I have been working on personal finances for quite a while, and getting close to being stable. once I am I plan on expanding my personal armory.
currently I on a model 94 Taurus .22 9 shot revolver. it is perfect for learning to shoot, and plink away. I have learned how to properly clean and lubricate a gun, and I have taken this revolver apart almost fully and back together as practice getting to know my weapon and how it works.
After much thinking, reading here, and reading other places I have absorbed a LOT of information on guns, and different opinions on them.
Wanting more "power" I have thought about a 9mm, .357, .40, and .45 caliber guns. Originally I bought a revolver for many reasons.
1: it's safe. you can tell extremely easily if it is loaded or not.
2: it has less "mechanics" that a casual owner has to concern themselves with maintaining.
3: you can spin it around like a cowboy for fun (yeah I know a gun is not a toy)
I have decided for the next gun I will be getting an automatic. I do have to worry about the grip size, as I have smaller hands. I have held a .45 with a 15 round magazine, and I could barely hold it. I want a gun that is safe and comfortable for me to shoot, so that is out. I have shot a .40 before and it was fine, though again with a high capacity magazine I couldn't comfortably hold it. I have never shot a 9mm, and never have shot a .357. I have never seen a .357 other than a revolver, so that is out since I want an automatic.
I did hold a .45 with a 9 round magazine at a local gun shop and was really surprised how comfortable it was. it did have a weird safety, a lever on the back of the grip where you had to hold the gun holding down the lever to fire it. I didn't care for that it just felt awkward.
the 9mm is going to be the cheapest to shoot, the .40 not too much more.
From everything I have heard here though I should go with a 1911 .45.
So anyway, I'm not going to afford a Kimber, or any other high priced brand like that. From my understanding a 1911 is a 1911 mechanically, they will all have the same parts, it's just the quality of how those parts fit together (correct me if I am wrong).
In the $500-$700 range what would you recommend? I'd like to get a gun that I can do things with like add dot sights, an under barrel light maybe, rubber grips maybe to make it more comfortable, I don't know what else.
Thanks, and feel free to let me know anything I am missing in my analysis of what gun to get.