2aHawaii
Tools and Uses => Firearms and Accessories => Topic started by: ilioncappy on February 12, 2013, 07:54:55 PM
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howzit guys, i need an opinion, i've never owned a semi auto handgun and was wondering if i were to buy just one, what would be the best choice and in what caliber? i don't really have a price range but i want something i can shoot not just store away because its too valuable to use, so tell me.......
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If you only buy one, it should be a .22; a Ruger Mark II comes to mind. Starting with a centerfire as a first pistol, all you'll learn is how to flinch.
AFTER you learn to shoot with a .22, a Glock 19 (9mm) will do everything a handgun can reasonably be expected to do.
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thanks but i'd like to buy just one gun not two, i've already had experience with revolvers, but so much talk about glocks, sigs, hk's, barettas, springfields ...just don't know
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If only 1 gun and a beginner, a 9mm. Good enough for home defense (jacketed hollow point) and cheap enough for plinking / target practice (cost would be half the price of .45 ammo). I do not regret doing this for the amount of cheap practice I could do with 9mm ammo.
Now that I did this and if I could do this all over again, I wish I started out with a .45 caliber handgun instead of 9mm.
In my opinion, if cost of ammo is not a big deal, 45 caliber is the best.
http://youtu.be/caqClJqxBPE
.45 ACP vs 9mm knockdown power
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If you only buy one, it should be a .22; a Ruger Mark II comes to mind. Starting with a centerfire as a first pistol, all you'll learn is how to flinch.
AFTER you learn to shoot with a .22, a Glock 19 (9mm) will do everything a handgun can reasonably be expected to do.
What Cat said.
You'll still have to take a handgun safety course before you can get a handgun. If you DON'T know what you want to get, I suggest looking for a class where there will be a variety of different handguns to try out. I teach with LIFE, but there are definitely others who have good varieties as well. What works for me might not work for you. I prefer the 9mm cartridge, because it's cheap and I shoot it a lot. My friend prefers the .40 S&W because he feels it's the perfect compromise between 9mm and .45 ACP. Still, others may prefer revolvers because of their near-perfect reliability (and they look so badass).
This past Sunday, there was a woman who wanted a handgun for home defense. She seemed pretty stuck on the .40 S&W cartridge, because she felt that was the biggest bullet she could fire while still being able to control the handgun. I prodded a little deeper and found out she had been firing mostly the polymer handguns. Since she has no option to carry here in Hawaii, I suggested she try a steel 1911 in .45 ACP. She discovered they both recoil about the same, and she could control the 1911 quite well.
Then again, the primary use of your handgun might not be self defense, but rather Bullseye competition. For that, you might want a revolver with a long barrel for a nice, long sight radius, or a long-slide semi auto.
Still, there's action pistol. It's similar to home defense, but you might want to find a gun which has a good variety of aftermarket and extra parts, such as holsters, spare magazines, barrels (to be used with cheaper lead ammunition), and ability to change sights, among other things.
Do you want to hunt with it? There are specific requirements for hunting handguns. There are minimum barrel lengths and minimum cartridges.
Once you get into firearms, you'll find that there's no one perfect handgun for everything. As Cat said, a .22 handgun will teach you excellent basic skills. It also allows you to shoot a lot for cheap.
So again, if you already knew which gun you wanted, hell, take the Hunters' Ed course. If you're not too sure, find out what class gives you the best selection to try out.
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Can't go wrong with a Ruger MK II.
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that being said now you have me totally confused. i like the idea of 9mm being a cheap round to shoot, that way you're not counting pennies as you're firing away at paper targets but i plan on reloading, i already do so for my rifle rounds. the forty sounds like a good in between round but i'm not sure of cost and availability of both gun and ammo. so what brands and models am i looking at also any suggestions on which class will offer me a variety of toys to play with?
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Glock 17(9mm)! Cheap and lots of parts!
