New to Handgun, looking to buy on a budget, advice please?

Icefire

Icefire

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Hi, I'm getting my PAL soon and would like to start target shooting and maybe
who knows, competition one day.
Since I'm still student, ammo cost is a concern...
Let's say I would like to have a 9mm with a kit for .22LR

So I'm considering getting a second hand pistol, maybe CZ75 with a Cadet/Kadet kit later.
That would make a good praticing pistol with the hability of more power.
CZ75 is about 400-500$used so it's a nice range for the pocket.

Any one could state any other dual use pistol readilly available that could do 9mm or other hi cal with .22LR ?

And I would like to know how does it cost to reload VS buy factory ammo ?
like a simple press + brass, primers, powder, bullets.
Let say for 9mm so I don't have 15reply of different price :)

Thanks in advance.
 
A .22 is DEFINATELY your best bet in my opinion. I'm also a student, and find the cost of .22 quite reasonable. In BC, $13/box of factory 9mm seems to the be norm, reloading cuts cost down to about $5/box from what Ive been told. CZ75s are good guns that have a .22 conversion kit, Glocks also have conversion kits available. Another thing to think about is that the .22 kit is probably going to cost ~$400, slightly less than a .22 pistol. There are pros and cons either way, but as long as you're having fun, it doesn't really matter. :D
 
Think you have a pretty good plan so far, Used CZ 75. (New can be had for $629 tax in) The Cadet kit is solid, and is about $340. If you are just going to be practicing for the first bit, factory 9mm is about $10/box of 50. The start up cost of reloading would not have you see savings for a while, unless you were shooting quite a bit.

Alternatively, a used Glock 17 might also be an option. You can get a 22 kit for it aswell, for around $400-ish.
 
I just bought a Norinco M-77B from Marstar (9mm) $229 new. You will not find a less expensive 9mm anywhere, I have not shot it yet but seems like a good gun. You can also get a Norinco M-93 (22.lr) for $149, I have heard mixed reviews on here about them. My buddy has one and loves it.
I have yeat to hear anyting negative about the M-77B
 
if you intend on getting a 9mm later on, you may as well start with one now, and bite the bullet, so to speak. A 9mm is a fine gun to learn on, so long as you get decent instruction. You can still learn bad habits with a .22 and all the extra shooting you'll do because of price of ammo, will simply mean you cement in bad habits (that's if you don't get instruction). As well for some people shooting a .22 is not as much fun as a 9mm, so their buying a .22 was a waste of money for them.
If you are considering getting a .22 kit for a 9mm though, think about the fact that for the same price or less you can get a dedicated .22 pistol. Conversion kits are not cheap.
 
A 9mm is dandy for informal shooting using handloaded ammo(factory is expensive), but a target pistol it ain't. Conversion kits, aside from not being cheap, like Slavex says, never seem to be as accurate as a good .22.
The least expensive, but still competitive .22 pistol is the Ruger. A .357 revolver shooting .38 Special(preferably .356 brass loaded with 148 grain WC's at .38 velocities) is the least expensive centre fire. You'll likely be able to buy both, used, for what you'd pay for a 9mm and a conversion kit. If you can find a conversion kit.
 
I'm with Sunray on this one. A .357 Magnum revolver with .38 Spl can be a real pussycat to shoot. Look for a used Ruger GP100, Taurus, or even a Single Action reproduction.
 
As said above. The CZ is a great gun to start off on, and 9mm is cheap. Also, you will PROBABLY find that semi autos are more fun to revolvers, but that is subjective.

So in 9mm the CZ-75 is great, and I would put a Glock 17 second only because it is more expensive. You will never regret buying either of these guns.
 
Well considering some facts, It may be better to start with a .22LR, than buy a CZ75 or Glock, depending if I can have someone to have me try one of those, than sell the .22LR to buy a .22LR kit for the pistol.
That would be a good way to go and to learn in my oppinion, .22 is damn cheap on ammo cost.

How does it cost for ### rounds of 9mm Lugger if someone reload them himself? as 50 is 10$ factory ammo, I would like to see if you really cut on cost.
 
