Which pistol would you recommend?

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greentourismo

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Looking to get my first pistol and dont have a lot to spend because I just bought a new rifle.... I am looking at the norinco's that i found out about recently. I know a lot of people like the .45's and others like the 9mm's, I am wondering (never having shot either) which one would be better for just fun target shooting. I was looking at the 1911's and have seen that the reviews for them are good, but couldnt find any reviews on the NP-17 tokarev. Has anyone had experience with the latter? how is the tokarev compared to the 1911?
Thanks in advance
 
Not knowing where you're from it's hard to say whether this will be of any use. Around here, Edmonton, you could go to the "Wild West" or "Phoenix" pistol ranges where you can try out a number of different guns in various calibers to get an idea of what you like. If you're not from these parts, maybe there is a similar setup in your area where you can try a few out to get a better idea of what you might like. As for the guns you mentioned, I have zero experience with either and any opinion offered would be pure conjecture on my part.
 
The cheap cost of the Norinco will be negated by the cost of .45 ammo. It is $10 bucks a box more expensive than any 9mm ammo. If you are just looking to have fun and don't have much experience a .22lr is the cheapest way to shoot, and the best way to get better at shooting. Other than that a 9mm is good for cheaper plinking. However I absolutely love my Norinco 1911 Police. Honestly it is the best deal in the Canadian handgun market.
 
start with a 22. cheap to shoot, no recoil and you get used to shooting without the recoil. You can always trade up to something with some punch when you get more scratch for the ammo.
 
formerfarmer said:
start with a 22. cheap to shoot, no recoil and you get used to shooting without the recoil. You can always trade up to something with some punch when you get more scratch for the ammo.
Click to expand...

not a bad idea at all, if you don't reload, it will sit in the safe, if you buy bulk ammo , by the case it may work, but still aloth of money.
Sig makes a nice semi 22 , and if you got real small hands , the Walther is also nice. I would not get all the crap they sell with these guns, just gun,mags,and a nice leather holster.:)
 
Thanks for the help so far guys! 358 BLR, I looked into that and there isnt anything like that around where I live(victoria B.C) So I have already bought a .22 for blowing a million rounds thru, just want something a bit more powerful too :D

Now, if I stick with the 9mm to keep the ammo cost down, does anyone have any experience or recommendations between the 1911 and the np-17 tokarev?(even if you dont know about the norincos' and have knowledge of the guns they copied)

EDIT- Im gonna throw in one more option too...the chinese police pistol

http://www.marstar.ca/gf-norinco/1911A1-NP-28.shtm
http://www.marstar.ca/gf-norinco/T33-NP-17.shtm
http://www.marstar.ca/gf-norinco/PRC-NP-20.shtm
 
I own 3 norcs and enjoy shooting the crap out of them. Kodiak outpost sells Hi-Point for around 249.00 which is a quite reasonable amt of cash. Stick with 9mm; pretty much the cheapest ammo you can find. Or a revolver in .357 mag, you can shoot cheap .38Spl all day long with it. .45s are nice but rather expensive to shoot. If you're just planning to punch paper I don't recommend the .45ACP. Get a cheap 9mm and be happy.
 
I shoot my handguns at the Victoria Fish and Game. I have a Norinco 45 and it functions flawlessly. I have owned other gun in the much higher price range. The Norinco is very plain and has no fancy work done to it so far. The 45 is more expensive but if you reload, its not that costly. There is a big group of us that shoot 45 ACP. I highly recommend the Norinco. Good luck with our choice of a new handgun.
 
as the first poster advised, the best thing you can do is try out a few handguns at your local range. Tokarevs are cheap, tough, a solid little gun!! i love it!! if you buy one, make sure your range allows surplus ammo to be used there. The ammo uses steel coated bullets and some ranges, probably most, will not allow it in doors. Unless you join an outdoor range, then i would recommend the tokarev :)

for plinking fun, and something that makes a big "boom" go with the tokarev, if you don't care about the boom and just want to shoot holes in paper, go with a 22lr pistol.
 
Definitely, 9mm over .45ACP if ammo cost is the prime consideration. But take the .22lr suggestion seriously. Cheap and readily available ammo if you don't reload. Sometimes even 9mm can get scarce, it goes in cycles. YMMV......
 
