12-12-2006, 05:33 PM
| #1 |
| Registered User Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 1
|  Advice on my first handgun Looking for advice on my first handgun. I don't think I'll carry everyday, mostly for home defence and backpacking. I'm looking at a .45 Springfield XD, an H&K USP Compact .40, or a H&K P2000 in .40. Also not being familiar with the new era safeties what should I look for in a gun? I'm used to rifles and shotguns with a trigger block push button. Finally, has anyone fired remanufactured bulk ammo? I'm wondering if it is a good way to go for the money so I can practice. Thanks for any help. |
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12-12-2006, 06:54 PM
| #2 |
| Senior Member  Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 199
| There are allot of good used gun deals out there,take a look at the used guns before you decide. |
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12-12-2006, 08:26 PM
| #3 |
| Member  Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 33
| Im gonna side with Choco on this, there are alot of factors that go into buying a hand gun, and they are all personal preferance. I would highly recommend going to a range (something more official than my buddies back yard) and see about renting some pistols to fire, try as wide of a range of pistols as they have.
__________________ “I am a soldier, I fight where I am told, and I win where I fight.” GENERAL GEORGE S. PATTON |
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12-13-2006, 02:44 PM
| #4 |
| Senior Member  Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 5,087
| I advise getting a .22.It will work for home defence and the ammo is cheap so you can practice til your proficient.Most .22,s like Ruger are under $300 and have good tradein if you want to go bigger. |
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12-13-2006, 02:57 PM
| #5 |
| Moderator   Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Selma, NC
Posts: 2,223
| I like your choice for consideration of the XD. For CCW, I tend to carry a S&W 642 or I like the Bersa line. A .380 Thunder is probably the best value for the money. It is great for CCW. |
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12-13-2006, 07:14 PM
| #7 | |
| Senior Member  Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: North Carolina
Posts: 161
| For home defense and backpacking, I second the Ruger P95DC. The Bersa .380 is a good choice for carry or if you just want something smaller than the Ruger for backpacking. While not as small, the Ruger is actually not that heavy, only about 27 oz. MAKE SURE you know the laws for the area you will be backpacking in before carrying a pistol, or you may get yourself in some real trouble. Weapons are strictly illegal in national parks, for example, and in state parks in many states. I also recommend being very discrete about letting anyone else know you have a firearm while backpacking. There are a lot of bad things that could happen because of it (causing fear or panic in others, outright hostility from anti-gun types, etc.) and no good reason that anyone else should know... Regarding inexpensive ammo, 9mm is the least expensive defensive round (I don't consider .22 cal a defensive round). I highly discourage using 'reloads' or other 'bulk' ammo since it may be of questionable quality, safety and reliability. Hope this helps. Be safe and have fun. Jay1958 Quote:
__________________ http://www.yourweapons.com/ | |
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12-15-2006, 10:12 AM
| #8 |
| Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 5,087
| I didnt say .22lr was or wasnt good for defence,I said a .22 was what I would reccomend to learn handgun proficiency and would work for self defence.As to pr ice of ammo,I can still get .22,s for about $.02,the cheapest except for reloads is about $.12.In my book 6to1 is a lot more practice for a beginner and a bigger gun can be bought anytime.Furthermore I would rather be armed with a weapon I know and understand because I could afford ammo to practice than one I didnt trust because I hadnt practiced with because ammo was too high priced. |
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12-15-2006, 09:56 PM
| #9 | |
| Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: North Carolina
Posts: 161
| Quote:
You are certainly entitled to your opinion. I would rather have a .22LR than no firearm at all in a defense situation, but I would never choose .22LR for home defense or as a carry weapon. I would never recommend .22LR for home defense or carry to anyone else. That is just my opinion. The smallest caliber I would even consider for defensive use is .32ACP and that still wouldn't be my first choice, by any means. My primary carry weapon is a Bersa T380CC (.380 of course) and my primary home defense weapon at this time is a Ruger P95DC 9mm. But that is just me. Many people tell me that my .380 primary carry weapon is not powerful enough for self-defense - in their opinion. Obviously I disagree with them or I wouldn't be carrying it. Hopefully there aren't many people reading this message who absolutely, positively cannot afford ammunition that costs more than .02 or .03 cents a round... perhaps a change in spending priorities or seeking additional income opportunities? We can agree to disagree. If that's okay with you?  Best regards, Jay1958
__________________ http://www.yourweapons.com/ | |
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12-16-2006, 05:50 AM
| #10 |
| Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 5,087
| jay1958:As to disagreeing on firearms and the use thereof,if you put 10 knowledgible people in a room and asked a question on firearms,probably you would have 10 different answers.My best friends and I disagree veheminintly,thats why we are friends and makes us respect each other and love firearms.A farmer bought a .357 to shoot woodchucks with thinking it would be handy to carry in the glove box and powerful enough to kill them.This man is a milionaire.A year later while hunting on his land I asked about his sucess as when he bought it I,knowing he had no experience with handguns had advised getting a .22lr.He said he fired it twice when he first got it,was afraid of the recoil and noise and put it in the glove box and had tried to hit woodchucks a few times after that but failed.In Michigan you cant loan a handgun so I "sold"him a Ruger mk2 which he registered and carried and practiced with.In one year he had killed several woodchucks and was quite good with both .22 and .357 and preferred the .357.that was all I was trying to get across,when someone is inexperienced they probably would be better off learning to creep before trying to stahd up and walk. samuel. |
