Total pistol newbie, please forgive my ignorance...

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TheWanderer

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but, I figure everyone has to start somewhere...so here goes;

For a first pistol I'm eyeing something inexpensive, such as the Norinco 1911 platform & what I'd like to know is if I can swap barrels, clips, etc so that I can use different calibre ammo? .22LR for 'fun', 9mm & .45ACP for target?

Am I on the right track or?
 
The best pistol that I know of that is easy to swap barrels and clips is the Glock. I know a friend that has a Glock 22 that came factory for the .40 s&w. It takes him all of 60 seconds to swap the aftermarket barrel to 9mm and pop in a new magazine. The barrel cost him all of about $100.00 U.S.
 
You are but you can swap with 22 top end out for 45 but to do 9mm you have to get a whole new top end and change the ejector most times. 45 is expensive to shoot if your on a budget. My advice and I'm sure more will follow along the sam lines is get a good .22lr pistol so you can learn good techniques and shoot lots cheap then move up to a big thumper. YMMV
 
Strictly speaking 1911 platforms, .22 conversion kits are readily available and easily drop right in.

The .45 to 9mm thing isn't as plug and play, but can be done. It will cost you, though, having to get extra parts and custom gunsmith work done. End of the day it will likely be a lot easier and cheaper just to buy two separate pistols.
 
oddsbad said:
The best pistol that I know of that is easy to swap barrels and clips is the Glock. I know a friend that has a Glock 22 that came factory for the .40 s&w. It takes him all of 60 seconds to swap the aftermarket barrel to 9mm and pop in a new magazine. The barrel cost him all of about $100.00 U.S.
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Thanks for the input guys.

Can the Glock also fire .22? Reason being is of course budget, for those days when you'd like to go fire off a couple hundred rounds without breaking the bank.
 
OK, so let me back up here a second then, would it be easier to run only .22 & 45ACP & forget the 9mm or just go with multiple guns instead?

Budget is one concern, but so is investing somewhat wisely, in that, if the interest passes I haven't lost my shirt on the deal.
 
^ ya, two separate pistols. but i'd even consider two separate pistols if you're talking 45 and 22. the conversion might cost you 300-400 bucks. so will a dedicated 22 pistol. might as well get the pistol! that way, you have a spare in case something breaks on the other, plus you have a buddy-gun if you go with a buddy.

seems guns are cheaper than ammo, though - in the grand scheme of things. 1,000 rounds of .45 will cost you the same as a norinco. but you gotta keep buying the ammo, so just cuz the norinco was cheap doesn't mean that the whole experience will be cheap. if my limited newbie experience is any indication, going through 100-200 rounds in a single range day is not uncommon. depending on how often you go, 1000 rounds could last you from 2 weeks to 2 months. ka-ching!!! $$$$$$
 
BP7 said:
^ ya, two separate pistols. but i'd even consider two separate pistols if you're talking 45 and 22. the conversion might cost you 300-400 bucks. so will a dedicated 22 pistol. might as well get the pistol! that way, you have a spare in case something breaks on the other, plus you have a buddy-gun if you go with a buddy.

seems guns are cheaper than ammo, though - in the grand scheme of things. 1,000 rounds of .45 will cost you the same as a norinco. but you gotta keep buying the ammo, so just cuz the norinco was cheap doesn't mean that the whole experience will be cheap. if my limited newbie experience is any indication, going through 100-200 rounds in a single range day is not uncommon. depending on how often you go, 1000 rounds could last you from 2 weeks to 2 months. ka-ching!!! $$$$$$
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Again, great input.

So, let me just throw this out there then, if you were going to recommend something with a little more boom than a .22, that wasn't going to break the bank, what would it be?
 
cheapest BOOM after 22LR is either 9mm or 38 Special. nice thing about 38 Special is that it's usually a revolver, which is gonna give you a different flavour than a pistol, plus most revolvers that do 38 will also do the more powerful 357 magnum which is more BOOM and more kick. plus revolvers are way simpler and more reliable, and can be had for around the same price as a handgun.

then once you're buying 357 magnum ammo, why not buy a Desert Eagle for it too!!! once you have THAT, you buy the 44 magnum replacement bits for even more bang and push (and an even lighter wallet). but by this point you're not really breaking your bank, but rather breaking into other banks just to afford all this. and it all started with a nice simple relatively-affordable 38 Special revolver.

it's a slippery slope!!!
 
