What kind of handgun to get?

[vfinch]

There's just something really cool about a 1911. All the the newer versions have some really good mods right out of the gate. My buddy just picked up a Taurus all stainless that we'll be taking to the range soon.
That being said, a Glock 17 or a nice Sig is always a good choice.

 

[edmanster]

i really love my bersa .380!!! for the price its a great piece... my next to get when i can afford would be the springfield XD .40....

 

[bottlebomber]

I would love to get a .380 sub compact, but am a little leery about the ammo situation. I don't know how everyone else did with this, but a few years ago .380 was practically unobtainable in california. Kinda sucks to own a gun you can't find ammo for...

 

[hungrymonkey]

I would be wary to suggest any of the pocket 380's for someones first larger handgun. The keltecs and Ruger have a pretty substantial bite to the recoil.

For a non concealed range toy/home defense. I would suggest a full size in 9mm or larger. Avoiding anything compact or sub compact.

If I had to turn a newish shooter onto a handgun, I would suggest one of the following. Ruger P89 (or P series for that matter), they are bigger, heavy, and very easy to shoot.
Or a Glock mid or full sized (G19 or G17). They are a little snappier, but very easy shooters.
The XD series are easy shooters, although the higher bore axis makes for a bit more muzzle jump. They are on the cheaper side, and the dual safeties appeal to me.

 

[Lost]

If you're really digging the 9mm cartridge, take a look at a CZ-75 - classic Browning style with a few modern improvements. You can get a used one very inexpensively, especially if you're willing to accept some cosmetic flaws.

If I could only own one handgun, it'd be a 1911. Bulk .45 ammo for plinking isn't that expensive.

This.

I've yet to find a plastic gun that is comfortable in my hands. Glock, for all its reliability has got to be the worst. Like shooting with a 2x4. And no manual safety either.. Why you would put a safety on the trigger itself is beyond me.

Buy a gun that fits your hand well and points naturally. 9mm is a perfectly good round and cheap enough to fire often so that you can be accurate which is what really matters.

Edit: I really do love my cz75 spo1, I believe it is my favorite range gun. But you can't go wrong with a 1911 or a sig, those are nice too but $$$

 

[Face Eater]

I'd get a 9mm. My most recent gun I had purchased a Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm and I love it. Usually about 10-12 bux for 50 rounds of 115 grain ammo. The only issue I had with the gun was a loose front sight which Smith & Wesson sent me a prepaid label and fixed it for free.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

I would be wary to suggest any of the pocket 380's for someones first larger handgun. The keltecs and Ruger have a pretty substantial bite to the recoil.

My thoughts exactly. The Taurus TCP is unreliable and painful to shoot. The S&W Bodyguard 380 is much nicer but still not much fun at the range - 50 rounds is a bit of a chore, really. The ammo is cheaper and easier to find right now, but that matters little. A pocket gun just isn't meant for plinking.

 

[Hoodweisen]

URL="http://slickguns.com/product/romanian-ttc-tokarev-pistols-c-r-eligible-20999-or-19999-3-or"]http://slickguns.com/product/romanian-ttc-tokarev-pistols-c-r-eligible-20999-or-19999-3-or[/URLIf you want a gun thats fun, cheap and deadly accurate(i can shoot cans at 100yards) get a Romanian TTC Tokarev they are army surplus you can pick them up all day long for 200 hundred they shoot 7.62x25 i got mine with 1000 rounds for 250 bucks now everybody i knows owns one.

 

[Pumbaa]

i would honestly recommend going to a range that has lots of guns available to shoot. The best answer to this question is to find the gun that fits best in your hand. You may be able to answer that at a gun store, but just holding them isn't the same.

+1

 

[Airplanedoc]

URL="http://slickguns.com/product/romanian-ttc-tokarev-pistols-c-r-eligible-20999-or-19999-3-or"]http://slickguns.com/product/romanian-ttc-tokarev-pistols-c-r-eligible-20999-or-19999-3-or[/URLIf you want a gun thats fun, cheap and deadly accurate(i can shoot cans at 100yards) get a Romanian TTC Tokarev they are army surplus you can pick them up all day long for 200 hundred they shoot 7.62x25 i got mine with 1000 rounds for 250 bucks now everybody i knows owns one.

Personally I would stick with something that shoots ammo that is readily available. I can buy 9mm at most any place that sells ammo. 7.62X25 you are going to have to order


They are fun to shoot and pretty accurate. but if it was going to be my first bigger gun, or only one, the ammo availability would be a high priority for me

 

[headbanger]

This.

I've yet to find a plastic gun that is comfortable in my hands. Glock, for all its reliability has got to be the worst. Like shooting with a 2x4. And no manual safety either.. Why you would put a safety on the trigger itself is beyond me.

Buy a gun that fits your hand well and points naturally. 9mm is a perfectly good round and cheap enough to fire often so that you can be accurate which is what really matters.

Edit: I really do love my cz75 spo1, I believe it is my favorite range gun. But you can't go wrong with a 1911 or a sig, those are nice too but $$$

The Glock safety is one of the best actually, the gun absolutely will not fire unless you pull the trigger.

That said, there have been issues with dropping the gun and trying to catch it on the way down, ouch!

