Which handgun should I get?
 

Ok. I'm looking to get a handgun to practice shooting, and just for the sake of having it. I could go with the glock, but i really don't how they feal. I am leaning toward a 1911 model 45, which are reasonably priced and the new ones in particular are very well designed. Or I could get a reveolover, probably a magnum. Imput is apreciated.

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1911 all the way....


read the .45 thread..

Revolvers as a group are generally stupid ugly bags of crap (complete bias). 1911s are more expensive to shoot. Glocks are harsher to shoot. Take your pick. Also, I would like to suggest a spelling class. :)

I would suggest a Glock 17/34, Sig 226R DAK, or Walther P99QA.
Go to a gun store and try them all out. I do not advise .45 because the ammunition is more expensive, and we buy guns to shoot.

Berreta 92FS. Great gun, fun as hell to shoot.

just twice as big as it really needs to be *shrug*

It's not even all that big though, and the size really helps with recoil.

Look, forget the Glock, and the P99s, and the others. If you are looking for a hand gun, especially your first hand gun, then get a 22lr automatic. A Browning Buckmark or a Ruger Mark 2/3 will be with you for the rest of your life, and will teach you the fundamentals of hand gunning. Not to mention, they are just plain ass fun to shot.

If you are set on something other than rim fire, the I would suggest a 357mag revolver. Use 38sp in it to learn. After that, you have another handgun that will last you forever.

dunno i live in oz and u can't own handguns here....big no no

Well I have had many handguns and it would be a tossup between my smith and wessen 357 relvolver hard hitting and flexable, or my cz75 9mm auto that just feels right in my hand. If I was you I would look and see if there was a shooting range that rented handguns out and try before you buy.

Good luck

What about a Walther PKK? There'd be something cool about having the same gun as James Bond. :)

http://www.endoshoji.com/model-guns/img057.jpg

Mr Mephisto

kel, are those 9mm? I am also interested in owning my first hand gun. Been sitting on the fence for a few years now.

I always thought a good "standard" handgun would be a 9mm.

but theres nothing cool about the performance of the .380...


sorry, someone had to say it :(

mrtuffpaws hit it right on the button. walther p22 is sweet. they start at around $240 with a 3.4" barrel and $280 with a 5" barrel

http://www.gunshop.cz/eshop/images/p22_target_dl.jpg


P22 with a weighted front end. Great pistol, and you can't go wrong with Walther.

or get a 1911 and a .22 conversion...

best of both worlds.... a lil more money tho...

For just fun shooting, the ruger or browning .22's that were mentioned earlier are great. A Kimber .45 auto is an absolute blast to shoot, but ammo is damn expensive. The Berretta 92FS in 9mm is also a very good choice for fun shooting. So is a Ruger GP100 in .357 if you prefer a revolver. None of those guns are practical for concealed carry (not that they can't be concealed, just that they're not really designed for that.) so understand that you would likely want a second gun for a carry gun (if you decide to obtain a CCW)

If you are just shooting for fun, I also recommend a .22 auto, such as the Browning Buckmark.

Fun to shoot all day long and easy on the pocket book.

PPs/PPKs can be chambered in a number of different cartridges though (3-5 if I recall), so you don't have to deal with a .380. They seem to be pretty good guns, although the size obviously sacrifices some accuracy and range.

the .380 PPK is the most abundant, although james bond's gun was a .32 I believe... I honestly dunno how many different chamberings they are offered in, I've only seen .380's at gun stores...


edit:
6.35 mm Browning, 7.65 mm Browning, 9 mm Short


wtf is a 6.35mm Browning? the 7.65 is the .32acp, the 9mm short or Kurz is the .380, I've never heard of a 6.35 tho *shrug*

to be fair here, if you feel that you may ever have to defend yourseld with said handgun, you owe it to yourself to understand how the bullet that your handgun fires will perform..



http://web4.integraonline.com/~bbroadside/EFEII.html

now, with all that being said, I stand by my horribly biased .380 comment....

but once again, to be completely fair, its realy bullet placement that counts here, so practice practice practice :)

I believe it's .25 calibre, which I've heard of before.

I've always been horribly confused with what calibre and diameter in mm referred to. It seems that you can have bullets that are the same diameter but different calibres (at least according to what I've read), and I assume inner barrel diameter would have to be the same for those bullets as well. Urgh.

if its the .25acp, its a dismal performer... just look at the stats :(
you'd be better off with a .22lr...

damn europeans and their metric system!


blargh! :lol:

can we at least agree that in all the chamberings offered for the PPK, that the .380 has the most "balls"?
because if we can agree on that, then I can go right on saying the .380 is crap and we can discount the PPK as a good firearm :lol:

KEL TEC!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes they are all 9MM and they can all be had for a reasonable price (being baseline manufactured guns) new or used. I wouldn't hesitate to buy any of them used so keep that as an option. If you are only going to buy one gun then 9MM is the best choice. It's possible to learn good shooting habits with 9MM, but the recommended course of action is to get a .22LR as a first gun. But... if your only going to buy one... get a 9MM. 9MM is suitable for both target and defense and is extremely versatile.

