If you had to do it all over again......

I shot for a couple of years at a club that specialized in non-licensed shooters -- provided pistols and close supervision. I had the opportunity to shoot a wide variety of pistols, primarily .22lr, as well as some centerfire. I've shot everything from a shot-out Walther P22 (avoid like the plague), through Ruger MkI, Colt Woodsman, Browning Buckmark, HighStandards of all varieties, to a Pardini SP. I've shot P99s, Glock 17s, Browning Hi-Powers, CZ-75 -85 -Kadet and -SP01, a Colt 1911, Baretta 92F, Pardini HP, Smith & Wesson 686, and a GP 100. I had literally more than 10k rounds down range before I ever bought a pistol that was truly mine, and I don't regret any of my time there.

Each shot has informed my choices in what I am willing to buy. I won't ever purchase a .22 revolver, my hands cramp up every time I ever shot one. I enjoy the full size wheel guns, I'd happily own an S&W 686, and I purchased a GP-100 from my uncle. I won't waste my time with a Walther P22. I find the pistol too light, too little, and the trigger far heavier than necessary. I've also seen two with the slides worn to the point of being unsafe to shoot. I'd purchase a well preserved High Standard .22 in a heartbeat -- as a rule they are reliable, substantial, accurate and have decent triggers. I'd purchase a target model Ruger MkII - no issue at all with how it shoots. I'd avoid a stock MkIII on principle due to the magazine disconnect - but there are ways to mod this out. When I have the money, I will own a Pardini SP. I have shot no more accurate .22 pistol and I have shot well with a borrowed one in Bulls-eye competition.

In my years at that range the centerfire pistol that shot the best for me, and felt the best in my hands was a CZ. I bought a CZ-SP01 Shadow. I've followed it up with a Ruger GP-100, and I'll try out the Norinco .45 I have on the way to see if my issues with the Club's .45 were particular to that particular pistol, or if I have a problem with the platform. I've got 1000 rounds to figure it out. At some point I'll probably buy a striker fired 9mm, probably not a Glock (I don't find them comfortable).

Long story short - If you have the opportunity, try shooting everything you can get your hands on, learn from the people that own and use those pistols, find what feels good to you, what shoots well for you, and go from there. Make a .22lr your first or, at latest, second pistol you buy and realize you can always sell what doesn't work for you and try something else.

-DF
 
I started with a used Ruger MKII target model, and put thousands of rounds through it before buying anything else. It was the only handgun I had for five or six years. I shot a few others that friends owned before and after buying it though. I would definately do it the same over again. I am self taught for everything when it comes to handguns, and seem to be able to shoot half decent. I still like to shoot the 22 handguns, it helps keeps the flinching away.
Kristian
 
Get the best quality pistol you can afford.

I honestly believe it doesn't really matter what pistol you buy (as long as it's reliable). Spend enough time with the gun, focusing on your fundamentals, and you will learn to shoot any pistol you choose well. DA/SA pistols have a little bit more of a learning curve, but it's not insurmountable.

My first pistol purchase was a Browning Hi Power. I wish I had kept it and shot it until I broke it. I would have saved myself a lot of time and money buying and selling pistols in the EE.

Make a choice and stick with it. Seek professional instruction and buy a ton of ammo, a timer and a good holster and mag pouches. Glocks and M&P's can be found for reasonable prices in the EE.
 
I bought a HK P30L in 9mm for my first pistol. I wanted a pistol with uncompromising reliability, accuracy, & durability. Hk pistols are pretty much bombproof(no I haven't tried setting off an ied under my pistol), and more than one experienced shooter has told me they are absolutely on par with any match pistol. I purchased it in this summer a little over 6 months ago, and now 2400 rounds later it hasn't failed me even once. The only thing I would have done differently knowing what I know now, would be to also buy a M&P 22 either the same day or very shortly afterwards. Till they have a HK conversion or HK replica 22lr pistol. Then I would buy that. Shooting centerfire gets pricey fast. So a rimfire, preferably one with identical manual of arms to complement the centerfire firearm would be my recommendation.

The only advice I can give is don't cheap out. If you are serious about shooting you will regret it down the road.
 
I'd say to look at it from many angles. What do you want to use it for, and what will be required for that use? My first was a Walther PPQ Navy, a very ###y pistol with a superb trigger and great ergonomics, but I wanted to get into competitive shooting and walther mags run about $75 to $90 each when they're actually in stock. Not exactly the kind of things you can buy a dozen mags, plus holster and other gear, plus a pile of ammo to shoot. Next up is to look at replacement parts. Very few if any in Canada, and likely to take lots of time and money to fix. That's not to say that it's a bad gun that I expected to have trouble with, but going competitive without replacement parts seems like an amateur mistake. I ended up selling it for a SIG P226 instead. Lots of replacement parts, and mags that go for half the price of the walther ones.

Now, if you know exactly what you want, and you've already thought it through, go for it. I'm not going to tell you to pay your dues with a .22 if what you really want is to get a .44 revolver because that's what you'll be carrying as a prospector, or if you want to get a copy of your service pistol, and you want to get extra experience with it. However, it seems that few people know exactly what they want, I know that I didn't.