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don't know if i prefer a polymer gun over an all metal one
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If you can reload .45 caliber, it would definitely make ammo cost cheaper. Be careful of using reloaded ammo on some handguns... Some handgun instruction manuals specifically specify to only use factory ammo (ie Glocks polygonal rifling, etc).
If you don't reload and want cheap ammo, 9mm is a good compromise.
What about a .45 with a .22LR conversion kit? The price of the conversion kit sometimes is almost the same as buying a whole 22 pistol though.
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You start out telling yourself just one 9mm or .40 S&W. But you'll end up with 3+, there's so many different features, styles, aesthetics, etc. Besides, how can you resist cheap 22LR guns and cheap bulk ammo? That being said, start off with what you like and hopefully you can figure that out in the handgun safety class. Everyone has their own preference and only you can figure out what you like. I went with a SIG P226 9mm to start, then got a Beretta U-22 Neos, and now looking at getting a 1911.
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howzit guys, i need an opinion, i've never owned a semi auto handgun and was wondering if i were to buy just one, what would be the best choice and in what caliber? i don't really have a price range but i want something i can shoot not just store away because its too valuable to use, so tell me.......
that being said now you have me totally confused. i like the idea of 9mm being a cheap round to shoot, that way you're not counting pennies as you're firing away at paper targets but i plan on reloading, i already do so for my rifle rounds. the forty sounds like a good in between round but i'm not sure of cost and availability of both gun and ammo. so what brands and models am i looking at also any suggestions on which class will offer me a variety of toys to play with?
Don't be confused...few actually read what's being asked.
If you were to only buy ONE semi-automatic pistol, the best choice would be the one that fits YOU. I believe hnl.flyboy touches on that point. You can get 1001 opinions on the topic, with the what's & why's, but all the personal preferences amounts to nothing (as applied to you) in the end. So what should you do? A good start would be to take a class as suggested OR visit every LGS and fondle every handgun they've got. Find one that feels good in your hands, has the features you want and is in your price range...make note of it, then do research (from impartial reviews) and keep looking. When you're ready, make a well informed choice/purchase and whatever you end up with won't be wrong. :thumbsup:
*Don't worry about caliber, reloading, etc. just yet...none of that would matter if you end up with something you don't like and won't shoot.
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thanks colt, guess we started getting off the subject and began getting into the age old debate of which caliber is the best, i understand what you're saying and it makes sense, especially like the fondling part, everybody's hands are different. will try what you suggested, but whose class will give me the most opportunity to try different guns, calibers etc
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You want a good semi-auto centerfire pistol? You already reload?
No question in my mind, either an XD in 45 auto or a better quality full size 1911.
The 45 auto cartridge is the most forgiving caliber I load. You can throw almost anything together with gratifying results.
Other calibers...not so easy.
XD= moderate price, good quality construction, conventional rifled barrel.
1911= generally speaking, Springfield, Kimber, Colt... Peferably with some custom features.
Adjustable sights would be nice. Personally, I enjoy hitting what I aim at. Seldom do fixed sight guns hit where you want it to hit.
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No question in my mind, either an XD in 45 auto or a better quality full size 1911.
:thumbsup:
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"If you were to only buy ONE semi-automatic pistol, the best choice would be the one that fits YOU."
I agree with this statement wholeheartedly. I tried the glock but didn't care for fit and feel. Ended up getting a XD ( and a XDM ) because I liked the feel much better and it's still reliable.
"XD= moderate price, good quality construction, conventional rifled barrel."
Another consideration is get one pistol and 2 barrels. There are conversion barrels for both the Glocks and Springfield XDs which convert the gun from .40 cal down to 9mm. Takes about 10 seconds for the conversion.
That way you can practice with cheap, mild recoiling 9mm ammo but have a .40 cal pistol.
Conversion barrels are available from Bar-Sto, Storm Lake, Lone Wolf etc. Just be sure to get the .40 cal pistol because you can convert down but not up.
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Maybe you can look at the S&W M&P .40 full size.
You can then get the 9mm conversion barrel and magazines.