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12-16-2006, 06:44 AM
| #11 |
| Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: North Carolina
Posts: 161
| I totally understand your position about starting with something manageable and fun to shoot (like a .22LR) and that a .357 magnum revolver could be a very intimidating gun to shoot for someone new to shooting, and I agree. Of all the most popular handgun rounds, .357 magnum is one of the most intimidating to shoot for a novice, even moreso than .45ACP (assuming the .45ACP is fired in a semiauto with some weight, like a 1911A1, and not a sub-compact .45). I would think that 9mm recoil (on average, depending of course on the specific firearm) would be very manageable for most people, even for beginners. But again, that's just one opinion. And I also agree with you that 10 people will probably have 10 different opinions. Best regards, Jay1958
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12-16-2006, 11:37 AM
| #12 |
| One Buwwit Weft  Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: IL/WI Border
Posts: 989
| I think both of you guys are wrong.. I feel that if he starts shooting handguns, any handgun, he'll get the itch so bad he'll end up buying a .22 AND a centerfire handgun..  And then he'll buy another, and another, and it'll get to the point that he'll have to figure out which handgun will be the gun of choice.. At least that's been my problem..  As a side note, most will find that gun weight dictates recoil almost as much as caliber.. My old Sig Sauer P230 in .380 was more of a handfull than my current Glock 35 in .40 S&W.. I envy anyone who can legally carry a defensive weapon because they actually have a choice to make as far as what gun to carry.. I'm stuck on the IL/WI state line, and don't have that luxury..   Someday the laws here will change, or I'll move, and can actually worry about what gun and caliber would be the best choice.. 
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12-16-2006, 12:45 PM
| #13 | |
| Senior Member  Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 395
| Quote:
Both the .45 and 9mm are easy on first time pistol shooters. the .40 S&W and .357 have a good bit of muzzle flip - I would avoid these. I suggest Glock because they are so very simple to own, shoot and clean. I also suggest you stick with factory ammo - no reloads. HTH ~ | |
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12-16-2006, 06:31 PM
| #14 |
| Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 5,087
| How true,how true,and I love it. samuel |
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12-18-2006, 05:34 PM
| #15 |
| Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 199
| A shotgun 12,16,or 20 gauge loaded with birdshot is would work for home defence. A 9mm Browning Hi-Power,or a good copy is good for self defence. A Raven .25 ACP is a good compact self defence pistol. Last edited by Choco; 01-19-2007 at 07:04 PM. |
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12-20-2006, 09:31 PM
| #16 |
| Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Minnesota (Becker County)
Posts: 148
| Reloads OK The big problem with a centerfire handgun is that it takes a lot of ammunition to become proficient. While there is some "sort of inexpensive" new ammo available, Remanufactured or reloaded ammo is a valid chioce. Some companies remanufacture ammo that is as good or better than new. Black Hills is one example. The other option is reloaded rounds. Again, some reloaders equal or surpass new ammo but some put out dangerous junk. Never use reloaded ammo that did not come from someone you know and trust. Better yet, do it yourself. The equipment is not expensive and if two or three shooters get together a quality progressive machine is certainly an option. One spesific word of caution! To make the most of reloading you will want to use cast lead bullets. (You can even cast them yourself.) At least one gun maker (Glock) makes guns that don't do well and can even be dangerious with that kind ammunition. My Sig, Colts, S&Ws & Ruger All love reloads. Now we will hear from the Glock folks I bet |
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12-20-2006, 10:30 PM
| #17 |
| Member  Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: NE PA
Posts: 35
| My first hand gun was a ruger P95. Great gun but it is big. My second gun was a berretta .40, then a .380 then a .32. As you can see over time I went smaller and smaller. I found that the big guns become uncomfortable even with a good holster. Also depending on the climate smaller guns are easy to conceal when wearing shorts and a t-shirt. I settled on 2 guns, a .45 colt defender and a berretta .32 tomcat. The colt I carry in the colder months and the tomcat in the summer. Like others mentioned before me, its all up to what feels good to you. |
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12-20-2006, 10:31 PM
| #18 |
| Senior Member  Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Tucson, AZ
Posts: 2,714
| For home defense there is no substitute for a .357, but if you want a semi auto get a .45. Personally, the best .45 ACP pistol is a 1911, if you don't like 1911s get an XD-45. My two cents
__________________ Paramedic sks forever |
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01-15-2007, 12:16 AM
| #19 |
| Member Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 15
| Although I love my full-size Glock 10mm for versatility and power, I would recommend a compact Glock in .40 S&W. With the G-23 (it's a compact, not the smaller sub-compact) you get a small package that is still large enough to handle effectively; you also get 13+1 capacity. 40 has plenty of knockdown, is available in a variety of bullet weights and power levels, and is very plentiful. Just my .02 . . . . |
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05-19-2008, 02:29 PM
| #20 |
| Registered User Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 1
| I am also looking to buy my first handgun. One of my local dealers recommended a taurus .40 caliber. He said it was good for the money. Do any of you see any problems with this assessment? Thanks |
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