Questions from a noob, Before I get a handgun..

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paladin

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OK , I know there isn't one "best " gun and I should try out as many as I can...But,,
Under the title of "ignorance" What brand(s) of handguns suffer from the most problems and the least??
Which brands have the most readily available parts in Canada?
Are good handgun gunsmiths hard to find in the west?
Do the most expensive guns have the most expensive replacement parts?
Is 2" @ 25 yds. the "norm" for handgun accuracy?
What is the life expectancy of a 9mm barrel shooting factory ammo? Would this be close to or the same for most brands?
Now this one may be out in left field.. I see in rifle shooting guys are necking down brass and shooting really lite bullets at very high velocities. While I don't believe handgun brass can be "necked down", why doesn't, or can't or hasn't anyone made lighter weight bullets to achieve higher vellocities and better accuracy... Especiallly for competitionss? IE. say in 9mm why wouldn't a 50 gr. bullet work?? I guess that will do for now.
Thx.
 
If you want a tough 9mm that has easily available parts and is easy to detail strip (just need one punch to push out one pin to start), consider a 1911 in 9mm. In articles by Patrick Sweeney, the longevity of the 1911 even in .45 is estimated to be hundreds of thousands of rounds. When you move to 9mm, it lasts even longer. Order a bunch of recoil springs and mag springs from Wolff and you've got a good maintenance set already.

That being said, Glock's are pretty durable and are simply built as well. I don't like them myself, but they last in the 100,000's of rounds easily, of course, always change recoil springs (in any gun) every 5000 rounds for best results...though not everyone does this.

Of course if you like a gun and are willing to wait, you can build up a spare parts set. For my P7M8, took 1 year to build up a small fortune in spare parts...multiple springs, pins, firing pin, firing pin bushing, sear bars. Now all I have to do is learn to take that sucker apart and I'm set for life!!!

The HK P2000 is pretty tough and is MUCH simpler in construction...parts may take awhile however.
 
Barrel life on some guns is around 20k-30k...the high power comes to mind. The 1911 barrel should last 50k-100k or more in 9mm...again Sweeney has examples of even .45 barrels over 100k rounds and still good.

The more modern guns like glocks and such should last a VERY VERY long time. You really need to shoot lots to worry. And you can always order a spare barrel. Get sight adjusting tools too and you should be good.
 
paladin said:
Now this one may be out in left field.. I see in rifle shooting guys are necking down brass and shooting really lite bullets at very high velocities. While I don't believe handgun brass can be "necked down", why doesn't, or can't or hasn't anyone made lighter weight bullets to achieve higher vellocities and better accuracy... Especiallly for competitionss? IE. say in 9mm why wouldn't a 50 gr. bullet work?? I guess that will do for now.
Thx.
Click to expand...
I own a Norinco Tokarev (one of the cheapest guns you can buy :D) and have done some reading up on its ammo. The 7.62x23 cartridge, which was originally developed for Mauser pistols in the 1890s, fires a light, 85 grain bullet at very respectable velocities (~1450 fps) from its short barrel and much more from a submachinegun. It easily outperforms the more popular 9x19 Luger cartridge and, as the Wehrmacht discovered in WWII, is capable of penetrating a German army helmet at over 100 metres. The acclaimed .45 bounces off at 25 metres.

According to some professional fishermen, it is the only pistol cartridge useful for shooting sharks in the ocean. (Please don't do that! :eek:)

My own experience is that, while it shoots with a loud CRACK, recoil is minimal. It is a lot of fun to shoot. Oh yes, it is necked down.
 
Kveldulf said:
I own a Norinco Tokarev (one of the cheapest guns you can buy :D) and have done some reading up on its ammo. The 7.62x23 cartridge, which was originally developed for Mauser pistols in the 1890s, fires a light, 85 grain bullet at very respectable velocities (~1450 fps) from its short barrel and much more from a submachinegun. It easily outperforms the more popular 9x19 Luger cartridge and, as the Wehrmacht discovered in WWII, is capable of penetrating a German army helmet at over 100 metres. The acclaimed .45 bounces off at 25 metres.

According to some professional fishermen, it is the only pistol cartridge useful for shooting sharks in the ocean. (Please don't do that! :eek:)

My own experience is that, while it shoots with a loud CRACK, recoil is minimal. It is a lot of fun to shoot. Oh yes, it is necked down.
Click to expand...

the .45 is slower, I'd assume the 7.62 with high velocity is more of a penetrative round. Remember, a 22-250 may penetrate more than a 300 win mag...but which would bring down a big animal more efficiently? :p

well one way to look at it :D
 
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You have to ask yourself what kind of shooting you want to do. Considering rifles, you would not likely use a 300 Winchester Magnum to go out gopher hunting.

If you are looking for super hot accuracy then you probably don't want 98% of the guns out there that shoot 9 mm. They are not designed for it. Most semi-autos are designed to provide reasonable accuracy but foremost they are built to be reliable in use. If you want high accuracy you will need to pay a lot of money and then keep the gun clean. Accuracy means getting rid of tolerances and producing a tight gun.

If you still want very good accuracy but don't want to give an arm and a leg for it then consider a decent revolver. My preference if for Smith and Wesson revolvers. Out of the box great triggers and accurate. Or consider a single shot pistol.

Think about what you want to do with it then you can start to consider the qualities that the gun needs.
 
Paladin, 2" group at 25 yards is a very good grouping for handgun, sometimes even very good shooter with good gun may not able to get a group like this.
Ofcourse some will shoot better than the others. As for gun choice, some like polymer and some like steel, it is all about personal choice and how much you expect. Some guns are more easy to get parts like 1911 and Glock but some may not. I won't worry about the barrel, most likely some other part of the gun break before the barrel wear out.

Trigun
 
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