I can't really say anything bad about them and I own three in various calibers. I would recommend changing out the cheap plastic sites if you get one so equipped, other than that I think they are exceptional... Especially great for home defense or packing around.

 

[JonK331]

This.

I've yet to find a plastic gun that is comfortable in my hands. Glock, for all its reliability has got to be the worst. Like shooting with a 2x4. And no manual safety either.. Why you would put a safety on the trigger itself is beyond me.

Buy a gun that fits your hand well and points naturally. 9mm is a perfectly good round and cheap enough to fire often so that you can be accurate which is what really matters.

Edit: I really do love my cz75 spo1, I believe it is my favorite range gun. But you can't go wrong with a 1911 or a sig, those are nice too but $$$

I totally disagree about Glock. You must have small hands. But agree that it's important to find a gun that is comfortable.

 

[Bobby_M]

The 4th gen glocks have three backstrap options for any size hand.

 

[Face Eater]

The 4th gen glocks have three backstrap options for any size hand.

The S&W M&P series also come with 3 different grips for small, medium, and large.

 

[headbanger]

Or if you've got really, really big hands the DE-50 is a good choice.

 

[jafo28]

The S&W M&P series also come with 3 different grips for small, medium, and large.

Springfield XDM does this also. I currently have an XDM in .45ACP and just picked up the M&P 9mm. I love them both.

 

[Lost]

I don't want to come off like an ass or know it all but a safety should prevent the gun from going off, this includes *especially* accidental trigger pulls.

Call me old fashioned but I prefer a gun that I can keep cocked and locked. A heavy double action trigger pull is no substitute for a proper safety. Moreover, who wants a crappy double action trigger? I prefer a single action only or double action single action trigger.

Edit: I have large hands with long fingers. The glock finger indents do not match my hands and the grip feels square. But, AGAIN, that is just me. OP needs to see what fits and points naturally for him.

I think a glock is a great gun particularly if you don't plan on taking care of it. I put a lot of value on aesthetics and ergonomics and a one size fits all plastic gun falls short. The interchangeable backstraps are more of a gimmick than anything else. They can take a gun that fits good and make it fit great but they won't do much for a gun that just doesn't fit at all.

 

[bottlebomber]

Or if you've got really, really big hands the DE-50 is a good choice.

I don't think a $1700 cannon that costs $1.50 every time you pull the trigger is what homer had in mind when he started this thread

 

[headbanger]

I don't want to come off like an ass or know it all but a safety should prevent the gun from going off, this includes *especially* accidental trigger pulls.

Call me old fashioned but I prefer a gun that I can keep cocked and locked. A heavy double action trigger pull is no substitute for a proper safety. Moreover, who wants a crappy double action trigger? I prefer a single action only or double action single action trigger.

Edit: I have large hands with long fingers. The glock finger indents do not match my hands and the grip feels square. But, AGAIN, that is just me. OP needs to see what fits and points naturally for him.

I think a glock is a great gun particularly if you don't plan on taking care of it. I put a lot of value on aesthetics and ergonomics and a one size fits all plastic gun falls short. The interchangeable backstraps are more of a gimmick than anything else. They can take a gun that fits good and make it fit great but they won't do much for a gun that just doesn't fit at all.

As long as you can control the urge to try and catch the gun if you ever drop it the safety is about the best there is, even with one in the chamber.

Whether the gun fits you or not or suits your needs is completely subjective.

Bottom line here is that the gun in question is a damn good one for the money and extremely versatile to boot, not to mention top notch in quality and reliability.

 

[headbanger]

I don't think a $1700 cannon that costs $1.50 every time you pull the trigger is what homer had in mind when he started this thread

Maybe not quite but I guarantee you he'd have a lot of fun at the range

 

[Face Eater]

Springfield XDM does this also. I currently have an XDM in .45ACP and just picked up the M&P 9mm. I love them both.

Yea Springfield Armory XD and XDM series are great. I almost bought one and still might buy one.

 

[jafo28]

Or if you've got really, really big hands the DE-50 is a good choice.

I saw a guy at the range shooting one of these, well heard it first, my brother and I just watched for a minute and thought it looked just like this video.

 

[bottlebomber]

I saw a guy at the range shooting one of these, well heard it first, my brother and I just watched for a minute and thought it looked just like this video.

Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFJjaj7pXsA

That was the first thing I though of when someone mentioned the DE... there are a lot of other cool vids of that gun on youtube. Evidently it emits a ring of fire when you shoot it... maybe a little unburned powder catching fire or something. Hell of a gun. I've looked at the gold plated leopard print one for my wife to keep in her purse.

 

[Hoodweisen]

Personally I would stick with something that shoots ammo that is readily available. I can buy 9mm at most any place that sells ammo. 7.62X25 you are going to have to order


They are fun to shoot and pretty accurate. but if it was going to be my first bigger gun, or only one, the ammo availability would be a high priority for me

One quick search of sportsman guide 50 rounds for twenty bucks and thats the internet. If you find your run of the mill reactionist ran gun store they are going to carry that round and are going to offer bulk pricing also because pretty much all ex-soviet block countries pistols and machinepistols were based off that round. Like I said I got my gun and a 1000 rounds for 250 bucks and all my buddies got the same deal.