Need help picking a pistol.

guiltyspark · Jul 29, 2012

My father and I recently went to continental over the course of a few weeks and tried out various handguns.

And i was wondering if we were to invest good money into a handgun to keep in our house for protection , what would be the best choice?

I really like the idea of double stack magazines (like the glocks) because more bullets means more protection and less chance to have to reload in a situation right?

Or would it be wiser to size up the stopping power and keep the capacity low with either a 357 revolver or single stack 45? (do they make double stack 45's?) I really liked the 357 that i shot because it made me feel confident that anything i would have to shoot would not be getting up and fighting back. Also really REALLY liked the fact it could use two ammo types (the 38 was fun to shoot , but i would have it loaded with magnum in the house for obvious reasons)

We shot the glock and we really liked the sighting it uses and got good groups. It seemed every time we used a 1911 or revolver with "target sights" our shots were always off in a predictable form, do these sights "creep" out of alignment over time as these were range guns? Or is it just the difference in ergonomics and action in comparison to the glock?

Anyway any good advice would be great as to which would be a great home protector , i didnt shoot all the guns at continental but would be willing to go back if you have other suggestions to try out.

mikec · Jul 29, 2012

First, handgun ballistics suck. If you think a handgun of any normal caliber will drop a human with one shot, you need some training.

Different guns shoot to different places. Different ammo may shoot to a different point of impact. Testing a gun at a range is great but part of owning a gun is knowing where your gun shoots with the ammo you select.

OLM-Medic · Jul 29, 2012

guiltyspark said:
My father and I recently went to continental over the course of a few weeks and tried out various handguns.

And i was wondering if we were to invest good money into a handgun to keep in our house for protection , what would be the best choice?

I really like the idea of double stack magazines (like the glocks) because more bullets means more protection and less chance to have to reload in a situation right?

Or would it be wiser to size up the stopping power and keep the capacity low with either a 357 revolver or single stack 45? (do they make double stack 45's?) I really liked the 357 that i shot because it made me feel confident that anything i would have to shoot would not be getting up and fighting back. Also really REALLY liked the fact it could use two ammo types (the 38 was fun to shoot , but i would have it loaded with magnum in the house for obvious reasons)

We shot the glock and we really liked the sighting it uses and got good groups. It seemed every time we used a 1911 or revolver with "target sights" our shots were always off in a predictable form, do these sights "creep" out of alignment over time as these were range guns? Or is it just the difference in ergonomics and action in comparison to the glock?

Anyway any good advice would be great as to which would be a great home protector , i didnt shoot all the guns at continental but would be willing to go back if you have other suggestions to try out.

Here is my views on stopping power and such...

http://medicpatriot.blogspot.com/2012/06/best-caliber.html

You are better off with what you shoot best with.

zoostation · Jul 29, 2012

I would suggest a good quality .38 caliber revolver or a 9mm Glock as a first handgun. They are simple and reliable and a good platform to learn on. Either has enough stopping power to be a decent home defense gun as well.

guiltyspark · Jul 29, 2012

thank you medic that was very informative. Im guessing it would be best for a high capacity handgun then. Im told the walther ppq is currently a better choice than the glock is this true? If im going to spend 500+ I want the highest quality.

I shot the p99 and liked it alot

rico903 · Jul 30, 2012

Yes, they do make double stack 45s. Are you a novice? A 38/357 revolver may be your best choice. Continental is a good place to try different guns, but too expensive to buy a gun there.

Redd Byrd · Jul 30, 2012

FNP 45 is a nice "double stack" pistol, a bit salty but a good buy.

If you have big hands it's ideal :thumbsup:

guiltyspark · Jul 30, 2012

rico903 said:
Yes, they do make double stack 45s. Are you a novice? A 38/357 revolver may be your best choice. Continental is a good place to try different guns, but too expensive to buy a gun there.

