I've been shooting for years and while I understand the respect for a .22 LR gun for cheap plinking/trigger practice - I can't say you NEED one. If you're buying a hand gun for training purposes or real-life scenarios... practicing with a gun with no recoil, low noise, and different feel, isn't ideal.
If you're a Glock 19 guy - sure. Buy a G44 if you can. But don't buy a Ruger Mark 3 or Browning Buckmark and pretend that is going to help you shoot your G19 better. They're completely different guns, different triggers, different noise and VERY different recoil. Looks good on paper, but "necessary"? No.
I'd say to spread things out, try to get your hands on a CZ 75 variant or Sig P226.
If you have money to burn on ammo, definitely buy a .45 like an FNX 45 Tactical, HK 45. I'm not a 1911 guy but obviously it's a platform that has survived the ages for a reason.
Don't buy a .40 unless it's a full-steel gun. They feel hot and flippy, and there's pretty much zero actual benefit over a 9mm, aside from ammo availability at certain times.
And due to the current climate - I would recommend buying a wheel gun. This is one I've never really thought as essential until this summer. Much easier to find ammo or find a reloader that makes ammo for .357 mag and .38 special than it will be to find bulk 9mm ammo now that 50,000 new 9mm owners are in the country. They're also utterly reliable and just look and feel really badass in the hand.
The problem with revolvers is that they are gone instantly, and you have to be willing to pay up to get one.
If you're a Glock 19 guy - sure. Buy a G44 if you can. But don't buy a Ruger Mark 3 or Browning Buckmark and pretend that is going to help you shoot your G19 better. They're completely different guns, different triggers, different noise and VERY different recoil. Looks good on paper, but "necessary"? No.
I'd say to spread things out, try to get your hands on a CZ 75 variant or Sig P226.
If you have money to burn on ammo, definitely buy a .45 like an FNX 45 Tactical, HK 45. I'm not a 1911 guy but obviously it's a platform that has survived the ages for a reason.
Don't buy a .40 unless it's a full-steel gun. They feel hot and flippy, and there's pretty much zero actual benefit over a 9mm, aside from ammo availability at certain times.
And due to the current climate - I would recommend buying a wheel gun. This is one I've never really thought as essential until this summer. Much easier to find ammo or find a reloader that makes ammo for .357 mag and .38 special than it will be to find bulk 9mm ammo now that 50,000 new 9mm owners are in the country. They're also utterly reliable and just look and feel really badass in the hand.
The problem with revolvers is that they are gone instantly, and you have to be willing to pay up to get one.