BP7 said:
cheapest BOOM after 22LR is either 9mm or 38 Special. nice thing about 38 Special is that it's usually a revolver, which is gonna give you a different flavour than a pistol, plus most revolvers that do 38 will also do the more powerful 357 magnum which is more BOOM and more kick. plus revolvers are way simpler and more reliable, and can be had for around the same price as a handgun.

then once you're buying 357 magnum ammo, why not buy a Desert Eagle for it too!!! once you have THAT, you buy the 44 magnum replacement bits for even more bang and push (and an even lighter wallet). but by this point you're not really breaking your bank, but rather breaking into other banks just to afford all this. and it all started with a nice simple relatively-affordable 38 Special revolver.

it's a slippery slope!!!
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Hahahaha...oh great...I can see where this is headed...angry wife! ;)
 
Many first-time pistol shooters are amazed to discover they can't even hit the paper with every shot, let alone the bullseye. You'll save yourself a lot of money in the long run by starting out with a *good* .22 to work on the basics of pistol shooting. Conversion kits aren't generally known for their accuracy (or reliability). Then, if you decide you really want to stick with pistols, you'll have a much better idea of what to buy next. Maybe you're a slow-fire target shooter at heart. Or maybe you'll be drawn more to IPSC. But you really won't know until you've shot a lot. Then, instead of learning you spent a little money on a pistol that does everything *okay* but is not really the one best suited for your new hobby, you can put your money into a highly accurate .45 for targets... or a .40 S&W to make major power factor in other shooting sports... etc, etc, etc.

But if you absolutely, positively must have a centrefire pistol because you've always wanted one... buy a Glock 17.
 
Thanks Culwathion! Good points.

I got my first taste of pistols last year & even as a first timer, it was a wake up call about how fake TV & movies are.

Had no problem hitting the target at 20m with a 9mm, but the .357mag was another story..
 
Start with a good .22 such as a Ruger or Browning. My 22/45 was under $400 brand new.
That will provide you with hours of cheap rangetime.

Once you decide what you want after that, 9mm will be the next step up.
 
BP7;4450603 if my limited newbie experience is any indication said:
The problem with ammo costs never goes away, I reload for 38, 9 and 45, if I didn't there's no way I could afford to shoot as much as I do (not uncommon to go through 500-700 rounds of any of those in a day). If I was in the OP's position (and I was, many years ago) I'd get a decent revolver in 38/357. The reasoning goes like this; you can shoot 38 wadcutter loads in it - extremely accurate and almost no recoil. You won't loose any brass while you're buying factory stuff (ignore anything else I say but ALWAYS pick up your brass). If you get bored or want to do some real destruction, there's really nothing quite as fun as full power 357 loads in 158 or 125 grain. There is no slide movement to ruin your follow through, or cause a flinch (I've seen this happen to new semi shooters). You can shoot revolver class in most games, except PPC (which is a great way to master the art of accurate shooting without falling asleep in the middle of it) because in PPC, you're pretty much expected to be shooting a revolver, because the majority of autopistols suck at hitting the x ring at 50 yards. The guys you meet shooting revolver in IDPA or IPSC are almost always there to enjoy themselves. And finally, the 38/357 is an easy and forgiving cartridge to reload, and the equipment and supplies to reload them are affordable and easy to find - 38 wadcutters that you reload yourself are almost as cheap as .22's. If you're married to an auto though, 9mm is the best way to start (but pick your brass up, one day you'll need it!!!!!) :D
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Unless you are going to reload your own ammo (Which is an amusing hobby in and of itself, but requires significant capital to get set up and running), I fail to see any reason why you need to go "bigger" than 9mm to shoot at paper targets. You'll go broke buying 45ACP factory ammo, or, won't be out shooting enough!

And yes, 9mm is perfectly adequate for zombies, should the glowing green meteorite ever hit the Earth....

IMHO...
 
Can't say it often enough, get a quality .22 pistol. Learn to actaully hit what is in front of you. If this is still fun, then fill your boots, there are a gazzillion handguns out there, firing everything from .380 on up to scary BOOM, and they are fun too. None of them are fun if you can't hit your target, and the cost of learning to hit your target is less than several new guns when using .22rf ammo. Conversion units seem like a neat idea, but good reliable accurate ones are not cheap, and you can neither share with a buddy nor switch back and forth with ease.

Just finished a hunting article by a man who is most adamant that .375HH is inadequate for a client gun in Africa. He starts his pre-season riflery drills with a .22, and gradually moves up to the .400 calibers as he nears the real thing. And, he limits himself to no more than 8 rounds from a big, hardkicking boomer in any practice session. Oh, and he backs up clients agaisnt critters that would kill or maim him if he missed. So, small gun, good hits, leads to large gun, good fun. Large gun misses means no fun or dead.
 
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