Whats the top starter pistol that will be the most fun to shoot?

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1911bg

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I have a budget of 1.5k, thinking of a pistol for the range. Any suggestions for a starter with no experience.

Open to all calibers.

My favourite looking gun is springfield 1911 45 cal. Also I shop at Bullseye in London, so mainly looking to buy what they carry. Thank you in advance, any feedback is helpful
 
I have a budget of 1.5k, thinking of a pistol for the range. Any suggestions for a starter with no experience. Open to all calibers
 
Go 9mm. Less expensive ammo and easier to find in a bind (more common).

Here are my suggestions based on the type of shooting you plan on doing.

If you plan I just going to the range to shoot for fun -----> S&W M&P9 Range kit (gets you everthing you need to get started)

Plan on keeping for a little while and then selling to get somthing else ------> Any of the 9mm Glocks (GLock 17, Glock 19, Glock 45) (used ones tend to sell quicker than other pistols and arent terribly expensive)

Plan on training to get into IPSC or IDPA ------>CZ Shadow 2 or other Shadow variants in 9mm

Plan on getting something unique and fun to shoot ---->S&W revolver in .357mag (lets you use two types of ammo in one gun as it will also take 38spl)

Buy something that will appreciate with time or part of a collection -----> Colt Single Action Army in 45colt (the authentic ones are worth quite a bit, but they are fun to shoot and a classic cowboy gun)

Best all around----->Anything made by Sig Sauer will serve you well (P226, P229, P227, P250, P320), unless you are a lefty. Then stick with the P320.

Springfield makes awesome 1911s in 45acp. they are a lot of fun to shoot and quite accurate. Ammo will be expensive and less practical as an all around shooter, more for fun than for competition or practise.
 
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Go 9mm. Less expensive ammo and easier to find in a bind (more common).

Here are my suggestions based on the type of shooting you plan on doing.

If you plan I just going to the range to shoot for fun -----> S&W M&P9 Range kit (gets you everthing you need to get started)

Plan on keeping for a little while and then selling to get somthing else ------> Any of the 9mm Glocks (GLock 17, Glock 19, Glock 45) (used ones tend to sell quicker than other pistols and arent terribly expensive)

Plan on training to get into IPSC or IDPA ------>CZ Shadow 2 or other Shadow variants in 9mm

Plan on getting something unique and fun to shoot ---->S&W revolver in .357mag (lets you use two types of ammo in one gun as it will also take 38spl)

Buy something that will appreciate with time or part of a collection -----> Colt Single Action Army in 45colt (the authentic ones are worth quite a bit, but they are fun to shoot and a classic cowboy gun)

Best all around----->Anything made by Sig Sauer will serve you well (P226, P229, P227, P250, P320), unless you are a lefty. Then stick with the P320.

Springfield makes awesome 1911s in 45acp. they are a lot of fun to shoot and quite accurate. Ammo will be expensive and less practical as an all around shooter, more for fun than for competition or practise.
 
If you are not wedded to getting a polymer, the CZ 75/Shadow/2 in 9mm is pretty much the gold standard and seems to be a safe bet for most.
 
Thank you for so much indepth detail and the list of multiple varieties. I will definitely be puting some thought into this. After research 45 cal ammo, I thought it was reasonably priced $149 for 300 rounds. Comparable to the 40 cal pricing. Im not extremely worried about pricing of ammo. Would you think a 1911 45acp would appreciate with time?
 
With your price point, CZ Shadow 2.

If you think you might want to compete at some point (with same budget or less) then a CZ 75 SP-01 Shadow with all the trimmings (belt, holster, mags, mag holders etc)
 
1911bg said:
Thank you for so much indepth detail and the list of multiple varieties. I will definitely be puting some thought into this. After research 45 cal ammo, I thought it was reasonably priced $149 for 300 rounds. Comparable to the 40 cal pricing. Im not extremely worried about pricing of ammo. Would you think a 1911 45acp would appreciate with time?
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If you have the funds for .45 ACP ammo, then by all means, go for it.

1911s have been around for over 100 years now. There are many manufacturers from many different countries and can range from $350- $50000 or more. I don’t think you should buy a 1911 hoping for appreciation of value, especially in our current times when our freedom of ownership is being threatened.

I would agree with Rico and suggest 9mm as a start. I would also recommend a .22 to learn on. You don’t need to own one but just learn on one.
 
You need to tell us what your definition of fun is.

Some guys love shooting big bore revolvers but I can't stand it. Some guys think .22's are boring, but I'm happiest when punching small (by my low standards, anyways) groups at 25m with my Pardini.

My suggestion for a starter with no experience is always as follows:

Option 1- Buy a used .22 and a mountain of ammo. More shooting more often is more fun. I've found the gun matters far less than shooting friends/fellow competitors in determining fun. Something like a Buckmark, Ruger Mk4, or S&W Victory would fit the bill well and be no more than $500. A bit pricier but very nice is the S&W 41.

Option 2- If you're set on centrefire buy a used 9mm and a smaller mountain of ammo. Same logic as the above but with a bit less trigger time and a little more pop. If you're interested in quickly moving into IPSC, IDPA, etc this is likely the smart move. Glock and S&W M&P are the obvious choices here as they're a dime a dozen and well supported. If you want a metal frame you can't go wrong with the CZ75 family.

Option 3- Be different, buy a revolver. Cost of ammo becomes a large consideration here, as factory .38spl or .357mag are substantially more expensive than 9mm. If you already load for rifles buy a set of dies and it's a wash. I'm partial to the S&W 14, but it's .38spl only.

Good luck.

Oh ya, forgot one last thing, a Browning Hi-Power is never a poor choice.
 
I will be looking into the 9mm for starts, I do have experience with the 22 and would not want to start quite that small. I was happy with my ability with the ruger mark lV.
 
A 1911 in 9mm. Lots of after market interchangable parts, great platform, classic design, fantastic trigger and 9mm is like $24 for a box of 150.
 
I still advocate a good .22; a lot of fun, and if you have some others at your club, a lot of fun to compete with. 9mm is the best choice. Any of the cz75 models would be a fine place to start. Me, I don't like the aluminum grips; the basic factory rubber make these the most comfortable 9mm on the market. Quality fit and finish, accurate, and a pleasure to shoot. A good .357 revolver can be a lot of fun too; light .38 specials for target/practice; easy to reload; and .357 full pressure for ####z and giggles. I have a .45 1911, a .40 Jericho full size steel, an other CZ clone with the CZ rubber grips, a GP100 revolver, a .44 cap and ball, and 3 x 22 hand guns. I shoot them all.
 
Garaldtao said:
A 1911 in 9mm. Lots of after market interchangable parts, great platform, classic design, fantastic trigger and 9mm is like $24 for a box of 150.
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I would support this opinion! I love my 45 ACPs but the 9 mm 1911 gets to go out most often because brass is plentiful and less expensive to reload.
 
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