Handgun recommendation?

[49erinnc]

Hoping to purchase my first hand gun in the near future for practice range/home protection but unsure what to get. Looking for something inexpensive, relatively compact but adequate fire power. Initially, I was eyeballing some 9mm's but now I'm not so sure that's the best bang for my buck (pun intended). I think the clip vs the barrel is the main appeal for me with a 9mm.

Looking for calibre, brand, likely cost and place of purchase suggestions. We have a lot of gun shows coming through here and I thought about going that route. Do those tend to offer good deals as opposed to a local hunting/firearm store? Just hoping to have something in mind before I apply for a permit.

And the "anti-2nd Ammendment/Why do you need to own a gun?" crowd can politely thread crap elsewhere.

 

[Fiat1]

XD-9

 

[msi1337]

yes..the springfield XD-9 is just about the best handgun you can get for the money!

it is insanely accurate, cheap to shoot, good for defense, and just an all around amazing gun.. I love mine!

oh... and its a magazine..not a clip

 

[shortylickens]

The absolute minimum you want for home/personal protection is .380, so you're OK with the 9mm.

I would check out the local gun shops before heading to the show, so you have a rough idea of what things cost. And dont use the official prices from the company websites for gun buying. Nobody worth a damn is selling at MSRP.

Beretta makes a couple different 9mm's that are good.
Let me get back to you with a list.

Taurus.
Smith and Wesson.
Springfield.
Sig.
Glock.
Magnum Research. (The baby eagle, not the desert eagle.)
Kimber has 9mm's I think.
Walther, who also makes some guns along with S&W.

 

[pontifex]

9mm


hopefully i will have a .380 Bersa Thunder by the end of the week for concealed carry. its only been what, 3 months since i initially decided on this gun. they are so popular the stores can't keep them in stock.

 

[notfred]

Originally posted by: Fiat1
XD-9

That's what I got for my first handgun.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Personally, I think the best choice for a first time gun owner is a 6 shot medium frame revolver chambered in .357 Magnum. You can shoot .38 Special loads through it for target practice (.38 Special is fairly inexpensive) but for defense you could keep it loaded with the hotter .357 Magnum rounds.

The revolver offers greater simplicity and they have that long heavy double action pull which helps prevent accidental discharges. There are no manual safeties to disengage so you are always ready to go when needed (if needed).

 

[Specop 007]

The XD series are very nice guns, I cant argue that. CZ also makes some good weapons I wouldnt hesitate to buy either.

Personally, I want a Sig P226 myself.

While I dont care for them and think the grip angle is akward, Glocks do come highly recommended as well.

 

[shortylickens]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Personally, I think the best choice for a first time gun owner is a 6 shot medium frame revolver chambered in .357 Magnum. You can shoot .38 Special loads through it for target practice (.38 Special is fairly inexpensive) but for defense you could keep it loaded with the hotter .357 Magnum rounds.

The revolver offers greater simplicity and they have that long heavy double action pull which helps prevent accidental discharges. There are no manual safeties to disengage so you are always ready to go when needed (if needed).

Normally I wouldnt get into a pissing contest about the details of guns, but some revolvers have safeties and some dont.
Some automatics have safeties and some dont.
Theres also plenty of auto's with Double Action Only. My first combat pistol, the S&W Sigma 40VE was like that. And a 12 pound pull too! No accidents with that puppy. But I noticed that .40 is a lot more expensive to shoot in bulk compared to a 9mm, so I sold it after about a thousand rounds.

 

[49erinnc]

My buddy has a Sig 9mm. VERY nice gun but it's out of my price range. Hoping to keep the cost to a minimum, without sacrificing quality or safety features however.

The XD seems like a nice entry-level one. I'll have to do some research on that one, as well as the other suggestions. I just want to get something that I feel will hold me over for years to come. Last thing I want to do is purchase one and a few months later, wish I had gone with something more powerful. But for target range and home protection (hopefully will never have to be fired for that), I think I'd be content with the 9mm.

 

[xanis]

I would say that the XD-9 is a solid choice. I also reccomend the Glock 17, which IMO is a very nice handgun.

 

[CollectiveUnconscious]

I'm in love with the Para. I bought one a couple of months ago and I can't seem to stop shooting it. My SIG feels neglected.

 

[Lazy8s]

Please, please, PLEASE go to a range and test fire a gun before you get one. I have some friends at school that more loyal to their favorite firearm than their religion.

My recommendation would be a glock for range shooting. They are fairly easy to clean and they stand up to just about anything.

For personal protection you should read some of the revolver vs. semi-auto debates. With the revolver you safrifice some muzzle velocity and magazine size for dependability.

Personally, I think that if you need more than 6 rounds you're probably not protecting yourself. If you can squeeze off more than 6 rounds at point blank range (like inside a house) without getting shot back you should audition for the next Matrix movie.

Anyways I have always had a sweet spot for the Smith and Wesson double action guns since they were the first ones I shot when I was in middle school. On the other hand they are very easy for a middle-schooler to shoot without getting slide bite so I don't know how you'd feel about that.

 

[pontifex]

if you like the look of the beretta 92 but don't want to spend the money for the beretta name, check out taurus. exact same gun (made from the same blueprints as beretta i believe). I own a Taurus PT99 and its a great gun.

 

[ddviper]

Can you buy handguns online? If so whats the best place to do so?

