Deciding on a 1st handgun

danb · Feb 4, 2018

Dammit_Man said:
I don't see what that has do with .22 being cheap to shoot and a good cartridge for a new shooter to develop their skills.

To be honest it sounds like you're just proud of your daughter. I guess I'm happy that you are. Good for you and her.

I confess I am biased when it comes to my family.

My point is, the best handgun to use to practice your skills is the one you are most likely to actually shoot. And if you are having fun, you are practicing. It could be a 22. But not if its tiny, fits bad, and jams all the time. The majority of people are not bullseye shooters, they are happy to hit a pie plate at 50 feet.

Dammit_Man · Feb 4, 2018

danb said:
I confess I am biased when it comes to my family.

My point is, the best handgun to use to practice your skills is the one you are most likely to actually shoot. And if you are having fun, you are practicing. It could be a 22. But not if its tiny, fits bad, and jams all the time. The majority of people are not bullseye shooters, they are happy to hit a pie plate at 50 feet.

I can get behind that. And I think it's cool you have a hobby you share with your family. God bless ya.

mopar92 · Feb 4, 2018

Erickat said:
So, I'm about 3 - 4 weeks away from getting my HQL - and have always liked the CZ 75 Shadow (although I've never seen one in person). Now they have the Shadow 2 - which I am interested in - but maybe as a 2nd gun, as the price is well over $1200 - not counting the FFL transfer fee, since nobody in maryland seems to have one.

While taking the HQL training, I was shown several various sizes & models of handguns to "check the fit" - and some were way too large, hard to operate without 2 hands etc.. and then I was shown a Springfield XD-E - which seemed to be just right - slide easy to operate, controls reachable by thumb, way lower priced than the CZ - and for now, it's the top candidate for my 1st handgun - BUT... I haven't seen / handled any others - and had always thought I'd get a Glock - or a Smith & Wesson - or CZ.... Went to a gun show in Bel Air today, but didn't get the same attention as I did with the instructor at his shop - was kind of on my own to browse, hold, no information, pro or con - kind of a waste of time.

Anyway - my plan is to work w/ the guy who gave the training & likely buy the Springfield XDE from him & work with him to understand what other models might be right for me (after 30 days).

Does anyone have an opinion on the XDE, CZ Shadow 2, or other recommendations?

These are some of the recommendations I found online for a 1st 9mm

Glock 19 9mm Semi Automatic Pistol.
1971 Browning Hi Power 3” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by ~Steve Z~
CZ 75B SP-01 Shadow Competition 9mm Handgun.
Smith and Wesson M&P Shield 9mm.
3/365” (CC BY-ND 2.0) by MWE.Daniel.
SIG P226” (CC BY-ND 2.0) by cb_agulto.
P99” (CC BY 2.0) by redirecTed.

I think I met you today at the Bel Air show. I was the bearded Mexican working at the show with Blue Fins. Just a helpful tip. You walked up and asked for a price and availability on the CZ Shadow 2. For me at least, that shortcuts a bunch of BS out. BS you could have used as in recommendations, explanation of action types, caliber discussion, size of gun vs role, brands or guns to stay away from etc.

By asking for a price on a Shadow 2 you just seemed like a dude that wanted a Shadow 2. Its like going to a dealership and saying I want a blue manual sedan. The salesman isn't going to talk to you about the trucks or the SUV's or the minivans.

I think you'd be happy with the Shadow 2 but I carry and recommend a Glock brand Glock

basscat · Feb 4, 2018

5 pages and the OP has yet to respond to any questions that were asked to help him decide. Is this another first post then run?

Alea Jacta Est · Feb 4, 2018

basscat said:
5 pages and the OP has yet to respond to any questions that were asked to help him decide. Is this another first post then run?

He decided to ask Joseph...

erwos · Feb 4, 2018

Here is my dark horse pick: buy a Polymer80 80% Glock frame (17 or 19 - your choice), finish the frame, build it out, and then buy a threaded TacSol 22lr conversion.

This will:
1. Teach you what's in your Glock, and give you some pride of ownership. Glock frame builds are easy, even easier than an AR-15 lower in some respects, so don't be too scared by this.
2. Give you a soft-shooting, easy-to-disassemble 22lr to practice the fundamentals with.
3. Give you a host for your first suppressor (which should be a 22lr).
4. Give you a great foundation for going the next step to 9mm, which is just a slide away.

I think starting with a 22lr pistol is really the best bet, but I also don't think a dedicated 22lr pistol makes a lot of sense anymore.

outrider58 · Feb 4, 2018

OP, first gun is not that important. What will be your next gun is...

Get my meaning?

Alea Jacta Est · Feb 5, 2018

outrider58 said:
OP, first gun is not that important. What will be your next gun is...

Get my meaning?

They just like Lays potato chips and tats...nobody stops with just one.

chino101 · Feb 7, 2018

Ranchero50 said:
Stop by a couple local gun stores and see what feels right in your hand. What feels right and is ergonomic to operate. If it doesn't pass those two standards it won't shoot well or be enjoyable. Close your eyes, manipulate the controls. Check the site picture etc. Only once everything feels and functions correctly am I interested about how it looks.

