Just Getting Into Handguns

Welcome to the world of handguns! As you are set on a 9mm, then you have a ton of choices available to you. I just went thru the process of choosing my first 9, and your best friend will be YouTube :), watch as many videos as you can and make your choice. There are a ton of great, affordable 9m's out there, with a lot of good choices in the sub $600 range. The Canik tp9sa range kit is a fantastic deal, Girsan makes great products that the owners seem to love, Walther PPX range kit, and many more :) . My choice was the FN FNS9LS, and I love it. Do your research and you can't go wrong, I honestly think it's hard to find a "bad" gun these days, happy hunting!
 
It's a little more than you were thinking to spend but I'm going to say 1+ on a used CZ SP-01 Shadow. I bought a value pistol first (S&W SD-9) and was unhappy with my groups. Saw the CZ on sale and bought it, hitting 10/10 on 4" targets at 10 yards now and 8/10 on 10" at 25 yards. I have not touched the Smith since. A bit more money then you were thinking I would bet, but for me at least this is the only 9mm I need, worth saving a bit longer and feel now I should have just bucked up in the first place. Like others have said, check the EE for used ones, some good deals out there. I think I would have been board with a 22 for my first pistol fairly quickly, but that's just me. Tried one at a rental range before I got my PAL, let out 50 rounds quick, gave a little yawn then asked for the 9, the 38 and the 357, made my smile much bigger.
 
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Welcome to the most wonderful world of handguns !! Be very careful as it's very contagious. It will cause you to purchase many, not one ! :)
 
LOL love the Pinocchio pic. Reminds me of trying to talk my wife in to letting me get "just one more" because I need a different caliber or different type of action.
 
I'm pretty new myself and I've just bought a Girsan Regard 9mm and I really like it. It wasn't too expensive and it looks and shoots great! I would recommend it. Enjoy whatever you decide to go with! Handguns are great fun!
 
9mm is in my opinion most fun while keeping ammo cost down, u will want it pretty much right after u realize that .22 just doesnt have that satisfying POW!
.22 is great to practice with though and by far cheapest to shoot

Here is my solution:

Pick up a SIG P226 in .22 ( u get an all metal frame and SIG Quality and reliability) then when u are comfortable shooting that without flinching u can pick up a 9mm Caliber X-Change kit and call it a day! 1 Gun 2 calibers = Win
 
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Np22...
Possibly Norinco's finest product....looks like a sig .....shoots great..pretty well built..and available regularly on ee for 300$...if budget is driving your choices and you want a '9'....it's the way to go..
 
Preppyryro: First gun I ever pulled a trigger on was a handgun, that was 54 or so years ago. Then dad had me shooting rifles, 22 long rifle caliber, 22-250Rem, or .243Win and shotguns, 20 gauge. Then around age 10 or 12 the handgun came out again, same gun a 22 LR revolver. I did not fire a centerfire handgun until age 13 or 14. I'm going to ask you to reconsider a 22 as your first handgun. The ammo is going to be far cheaper than even 9mm and the more you shoot the better you'll get.
 
preppypyro said:
.....Regarding the different action, any of you guys like a single or double over the other?
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I think you're under a mistaken impression. In semi auto pistols there are only a few true DA only guns. Most are DA/SA. What this means is that the hammer can be lowered for carry purposes to be safer than cocked and locked. But if you don't lower the hammer then it acts in SA mode all the time. And even if you do lower the hammer for the first shot only the first shot is in DA mode. After that the rest are all in SA mode.

There are some DA only guns out there but they are not common.

To enjoy your new gun in as many ways as you can I strongly suggest you check out the event calenders for local clubs and attend a sample of all the handgun events offered. Just standing and perforating paper gets old pretty quickly. Events that demand a little more tend to also deliver more grins per shot. And best of all you get to hang out with a bunch of pretty nice folks with the same interest for a day. So look over what is being done around you and buy a gun which will fit in with as many local events as you can. Mostly this will mean getting a gun for which you can buy extra magazines fairly easily. And one which has a reasonable availability for holsters and mag pouches.
 
Welcome to the restricted side. I've been shooting handguns for 10 years now. I think that 9mm is a good place to start. My first pistol purchase was a Sig P226 (I REALLY liked it). Bought the Mrs. a Norinco NP22 for Christmas last year (what can I say, I'm a romantic) and we both enjoy it. I was surprised to see that it shoots on par with my Sig for a fraction of the price (3 NP22's or 1 Sig...). The only drawback for the Norinco I can say is that extra mags (without modifying) are very difficult to find. Happy shooting!
 
preppypyro said:
I also wanted to get a .45acp, but have decided that the 9mm is likely a better choice, due to ammo cost
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Welcome the handguns! If you're factoring in cost of the gun itself and the ammo, you should seriously be getting a .22 because I promise you centerfire will be more expensive than you expect. Additionally, you're gonna suck at shooting a handgun for the first while until you learn how to shoot them (handguns are significantly more difficult than rifles to shoot), may as well shoot for less during the learning process. If you do get a 9mm, bank on a minimum of $75 a range trip (factory ammo), and expect it to take longer to get the hang of it. IHMO .22's are fun, I shoot mine all the time while the big ones stay home.
 
I'm going to add another vote for the Norinco NP22 in 9mm. I've also shot a real Sig 226 and for the price I'll keep my NP22!

Awesome gun for a cheap price, and super easy to strip down too.
 
Folks with all the advice mean well but you might as well ask what is the best favor of ice cream.

Handgun has to fit you like a good pair of gloves, only way to find out is to try them all out. We have a local indoor range that just charge for ammo, gun rental is included. Try them all out. There is a reason for so many different handgun, to match the person holding it.

Shoot first, buy later.

As for "I want to basically start at 25 yard targets, and just keep on plinking away till I get decent at it. "
That is akin to telling someone to start shooting their rifle at 400m. Start at 7m with 9mm, a newbie should expect only several holes all over the place in a 8x11" sheet of paper.
 
So a few months back, the same question was asked and my recommendation was the Zastava M70A1. It is an exceptional copy of the Tokarev TT but in 9mm. The fit and finish is far better than a Norinco and it holds 9 + 1 rounds vs the original 8 rounds of 7.62 x 25. It has a great history, designed by John Browning and modified by the commies, has 2 magazines, majority of parts are interchangable with the TT and it sells for $285.

I admit that I was a bit of a gun snob and did not buy any handgun that either didn't say target on it or was under $1g but I took a leap of faith after much reasearch... and was not disappointed. The 9mm verson is getting harder to find but are still around. One of the best kept secrets around IMO but the secret might be out because it looks like the market might be drying up.
 
GLS_1956 said:
Preppyryro: First gun I ever pulled a trigger on was a handgun, that was 54 or so years ago. Then dad had me shooting rifles, 22 long rifle caliber, 22-250Rem, or .243Win and shotguns, 20 gauge. Then around age 10 or 12 the handgun came out again, same gun a 22 LR revolver. I did not fire a centerfire handgun until age 13 or 14. I'm going to ask you to reconsider a 22 as your first handgun. The ammo is going to be far cheaper than even 9mm and the more you shoot the better you'll get.
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Always learn to walk before you run. Get the 22 and shoot the be-Jesus out of it. I like the multi caliber deal someone suggested, best of both worlds.
 
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