Interested in Starting to Shoot
 

I'm interested in purchasing a semiautomatic pistol for range practice, and was wondering if you guys could help me out. The problem I have is finding a gun that would fit my hand; I'm 6'9" and my hands are absolutely massive. I was looking at something like a 1911.

Basically I don't have much experience with shooting, so any advice you guys could give me would be very much appreciated. I already intend to take a safety course (it's required in Maryland to do so before purchasing a firearm), but I would love to know any other tips you would suggest.

The best thing to start on would be a little .22. There are plenty of good pistols out there chambered in it... I believe Ruger makes a nice one.

.22 is nice for several reasons--ammo is incredibly cheap, there isnt much recoil or noise, and its just damn fun to take plinking. It is a great gun to learn on, and because the ammo is so cheap, you can afford to really get to know the gun, and to really practice your marksmanship. Once you get it down, then move to a larger caliber.

Whatever you get, have fun and be safe.

If you can, find a range that will rent pistols so you can try different ones to see what works best for you.

In the realm of center-fire, look for a pistol with a double-stack magazine since these will have larger grips. If you're looking for a .45, consider a Witness or Para-0rdnance as they tend, IMO, to have larger grips.

Also, when you find something that is close, see if Pachmayr or Hogue makes a grip for it.

hth

Delayedreaction,

you can get most calibers in a frame that is large enough for your hands. Given your size, virtually *all* frames are going to be small, except maybe the Colt Desert Eagle, or Smith & Wesson's new .50 cal...

Best bet is to decide on the style you like best (caliber, semi vs revolver, double action vs single action, etc...) and then work with a 'smith to make sure it fits you best.

They can fabricate larger safeties, larger grips, etc... to make it as comfortable as possible.

welcome to the world of handgunning!

Unless you're rich, for god's sake, TAKE YOUR TIME SHOOTING! :D When I first started, I was a little overzealous, and even with a bolt action rifle I was using a hellish amount of ammunition in a night of shooting. It definitely adds up.

Delayed-

I'm also 6-9 with large hands and I've held about every make and frame of pistol there is out there. I've found that I can hold on to any full size pistol pretty comfortably, the bigger, the better.

I really like the way glocks full size pistols feel in my hand. Some people talk about how big and blocky they feel but that's nice for us.

Also, HK makes a .45 for military use that's quite large although I can't remember the name of it off the top of my head. It's like a Mark 23 or something like that. It's bigger than any regular full size pistol and fits my hand perfectly.

I have also held a few Desert Eagles and I love the way those feel in my hand as well. Every full size Beretta, Sig, Para-Ordnance, HK, Glock, etc. I have ever held has felt reasonably comfortable in my hand. You can also add a grip to the pistol like a hogue or something else to make it thicker.

Those are my experiences and observations. Welcome to the world of pistols and be careful, those damn things can multiply in a hurry.

I bet. I've decided that it's going to be my reward for graduating college, and that I'm going to spend most of my time right now looking at potential firearms and renting what I can.

HK Mark 23 SOCOM? Bit expensive for me.

What I'm leaning towards right now is a full-size double-stack Para-Ordnance 1911 with Hogue wraparounds. I'm not sure whether the LDA or single action is better for me, but I'm almost inclined to think that as a novice shooter I should consider the double action for safety reasons.

Then again, that's a good $700 to put down for a new pistol. A lot of people have suggested purchasing a Ruger Mark II or Browning BM .22 as a first pistol; in your experience would these frames be large enough?

Thanks again for your help.

You'll love the 1911. Solid, reliable gun.