Saw a pic of a sexy 1911 handgun and it perked my interests enough to bring me here!

[THier]

Welcome, go to ranges,,, BE SAFE,,,, read and ask about handgun safety,, rent fire arms,, BE SAFE,,, shoot many different types and calibers,, BE SAFE. I recently bumped into a guy buying ammo,, that got tossed from a local range for shooting with two guns at the same time, and can't understand why. This guy showed me a picture on his phone or him with a gun in each hand, shooting. Now,, here is just one issue,, the range he was at I am familiar with,, like most it does not allow cell phones in the store - range, so this guy basically thumbed his nose at the store.I won't get into the "why no cell phones in the store - range",, that is their rule,, follow it or shoot somewhere else.

Tom

Oh,, did I mention,, BE SAFE?

 

[Goose Guy]

Welcome! Both the 1911 and XD are good, though I've only had expreience with the 1911. Best thing you can do is feel a whole bunch and decide which one fits your hand best. One is guranteed to stand out from the rest. Definately research it thoroughly.

As for ammo, if you plan to shoot a lot, 9mm is definately cheaper. .45 is still better though.

 

[swinokur]

Hello from Bethesda. I shoot at the NRA Range a lot. Nice facility. No rentals however.

 

[JMintzer]

Welcome neighbor! I'm just West of Montgomery Mall...

A 1911 is a great gun, I have a Springfield Loaded:

One problem w/a .45, is that they are expensive to feed. More than twice as expensive as a 9mm.

My advice? Find a 9mm that is comfortable in your hand. Go to either Engage in Kensington or Atlantic in Rockville and get an idea of what feels good in your hand.

Then take a handgun safety course. There are several instructors who post here, or check out the NRA off 66 in VA.

Shoot the 9mm... a lot! Once you're comfortable shooting, then decide what else to buy...


Jamie

 

[clandestine]

If you are a new shooter stay away from a 1911 unless you have money for a high end 1911. They are fnatastic guns when build right, porblem is even $1K Kimbers, Springfields, ect.....often have reliability issues.

My repair cabinet is always filled eith 1911's. They are not AK47's they are high maintenance race cars.

If you are dead set on a 1911 get a new Colt that hasnt been screwed with by someone, and get it from a shop that suports their sales and has a good smith.

 

[SlightlyMotivated]

Awesome information here guys thanks so much! Its a shame the 66 NRA range doesn't allow rentals, im off Old Georgetown so it wouldn't have been that far from me at all! Ill have to see about a range with rentals. Im assuming the NRA range offers safety and gun classes/instructions though??

I have seen the Kensington shop (guns and trains across from cvs/711???), however have not gone in yet. I might do that today and look around. I had no idea about the rockville location, but il prob look into that in between classes tomorrow.

Im definitely 100% not set on any gun, especially considering iv never fired so i dont really know what 'my kind of gun' would be. Although i do know i am a race car > daily driver sort of guy, however i dont expect to drop a good amount of money (especially purchasing a weapon) before i know what the hell im doing.

Im doing my best to go about this the most appropriate-safe-legal-correct manor. I have NO interest in killing or injuring anyone because of ignorance, or going to jail for it. I dont feel that anxious "i know everything - let me just fire a gun" feeling that i think some people would expect from somebody younger, but im very happy about that. I think its because the idea of guns is slightly intimidating, i just couldnt go screwing off.

Also, forum question; Whats the rules on signatures? Are we aloud to have them/what size are we aloud? Looked for a sticky but didnt find anything. Thanks again all!!!

If anyone sees me around the area feel free to say hi, id love to meet peoples from here. Im slightly hard to miss driving the only white on white mustang cobra around here.

 

[Yoshi]

Welcome! I was new to this forum last year and have learned LOTS. You'll enjoy your time here!

+1 on "Engage Armament". Good folks in there. They'll treat you right.

In any case, I'd go with the recommendations on the Rock Island Tactical if you're set on the 1911. If not, 9mm is a good first pistol. I used to have the XDm 9mm. Liked it a lot but got rid of it to fund a new project.

And, in your search, don't count out FN products... The FNP-9 and FNX-9 are great pistols.

 

[Goose Guy]

Also, forum question; Whats the rules on signatures? Are we aloud to have them/what size are we aloud? Looked for a sticky but didnt find anything. Thanks again all!!!

At the top of the page, there is a red bar. In that bar, there is a link that says "User CP". Click that.

Now, on the left side of the screen there is a gray collumn. Under the third group of links (Settings & Options), there is a link that says "Edit Signature". That should be it.

There is a character limit, but I can't remember what it is. Not sure about picture size.

 

[SlightlyMotivated]

The sig size requirements are crazy, 19kb?! But i got it figured out thanks again!

And im surprised how refutable Engage in kensington seems to be, iv always seen it but never stopped in.

 

[MDMOUNTAINEER]

Welcome

 

[Lostfantum]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[Engage Armament]

The sig size requirements are crazy, 19kb?! But i got it figured out thanks again!

And im surprised how refutable Engage in kensington seems to be, iv always seen it but never stopped in.

Come on by bro and check us out. Welcome to the forum as well.

 

[SlightlyMotivated]

Come on by bro and check us out. Welcome to the forum as well.

I will be there tomorrow around noon

 

[gibby]

Welcome to the group

 

[BlueHeeler]

Racecar is a fair analogy for 1911s. Expensive to shoot, sometimes finicky, You will really appreciate a 1911 after you have built a shooting foundation on more newbie friendly handguns. If you have never driven a car, hopping in a full racecar will not help you learn. With some good instruction, practice, and a nice .22 like a Ruger Mark III or Walther P22 you will be on the road in no time.

1911s do look good. If you want one, you WILL buy it when the time is right.

Welcome to shooting sports. It is A LOT of fun.

 

[SlightlyMotivated]

Thanks all! Hopefully i can actually start looking and getting a feel for them tomorrow morning. Definitely going to head to Engage and see what they recommend/have to say.

 

[rbart48]

Welcome to the forum. I live in Howard County (Columbia) but I grew up in Rockville. Graduated from Richard Montgomery a few years before you; 1966. Make that a couple of decades before you...

I agree with your attraction to the 1911 pistol. Depending on your reason for having a handgun, you might consider a .22 caliber model. This is the perfect year for them as several manufacturers are doing 100th year anniversary models. Unfortunately, the .22 rimfire isn't powerful enough for a steel slide. The only model that I have seen with an all steel slide so far is the Armscor (Rock Island Armory) XT-22.

Browning has an expensive ($600 SRP) .22 model that is 80-85% the size of a full 1911. Hope your search for right handgun for you goes well. Welcome again and have fun shooting.

rbart48