Ya i noticed this , their prices are typically 100+ over where they should be

wilcam47 · Jul 30, 2012

guiltyspark · Jul 30, 2012

wilcam47 said:

lol look at the size of the laser

wilcam47 · Jul 30, 2012

guiltyspark said:
lol look at the size of the laser

haha..it was the 80's that was high tech back then! :lol2:

Wreckless · Jul 30, 2012

When I went looking for my first handgun I tried out a bunch and ended up with an XDM 9. The Glock just felt weird in my hand and the XDM felt right. I also liked that the XDM in 9mm holds 19+1.

Hynes57 · Jul 30, 2012

Can't go wrong with a .38 revolver. Simple, effective and fun

I know they had a group buy on the site recently and i bought one from Shooters Discount (an IP) for a great price. A good .38 can be had used for a decent price and when you are confident with that you can move one to something else

Boom Boom · Jul 30, 2012

A medium-framed .38 or .357 revolver with 4" to 6" barrel loaded with Hornady Critical Defense ammo. Try to find a nice used S&W or Ruger, like a S&W Model 66 or Ruger Security Six. It's not necessary to spend a lot of money on a new one.

OLM-Medic · Jul 30, 2012

I hate to be that guy but I don't suggest a revolver.

A good 9mm is not that expensive, and the ammo is cheap. In addition to that it will have a good mag capacity. 6 is just way too low for me.

ADR · Jul 30, 2012

Wreckless said:
When I went looking for my first handgun I tried out a bunch and ended up with an XDM 9. The Glock just felt weird in my hand and the XDM felt right. I also liked that the XDM in 9mm holds 19+1.

A good example of why it's important to try before you buy. I was the exact opposite in that the XDM's didn't feel right but Glocks feel like they were made for me.

-Z/28- · Jul 30, 2012

Forget worrying about capacity or caliber; go with what you liked best. The first handgun I bought was a 1911. I just love it. It fits my hand well, the recoil is easily managed, and I enjoy shooting it. Personally I feel the 7 round capacity is enough in a close quarters defensive situation.

As far as sights go, I blame that on the range. In my experience, Continental doesn't take the greatest care of their rentals. The guns are typically filthy when I go there, so it's quite possible the sights need to be re-zeroed.

OLM-Medic · Jul 30, 2012

-Z/28- said:
Forget worrying about capacity or caliber; go with what you liked best. The first handgun I bought was a 1911. I just love it. It fits my hand well, the recoil is easily managed, and I enjoy shooting it. Personally I feel the 7 round capacity is enough in a close quarters defensive situation.

As far as sights go, I blame that on the range. In my experience, Continental doesn't take the greatest care of their rentals. The guns are typically filthy when I go there, so it's quite possible the sights need to be re-zeroed.

Yeah what fits best is the best option, but you can find some good ones that fit great and have a good mag capacity too.

Magnumite · Jul 30, 2012

I wouldn't lose too much sleep about capacity. If you buy a revolver, get appropriate speedloaders and snap caps and practice speed loading the revolver with no live ammo in the room. Then always do drills to improve accurate shooting.

As far as caliber goes, choose the desired firearm in any good caliber. 9mm, 357 Mag, 357 Sig, 40 and 45 ACP are all effective with good loadings. 38 Special isn't bad at all. Shot placement will be the greatest factor given the performance of good modern antipersonnel ammo.

BradMacc82 · Jul 30, 2012

Go with what fits/shoots best for you. If it's mainly for HD, don't be afraid to spend some more for something that just feels right to you.

I started out shooting Glocks - they shot well, went bang every time, just didn't feel 'Right' to me though, went thru a lot of diff't handguns before I found what felt 'Right' for me - turns out HK's, Browning Hi-Power's and S&W's M&P just hit that itch perfectly.

Pick a caliber your comfortable with, and can afford to shoot often - skills diminish if your not practicing often, majority of handgun calibers - placement is going to be more key than bullet diameter - a S&W .500 don't mean a thing if you can't hit the target.

Need help picking a pistol.

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