What handgun for my first handgun?

thebaron

thebaron

CGN frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
57   0   0
Location
Zegema Beach
I'm still waiting on my RPAL upgrade to come in so I have plenty of time to drool over what my first pistol will be. I can't really afford a new pistol so I will have to get a used one.

I really like the 1911 style pistols. A local shop has a nice used Colt for 700$
But I also like Glock's and SA XD's.

I really don't know what I want!!
I don't think I will be using my first pistol to compete so 9mm or .40 would be fine since the ammo is cheaper.

I don't really NEED my own pistol (but I really want one) since my club has a huge variety of club pistols that I can use for free, but the catch is that I have to use club ammo in club guns, and the club ammo is 2x the price of store bought ammo.

Do you guys have any suggestions?
 
UncleWalther said:
Get a 9mm rather than .40SW. For a first pistol, I would recommend a used Sig P226, or HK USP. Reliable, accurate, and good resale value.
Click to expand...

I'm not very knowledgeable in handguns... Can adjustable sights be mounted on a Sig?
 
I started with a CZ. It's cheap, accurate, reliable and easy to sell once you get good and want something better. Perfect pistol for starting.
 
get smth that is 9mm. Go to the local range/store and see which pistol fits you best. I suggest the G17 or CZ 75 SP01.
 
thebaron said:
I'm not very knowledgeable in handguns... Can adjustable sights be mounted on a Sig?
Click to expand...

You can mount adjustable sights on a Sig, but I really do not think you need to. I currently have four handguns, two with adjustable sights and two without. I have never had to adjust any of the sights, maybe I have just been lucky.

As for caliber I would also recommend 9mm as it is fairly cheap to shoot. If you plan on competing in you may want to decide what division you will want to shoot in as 9mm works best in Production.

The best gun for you, will be the one that is most comfortable for you and you shoot best.
 
Find one that fits your hand. Some big auto's arn't for everyone. I made a mistake of getting a .45ACP right off the bat. I wish that I had gotten the P99 in 9mm or .40, and now they went and changed the style of the P99, jerks.

Get a nice light calibre first and work your way up.
 
sparhawk said:
Don't bother with adjustable sights, and get a glock in 9mm
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice guys. I'll save the money from the adjustable sights to buy more ammo :p

I guess I'm going to have to take a trip to the shop and hold everything I can get my hands on to see what "feels" the best in my hands. I want something comfortable and accurate, but I don't want it to look like hell either, I need to find it "prettey" or I wont like it at all.
 
get a gun that fits your hand, ignore everyone else. If it fits you and you shoot it well, it's the one you want. Otherwise you are wasting your money.
 
I started with a Glock 40 a couple of years back. It is incredibly light and when I first held it I asked about controlling the recoil. The guy said I would get used to it. I have and it is a great gun. Easy to hold in position for a while cause it is so light. It operates perfectly for me at least
 
You may want to start with a .22 of some sort. You can get LOTS of shooting practise in for pennies, and build your skill up before you start spending big bucks on a better gun and expensive ammo.
 
Slavex said:
get a gun that fits your hand, ignore everyone else. If it fits you and you shoot it well, it's the one you want. Otherwise you are wasting your money.
Click to expand...

That's good advice... go to a range where you can rent and try different guns.
 
First handgun

No question. Get a 22. and get proficient. It takes a ton of practice to become proficient and nothing beats a 22 for the economics of gaining that proficiency. You can fire 500 22s for the price of one box of 9mm. As for guns Ruger automatic or revolver, Smith & Wesson auto or revolver, Browning. They are all good first choices. You can buy a Ruger MKII or MKIII "target" model with adjustable sites for a very reasonable price. I suggest that puchase be made from one of this boards patrons or vendors.

Another word of caution shorter barrels=shorter sighting plane and it is tougher to stay on target when beginning. Stick with a 5.5" bbl or better. Most accurate Ruger Target I ever had was a 6 7/8 tapered barrel Government target model.
The triggers are not great but they do wear in.

Wade
 
I agree a .22 is a good choice as a first handgun - .22 ammo is much cheaper than 9mm/.45 for practice. Easier to control and master due to less recoil. You can practice more because it is cheaper to shoot.
 
I was going to get a .22 but my range just purchased about a half dozen brand new Ruger target pistols w/ target barrels for member use (free) so I have that angle covered ;)
 
I started with a CZ75 40 cal, but, I also bought a CZ .22 conversion kit. (CZ Cadet.)

One frame, two guns. I used the .22 to plick away and get used to the general feel of a hand gun. Once comfortable, switch the slide, and start shooting the 40 cal. By the way, the CZ Cadet has adjustable sights.

The CZ75 with the Cadet conversion set me back about $1150.00, delivered to my door.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom