First (or first and second) pistol

P

PizzaEater

Regular
EE Expired
Rating - 100%
2   0   0
Location
SWO, Ontario
Hey all.

New to shooting, no real experience at all of any significance. I plan on getting into target shooting and possibly IPSC.

Given the economics of 9 vs 22, I figure that depending on the number of rounds I shoot per year and the ratio between the two, the difference in ammo pricing will more than pay for a second pistol. Maybe the math is self serving but whatever works!

So my plan is to join a club, fire some pistols, and see what I like. I’m sure you guys were all incredibly patient about your first purchase and very carefully weighted up all the options before making any rash decisions, and I intend to do the same.



In all seriousness, maybe this is an age old question and the only answer is “to each his own”, but I was considering - do I get a similar style of 9 and 22? I was thinking that if I get an M&P 9 and an M&P 22 there would be ovrerlap on the learning curve between the two of them. Assuming I ‘get on’ with an M&P, which I’d really like to shoot first. Or are they different enough in handling that it would be like learning two guns? I’m sure two identical M&P9s would have individual variations too, I’m not expecting them to be identical.


Or... you know... skip the 9 and spend the extra on the 22 out of the gate. The first year savings on second pistol AND 9mm ammo would be huge, and I could then justify a more expensive pistol down the line.


I’ve read - “don’t get into guns without being prepared to spend some cash”, I totally get it, I’m just choosing to be selective about hobby spending right now.


——————————

Tl;dr? Learning to shoot a pistol - get the “same” pistol in 9 and 22 for familiarity? Or just get a nicer 22?

Let’s say $1,400 for two pistols in year 1 or $1,000 for 1 in year one and $1,000 for a second in year two.



Thanks all. And great forum
 
Welcome to the forum, went through the same thought process recently. You’re going to hear “buy once cry once” a lot, “Glock” a lot, and “shadow” a lot. I don’t think you’ll hear M&P very often - especially if you’re interested in IPSC.

For $1400 you can get a Shadow (one) and a whole pile of ammo, used you should be able to pick them up for $700 or less. New, between 780-1050 (I know, right? Some vendors can’t compete)


.22s are a ton of fun as well. I recently got a Sig/GSG 1911, but I’m already thinking about selling it for something else - a ruger SP101 in .22 - fills my revolver niche

You have it right though, try as much as you can, buy what fits your hand, and your budget. There’s a ton of other “first pistol” threads that you can search through as well, this conversation has been had more than a few times.

Oh and by the way, my vote is for Shadow and ammo. (Or shadow 2 and less ammo)

Happy shooting!
 
justmessing said:
Welcome to the forum, went through the same thought process recently. You’re going to hear “buy once cry once” a lot, “Glock” a lot, and “shadow” a lot. I don’t think you’ll hear M&P very often - especially if you’re interested in IPSC.

For $1400 you can get a Shadow (one) and a whole pile of ammo, used you should be able to pick them up for $700 or less. New, between 780-1050 (I know, right? Some vendors can’t compete)


.22s are a ton of fun as well. I recently got a Sig/GSG 1911, but I’m already thinking about selling it for something else - a ruger SP101 in .22 - fills my revolver niche

You have it right though, try as much as you can, buy what fits your hand, and your budget. There’s a ton of other “first pistol” threads that you can search through as well, this conversation has been had more than a few times.

Oh and by the way, my vote is for Shadow and ammo. (Or shadow 2 and less ammo)

Happy shooting!
Click to expand...

Completely agree with all of this
 
My 1st pistol was an M&P22. and although I don’t shoot it much anymore (22 tends to feel like a bbgun once you experience bigger calibers) I keep it for a few reasons:

First and foremost, nostalgia.
It’s also the first gun i let new shooters try. It helps them avoid the infamous flinch.
And it feeds the Rambo in me without braking the bank when I just want to dump mags as if I was shooting full auto.

It also fits my hand great, eats up almost any type of ammo and is super easy to clean. I wouldn’t get an M&P9 for IPSC though. It’s not the gun for that type of shooting.
 
Welcome pizza eater I am new to pistols and shooting at paper. I picked up a smith and Wesson sd9 9mm it seems alright but I have never gripped a $1000 pistol. Where abouts are you located? I joined a brand new indoor range in my area and went for the first time last had a blast!
 
Where are you located? And is it near any of the rare commercial rental ranges here in Canada?

Or you mentioned joining the club and trying some different guns. Does your club rent guns like that?

I was lucky enough to have such a rental range near me. So when I decided to jump in I simply went to that outfit and tried a couple or three guns per visit. All 9's. Fairly quickly I realized that I preferred the feel of all metal guns for how they balanced in my hands. And I also found that I preferred the feel of the triggers on the hammer fired guns over that on the striker fired guns.

At the end of it all my short list was the Beretta 92fs and the IWI Jericho.... but then along came someone that let me try their CZ Shadow. It had everything for fit for my hands to feel in the trigger but in every way was a little better than the others. So that ended up being my first handgun. And 9 years later it's still one of my top three favorites overall and certainly my favorite 9. So much so that I added an older pre B model 75 to go with the Shadow.