Two calibers, one gun.
I am just using the M&P as an example. There are others that you can switch out as well.
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I love my ruger mkii shoot/ plink all day for $20. Acurate, easy to shoot and when u get bored of it you can prob sell it for what u bought it for. They hold thier value very well
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thanks colt, guess we started getting off the subject and began getting into the age old debate of which caliber is the best, i understand what you're saying and it makes sense, especially like the fondling part, everybody's hands are different. will try what you suggested, but whose class will give me the most opportunity to try different guns, calibers etc
You're welcome. Individual preference always gets in the way what's importantant. In this case, we forget that every shooter is different. Personally, I see guns like gloves and whether you have "ape hands", "baby hands" or something in between...You should always find the one the fits and fits well. As for which class? Well, most offer a selection. The two I've heard are great would be HDF and L.I.F.E..
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thanks everyone, lots of good information and points of view. i like the idea of buying extra barrels and shooting another caliber, are there conversion kits for a 45 down to a 9mm or is that too big of a jump. lots of favoritism toward xd's, whats a good price also thanks for the class recommendations will look into it
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I think the XD9 and XD40 can convert back and forth but the XD45 uses a slightly larger frame so it can't.
I'd add that I can feed my .45 ~really~ cheaply by casting my own bullets. While that can be done with 9 and .40 its a bit more difficult because those rounds are significantly higher velocity. Something to consider since you're already set up for reloading.
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still can't get used to the idea of melting lead and having all the fumes near you, think i'd rather opt for coated rounds. definitely leaning toward something that i can interchange barrels, will look hard at the xd though thanks again
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The LIFE class allows you to shoot so many different handguns its unbelievable. 9 instructors with about 7 guns each, you will definitely find the gun that fits well and you enjoy shooting.... Guarantee you will find the gun you like taking that course.... Hardest part is finding the gun you like in stock at a LGS.... Good Luck!!!!
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well if worse comes to worse i can always buy it from the mainland......gunbroker has alot
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You should try look into a 1911 with a 22LR conversion. Even my wife shot the 1911 45acp with no issue.
Kimber has one.
http://www.kimberamerica.com/1911/rimfire/rimfire-target-conversion-kit
And Kimber makes nice 1911s although it is not a Colt. :)
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If I were only able to get 1 handgun it would be a sig. I love my p229 and its in 9mm. If I were to do it again I'd probably get the .40 and get a 9mm conversion barrel.
Nothing against other guns as I haven't shot much others. I just love my sig
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so many choices, so little money, but at least i have an idea, will definitely look for something that is convertible, and i have an idea on which brands to look at, thanks guys...
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i know you are looking for just one semi auto
but, theres too many out there to settle for just one.
i set out to get a 1911, but after weighing the price vs options, I opted to get a .45 XDM and a .22 Beretta Neos.
for both of those it ran me in the $1000 range. which is about the price for a good 1911, if not cheaper.
I like the option of shooting different calibers out of different guns. that way I can switch back and forth with absolutely no delay.
if you want to practice with the same gun, but in a cheaper ammo, thats different.
but i like that i'm shooting 2 different guns, gives me 2 different perspectives.
nobody mentioned the Neos. its a good, very inexpensive .22 semi auto that comes with a rail on top so you can mount optics if you want very easily.
I have a red dot sight with 4 different reticles. easy to point and shoot. it looks a little odd, but its fun to shoot.
just my 2 cents.
let us know what you decide on.
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I think the XD9 and XD40 can convert back and forth but the XD45 uses a slightly larger frame so it can't.
I'd add that I can feed my .45 ~really~ cheaply by casting my own bullets. While that can be done with 9 and .40 its a bit more difficult because those rounds are significantly higher velocity. Something to consider since you're already set up for reloading.
I'm not sure if this applies to XD's and other handguns but I know for a Sig you can convert a .40 to a 9 but not the other way around. The reason you can't convert up in size is because the barrel is slightly larger so it won't fit. I think there were a few other reasons as well but they don't matter if the barrel doesn't fit.
