch or quit I'll recieve a reasonable return on my investment.
 
in my opinion, you have to try out the guns you are looking at, maybe 50 to 100 rounds each, to get a good idea if the grip and trigger works for you. the gun has to fit you. The guns you mention are all good guns and will work well. 22LR conversions sound good, but the novelty wears off quickly. I now own a couple 22LR pistols that I shoot when the mood sticks me.
 
Well I took the plunge. I decided the best option for me was to buy new. I held a Girsan Regard 9mm and it fit my hand like a glove. Fit and finish won me over. All the online reviews suggest it's a great clone for much less then a new Beretta. Plus I got a great deal on a new sig 1911 22 (gsg). They seem very popular here and fit in my hand nicely as well. Thanks for all the advice.
 
Congrats!! Those are a couple of solid choices, I'm sure you won't be disappointed with either. If I can make a suggestion, use only high velocity .22 ammo for the first 1000-1500 rounds on the Sig, after that, it should work well with just about anything. I only use high velocity in mine, I find the cost savings of cheaper .22 doesn't compare with the reliability of high velocity, mine loves CCI mini mags. Good luck and good shooting!
 
Buy the one that fits like a glove, shots like a laser. Most important is it shoots to your likings. A bulleyes, steel silhouette, IPSC shooter have different requirements.
 
Well I took the plunge. I decided the best option for me was to buy new. I held a Girsan Regard 9mm and it fit my hand like a glove. Fit and finish won me over. All the online reviews suggest it's a great clone for much less then a new Beretta. Plus I got a great deal on a new sig 1911 22 (gsg). They seem very popular here and fit in my hand nicely as well. Thanks for all the advice.

You may have to do some investigation into ammo for your SIG 1911 22. I have a SIG P226 with the conversion kit and the SIG 1911 which work perfectly fine with Federal American Eagle Rimfire Ammo - High Velocity, 22 LR, 38Gr, Copper-Plated HP ammo once they were broken in (Federal costs less than CCI mini mag). You may find that the SIG 1911 jams or fails to eject due to excess paint on the slide. I found these video helpful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMLlBRS14rc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rc7mq1MVi3E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnU6opkXo6A
 
Guns are like girls....

Pistols in this case....

U r only going to caress them at the range.....so my humble advice......like a dad to a son...use/shoot/feel the one which is most gratifying.
They all feel diff. Just like *they* all feel diff.
Enjoy the journey, There is no definitive answer!

Nuff said?

0_)
 
Guns are like girls....

Pistols in this case....

U r only going to caress them at the range.....so my humble advice......like a dad to a son...use/shoot/feel the one which is most gratifying.
They all feel diff. Just like *they* all feel diff.
Enjoy the journey, There is no definitive answer!

Nuff said?

0_)

"Guns are like girls.... Use/shoot/feel." Although I have an idea of the analogy you were going for here, I am not sure it works in this case. Maybe "guns are like cameras... Use/shoot/feel" would be more socially acceptable ;)
 
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