I would... but no. :P I believe the 7.65 mm cartridge was the most popular back in the day, and likely with good reason. I believe the reason the .380 is more common now is just because of S&W distributing it in the U.S.

And if it helps with the decision, I think I'll be picking up a P22 when I get my target shooting pistol.

P22's are great pistols...


especially now that the magazine issues have been completely solved :)

You need to sack up and get a colt 1911 .45 or a browning high power. Seriously, it feels like I'm taking crazy pills here!

ya know what?
lemme go ahead and drop the end game master post here...

get whatever handgun feels good in your hand, and you feel is adequate for your needs.


there
I said it.


its game over man, game over :lol:

Sig Sauer P239

I have fired 2864 rounds out of her with only 1 misfire. You must remember that, a good gun fires every time you pull the trigger. No more, no less - only when you pull the trigger. Sig is the best hand gun in the world. The Secret Service and the Navy Seals carry Sig 226 in .40 Cal. What does that say about the weapon?........

It is hard to fault a .22 the first time around. If you are a new shooter, the Walther P22 has many features to commend. It fires from double or single action. The double action trigger pull is very deliberate as is the single action hammer cocking meaning, you have to think about it to fire it. It also has a loaded chamber indicator, one more way of verifying its status. I am also a big fan of the Ruger MK1/2/3 pistols but they are striker fired and single action. Neither is a bad thing, but they are a little easier to discharge accidentally if you shooting one is not second nature. BTW, I just bought a P22 for my son this last weekend for all of the above reasons not to mention, it is a cool as heck piece!

soundmotor

It actually doesn't say much about it. :P The SEALs also carry the H&K USP mk23, some SWAT teams carry the 1911, and I'm not even sure what the SAS or other elite forces carry.

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Agree with ya there :)

some pencil pusher decided the sig would be 'adequate' (and I will bet you ANY amount of money that the word adequate was used to describe the pistol)


FBI HRT's and LA SWAT use 1911s...

Are you going to be concealing?? It's legal here in WA, depends on your state . . . Do you have your CPL?

If you ARE planning to conceal, then i would suggest

smith and wesson ultra light 38

shoots like a dream and conceals well . . .

Sweetpea :)

Depends obviously on what you want it for. For plinking, the Walther P22 is a lot of fun. For home defense I keep a Beretta 92FS Centurion. Feels great, very controllable recoil and very high-capacity (16 rds). My carry gun is a Glock 26 (sub-compact 9mm). The Glock is a great balance between the simplicity and reliability of a revolver (just point and shoot) and the higher capacity and smoother trigger pull of a semi-auto.

But like I said, it depends on what you want it for. Take your time and choose something that fits your needs, feels good and most of all that you feel you can rely on to save your life if you need it to.

Walther PPk. The Best. I have one and it's easy to aim. And holds it's value.

*cough-cough*throwing rocks is more effective than .380's*cough-cough* :lol:

where is the person who asked about this originally? I'm dying to know if any sort of a decision has been reached after 38 replies...

I know you're making the comment partially in jest, but really; a .380 vs a .45 is like saying that hitting someone with a hatchet isn't as effective as an axe. Maybe not if you have bad aim, but if you chop them in the spine they still go down.

I learned as a kid on a Ruger Mark I 22LR...Awesome gun...still shoots great 30 years and 40,000 rounds later...Of course once you get the bug....you just can't stop at one gun....It's a disease...The gun safe just seams to expand on it's own. I own more hand guns then I'll ever admit to my wife and friends. Who else has this same problem?

My Top 5 Favorite Hand Guns to Shoot....

1. Kimber Custom Classic I - Smooth action...nothing like a 1911 in .45--Hands down my favorite---Would shoot it all day long at the range if I could afford it!
2. Glock 22 with a 9MM Ported Fire Dragon Conversion Barrell--Nice option being able to swap the 40S&W barrell for a 9MM...Nothing sexy...but reliable and indestructable...With the best safety and gun design ever---+17 round mags make it a blast at the range!
3. Beretta 92FS Inox - Beautiful Gun...Reliable...Love to shoot 9MM...cheap and 15 round mags make it fun!
4. Ruger Vaquero - 45LC --- Relive the old west...nothing like a heavy framed 6 shooter in a classic cartridge (can run hot loads through it equivalent to 44MAG hunters) -- fanning this gun at a cowboy action shoot is unforgettable!
5. Walther PPK - .38 Auto great cartridge and you know your shooting something special...007 comes to life with every trigger pull.

yes, the comment was made in jest, and I understand your argument, but you left something out, should both the hatchet and the axe achieve hits to the spine, they're both going down obviously, but which one do you think has a better chance of not getting up? ;)

The answer is yes.