Need advice for first pistol!

...get a 1911 if you want a pretty albeit slightly useless firearm.

"Slightly useless"? IYHO (In Your Humble Opinion) only, sir! Absolutely nothing wrong with Glocks or Sigs, but the 1911 is a classic and still very much in use by folks (like the LAPD) who rely on a gun for "serious social purposes" south of 49 and elsewhere. I believe I saw a 1911 in the holster of one of the numerous LEOs in pics of the recent Boston bombing, too.

And besides, a "useless" firearm isn't a problem in Canada because we can't "use" a pistol for serious social purposes anyway.

Mini-rant over. Carry on... :)
 
"Slightly useless"? IYHO (In Your Humble Opinion) only, sir! Absolutely nothing wrong with Glocks or Sigs, but the 1911 is a classic and still very much in use by folks (like the LAPD) who rely on a gun for "serious social purposes" south of 49 and elsewhere. I believe I saw a 1911 in the holster of one of the numerous LEOs in pics of the recent Boston bombing, too.

And besides, a "useless" firearm isn't a problem in Canada because we can't "use" a pistol for serious social purposes anyway.

Mini-rant over. Carry on... :)

Ok justify a quality 1911 over a glock or sig. If you want a toy by all means get a norc 1911. it will hold up great for the first 2k rounds before falling apart. How many quality 1911s are sub 1400?
 
If you can find a range or club that has different models that you can try out. Even if you have to spend a little money on range time, so what. Take a month or two to try out some different models and calibres. Your going to drop a few coins on a new toy. Why not get something you're going to love to shoot.

2 cents.
Gerry
 
I love my P226 and i shoot the best with it, haven't shot any 1911's yet but have one on the way. I like my Glock's too but not as much as my Sig
 
Ok justify a quality 1911 over a glock or sig. If you want a toy by all means get a norc 1911. it will hold up great for the first 2k rounds before falling apart. How many quality 1911s are sub 1400?

As someone said a long time ago, de gustibus non est disputandum, so there's no need for us to get in a p*****g match over this:p
But in the initial tests of March 3, 1911 (according to an article on 1911.org):

... Browning was determined to prove the superiority of his handgun, so he went to Hartford to personally supervise the production of the gun. There he met Fred Moore, a young Colt employee with whom he worked in close cooperation trying to make sure that each part that was produced for the test guns was simply the best possible. The guns produced were submitted again for evaluation, to the committee. A torture test was conducted, on March 3rd, 1911. The test consisted of having each gun fire 6000 rounds. One hundred shots would be fired and the pistol would be allowed to cool for 5 minutes. After every 1000 rounds, the pistol would be cleaned and oiled. After firing those 6000 rounds, the pistol would be tested with deformed cartridges, some seated too deeply, some not seated enough, etc. The gun would then be rusted in acid or submerged in sand and mud and some more tests would then be conducted.

Browning's pistols passed the whole test series with flying colors. It was the first firearm to undergo such a test, firing continuously 6000 cartridges, a record broken only in 1917 when Browning's recoil-operated machine gun fired a 40000 rounds test.

Of course, those weren't "quality" 1911s, just plain old ugly, military-grade things with tiny sights and sloppy slides. 1911s do have issues sometimes, but these can usually be corrected without too much trouble. There is a very long way between "less than 100% reliable out of the box" and "virtually useless", though. Any pistol with inherent issues wouldn't be in use by LEOs, and the 1911 design is.

We're getting off-topic, though. I'd be happy having a Sig 226 in my gun vault (although I'm not really a fan of SA/DA designs). I don't much care for Glocks but that's an aesthetic thing, they're a tried-and-true pistol. I do have a Ruger SR9 and would be mighty tempted by an SR45 if they ever make it up here.

Chacun à son goût. Which is pretty much what most of us have been suggesting to the OP. Find something that feels right and go with it. :)
 
Have you considerd the Walther PPQ im hearing great things about it ..and as for the mag on it ,,,,,Well I have the P99 and I love the mag release .....
 