Depending on how often you shoot, buying an "extra" .22 might be more expensive than just shooting 9mm. If you spend $500 on a rimfire pistol, you could likely have bought 1500 or more cartridges of 9mm, and for a lot of people that will last a very long time.
 
Like I said, m&p 22. You can walk out with it and 1000 rounds for about 450 bucks. They hardly ever choke, and that's saying a lot for 22lr. Check out some reviews online.
 
Oh the never ending first pistol debate...

I bought my first pistol (a Beretta 92-F) in 1989, I had a bit of pistol shooting in the CF with the Hi-Power (okay Inglis No2 Mk1* for the purists).
I bought the 92-F due to hype of the M9 at the time, it was also the first pistol I sold - and no I've never bought another.

Over the years I've bought a lot of guns.
Inglis No2 Mk1*
Sig P226
Glock23
Browning HP-35 Novak Custom gun
Browning BDA (the .380)
S&W 686 4"
Sig P226R
Sig P228
Glock19
Colt Combat Elite (1911)
Colt Combat Commander
Nighthawk 1911's (3 different one)
Ed Brown 1911
S&W 340
a few other 1911's
Hk Mk23 (don't ask why)
M&P 9mmC
M&P45T
M&P 9mm CORE
M&P SHIELD


I've been issued a few different handguns over the years too.
BHP
Glock 19
Sig P226
Glock17
Ithaca 1911 (rebuilt in Iraq with a bunch of custom parts)


The guns I still own, are rather limited
all are 9mm but a Nighthawk 1911 I got from LAV he had worked on.


My daily carry/ authorized duty guns at the moment are:
S&W M&P 9mm CORE
S&W M&P 9mm Shield (BUG) (the 9C is too big to pocket carry or tuck in behind a duty belt - or ankle carry though I liked it could use the same mags as the 9)


While I think the Hk P30 series guns is a better gun than the M&P series, the cost is 2x, and as a result I figured that it was not worth it for me, I shoot about 15k 9mm a year these days - and that allowed me to buy another 3k of ammo.

.22LR in the US is pretty rare - and it will get rare in Canada, as the machines that make .22LR also make primers -- .22LR is not nearly as profitable as selling primers or making centerfire ammo. My wife has a M&P22, and a M&P1522, and they never get shot, as I can find 9mm for her Shield or Glock19 (and my guns) easier.

To me the S&W M&P 9mm series of guns is ideal --affordable, points well, now accurate, the backstrap is modular - and accessories are becoming more and more plentiful, plus Glock's QC is in my experience declining.
 
As Cdn distributors had lots of ammo -- and Canadian companies make .22LR -- but I would doubt you will keep seeing this.

Plus unlike us down here, very few Canadian bought into the baracopolpyse
 
Honestly? I wouldn't change a thing. I picked up a ragged S&W 17-2 and the thing is a joy to hold and shoot. Hard to believe the thing is ~40 years old.

I did play with the idea of getting a new 617 instead but after test firing it I was super glad I waited for the K-17.
 
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I would have taken a formal course right away so I wouldn't have had to blunder about like I did in my early years of shooting. After that, try different guns and pick the one that was most efficient for my needs.
 
Had the mp9, sold it.
P226, sold it
Shot many Glocks, never owned one. I would keep the G lock.
I own two HK P30, if I had to do it again, I would just save up for HK hand(guns).

I am yet to see something that surpasses the quality in workmanship, machining and fit of HK guns.
 
I guess I should've clarified the amount I'm wanting to spend off the hop. The budget I've set for this purchase is $1000, give or take. That's gun and 1000 rounds.

I'm not going with reloading right away, but I figure I will eventually. Like to thank everyone for their two scents on this issue. Great info.
 
M&P9 range kit $670, 1000 rounds $279, 2 day Pistol 1 courses at Agoge $250 (screaming deal). $1199 plus tax, and I guarantee that's the least expensive way to be a decent shooter in a short time.
 
My first (and still favourite in a lot of ways) was a pre-B CZ-75. I still find the weight and balance afforded by all-steel guns make them easier to shoot, reducing the "snappy" recoil I feel from polymer guns.

I love my multiple .357 wheelguns (especially my Model 19), but ammo is expensive and I don't always have time to reload. Six shots vs. 10 loses in open competition too...

There are plenty of decent 1911 clones out there, and the ammo isn't too expensive as long as Norinco keeps making it...

I probably do most of my shooting with any of my numerous .22 (due to cheap ammo), but my workhorses for competition are a Glock 17 and 22. The recoil on the Glock 22 is a little stiffer, and deals on .40 are a little harder to come by.

I've handled and shot many other pistols, including the aforementioned S&W M&P series. I didn't enjoy them enough to pick one up, but I may be tainted by my earlier introduction to Glock.

My bottom line: I would suggest either the Glock 17 or a CZ in 9mm.
 
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