My first pistol, suggestions?

I'm in the minority as regards .22's as I get bored easily. Eventually you are likely to want to move up to a higher caliber and will need to learn more including a solid grip that will allow you to manage recoil. The .22 may be too forgiving of bad form and then you need to tighten up anyway.

However if you are determined to start with a .22 then start with one that is part of a "system" as in the CZ or SIG's where you can buy a frame and use a .22 upper on it. If you have any notion of competing in the action games as in IPSC you will need a minimum of a 9mm. I always recommend going to a club that has an IPSC division that holds a practice night. Show up at one of those and you won't regret it as you will see the most popular guns as well as the other equipment you will need. The members are usually generous with their time and most will be happy to demo their gun and or let you take a few shots. "Feel" is more than comfort as the ergonomics of guns vary and you can't appreciate that without taking a reasonably good grip and then seeing if you can manage the controls including the mag release as mag changes are very important in the action games. Ideally you shouldn't have to break your grip to hit the mag release. If you go that route, you can practice with the .22 upper and then except for the recoil, smoothly transition to a centrefire caliber.

It also can pay to read the equipment rules ahead of buying your gun if you want to shoot IPSC or IDPA.
 
hercster said:
I'm in the minority as regards .22's as I get bored easily. Eventually you are likely to want to move up to a higher caliber and will need to learn more including a solid grip that will allow you to manage recoil. The .22 may be too forgiving of bad form and then you need to tighten up anyway.
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I agree with that for sure.. I sold my Ruger 22/45 after only shooting 1 range session, I just prefer 9mm I guess. (although I do love .22 bolt rifles)

for $1000 you can have 3x different Norinco models! I bought the 1911, NP22 Sig clone and the NZ85b CZ clone all 'new/second hand' off the EE and they all shoot great.
 
It's a tough call, you can't fault anyone suggesting a .22LR but as others have pointed out they get boring for some of us pretty quickly. 9 mm is then the next option and there is no reason to get bored with this calibre.

If you go with a .22LR I'd suggest looking at something other than a GSG which I have. I'd suggest the M&P for superior functionality. Those 22LRs have a ough tie pushing around a 1911 slide and often demand premium ammo...

I'm sure that you'll enjoy pistol shooting. The AR will be fun too!
 
For learning to shoot handguns accurately the only choice at the start is a .22 pistol with a metal frame, fixed barrel and a rear sight that doesn't move with the slide (or a revolver, but I won't discuss those because I don't have any experience with the .22 revolvers in the lower price range). Among newer pistols that pretty much means a Buck Mark or a Ruger (not a 1911 or a polymer gun). It's commonly said that the Buck Mark has a better trigger out of the box than the Ruger and is way easier to take apart for cleaning. You can find either one, lightly used, on line from a reputable gun store, eg Reliable Gun in Vancouver, or Accuracy Plus in Peterborough at a good price. (These two are stores I've bought from and recommend; there are many others equally good). Make sure you get an adjustable rear sight, a heavy (aka bull or target) barrel, and (I'd suggest) a metal front sight, not fibre optic. The Buck Mark and Ruger are fine, robust pistols and will shoot better than most users. I would not recommend getting a 1911 style 22 (even tho they're metal framed) because the sight moves with the slide and the barrel tilts, and after a while your skill will reach the point where you would get noticeably better accuracy if you had a fixed barrel pistol like the Buck Mark or Ruger.
Or, you could do what I did for my first pistol and buy one of the great older .22 target pistols out there, in my case a Smith & Wesson Model 41, regularly available on line for $800 - $1200. (They are avail new for around $1500). The S&W 41 is very simple to take down for cleaning & highly accurate & reliable tho picky about ammo. Ideal for those who like a heavy pistol. Also available are various legendary older target .22s, no longer in production, like the Hi Standards and pre-Buck Mark Brownings. These are also very nice but I've heard that mags and other parts can be hard to find and the Hi Standards require the mag lips to be tuned to exact dimensions to function reliably so best suited to someone mechanically inclined. I've fired Hi Standards and liked them as much as my S&W 41. Used .22 target pistols tend to be very well taken care of, and don't wear out, unless they've been fed a lot of hi velocity ammo which the older ones won't tolerate. Accuracy in a .22 requires subsonic ("standard velocity") ammo, typically 1040 fps. With any of these pistols you can over time work up to getting say 5" or smaller groups at 25 yards. By competition standards that isn't anything special, but it's challenging enough for most of us weekend shooters. At my range I see a fair number of shooters who've gone straight to a centrefire pistol and (judging by their targets, from 7 or 15 yards) are not making accuracy their priority. Which is fine, of course, if putting a volume of ammo downrange is satisfying to you (and if you can afford it).
 
I'd suggest a sig p226 classic 22lr, you can get x-change kits for under 500$ to change calibres. So 600$ for new p226 classic in 22lr, another 500 for 9mm or 40 cal complete slide and magazine. 1100$ you get two well built guns basically. Kinda like your AR's and the upper receiver swaps.
 
Thanks for all the advice guys. I've flopped and I think I'm going to go with a 9mm as my first. The reasoning being that I don't think I'll have a ton of time to shoot it. Too many obligations to get away that often so I don't see myself pushing a ton of ammo through it. That means I probably won't be picking up a second handgun for a while, the AR and my hunting rifles will take presidence...that coupled with still squeezing time out at the archery range means I won't be shooting any gun a lot. So if I'm probably only going to own one, I think I should make it a 9mm. If it turns out I really like the handgun shooting then I'll get a conversion kit to let me push a lot of .22s through it. That's my tentative game plan for now....once the rpal paperwork goes through i'll be heading out to the local shops to handle the great recommendations from the thread.
 
Not really leaning towards one in particular right now. Knowing that some rpals' take many months to go through I'm holding off handling any until I get it. Then I'll see what feels best in my hands, maybe even get to try a few at the range, if that goes through before the rpal.
 
Just a suggestion. how about a Norinco 1911 clone .45 Sport or Government model and a GSW .22 conversion kit. About $500.00-$600.00 max outlay and you have a .45 acp and a .22 lr handgun. I have the same combo and I can't complain about either. You could probably come out cheaper with some shopping around or by considering used guns. Good luck.
 
.30/06 FTW said:
This. But make sure you try a CZ 75! ;)
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Don't rely totally on how a gun feels at the gun store, how it feels shooting is the key and it is a very different feel than just holding it. I have more than a dozen handguns, by far my favorite and what I shoot best is my CZ75 SP01 Shadowline, if you are only going to buy one 9mm, make sure you try it and others.
 
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