Forums / Gun Discussion / Solid Handgun For A First-Timer

GO WITH A 9MM AND USE HOLLOW POINT AMMO

I DON'T THINK SO BUT ITS KINDA EXPENSIVE AMMO. NOT FOR RANGE USE.I KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN THOUGH AS FAR AS TAKE DOWN ABILITY.THATS WHY A .45 IS ON MY NEXT GUN LIST.

Go for a Glock. They are easy to dismantle and clean, They come in a wide verity of Calibers and and very reliable. Great first timers gun.

Try this on for size.

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=82859

Not sure. Never shot one. but from what i hear its pretty good. you decide best of luck my freind.

Remember that bullet placement is more important. A well placed 22 will do the job.

1911's are things of lust, much like your first date. Eventually you will see their flaws as a rapid defense weapon. By the time you get it out,unhinge the safety,jack the slide back to load the chamber you will have had a big headache. Go for a double action auto or revolver, preferably one that is light weight and fits your hand. Simply put, in a combat response to a threat you have to get rounds on target quicker than your opponent. Forget target range plinking stuff and avoid anyone with a chrome guns. You need to be accurate fast. Combat distances are seldom more than 10 feet. The real caliber question is, do you choose to put a golfball size hole in the chest or a softball. A frangable 9mm round will calm your attacker very quickly and you could probably empty the gun with good precision. 9mm are lighter and you typically can pack a large quantity. A 40 may require more than one hit but a single hit from a 45 usually does the trick. Before you do anything know yourself well enough to know you would actually pull the trigger. Blood splatter is a hard thing to forget.

what about a revolver their excellent for a first timer their simple less ammo sensitive than autos and less sensitive to dirt and dust and easy to operate and a good revolver is more reliable the only downside less rounds

asmya first gun i got a S&W 686 2 1/2 IN BARREL 357MAG and i loved,but for a 9mm use hydro shock ammo is a hollow point and amazing stopping power..or go for something better between the 9 mm and the .45 get a .40S&W THE GLOCK 35 IS A 15 RD CLIP..OR A SIG 226 15 ROUND..OR A PARA-ORDENANCE PXT 14 RD AND IS A BEAUTIFUL GUN..

Glock 21 is my vote. I dont shoot is as much because of the ammo prices. Walther 9mm P99 is the other.

I would advise going to the range and renting several if possible.
I agree with the above it is not the caliber that counts it is whether you can hit your target. I would much rather have a .45 in my arm or leg as a .22 in the eye!
Buy what is comfortable for you and practice practice with it.
Alot of the bigger calibers are hard to shoot because of managing recoil, especially for new shooters. Look at prices too guns vary alot shop around!
A very good gun is a springfield XDM in .40 cal all in all.

A .357 revolver will do you well. I won't name specific brands, since theres about a million different versions, but Taurus is a good brand to shop for if your looking to keep your wallet heavy. Assuming this is your first gun, load it with .38s to get yourself used to the way the gun feels, getting bullets where you want them to go, and reloading. Once your comfortable shooting the gun, start using .357s.

A small frame .357 revolver offers a combination of weight, size, and stopping power that can't be matched by any automatic on the market today.

check out springfield XD, it comes with a lot of xtras, bunch of different sizes and calibers, and wont kill your piggy bank too badly

its pretty accurate and you can find some 2nd hand g19's for cheap.

9 mm..as your first gun. Don't spend big money on a gun that might turn into a paper weight later on. Make sure you really like the hobbie before you commit big money.Then if you really like shooting............sell all of your belongings , family and food and buy every gun you can think of.....other -wise become a stamp collecter.

There are some really good ideas listed. I am inclined to suggest that you stick with a 9 mm in an auto, or a 357 in a revolver. The Nine is plenty for anyone with todays modern ammo. Do not doubt that for a second. There is factory ammo out there from Buffalo Bore that delivers 1420 fps, at least in my BHP. That is essentially a .357 sig; only 30fps less. Gives right at 500 muzzle energy. That is way potent. They are not cheap, but you can practice with far cheaper rounds. Most 9 mm ammo is really cheap. Then, carry the hotter stuff for defense. I usually load hydra shocks, Taps, or Corbons, which are not that hot, although Corbons are close. There are tons of good ammo for the Nine. For the .357 Mag. revolver. Well, what else can be said? It is still the top defense round with decades of data. If you need more ammo than 6 to 8 .357 mag rounds, you are missing the target. You can as mentioned feed the pistol 38s for most of your practice and load up 38 +ps or .357 mags for defense. the 40s, and 45s are very solid, but I think you would be better served with the 9 mm or .357.

A revolver could be a Charter Arms .357. Great gun for the money and American made. For an auto, I agree with most of the others. 9mm is the way to go. For home defense it isn't as much about muzzle velocity as it is kenetic energy. 9mm hydra shocks will more than suffice.