But that was for me. You need to find your own perfect love. And the best way to do that is to try a whole lot of different ones and keep track of them all.

Oh, and the other member of the top three favorites? A revolver. Somewhere along the way give one a try when you have a good revolver shooter around to show you the proper way to hold them.
 
I started with a Ruger Mark II, a great pistol that will eat anything, is accurate, and is built really well.
I highly recommend them but,
I spent 20 years buying and selling over 16 rimfire pistols. I always thought the Smith and Wesson Model 41 was a bit pricey.
After I finally bought my 41 I told myself that I should have bought it sooner, far sooner.
So now I tell people who are looking for a great gun that costs less to get try out a Mark II.
If the person says they can get a thousand dollars together, I tell them to look very hard at a S&W Model 41.
I had a good time with my M&P`s but I enjoy 1911`s more. Try out lots of pistols, and have fun.
 
Tenda had a great Black Friday deal with a Shadow 2 and 500rnds ammo for $1249 or something silly like that. You can find a SP01 Shadow for around $900 new or around $700 used. Still a solid platform and popular in IPSC.

That said, since you say you are new to shooting, I would join a club and get some good lessons/guidance from someone who can teach you good technique and form. Shoot it lots! When you get to a point in your skills where you can consistently place 10rnds into a 8.5"x11" or paper plate at 25yrds, you'd probably be ready to do your Black Badge course. Some folks are natural shooters, others takes a bit of time. Don't get discouraged if you're in the latter.
 
PizzaEater said:
Thanks all for the constructive feedback. You guys are awesome.

I’m going to join a local club, and shoot a few first before buying.
Click to expand...

Even there is no rental you can still try to approach someone with some questions about their pistols and I think most people don't mind you test fire a few shots under their watch (at least that is my impression most of the time). Of course don't over do this and ask nicely ;)
 
As the first pistol, Norinco clones of Sig P226 and CZ75 might serve one well. Spend the difference on ammo and a good instructor.

I went this route, found a new unfired NP22 on EE for $300 shipped to my door. DA trigger pull was very heavy, easy fix with 19 lbs Wolff mainspring. Other people have fired it at the range and were quite impressed with how well it shoots.

Most if not all aftermarket goodies for P226 fit.
 
Got my RPal around about a year ago and now own two .22 revolvers, a Sig 1911-22, and a CZ Sp01 Shadow.
And about 8K rounds total of .22 and 9mm
Had no idea that this little hobby would become so spendy so quickly.
Wife has been fairly ok with it so far, but to stay in her good graces l' m gonna slow down to buying just 1 or 2 guns a year.
 
Gingko said:
Got my RPal around about a year ago and now own two .22 revolvers, a Sig 1911-22, and a CZ Sp01 Shadow.
And about 8K rounds total of .22 and 9mm
Had no idea that this little hobby would become so spendy so quickly.
Wife has been fairly ok with it so far, but to stay in her good graces l' m gonna slow down to buying just 1 or 2 guns a year.
Click to expand...

Man, I just recently brought my wife shooting for the first time, and she is shockingly good. My advice is to do the same, and give her super positive feedback about her abilities - even if she’s bad. My wife was excited about Glock & HK shopping today, and we’re renting all the range poly’s tomorrow to find her a 9. I feel like this is the best way to justify spending more money - she didn’t even balk when I showed her the price of the Tac Sport Orange I’m interested in today..
 
Buy a good first pistol if you want to do anything competitive eventually. In the long run it will be cheaper than buying several guns to get you there.
I went with Shadow 1 and 2000rds as a start..... practise a lot and when your able to group ok try for IPSC if you want too then buy your Holster etc...
22lr pistols are great for cost and practise... I recommend a Semi-Auto in each. After that get whatever you want.

Hit me up if your in the GTA and are looking for a club. The buy in is large but it's very nice. Otherwise good luck on the new Hobby
 
Thanks again. You guys are awesome. I’m going to spend a bit more time googling before buying and make sure I shoot a few platforms first.

I was thinking Browning Buck Master .22 and M&P9(2.0). Then I thought M&P .22 and Glock 19. Then I thought M&P .22 and M&P9(2.0). So probably end up with a CZ...
 
PizzaEater said:
Thanks again. You guys are awesome. I’m going to spend a bit more time googling before buying and make sure I shoot a few platforms first.

I was thinking Browning Buck Master .22 and M&P9(2.0). Then I thought M&P .22 and Glock 19. Then I thought M&P .22 and M&P9(2.0). So probably end up with a CZ...
Click to expand...
Lol, too funny :)
It's very easy to get overwhelmed by the amount of choice out there these days, and there are many opinions on what to buy. You really have to hold and shoot as many as you can to see what you like. With your budget you could easily get both a 9mm and a .22, if that is what you choose. Doesn't hurt to ask if there are any CGN'ers that are local to you that could take you out and let you try a few,,, worked for me when I was starting and I have passed it on and taken out others since then :)
Good luck in your search for your first,,,,,,and possibly second
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom