Is my first pistol choice a good one?

Thank you!
The .40 is a pointless caliber in Canada except to cause bad shooting habits! The argument that it's the best compromise between the ammo cap of the 9 and hitting power of the .45 is useless here in the land of 10 rd mags and no self defense!
It's only purpose here is to make Power Factor in competition use.
Like I said, unless the OP is really experienced with handguns, the 9mm is a good start. I have no issue with the .45 either. I have 3 .45 handguns and I love them all!
Shooting 9mm is like popping bubble wrap. Shooting .45 is like squeezin' the Charmin!

PS I own a G22 and I do like it!

If you know how to shoot, then .40 is as easy to shoot as 9mm. Ive shot them all and have to say .45 is my favorite to shoot but due to price i went back to a 9mm.
 
Thanks for the input. I am not set on anything. I am not a handgun guy and have not researched like I normally do. I will look at a 22 to develop some good habits. 45 acp would be close behind. I love the look of the 1911

1911s are cool and all but you will need to buy reliable after market magazines like, nighthawk or wilson combat to ensure reliability. Even with that, i can bet you $$$ to donuts that it will have malfunctions once you get to 400 rounds at a range session. If you dont shoot that much, then no worries.

The thing with glocks is the mags are reliable and it will keep on ticking.
 
you cant go wrong with the M&P 9 range kit.
by far the best deal on the market.

ive got both glock and M&P and at the end of the day it all comes down to what feels better in your hands and what shoots better in your hands.
for me its the M&P.

like mentioned above id stick with the 9.
the 40 is a snappy little bugger.

the transition i did was the M&P9 then i wanted the 45 so i bypassed the 1911 and went to the M&P45 because i liked the feel in the hand.
if you like the feel of glocks better you could of course do the same but in glock (9 then 45)

after a couple years i got the 1911 bug and picked up a stable of them, but those are a acquired taste.

if you want to drop more coin you could always look at a CZ shadow, not my cup of tea.
we could really go on all day but id say pick up the range kit and start there.
shoot that for a year or 2 then when the chances arise while at the range test out some other stuff.
my dad started with the M&P9 then moved on to the CZ then onto Kimber then into big wheel guns and FN's.
 
you cant go wrong with the M&P 9 range kit.
by far the best deal on the market.

ive got both glock and M&P and at the end of the day it all comes down to what feels better in your hands and what shoots better in your hands.
for me its the M&P.

like mentioned above id stick with the 9.
the 40 is a snappy little bugger.

the transition i did was the M&P9 then i wanted the 45 so i bypassed the 1911 and went to the M&P45 because i liked the feel in the hand.
if you like the feel of glocks better you could of course do the same but in glock (9 then 45)

after a couple years i got the 1911 bug and picked up a stable of them, but those are a acquired taste.

if you want to drop more coin you could always look at a CZ shadow, not my cup of tea.
we could really go on all day but id say pick up the range kit and start there.
shoot that for a year or 2 then when the chances arise while at the range test out some other stuff.
my dad started with the M&P9 then moved on to the CZ then onto Kimber then into big wheel guns and FN's.

Thanks for the info. I liked the feel of the m&p in my hand. I also was eyeing the m&p 45.
 
Thanks for the info. I liked the feel of the m&p in my hand. I also was eyeing the m&p 45.

The M&P40 was my first handgun, and it's the one I've shot the most. I now have 9mm's, a 45, and a 357 mag. The 40 in my opinion is just as easy to shoot well as a 9mm or a 45, I really don't get all the hate for the 40. "It's so snappy it hurts my little wrists!" blah blah whatever..
In fact I like the 40 so much in my M&P I went ahead and got my dream gun, a P226 Elite Dark, in a 40. Freaking awesome gun, love it.
I like shooting my 1911 in 45 quite a bit as well but it's expensive, and frankly I find 9mm to be boring compared to both the 40 and 45. 40 is little pricier than 9mm but it's actually got some attitude to it like a 45, hence why I like it so much. But like I say I don't find the recoil any more difficult to control than a 9mm generally speaking, you can just tell your firing something with some more oomph behind it. As long as you have a good grip and stance, and good trigger control, you can shoot anything.
So don't let these guys scare you off the 40, if you can rent a 40 cal gun first and try it out that's your best bet. Decide for yourself.
 
Try out some guns before you buy if you can. I wanted a glock 17 or an M&P9 when I first started out. Then I shot a bunch of pistols and found out that I enjoy steel framed pistols over polymer. I still want a glock at some point but i'm VERY glad I went with a CZ-75. There are a bunch of variants available that can suit your needs. I went with the Shadow. It is a SWEET shooter. I've never had one malfuntion. Not even one. And i've shot all kinds of ammo. If you only want one pistol then skip on the 22lr and get a nice 9mm(cz75, sig226, STI spartan 9mm, berreta 92). It's not too much power for a new shooter by any means. .40 in polymer won't be much fun to learn on. You still might like the 40 but try it before you buy it. If you go with something like a G22 then get the conversion barrel and you can shoot 9mm pretty reliably too. especially in the gen 3 models without changing parts.Just my opinion though.
 
The M&P is a solid choice for a first handgun.

I would recommend the 9, but only because .40S&W tends to be more expensive and it is a 'snappier' cartridge, which might be less forgiving during the learning process.

If a person can't shoot the M&P, its probably not the gun. ;)
 
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Recently got my pal upgraded to an rpal. I am shopping for my first handgun. I have limited experience with shooting hand guns. I have handled a few and am leaning towards a s&w m&p 40 pro series. I am not concerned about cost of shooting as I am not home often enough to go more than once a month. I will be adding a progressive press to feed them if I get the handgun bug.

So with that said, would this be a good choice for a first handgun? I appreciate any input or feedback.

If you do not want to fool around with the gun (ie. trigger jobs, etc), and you still want to stick within the $650 price point then i highly recommend the walther ppx. Soooooo much better gun out of the box than the m&p. I am trying to sell my m&p now because i find my ppx and cz shadow more pleasurable to shoot. Just my opinion.
 
To the OP: There are a lot of quality choices out there, more so now than probably ever before. The differences between some of them are quite small, and sometimes completely subjective. You could start out with any number of them and probably be perfectly happy. I'd be inclined to treat the advice of someone who has seen a lot of different handguns in action, by different shooters and with a variety of ammo and shooting conditions (including competition), with a bit more weight than the advice from someone who tends to shoot alone and/or just punches paper.
 
same here. as newbie, I bought mp40 range kit as my first. compared to the 45 and 9mm I bought later, all it takes is practice. check out my posts for some of results in less than 6 months in 10 and 15 meters. I was happy with the results. I think the pro can only be better. besides, 40 gives you the option to get a cheap conversion barrel to turn one gun into 2 which was another reason I went with 40. I have a storm lake 9mm barrel shooting like dream. :)

The M&P40 was my first handgun, and it's the one I've shot the most. I now have 9mm's, a 45, and a 357 mag. The 40 in my opinion is just as easy to shoot well as a 9mm or a 45, I really don't get all the hate for the 40. "It's so snappy it hurts my little wrists!" blah blah whatever..
In fact I like the 40 so much in my M&P I went ahead and got my dream gun, a P226 Elite Dark, in a 40. Freaking awesome gun, love it.
I like shooting my 1911 in 45 quite a bit as well but it's expensive, and frankly I find 9mm to be boring compared to both the 40 and 45. 40 is little pricier than 9mm but it's actually got some attitude to it like a 45, hence why I like it so much. But like I say I don't find the recoil any more difficult to control than a 9mm generally speaking, you can just tell your firing something with some more oomph behind it. As long as you have a good grip and stance, and good trigger control, you can shoot anything.
So don't let these guys scare you off the 40, if you can rent a 40 cal gun first and try it out that's your best bet. Decide for yourself.
 
Recently got my pal upgraded to an rpal. I am shopping for my first handgun. I have limited experience with shooting hand guns. I have handled a few and am leaning towards a s&w m&p 40 pro series. I am not concerned about cost of shooting as I am not home often enough to go more than once a month. I will be adding a progressive press to feed them if I get the handgun bug.

So with that said, would this be a good choice for a first handgun? I appreciate any input or feedback.

The only one you have to make happy with your choice is yourself.

If this pistol fits you & fits your budget then go for it. Likely, as your experience gains with handgun shooting so will your preferences. The pistol might turn out to be your "never sell" or after awhile you may change it out for something else +/or different ctg choice.

The main thing is to have fun along the way & enjoy the journey. :) :cool:

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