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: ddviper
Can you buy handguns online? If so whats the best place to do so?

you can buy them and have them shipped to someone with an FFL.
actually, I'm not sure if you can buy them or if the FFL holder has to buy them. You just can't have them shipped to a non-FFL holder.

 

[Meuge]

When my license comes through, I'll get the USP Compact, chambered in 0.40

 

[MajinWade]

I can tell you what not to buy: Bryco Arms aka Jennings. They are cheap, but you get what you pay for, well almost.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: shortylickens

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Personally, I think the best choice for a first time gun owner is a 6 shot medium frame revolver chambered in .357 Magnum. You can shoot .38 Special loads through it for target practice (.38 Special is fairly inexpensive) but for defense you could keep it loaded with the hotter .357 Magnum rounds.

The revolver offers greater simplicity and they have that long heavy double action pull which helps prevent accidental discharges. There are no manual safeties to disengage so you are always ready to go when needed (if needed).

Normally I wouldnt get into a pissing contest about the details of guns, but some revolvers have safeties and some dont.
Some automatics have safeties and some dont.
Theres also plenty of auto's with Double Action Only. My first combat pistol, the S&W Sigma 40VE was like that. And a 12 pound pull too! No accidents with that puppy. But I noticed that .40 is a lot more expensive to shoot in bulk compared to a 9mm, so I sold it after about a thousand rounds.

I know some autos do not have external safeties but I can't recall ever seeing a revolver with an external safety. Maybe there are some but they certainly aren't common.

Revolvers are just simple and effective. That's primarily why I would recommend one as a first gun.

 

[Nebor]

Originally posted by: ddviper
Can you buy handguns online? If so whats the best place to do so?

Gunbroker.com

 

[Baked]

Handgun for home protection? Why hasn't anybody suggested shotgun yet?

Originally posted by: ddviper
Can you buy handguns online? If so whats the best place to do so?

The gun doesn't ship directly to you, it gets shipped to a licensed gun shop near you.

 

[Nebor]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: shortylickens

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Personally, I think the best choice for a first time gun owner is a 6 shot medium frame revolver chambered in .357 Magnum. You can shoot .38 Special loads through it for target practice (.38 Special is fairly inexpensive) but for defense you could keep it loaded with the hotter .357 Magnum rounds.

The revolver offers greater simplicity and they have that long heavy double action pull which helps prevent accidental discharges. There are no manual safeties to disengage so you are always ready to go when needed (if needed).

Normally I wouldnt get into a pissing contest about the details of guns, but some revolvers have safeties and some dont.
Some automatics have safeties and some dont.
Theres also plenty of auto's with Double Action Only. My first combat pistol, the S&W Sigma 40VE was like that. And a 12 pound pull too! No accidents with that puppy. But I noticed that .40 is a lot more expensive to shoot in bulk compared to a 9mm, so I sold it after about a thousand rounds.

I know some autos do not have external safeties but I can't recall ever seeing a revolver with an external safety. Maybe there are some but they certainly aren't common.

Revolvers are just simple and effective. That's primarily why I would recommend one as a first gun.

Normally I think of you as the Nissan fan boi fool, but I think you might be right on this. While it sounds stupid to people who've handled guns for most of their life, the fact is there's a lot more to go wrong with an automatic than a revolver. They have some pretty slick lightweight revolvers these days too.

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: Baked
Handgun for home protection? Why hasn't anybody suggested shotgun yet?

Originally posted by: ddviper
Can you buy handguns online? If so whats the best place to do so?

The gun doesn't ship directly to you, it gets shipped to a licensed gun shop near you.

because he said he wanted a handgun, not a shotgun?

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Nebor

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: shortylickens

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Personally, I think the best choice for a first time gun owner is a 6 shot medium frame revolver chambered in .357 Magnum. You can shoot .38 Special loads through it for target practice (.38 Special is fairly inexpensive) but for defense you could keep it loaded with the hotter .357 Magnum rounds.

The revolver offers greater simplicity and they have that long heavy double action pull which helps prevent accidental discharges. There are no manual safeties to disengage so you are always ready to go when needed (if needed).

Normally I wouldnt get into a pissing contest about the details of guns, but some revolvers have safeties and some dont.
Some automatics have safeties and some dont.
Theres also plenty of auto's with Double Action Only. My first combat pistol, the S&W Sigma 40VE was like that. And a 12 pound pull too! No accidents with that puppy. But I noticed that .40 is a lot more expensive to shoot in bulk compared to a 9mm, so I sold it after about a thousand rounds.

I know some autos do not have external safeties but I can't recall ever seeing a revolver with an external safety. Maybe there are some but they certainly aren't common.

Revolvers are just simple and effective. That's primarily why I would recommend one as a first gun.

Normally I think of you as the Nissan fan boi fool, but I think you might be right on this. While it sounds stupid to people who've handled guns for most of their life, the fact is there's a lot more to go wrong with an automatic than a revolver. They have some pretty slick lightweight revolvers these days too.

Um, thanks...I guess.

 

[PrinceofWands]

I have no idea where to shop in your area, so I can't help you there. I would personally suggest buying from an actual store. It's nice to make contacts and know you can find them if you need something. As to what to buy, that depends a lot on your size and what you like, not to mention your budget, rather you care about concealability at all, etc.

For full size I like the Glock 22 (.40), but if you don't like blockish grips it won't be right for you. Smaller I prefer the Taurus Millenium PT140 (.40). Sigs are awesome, but always spendy by comparison. Kahr and Kimber both make quality products.