You can carry a 1911, or any gun, with a round in the chamber. I don't know why you wouldn't. The 1911 is, in my opinion a substandard fighting gun compared to the Glock, but there is no reason to make it out to be a death trap. The concept of stopping power in a handgun is useless. Commonly used handgun calibers are weak rounds compared to rifles or shotguns. However, there is a minimum you should go with. Death from above says a well placed 22 will work, and that is true. However, in a fight for your life, the well-placed shot you may do on a range will be absent. Most people agree that 38 spl in revolvers, or 9mm in autos should be the minimum caliber. The .380 is a bit light, but can work also. 9mm is just fine with the wide availability of bullet designs and the small packages they can be had in makes them useful guns. The best gun for defense is the largest gun you can fire accurately and carry all day. As for brand, Glock is the way to go, regardless of what caliber you choose.

I'll play Devils advocate. If you can afford the 1911 then buy it. There are very few hand guns in the world I would rather own. I personaly can't afford one right now, so I went 9mm Glock 17. As stated by others, Hydra shock loads will get the job done if needed. I have one 10 round clip always loaded with those for defence reasons.

Oh Jesus I just noticed were all typing in a thread from October...
BRILLIANT ..lol

slows them down. my 9mm puts 'em down and keeps them down with 147 grain JHP

What are you shooting 147's out of? Good luck getting enough velocity for reliable expansion out of a pistol with those things.

but for fast enough velocity for reliable expansion, you need a lighter bullet or hot-loaded rounds. 147 was designed as subsonic rounds for supressed subguns.

I love shooting melons :)

I have a Kimber 1911 Ultra Tactical II and really like it. I am so impresses with the accuracy for a smaller weapon. I recently purchased a FN-9, the 9mm with 16 rounds of hollow point ammo and it's so easy to handle. I am a fan of the DA trigger as opposed to the 'cocked and locked' 1911. The DA just is a feature that I like better. The 1911 definitely excells with more knock down power, but I just feel more comfortable with the 9mm.

I also have a .357 SS S&W Revolver. It is great protection inside the home, but a bit heavy to carry. I really enjoy shooting this revolver; it is so accurate.

The right answer is a personal choice and it comes down to what you are the most comfortable with.

The FN-9 is a fine weapon and a good shooter.

For a first gun I'd suggest a revolver in .357, you can also shoot a .38 special in it if you don't like the recoil from the .357 Basically with a revolver there is less to go wrong, and when your life is on the line that is good thing. If you insist on a semi-auto you can't go wrong a Glock 22, or 23.

My brother in law has one in .45 and seems to work fine for him. However, for not much more money, one could get a Taurus or a Smith and Wesson SD. The hy point just seems heavy, clunky, and just not that fun to shoot. That last part is important in that he hardly ever wants to go shoot it. It's hard to practice and become proficient if you never shoot it.

New to this site and even though this is a very old post, it's a great topic for discussion so thought I'd put my 2 cents in! First of all, will this be a concealed carry pistol at any point? If a possibility, I say rule out the larger Glocks (17, 19, 21, etc) and also the 1911s (unless you plan on extensive training, too many things to worry about...safety, hammer, etc). There are plenty of smaller sized pistols that are still very accurate, comfortable, and can serve multiple roles (concealed carry, practice, home defense, etc). I personally LOVE Glocks. As stated before, they are extremely reliable, easily maintained, and accurate as hell! Although I love the 19, still a bit large for concealed carry. And the .40s (23 specifically) may be a bit "snappy" for beginners. The baby Glock (26, 9mm subcompact) is a great little gun. I had an XD 40 sub for some time but switched to the 26. After becoming more

efficient with the 26, and desiring more "stopping power", I discovered the Glock 30 (.45 sub compact) and I absolutely love this thing! It's small enough for concealed carry (I use a Crossbreed Supertuck holster), but large enough to fit comfortably in your hand and to shoot often for training. It is almost identical in size to the Glock 23 .40 sub compact, except it's slightly thicker. The best part is it still holds 10+1 rounds, and with some "hot" ammo (check out www.underwoodammo.com), you will have more than enough bang for your buck! For beginning shooters, there are a ton of great guns out there. BUT, if you end up like most of us, you'll get the "fever" and always end up looking for something bigger, badder, more fun, etc. If you start with a 9mm that will likely be the case. So I say go with a .45...not nearly as difficult to shoot (recoil, etc) than you may think, and easier than a .40 in my opinion. And again, you simply can't go wrong with a Glock. Try the 30 and see if you like it. Most ranges have them for rentals. Also try a 26, and even a 19 if you want something slightly larger (the 19 is probably the most confortable and accurate of all I've mentioned). Good luck out there, and happy shooting!!

good info, i have a 26 and 19 as well but looking at the 45 in a Glock now for some damn reason...fever i guess.