I've got a couple of the M213 Tok replicas from Norinco. They are fun but the grip is VERY short. Unless you've got small hands I'd suggest skip on that option for now.

I'd avoid the .45 size 1911's for now as well due to the ammo cost unless you can see your way to diving into reloading right off the bat. A serious extra initial investment but it would soon pay for itself.

Another thing to consider is that a lot of the fun from handgun shooting is being able to enter the different competitions such as IPSC, IDPA and any local club events. The rules for IPSC and IDPA call for some basic features depending on the class you want to shoot in. And the Tokarev, due to the clumsiness of the safety or even lack of one reduces or eliminates it from a lot of the classes. So stick with a gun that at least leaves these options open for you. Both IPSC and IDPA rules have a list of approved guns. One of those, or at least an identical Norinco clone, would be your best option so you keep your options open.

On the cheap 9mm front if you really can't spring a little more for a different gun then the Norinco Sig and CZ copies seem to have a pretty good reputation from what I've seen. The actual owners, as opposed to all the naysayers, seem to have found them to be pretty good in all respects. And since they are direct clones they would be elligable for at least shooting in club level matches although you may need a match director's decision for provincial events unless you can find the exact gun's name on the list.

Keep in mind that unless you're VERY frugal about how much you shoot the cost of any 9mm gun will very quickly be lost in the money spent on ammo. So if paying up around $500 to $600 for a good brand name used pistol can't be done then I'd suggest that you maybe shouldn't jump into a center fire hand gun at all at this point. Norinco price or not the ammo is still going to add up quickly.

Another thought for a handgun would be a revolver for .38/.357. With a revolver it's at least a bit harder to really cruise through a lot of ammo compared to a semi pistol.

Either way if you're on a budget I'd seriously suggest getting into reloading pronto. A light duty setup can be had for around $200 in your choice of caliber. Yeah it may not be a full on progressive setup but even a basic Lee with an indexable turret can reload a few hundred rounds in a couple of hours and do it cheaply. With ammo costing what it does with care in buying your reloading supplies you'll be shooting for cheap after the first 1000 rounds or so that pays off the cost of the reloading rig.
 
+1 for reloading. I'm doing it right out of the gates.

I only bought 2 factory boxes of 9mm ($20/box). So far, I reloaded 2k of plated ($8.50/box) and 2k of my own cast boolits /w free wheel weights ($2.50/box). Shot almost 3k in 3 weeks. I shoot my hearts content without worrying about ammo costs, especially with cast. Another 3k of cast, I'll break even. After that, the savings will truly begin. I think I will shoot cast 90% of the time and save the plated for indoors only.

If you plan to shoot a lot, progressive is the only way to go. The initial investment is roughly $1.5k with all accessories but it'll pay itself in the long run. Your savings would = shoot more, unless you cast your own boolits. You'll actually save $$$. I personally can't shoot more than 300rds per visit and it only cost me $15 and likely 1hr of my time (casting, tumbling, reloading, chamber checking). My accuracy goes down to zero after 200rds anyway. LOL! I have the Dillon 650.

BTW, I recommend Sig P226 classic (22lr) and buy 9mm conversion kit right away or later (you're almost getting the 22lr barrel for free compared to just buying normal Sig P226 9mm). If you like more boom, you'll get bored of the 22lr FAST. I also have P220 classic and I don't have much urge to shoot it now since I'm shooting 9mm for the price of 22lr. I plan to reload 45 one day, so that is why I bought it and have 22lr to shoot if I feel the need to shoot something on the cheap but that kinda didn't go according to plan. I was skeptical about casting lead boolits for P226.
 
OK.. I own a few 45 caliber 1911's .. I love them.. But feeding them does get expensive... So if you like the 1911 there are lots a caliber choices.. 40 is a good compromise... 9mm works too..

I think 9mm is a waste in most guns... just not enough oompf for me..

But I'm a 260 pound guy I like something that moves me a little...
 
I guess you can totally forget about 22lr. I'm 130lbs and 22lr feels like a bb gun... 9mm is good enuf for me, but I'm going buy a S&W 629 before I buy conversion kit for P220 classic. :)
 
handguns feel very different to differnt people. To me a browning HP feels like a brick. I own at least one of each of the major makes, and like the feel and heft of a CZ.

My son loves the Glock. i don't care for it very much.

You at least have to handle a number of them before making achoice. Shooting them would be better.
 
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