- Location
- Blaster land, Okanagan BC
Something in 9mm would be my choice, shoot or hold as many as you can and go off of that. Once you narrow it down to your top three you will be in the ball park. Lots of options to choose from.
My first pistol, suggestions?
- Thread starter sphen
- Start date
A .22lr pistol a very good second handgun.
When I bought my first pistol I wanted a 9mm, a "real handgun" and was very happy about it. 3 months after, I bought a .22lr because I wanted to shoot more. Seriously you could be disappointed if you buy a .22lr at first. If you can buy both you'll be very happy.
When I bought my first pistol I wanted a 9mm, a "real handgun" and was very happy about it. 3 months after, I bought a .22lr because I wanted to shoot more. Seriously you could be disappointed if you buy a .22lr at first. If you can buy both you'll be very happy.
- Location
- West Quebec
A Smith 617 will give you very good accuaracy and will last a lifetime..
Fondle first, but more importantly try as many as you can out, I'm sure there's somewhere in Toronto. Try glock, m&p, sig 226, cz 75/shadow all in 9mm. I'd recommend any of those as a first gun because they can be found used for cheap, you can't really kill them, and after a year if you find your a hipster/revolver kinda guy, you can sell it for damn near what you paid for it.
Some people say start with a 22 but I found mine to be boring as hell that I didn't even run a full box of ammo through it, and ended up losing money on it.
Don't focus so much on "how it feels in your hand" but instead see which gun you shoot best with. 100 bucks at a rental range will get you far further in your decision that firearm masturbation ever will. Hell, through a shout out on here and see if any of the thousands of guys on here in TO will take you out and let you try there stuff.
I started with a 226 because it felt good in the hand, until I shot a glock years later and realized I shoot it much better.
Some people say start with a 22 but I found mine to be boring as hell that I didn't even run a full box of ammo through it, and ended up losing money on it.
Don't focus so much on "how it feels in your hand" but instead see which gun you shoot best with. 100 bucks at a rental range will get you far further in your decision that firearm masturbation ever will. Hell, through a shout out on here and see if any of the thousands of guys on here in TO will take you out and let you try there stuff.
I started with a 226 because it felt good in the hand, until I shot a glock years later and realized I shoot it much better.
i was talking about Target Sports Canada in Gormley (just west of stouffville) as i dont go to silverdale much... especially during the winter months. when i do go to silverdale i already have a guest with me because i hate driving alone.
- Location
- South Ontario
22 is nice due to price of ammo 9 is still not to bad on the pocket.
A few suggestions
GSG 1911 22 can be had for $400 ish leaving lots of $$$ for ammo
Glock. Lasts forever tons of aftermarket parts available ammo is cheap still. Its a Love it or hate it pistol
M&P same as glock.
I'd suggest going to your LGS and see what fits your hand and what you like best
A few suggestions
GSG 1911 22 can be had for $400 ish leaving lots of $$$ for ammo
Glock. Lasts forever tons of aftermarket parts available ammo is cheap still. Its a Love it or hate it pistol
M&P same as glock.
I'd suggest going to your LGS and see what fits your hand and what you like best
^^ This
Walther is my first handgun. Love it, love the feel in my hand, and how it shoots at the range. Thought all I needed was just one. Well, I ended up getting a .22 handgun as well. Much cheaper to shoot, even with the picky ammo needs.
The PPX was last on my initial short list. But it felt the best in-hand. That's what sold me. Swapped handguns at the range a couple times, and now have other members looking to get one as well. The kit is a great deal but the case doesn't have a factory padlock loop....make sure you get a lock large enough to surround the carrying handle.
And don't forget to get a speed loader too
Walthers are excellent guns. The PPX is an amazing value, but the grip doesn't fit everyone. I was going to buy the range kit from Bullseye London, but luckily got to shoot one first, the hump in the grip is just in the wrong place for me. Nice clean breaking trigger, and awesome value, wish it had adjustable backstraps, though. I would have grabbed it.
I agree with the others about starting with a .22 pistol. I would recommend the Ruger MK2 or 3 (any variation), or the Browning Buckmark. Both are very common, can be found used for a good price, and will last a lifetime. My first pistol was a Ruger MK2 stainless and though I've bought a bunch of others since then, I still love shooting that one.
Sphen (phonetical for "Sven" I'm guessing?) by all means take up the folks that have offered you a trip to the range. The more you shoot the more you'll be in a better position to make a choice.
I'm normally a big fan of starting out with a .22. They are great at learning the basics and learning to shoot well while having a low enough recoil to avoid developing a bad flinch. But in your case and given your situation you may want to consider jumping right into a 9mm gun and get into some more serious giggles right off the bat. But if you do then strongly consider a .22 as your second handgun down the road.
