So I am about to buy a handgun

[Hornet33]

Taurus makes a great weapon and backs it up with a lifetime warranty new or used. No other gun manufacturer has this type of warranty. I bought my PT-99 9mm used 10 years ago. Shoot the hell out of it. I broke the rear sight on the thing in 2000, called Taurus and they had a new sight mailed to me in 4 days. A year ago I discovered a hairline crack in the breach. I handload my own ammo, and some of the stuff I've shot has been pretty hot. They never asked a question. I sent them the gun via UPS and had it back within 10 days with a brand new barrel fitted to the gun with the test target in the box. I only had to pay for shipping it to Miami. The paid the return shipping. The gun still shoots perfect and I've never had a malfunction that I didn't cause i.e. dirty magazine or stove pipe a case because I wasn't holding the thing correctly.

As far as the choice your looking at. I'd go with the .22LR. You can order ammo in bulk online from MidwayUSA.com for around $20-25 for 500rds
MidwayUSA

[rpm]

Every Taurus semi-auto I've ever fired had a tendency to jam. I've had rust issues with the ones I owned, both revolver and semi. Maybe I just have bad luck, but I've stayed away from them and stuck to higher end weapons ever since and never looked back.

[Obie303]

I would recommend a Ruger Mark III.  Very reliable and fun to shoot.

http://www.ruger.com

[eagl]

You could get a S&W K-22 (.22 LR) and later "upgrade" to a K-38, basically the same gun but in .38.  That way you wouldn't have to learn 2 guns, and the .38 isn't an abusive round to shoot either.

Not sure if they're both still in production though...  The first non-.22 I ever fired as a kid was my Dad's CHP service .38 and it wasn't too powerful for a 14 year old kid.  Plus there are tons of different loads available for .38, from mild to wild.

That said, I personally prefer the .40, and I got the beretta .40 because it's a little heavier and easier to shoot than the smaller, lighter .40s.  My wife used my beretta .40 to practice before she had to qualify shooting the 9mm beretta before deploying in the USAF.

You don't have to buy hot loads either...  Look at the specs and buy a less powerful round to shoot.

Back to the original question, I would get the .22 over a .17.  The .17 has always seemed gimmicky to me.

[culero]

Mustaine, trust me on this. First handgun, you want to shoot it a LOT. The .22LR rimfire is by far the best choice.

I like Taurus weapons, no problem there IMO. But.....

Sturm Ruger, a manufacturer nobody can question as a top-quality supplier, makes what I consider the ideal "starter" pistol - the Single Six revolver. It is an extremely safe weapon, an important point when starting out. Its "single action", meaning you must manually **** the hammer for each shot.

It also has the advantage of being offered with dual cylinders. Shoot .22LR all you want for cheap ammo, then when you want to shoot targets with more "hitting power", swap the cylinder out (30 seconds max) and fire .22WMR (".22 Magnum") which is a very respectable round in terms of energy. Here's what it looks like:



Guns America is searchable. I found a couple of examples right away:

http://www.gunsamerica.com/guns/976532183.htm  <$275, used good cond.

http://www.gunsamerica.com/guns/976528093.htm  <$329 new in box

I own both 6 inch and 9 inch versions of this fine little weapon. The 9 inch is what I bought as my first handgun and used to teach myself the fundamentals. Its what my grandson will learn on when he starts shooting.

culero

PS - edit to say I am always amused to see the pottymouf filter disallow "c o c k"

[Mustaine]

Originally posted by culero
Mustaine, trust me on this. First handgun, you want to shoot it a LOT. The .22LR rimfire is by far the best choice.

I agree. like many in this thread have said, as much as expected the .22LR is the way to go.

some of the suggestions about the .38 is something I have thought about...