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I beleive that's correct for all of them.
.40's can convert down to 9 mms but generally 9 mms cannot convert up to .40s. There's a lot of brands with conversions.
And I forgot about the 1911 .45s with .22 conversion kits. Good point Jl808.
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What's your reason for only one pistol? Here is my opinion...
If your answer is financial, right now there is an ammo is at a premium if you can find it. Even 9mm is running in the neighborhood of 30 cents a round if your lucky. So if your new to shooting you will spend some $$$ on ammo to get to a proficient level. So buying a one centerfire pistol and .22lr pistol actually makes a whole lot of sense. Just to break in your centerfire pistol will be around $150 in ammo for a 9mm.
Shooting is a skill that needs to be practiced like shooting a basketball. .22lr pistols will help you hone and maintain your skills at a cheaper price. Something to think about.
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no argument from me on that, but with a gun that is easily converted to another caliber and that's cheaper to shoot, you get the best of both worlds. your familiarity with the gun and how it feels versus shooting two different guns that feel and act differently, that seems like an easier way to become proficient at shooting, what do you think, am i way off base?
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I'd highly recommend you test fire as many guns as possible and in as many calibers as possible. If you can't shoot them, go down to a few gun stores and handle them to see if they fit you. They all are a bit different. Your gonna have to take a handgun safety course either way and they ususally have a portion where you get to shoot various guns in various calibers at the end of the class. I highly recommend hawaii defense foundation because you get the paperwork to actually go out and buy a gun right after the class and not 2 months later like others do. It's very fun and you learn a lot since your not familar with semiauto handguns.
P.S. more people have been killed by .22lr then any other caliber out there. it can and will kill a human just fine. Shot placement is what is important. Id rather get shot in the hand or foot with a .45acp then in the head or heart with a .22lr!
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no argument from me on that, but with a gun that is easily converted to another caliber and that's cheaper to shoot, you get the best of both worlds. your familiarity with the gun and how it feels versus shooting two different guns that feel and act differently, that seems like an easier way to become proficient at shooting, what do you think, am i way off base?
You make a good point. Most conversion kits aren't nearly reliable and cost as much a a whole other pistol. My philosophy is why spend $300 or so on a .22lr conversion slide when you can spend $50 more and get a complete .22lr pistol. When you go to the range you and a friend can shoot at the same time. Also adds another pistol for home defense albeit a .22lr, its better than nothing. There are many .22lr pistols that mimic their centerfire counterparts like the M&P's, Sigs and Walthers. Be aware shooting .22lr is a cheaper option but nothing replaces the practicing with centerfire. With that said, you can probabaly train away most issues like sight picture, trigger squeeze,stance, flinch etc with the .22lr for a lot cheaper than centerfire.
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This is a good pistol. If I didn't already have a MkII, I'd jump on this.
http://2ahawaii.com/index.php?topic=6667.msg63907#new (http://2ahawaii.com/index.php?topic=6667.msg63907#new)
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thanks, i saw this listing an it is so tempting, anything more i should know about this gun
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+1 I was going down the same route and was told to get a conversion barrel. Decided to just get 2 handguns one 22lr and one 9mm. 22lr conversion not worth the money, just buy a dedicated 22lr...
Go down to the gun store and handle every gun they have till u find a good fit...
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i was thinking more in the line of a 40 with a 9mm conversion, depending on funds a 22 would be nice...
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I went with 22lr only cause its way cheaper to shoot.... 9mm with 40 conversion is good. Be careful when switching back and forth, mark your mags and barrels carefully.
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+1 I was going down the same route and was told to get a conversion barrel. Decided to just get 2 handguns one 22lr and one 9mm. 22lr conversion not worth the money, just buy a dedicated 22lr...
Go down to the gun store and handle every gun they have till u find a good fit...
+1, just buy a dedicated .22lr
Its cheaper and now you have 2 guns instead of one.