A lot will depend on what type of target shooting you do. If you are interested in traditional bullseye shooting (one handed, slow fire, timed and rapid) then a .22 only makes sense, since that's what is done. A .22 is essentially mandatory. While you can use a 9mm for the centre fire portion of bullseye, it's more often .32 or .38 that is used since 9mm does not have a great reputation for the kind of accuracy that is desired. Bullseye shooting is very challenging to do well and takes a lot of dedication and effort to master. Having said that, a lot of bullseye shooters just enjoy it and the socializing that goes along with it and don't care if they perform competitively -- it's up to you how seriously you take it. If you can work through the initial frustrations, it's a great sport.

On the other hand, if you think practical shooting -- two-handed target shooting like IPSC or PPC -- is more to your liking, then .22 is not allowed. You need centre fire like the 9mm or whatever.

I do both and enjoy both. What you get into -- and what kind of gun you need -- will depend on you and your experience, as well as what is done at the range you join. Do they have club guns you can use until you decide? Can you try some different guns of members and see what you like, what fits you and feels right?
 
Well I have just taken the course for the paperwork, so I didn't join any range yet. I have called somes range that have pistol shooting, only one had pistol rental but you needed first to be a member and it is 240$ alone.

Once I get my Pal I'll register some old firearms from my grandfather that are laying in the parent's safe for those last 25yrs and sell them so I could buy a good pistol.

I would be more in IPSC/PPC shooting even if I don't know much about those sport. Bullseye would be fun for praticing, but I doubt I'd very like to do competition in that.

Basicly the conscern was the ammo, going 2-4 times a month at a range would probably use 500 rounds a month maybe, so in 9mm that represent quite a budget compared to .22LR.

On the other hand, I find that the look of the pistol is something important,
and most 22 are not very nice looking in my oppinion (ie: thin round barrel like rugger). :rolleyes:
Others like S&W 2206/422 are prone to jams, at least in reviews, leaving buckmarks, High Standard almost only.
I guess I'll just take some times to get a deal on something nice for me :redface:
 
icefire, as others have said there are lots of "good" looking guns, you can get all sorts of .22 top ends for CZ/Berettas/Glocks and 1911s
 
Save another couple hundred and find a used Glock 17. ;)
Like Slavex said, for the price of a .22 conversion kit you can buy .22 pistol anyways.
 
yeah a Glock or CZ75 would be nice and nice looking :D
but considering I never shooted handgun before, time to get used and pretty good with a 9mm, would cost 2-3 times the gun's price only in ammo no?
Shooting 2-3000 rounds in 9mm vs .22lr isn't the same price.
3000rnd in 9mm = 600$, 3000rnd in 22lr = 90$
as I said, I'm probably better with a true .22 to begin with, and to buy a 9mm after I learned enought/saved enought for something that will fit my hands :)
 
South shore of Montréal
St-Hyacinthe

Nearest Pistol range is St-Dominique, Granby and Farnham
Charge are like 150$, 120$, 60$ for pistol shooting yearly
 
For your first H/G get a .22. Likely best bet is a semi-auto since you are leaning that way for centerfire. Ruger or Browning Buckmark are my recommendations. All of the common target grade semis sit well in the hand, have good balance, good sights, and most importantly - very good trigger pulls AND you can shoot a lot at very low cost. You will develop your skill without developing a flinch induced by noise and recoil. As Dirty Harry said: "I know what you're thinking" - you're thinking: "9mm, and .40, and .45, etc. are ###y, etc.,etc and if I get a 9mm with a .22 conversion kit , I will have it all". You will not! Conversion kits cause frustration and are a waste of time and money. They are prone to jamming problems and are never really accurate. A conversion will not shoot as well as you will be able to do if you get good instruction and practice. The biggest problem in that regard is that you will not be sure - is it me, or is it the gun that is putting the shots all over the target?
To start you should have a gun that can shoot better than you can. A good .22 semi-auto is such a gun. Often you can find a used one for a very reasonable price, possibly right here on the CGN Equipment Exchange forum.
Because .22 bullets are fairly soft lead and are lubricated, .22 bores virtually never wear out so you shouldn't be too afraid of buying a used .22 semi.
 
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