I bought a Kahr single stack 9mm because it was smaller for a CCW type pistol. It didn't feel that great in the store but I felt like I could get 'used' to it. I didn't and it isn't much fun to shoot either.

Great piece of advice here. My first gun was a H&K USP9f, and I purchased it because of the cool and tactical factor (ie tacticool). But it didn't feet great in my hand, had a gritty and heavy double action trigger, single action was mushy, had a high bore axis which made it difficult to shoot for a beginning shooter, and magazines were expensive.

I eventually sold it after 2 years and bought a Glock 19, and a Sig P220. These guns fit me much better, and made shooting much more enjoyable. If you get a chance go to a gun range that rents various guns, try them and buy the one the fits you and is reliable.

So the lesson learned for me, is buy the gun that fits, not the hype.

Ap1026 · Feb 7, 2018

I vote for the Glock 17/19 as well, but it is all up to what feels right. Although a VP9 wouldn't be a bad choice either...

1841DNG · Feb 7, 2018

For my first handgun I went with a Canik (Turkish brand imported by Century Arms.) It seemed like great bang for buck and I am happy with it. But I had to take it home without any magazines for a while. I had to spend a day picking some up legally over the border which took an afternoon. It was sad looking at in in the case without any magazines for a while. So for anyone starting out consider the insane law that makes magazines with greater than 10 rounds legal to own but illegal to transfer as it can be a hassle to find compliant ones that you can legally purchase in state for some models. But manufacturers with much bigger market share like Glock will have plenty of 10 round mags to tide you over until you can pick something larger up when relevant. I wonder if there is any connection when my next purchase was a revolver?

But like everyone else is saying, go to some stores and ranges and try things out and see what feels good in your hand. While I am not as knowledgeable as many other posters here I can safely say that the best way to tell what feels right is to try them all out with your own hands.

scout6 · Feb 7, 2018

Asked the very same question myself a few moons ago.

Thoughts on first pistol
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?sh...ters.com/showthread.php?t=200925&share_type=t

I ended up going with the XDm and am quite happy with it. Checking out the XDe is on my to do list.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

chillman · Feb 7, 2018

Glock 17/19

Duckaneer · Feb 15, 2018

First handgun should always be a Glock G19. Most popular handgun in the world. Thousands of after market stuff, youtube video's on how to work on it. Just the best starter gun. After that it's what ever you like.

dreadpirate · Feb 15, 2018

I have an older CZ 75 and love it. The CZ is more old school:

https://grabagun.com/cz-75b-d-9mm-4-7-black-dl-2-10rd.html

And then there's the Glock 17 or 19.

knovotny · Feb 15, 2018

I went to a range that rented handguns and tried a bunch on for my first. Wound up with a G19. No regrets. If you have larger hands, the 17 may be a better fit. Ultimately, try some on and see how they feel shooting. What some love, others hate. That's why there are so many kinds! I'd wait until down the road to buy an expensive one. Besides, this should be your first of many.

Plenty of time to buy all the ones that feel nice!

CZ4ME · Feb 16, 2018

When I was going through the process of purchasing my first gun, I handled the G19 and the Springfield XD..I ended up with the Springfield...BUT then I handled a friends CZ P07 and fell in love with the ergos and the general feel of it...Since then I have been a CZ guy..getting ready to pick up a CZ P-01 this weekend actually, Lol. I do have other handguns HK, Rex-01 but I like my CZs!

The reality is everyone has a preference, I agree with those that said, handle a few and then make your decision.

Good luck.

Melnic · Feb 16, 2018

I know alot of people say revolver for the first handgun. My personal experience has been if you are willing to invest the range time, a semi auto is good. Maybe there are other opinions but that is mine.
IF you are going to invest nearly zero time, yes a revolver is uber reliable. For all the talk about 10 rounds in MD not being enough, how would someone say a revolver is going to be sufficient?

Sure, get a 22, but make that a range toy. Not a bad training tool for new shooters to get acclimated to trigger control

If I were allowed to own only one handgun and one only for self defense. It would be my G17 gen 3. Uber reliable. Easy to maintain.

Toxicjin · Feb 16, 2018

Just bought my first one two weeks ago..

After shooting a few different ones at local ranges, I settled on a Beretta 92a1. I'm very happy with it and shoots/ feels good in my hands (large hands, I've heard its not a good fit for small hands). It's good for home defense, which was my original intended reason to own a gun. Easy to disassemble and clean.I will slowly add some of the Wilson Combat upgrades over the next few months, but in the meantime I can't stop looking for my next gun... :lol2:

teqmod · Feb 16, 2018

My first was a S&W model 59. It was a brand that I knew of and trusted and the price was right. 9mm is very common so nothing unusual. I still have it but very rarely shoot it.

Same moral of the story as many, get what you want/like at the time. Something you will shoot. It will most likely not be the last gun you ever buy and will probably not be one that you continue with once you get into it and figure out what you really want.

Deciding on a 1st handgun

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