Recommendations for first handgun?

rightsided

rightsided

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Hey all,

Finally got my RPAL after 6 months of waiting and I'm curious as to any recommendations on a good starter handgun to do competition and just fun target shoots with. Always been leaning towards a Gen 4 Glock just for usability, price and reliability. Any thoughts?

Thanks,

rightsided
 
I opted for a .22 as my first handgun. Can shoot it a lot, for cheap practice. Or you could get a Glock 17 9mm, with a .22 conversion kit.
 
I think you’ll like the glock, I got my first glock about 10 years ago and its been my favourite handgun sense.

Good luck with your choice.
 
As trebor2880 mentioned, a .22 will allow you to shoot a lot without costing a lot. As for centrefire, as much as I like Glocks, I don’t recommend them as a top choice for new shooters—they’re an easy gun to shoot poorly if you’re just developing your skills. I usually recommend something more forgiving, like one of the CZ75 pistols, reasonably priced, well made and easy to shoot well.
 
I love Glocks, but I recommend you visit a gun store and handle a few different pistols to get a feel for different types. There are many great striker fire guns on the market. I would go for a 9mm as the recoil is very manageable in my opinion.
 
Can’t go wrong with a glock, would recommend 9mm for better prices on ammo. Other options around that price point that are great are the s&w m&p, sig p320, fn 509, beretta 92 just to name a few. All have been proven through the years through civilian, law enforcement and military use and also have a huge aftermarket support for parts and accessories. If your local firearm store has some available I’d recommend going in and handling some of the options to see what feels best to you. Even better yet if there’s a range nearby that offers rental guns there’s a good chance they’ll have some of the handguns mentioned above and no better way to make a decision then sending some rounds down range.
 
Walther PDP is on pre-order on Canadian gun store, proven flat form, amazing trigger since its from Walther and optic ready 9mm......


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If you're new to pistol shooting in general, get a 22lr to start. It'll help you develop good habits without having to worry about recoil anticipation, which causes all kinds of problems for newbies.

If you're not new to pistol shooting, I'd recommend a CZ Shadow over a Glock. Glocks are lighter (More felt recoil), and they have a grip angle that isn't common to most other platforms. They also have very low profile controls, which is great for carrying, but not so great for plinking or competition. The shadow series (The Shadow 1s are awesome, as are the Shadow 2s if you can afford one) have great ergonomics, they're a little heavier for less felt recoil, have a nice low bore axis for less muzzle rise, have awesome triggers right out of the box, and are more accurate than you are (Though a Glock likely is too). Anyone I've talked to that has switched from a Glock or other polymer striker pistol to a Shadow has zero regrets.
 
Visit a gunshot/range where you try a few different pistols. There are many similarities but also many differences in the functions and feel. See what fits you best.
 
Handle a few at a gun store or range if you can, nothing wrong with a glock for your first gun. Personally I’d get a 9mm as a first gun, but I’d also take some shooting lessons. Will teach you the proper fundamentals and get you a jumpstart on understanding how to shoot a pistol accurately before you go blasting away wasting ammo like I did my first year shooting a pistol lol. I learned so much during that beginning handgun class about how to shoot properly, the fundamentals of marksmanship carry over to rifles and shotguns as well.
 
rightsided said:
...recommendations on a good starter handgun to do competition and just fun target shoots with. Always been leaning towards a Gen 4 Glock just for usability, price and reliability. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

I'm a big fan of Glock, but since you mention 'competition' I think it's only fair to mention that both the Tanfoglio Stock 2 and the CZ Shadow 2 are very popular as well.

 
P320 / M17 / M18

The AR15 of handguns. The "fire control unit" is the serialized part, everything else can be swapped by hand with no tools. You can swap grip modules, change calibers, change barrel lengths, all by hands with no tools if you buy the parts.

However, for a first gun - I like the .22 idea, Ruger Mark IV or Browing Buckmark or something.
 
If money is a factor, check out the Ruger Wrangler.

Otherwise, I agree with choosing any of the Ruger Mk. series.
 
Start with a .22. I’ve helped people relearn how to shoot after they started with a 9 mm and couldn’t hit a thing. A dummy round or two randomly loaded into their magazines showed just how much they were anticipating the recoil. It also showed them that it might not be the gun’s fault they were missing. Learn good grip and trigger skills with a .22 and transfer them to something bigger. IMO
 
Congratulations on the PAL!

Get a 9mm and a .22lr if you can afford it..... used guns are a good way to save a few bucks that you can put towards ammo which as I'm sure you are aware has gone up in cost and down in supply.

Dry firing exercises will help you work out a nice trigger pull in your spare time with minimal cost, if you want a glock get one, once you learn the trigger on the glock you will be able to shoot most pistol triggers well.
 
The Glock or any other plastic gun is really light, built for officers to carrying it all day. These light guns just kick a lot more than a heavy gun, steel gun. Is this manageable, it is, but harder to deal with for a new shooter. The difference is remarkable. And a nice/quality built steel gun is a thing of beauty while the plastic gun just is not pretty and never will be.
 
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