Originally posted by eagl
You could get a S&W K-22 (.22 LR) and later "upgrade" to a K-38, basically the same gun but in .38.  That way you wouldn't have to learn 2 guns, and the .38 isn't an abusive round to shoot either.

that kind of what I was thinking, start off on the .22 get used to shooting make sure I like it, then move up.

thing is like I mentioned the $390 is stretching my budget a bit and I looked at the S&W prices online

culero's suggestion isn't "bad" there are some $150 guns out there like the ruger, I just hate the way they load / unload, and hate the single action. my thumb would get sore shooting off 500 rounds in 2 hours (which I'd easily do, heck last time I went shooting with a .22LR ruger rifle we shoot off 1500 rounds in something like 2 hours (30 round magazines)

didn't know about the lifetime waranty on the taurus guns, makes me like them more.

Originally posted by Hornet33
As far as the choice your looking at. I'd go with the .22LR. You can order ammo in bulk online from MidwayUSA.com for around $20-25 for 500rds
MidwayUSA

umm a box of 500 @ the local store was $11.95 ($11.75 at the other store) so I'd get a hella better deal than online looks like


thanks all, will go with the .22LR probably by the end of the week.

[eagl]

Consider the price for a good firearm to be an investment.  Some guns are WAAAAY overpriced because of market pressures (most M-16 lookalikes and real colt ARs) but some cost a lot because they're simply good guns.  The K-22 is one of those that is probably worth it as an investment.  My Mom got my Dad his K-22 over 30 years ago, and it's as reliable as it ever was, and shoots as straight today as it ever did.  The K-22 is probably a bit overbuilt but that's on purpose.

I'd say find the right gun and save up until you can afford it.  I've never made a gun purchase decision based on price alone, except when there was outright gouging going on (like with the ARs), and I think it's a reasonable policy to follow.

You may be able to find a K-22 used at a respectable gun dealer...  Look for one with the original bluing and no rust.  Check the condition of the adjustable rear sight too.  I like the factory grip but feel free to experiment with grips to fit your hand.

If you go with the taurus, I just hope you don't end up trading it in for the gun you really wanted  Save some aggravation and get the right gun the first time.  See if you can find some to shoot before buying, since that's the BEST way to decide.  Buy the gun that feels best when actually shooting and holding it, not just what fits what is in reality just an arbitrary price range you set.  If necessary, save your beer/pizza money for an extra month or two.  A good gun will hold it's value and give back the purchase price in enjoyment many times over.

$390 spread over 30 years of ownership...  That's what, 13 bucks a year, or $1.08 per month?  That's less than one lost beer per month over 30 years.  Get the gun you WANT  If thats the taurus then get it, but I really recommend trying them out first and buying the one that you like shooting better.

[Mustaine]

I know what you are saying about price...

I am in collection with bills, and have some money, this is my last "splurge" before I go into full on being broke and paying off debts for the next 3-5 years. I haven't bought myself anything for over 2 years, and want to get something for my own recreation before I don't have the money for any thing.

I was planning on spending $350 tops so this is the closest I think I'll get, and it does seem like a nice gun. it is comfortable, and fits my hand very well. I will look and try to find some other gun stores around here for the rest of the week, but if I don;t make a purchase before friday / saturday, the money will be gone to bills and then no gun for 3-5 years.

[Masherbrum]

Originally posted by Mustaine
I know what you are saying about price...

I am in collection with bills, and have some money, this is my last "splurge" before I go into full on being broke and paying off debts for the next 3-5 years. I haven't bought myself anything for over 2 years, and want to get something for my own recreation before I don't have the money for any thing.

I was planning on spending $350 tops so this is the closest I think I'll get, and it does seem like a nice gun. it is comfortable, and fits my hand very well. I will look and try to find some other gun stores around here for the rest of the week, but if I don;t make a purchase before friday / saturday, the money will be gone to bills and then no gun for 3-5 years.

Mustaine, look at a used Ruger "slabside" such as this, maybe used.   I believe they are "Mark III, Slab Bull barrels".    They're around $500 new, but heck man, you may be able to find one on the cheap.   These things are heavier than most .22 semi's, BUT extremely balanced, have a FANTASTIC trigger pull and are built like a brick shi*house.    I just don't see someone thoroughly abusing one of these and they are better than Browning's, IMHO(not that Browning's are a bad avenue for you either, I just prefer the Ruger's).