I know it's new to you for now but also look into the various competitions held in your area and attend at least one each of them. Handgun shooting can become pretty ho-hum after you've spent a lot of time just standing and perforating paper. The REAL fun comes from taking part in any of the timed shooting matches. And since it sounds like you're into the tactical stuff you want to specifically look into the locally held 3 gun matches.
As part of this I also suggest that you show up early before the shooter's meeting and tell the folks in sign up that you're here to check out the event and could they attach you to one of the squads for the day. Offer to help patch and otherwise take part. Sure as shootin' by the end of the day you'll be offered a bunch of different guns and perhaps even be put through one of the stages with the help of the gun owner to talk you through the stage and prevent you doing anything unsafe or outside of the rules. They'll do this out of gratitude for your help and also to try to encourage you to join the group. You'll also get to chat with them and learn about the different events. And these are where the real fun is to be found with handgun shooting. You'll also learn more about the various gun models and equipment used with them faster than just about any other method.
I know you're just thinking about range giggles and your immediate group of buddies at the moment. But there's far more to enjoying shooting handguns out there.
I'm normally a big fan of starting out with a .22. They are great at learning the basics and learning to shoot well while having a low enough recoil to avoid developing a bad flinch. But in your case and given your situation you may want to consider jumping right into a 9mm gun and get into some more serious giggles right off the bat. But if you do then strongly consider a .22 as your second handgun down the road.
I know it's new to you for now but also look into the various competitions held in your area and attend at least one each of them. Handgun shooting can become pretty ho-hum after you've spent a lot of time just standing and perforating paper. The REAL fun comes from taking part in any of the timed shooting matches. And since it sounds like you're into the tactical stuff you want to specifically look into the locally held 3 gun matches.
As part of this I also suggest that you show up early before the shooter's meeting and tell the folks in sign up that you're here to check out the event and could they attach you to one of the squads for the day. Offer to help patch and otherwise take part. Sure as shootin' by the end of the day you'll be offered a bunch of different guns and perhaps even be put through one of the stages with the help of the gun owner to talk you through the stage and prevent you doing anything unsafe or outside of the rules. They'll do this out of gratitude for your help and also to try to encourage you to join the group. You'll also get to chat with them and learn about the different events. And these are where the real fun is to be found with handgun shooting. You'll also learn more about the various gun models and equipment used with them faster than just about any other method.
I know you're just thinking about range giggles and your immediate group of buddies at the moment. But there's far more to enjoying shooting handguns out there.
CZ 75 SP01 Shadow and kadet II kit is the way to go, or better yet buy a CZ .22 gun, I got lucky and bought a Kadet II kit used (hardly used) from a friend for 400.00 and have 20,000 round through it now, Shadow and Kadet kit are my best purchases by far. I have a GSG .22 but love the CZ's.
Turkinator
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Onterrible
Blow the whole wad on a S&W 617
I have had two S&W's still have the M&P9 and have a Styer M9A1. Love both but will repeat what has been said if you can afford it get a CZ of any sort. They are a piece of art on motion. There winners and almost any competition will have a CZ winner in the top three! IMHO
For a 22LR pistol, Ruger MK series and Browning Buckmark are the popular choices.
For a first full size handgun I'd get one of the following in 9x19: Glock 17 or 19, CZ 75 or 85, SIG P226 or Walther PPQ
I prefer pistols or revolvers, and from the thread title I'm guessing that's what you are after, but revolvers are fun too!
I'm not the biggest fan of 22LR double action revolvers as the triggers are usually pretty stiff for reliable ignition. I personally like shooting the 38/357 in a revolver for fun, the 44 MAG and up are fun too, but ammo costs rise quite a bit which is no fun when you're just learning and want to shoot lots.
For a first full size handgun I'd get one of the following in 9x19: Glock 17 or 19, CZ 75 or 85, SIG P226 or Walther PPQ
I prefer pistols or revolvers, and from the thread title I'm guessing that's what you are after, but revolvers are fun too!
I'm not the biggest fan of 22LR double action revolvers as the triggers are usually pretty stiff for reliable ignition. I personally like shooting the 38/357 in a revolver for fun, the 44 MAG and up are fun too, but ammo costs rise quite a bit which is no fun when you're just learning and want to shoot lots.
Another Cz fanboy....I bought the ppx range kit....nice pistol, never shot it, just didn't fit my hand right, currently running a shadow and waiting for a cz75 to get back from the smith....really...handle as many as you can..it's the best advise...
