Thinking about getting a Pistol, need some advice.

[redman555]

Well, was thinking about getting a Pistol, I have a shotgun which I have tons of experience with but not so much with pistols.  I was thinking about getting the Beretta 92fs that way I have two Italian made guns (my shotguns a Benelli)  Does anyone have any experience with the Beretta 92fs?  If so how is the gun?



There is a picture of it.

Italian power


-BigBOBCH

[Obie303]

Redman,  I guess you have a thing for Italian made weapons.

What really matters is how do you like the feeling of the pistol.  I've personally shot several variants of the 92.  It's very smooth and fits well in my hand.  With that said, why are you choosing a 9mm?  Is this for target/practice shooting or are you planning for something along the lines of personal protection later on?

Not sure if you have acess to an indoor shooting range.  Look around where you live.  See if they have a place that you can take a Beretta out for a test drive so to speak.  While your there, try other models and other firearms.  I prefer Sig Sauer pistols.  Try out as many as you can. 

[redman555]

Yeah there are a few indoor and out door firing ranges in my area, I wanted it as more of a gun I can take out and shoot for fun.  I used to do trap/skeet a lot but every year I have less and less time to go.  Also preferably was looking at the 9x19 because of the ammo price is a bit cheaper.  I originally was thinking about a .44 Mag, but quite a bit more expensive then the Beretta and the ammo itself is more. And yeah I like Italian guns My entire family is from Italy so just my taste in guns.


-BigBOBCH

[FYB]

Yeah there are a few indoor and out door firing ranges in my area, I wanted it as more of a gun I can take out and shoot for fun.  I used to do trap/skeet a lot but every year I have less and less time to go.  Also preferably was looking at the 9x19 because of the ammo price is a bit cheaper.  I originally was thinking about a .44 Mag, but quite a bit more expensive then the Beretta and the ammo itself is more. And yeah I like Italian guns My entire family is from Italy so just my taste in guns.


-BigBOBCH

Italian Power(/Pride)! 

[Jayhawk]

Just looking at that 92fs or are you considering others?

[BluTrain]

Personally, I love the 92fs but you've got to shoot and potentially carry what ever you decide on.  The most important thing IMO is to take your time on a pistol ( or any other purchase ) and find what's right for you.  See if you can rent or borrow as many fire arms as possible as you have the time and fire each of them.  Consider what you'll be using it for, target, home defense, CCW? Find something that will work for you.  Affordability is a big issue as well - it's no fun buying a firearm you can't afford to shoot and train with - 9mm is around $0.20 (Wallyworld Federal Ammo) every time you pull the trigger where .45acp is around $0.60 in other words, you can shoot 150 rounds of 9mm for the same price as 50 .45acp.

There are many great firearms available Beretta, Springfield, Sig, Glock, to name a few -  try some out, see what you like and what fits the budget.

[1pLUs44]

1911 

[Chalenge]

My wife bought me a S&W .500 Magnum for fathers day. Its too big and only carries five. Guessing by the way Lindsay Lohan uses it in Machete (and the fact she licks hers) makes me think she was carrying a AirSoft model because there is no way that little girl could handle this thing.

Beretta is a fine auto. Are you planning on carrying? I think revolvers make more sense for concealment but opinions on that go in all directions.

[redman555]

Just looking at that 92fs or are you considering others?

Well at the moment ive been looking at he Beretta, any other ones you suggest?

-BigBOBCH

[eagl]

I have a beretta but chambered in .40.  Much better round than the 9mm but ammo is a bit more expensive.  The 9mm and .40 guns are almost identical, which is why I got it - I can shoot my .40 and it helps me keep in practice to shoot the USAF 9mm.  The guns are *identical* except for the bits that actually touch the ammunition.

[katanaso]

The 92fs is a really nice, well made gun.

Have you handled it yet, just to be comfortable with the size, since it's a full frame pistol?  If you plan on carrying it concealed at all, that may influence your decision.

Are you looking for all steel/metal, or part polymer?  There's so many options for quality firearms.

For caliber, I'm comfortable with the 9mm as a CCW.  I use 124gr 9mm+P Gold Dots in a S&W 5906, so it's cheap to practice with regular 9mm rounds and a magazine of +P rounds.

mir

[Simba]

"you pull the trigger"

No you don't, unless you want to miss the target - you squeeze it.

 

[Otaz]

I think revolvers make more sense for concealment but opinions on that go in all directions.

Agreed but generally speaking, autos are considered easier to conceal because they are thinner than revolvers of a similar or same caliber, however, revolvers do have a better functional reliability in actual combat (or hunting) situations. I have both and carry both but prefer the autos for ease of concealment and reload speed and carry revolvers openly for SASS and hunting.

Redman,
What you acquire for a weapon depends on what you are planning on using it for (target vs defense/hunting). If you want a defence/hunting weapon, then a bigger bore (9mm and up) would be the first thing to consider then how will it be used (carried vs kept in the nightstand vs hunting) to determine whether you should get an auto or a revolver. If you are planning on just paper target shooting, then a .22 would be a good, economical choice considering the price of ammo these days IMO.

In any event, try several types of guns at your local range to see what fits your hand, your purpose, and your shooting abilities the best.

[Captain Virgil Hilts]

The Beretta is heavy, bulky, the grip is large, and they are generally not real accurate. When I was working for a dealer, we had a ton of complaints about them, and I often had to test fire the guns that were returned for problems. We test fired them and sent the target back with the gun. Many were fixed, but they did have to go back. While they don't have too many ejection jams, they are not nearly so good about failure to feed jams. The thing is really over rated, mostly because of the Lethal Weapon movies and the military contract.

There are much better guns on the market. The Sig Sauer P series, the Springfield XD series, the 1911 pattern (when produced by a good manufacturer), among others.

If you have not owned a hand gun before, start out with a 4" or 6" 357 revolver. A GP 100, an 686, a Trooper, or something similar.

[pwnorris]

Well, was thinking about getting a Pistol, I have a shotgun which I have tons of experience with but not so much with pistols.  I was thinking about getting the Beretta 92fs that way I have two Italian made guns (my shotguns a Benelli)  Does anyone have any experience with the Beretta 92fs?  If so how is the gun?

(Image removed from quote.)

There is a picture of it.

Italian power


-BigBOBCH

AS others said, what do you want it for?

The problem with the 9mm is that it's a light, fast bullet.  It might not stop its target (not an issue for target shooting).  That's one reason for the .40 cal.  A .40, .45 or a magnum might be a better defensive round because it will stop what it hits.  If you want cheap, it's hard to beat a .22.

But, its your choice.  Try to find a range where you can rent one.  If you like the feel, go for it.

The most comfortable gun I ever fired was a Luger.  My 1911 Kimber is a real close second.