Whatever pistol you go with, find one that has a .22LR conversion kit or even a companion .22LR pistol (i.e. 1911's/GSG .22LR's, Glock's/Advantage Arms .22 Conversions, M&P's/M&P22's, etc, etc.). Having something with a .22LR companion makes for much cheaper training/plinking and much, much more trigger time. Hell, there are even wheel guns that have .22LR counterparts. It's the difference between a $75+ or a less than $20 range day.
 
Well for me, I had purchased a p226 enhanced elite and put it on hold while I was waiting for my rpal. Then as time went on I decided that a p226 would be a lot of money to invest on my first gun. I may not like the hobby and then I have a very expensive item. So I started thinking and decided that 2 guns would be better than one to start.

So I canceled the hold on my sig and purchased an m&p 9mm range kit and then I just ordered a glock 17 gen 4. The two combined was 100.00 cheaper than the p226.

I agree, glock aint pretty but they sure are fun and reliable to shoot.

My first service weapon was a sig P229. Great gun but to buy one now with the barrel extension looks silly.

Now I shoot glock for work and it has been a great gun and I purchased one so that I could practice with what I use. I use a block 22 at work but purchased the 17 for home for cheaper ammo.

I would say, dont throw your eggs into one basket when starting out.

I will own a p226 one day, but for now, I want to bring friends and have fun, so for me having two was the right way to go.

I am still waiting for my LATT to go and shoot. I may buy a sig at the end of the year. For now I love the feel of the m&p it has honestly been the best feeling gun in my hand. t fits me perfect!!!!!
 
I just got started last week and bought two guns. A .22 and and a 9mm. It doesn't matter what guns I chose but if I were to do again, I would do the exact same thing because I really like shooting the .22. Its fun to shoot, it's cheap to shoot and I will be bringing my kids and my friends to shoot with me and that .22 is going to get worn right out.
 
I bought my first pistol not too long ago. I was deciding between a glock and a M&P. This was after trying out more than 10 + pistols at a local range that had range rentals. I tried 1911's CZ shadow, HK USP, HK P30, Glock, m&p etc.... for me, the grip is really important.

Because of that I chose the m&P9 cause the ergonomics suited me best. It also allows for the backstraps to be changed to cater to your hands. Since I got the pistol I put a drop in trigger mod (apextactical DCAEK) and it really made me love my first pistol even more.

Currently I'm looking into a SA/DA pistol instead of a striker fire and I'm really like the the look and grip feel on the new CZ sp-01 shadow LINE with the new alum grips.

I would love to get nice 1911 someday, maybe a STI 2011 even.

A lot comes down to personal preference. A lot of people shoot glocks, but I never liked the grip, even when I tried it again.

Hope you find the right pistol for you soon... happy shootin'
 
Are You not interested in .22?
Too bad.
Just wait till You will start shooting.
That's one expensive hobby to have, plus to learn the basics there is nothing better than .22.
You'll be all over the place to start with, and pissed off at yourself.
Shamed to show up on the range, because people will make fun out of You and point the fingers at the guy with expensive pistol who can't hit anything.
Don't worry about the way gun looks.
It's not the catwalk.
Learn the basics first.
There is nothing wrong about being wrong when You are new.
You're welcome.
 
Are You not interested in .22?
Too bad.
Just wait till You will start shooting.
That's one expensive hobby to have, plus to learn the basics there is nothing better than .22.
You'll be all over the place to start with, and pissed off at yourself.
Shamed to show up on the range, because people will make fun out of You and point the fingers at the guy with expensive pistol who can't hit anything.
Don't worry about the way gun looks.
It's not the catwalk.
Learn the basics first.
There is nothing wrong about being wrong when You are new.
You're welcome.

I have been shooting lots for quite a while, I know what ammo costs and I have no problem going out and spending 100$ for a day. To me looks are important at a point where performance is no different. If the performance of a glock was way beyond that of others I might consider it. Or if my life was in its hands, but its not and likely wont ever be. So getting another high quality gun that is exponentially better looking without any difference in performance, Id rather do that. Thanks though.
 
I just gotta say here, maybe I am the only one seeing it this way. So I apologize in advance. You asked people for advice and opinions and you have shot them all down. The answer you are looking for is for the decision that you already made. Get what you like, I am not really sure why you are asking for advice here, you clearly are not taking it. So what is it you want???
 
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