Help a beginer choose a good starting firearm

[Puke]

Beetle,

You haven't a clue!  "Super Soaker" is much better than a cap gun.

[milnko]

Originally posted by Animal
I dont really like the idea of a revolver, forgive my ignorance, but they just seem... quaint

I've never heard of a revolver jamming tho, have you?

I had a Dan Wesson .357mag for years. It had interchangable barrels, so you could put a 2 1/2", 4", 6", 8" all the way up to a 12" barrels on it. As well as interchangable sights

Plus you can shoot .38 rounds out of a .357mag, ( I used .38 reloads for target practice).

So basically U get like 6 guns for the price of one.

[Vermillion]

Dune gave the best advice.

A mainstream auto (like the glock you mentioned) in either .40 or 9mm.  The .45 is probably a bit much for a beginner, contrary to the "Gotta have a FRIGGIN cannon !!!" crowd .  Berretta's are popular, and my favorite is the SigSauer (but its the most expensive generally).

Also a cheap alternative, and extremely simple and reliable, is the medium frame .357 Magnum (which will fire cheaper and less recoil oriented .38 specials rounds).  Smith & Wesson make very nice ones, but generally overpriced.  You can get a cheaper Taurus with the same features for several hundred dollars less.

Also depending on brand, I recommend getting stainless steel where possible.  Its a little more expensive, but usually worth it.  Much easier to take care of, and less prone to scratches and rust.

[GRUNHERZ]

I like the Baretta 92F best for in hand feeling and accuracy, I cant hit crap with any Glock.  I do hear they break more often though, what can you say -  it's italian and looks cool to boot how could it ever be reliable.

Here is the stainless version:

[Scootter]

As an Amateur gunsmith and avid shooter I would recommend you looking at a 4inch stainless steel mid frame revolver in .357 mag. I will give the reasons why

1. Plenty of power with 125 or 140 gr. HP ammo to provide self defense

2. Not to bad to carry concealed with the right holster

3. Can shoot .38 spl. for inexpensive target practice (don’t forget to shoot your defense round a bit also)

4. lower maintenance in high salt environment i.e. PR or in carry

5. Very reliable i.e. less chance of jambs and ammo quality.

6. less expensive then most auto of same quality.

7. Seems more normal and less threatening in the aftermath of a shooting

8. Can shoot shot shells for small game, snake or rat control.

9. If round misfire’s just pull the trigger again no clearing needed

10. Plenty of accuracy for a hand gun does not require as much practice to stay proficient


Look at Ruger, Taurus, then Smith (in that order)

Have fun and good luck

[MoMoney]

Don't buy a glock Animal..my buddy is a gun expert and tells me the safety is very poor...its a very accident prone gun.

[Martlet]

http://www.fnmfg.com/products/fivesevn/fivesevn.htm

[Maverick]

Originally posted by Animal
Yeah but I was thinking of something for target practice, and if I ever need to use it for self defense, then I would like to disable my assilant, not blow an arm off with a .45

 

Animal,

If this is your first gun I would normally recomend a .38 revolver (.357 if available) or a 9mm. The newer 9mm amunition is vastly improved over the original ball style.

I have several glocks as well as more than one .45 Colt. I prefer the glock as it is lighter, cheaper and in my opinion just as good as the early Colts that had the better quality. I have found the Glocks to be accurate, and more importantly, reliable.

The ammo should be a factor in your choice. It is usually the case that 9mm is easy to find and less expensive than .45. This will let you get more practice for the bucks.

Now as to your quoted statement. Take it from me, do not consider the hollywood garbage about disabling an assailant. If you need to defend yourself with a firearm you are already in a situation that you had damn well better be in fear of your life over. If not then you have no business using a gun to solve it. That means shooting to STOP the assailant with a center mass hit. Anything else is wasting very critical and short time by trying to be a hollywood "cowboy". One of the lines I did hear that actually made sense in a movie was from the Patriot.  The father was telling his sons during their rescue of their brother that to shoot small was to miss small. Under stress your motor skills go to absolute crap!!! You are most likely to miss trying to shoot a small target under stress. Most folks have no clue about this and therefor do not under stand why trained Police Officers miss so many timnes in a close combat situation. Street cops have been trained to TRY and overcome this but when the fertilizer hits the air motivator all bets are off. Those of us who have been in combat know this to be true. Try not to learn it first hand.....

Last  point. Aviod situation where you will need a gun to defend yourself. The best way to get out of trouble is to make sure you don't get INTO trouble.

[lazs2]

just got done shooting a glock in .40  the .40 is a great round... very accurate and very light recoil... 9mm is terrible

I shoot a cut down Ruger Redhawk in .44 mag.  this is a very accurate and powerful gun and very easy to use..  I also use a 1930's colt 1911 in .45 done up in "period mexican drug dealer" chrome, with ivory grips.  this is a great little gun.  flat and reliable.  I carry it with a grip clip that the whole thing just clips to your waistband... very little recoil..  I carry it with one in the chamber and the hammer down..  to fire, I simply cock it as I draw.  An ok gun that is a little weak but acceptable.

 the glock is also the best (most intuitive) semi auto I have seen no stupid safeties that you have to guess about but... you still need to know if there is one in the chamber or not.  The glock has a decent trigger pull and is all single action.

I would recomend the .357 also.  It is the worlds champ one shot stopper next to the .44 you can get .357 in titanium feartherweights to 8 shot S&W's... The 357 will also reach way out there unlike the .40's and .45's

I also have a gun that I really like... a Walther PPK in .32 stainless.  very accurate and with silvertips... useable  I guess I like it more for it's craftsmanship and reliability than anything else tho..

truthfully... I would reccomend a revolver for all first time gun owners... preferably in .357 or .44 mag.   they are by far the safest and most reliable and.... above all... the most versitile and accurate.  semi autos are not very versitile and it is a pain to police your brass... they can be confusing and take much more training.  They are not much good past about 50 yards and you can't go out plinking with em like you can a good revolver.  You can't shoot the variety of ammo out of an auto that you can a revolver. If you reload (for a huge savings) the revolver shines above the auto even more.
lazs

[Martlet]

ahhh, I apologize.  I didn't take "first gun" into consideration.

Definately not the FN then.

I'd probably go with something smaller.

[Maverick]

Originally posted by MoMoney
Don't buy a glock Animal..my buddy is a gun expert and tells me the safety is very poor...its a very accident prone gun.

Bovine excrement of the HIGHEST order!!!!!!!!!

I own several. I carried one FULL TIME on and off duty as a Police Officer for years and fired several thousand rounds through my main weapon. At NO time did it pose a safety issue, fail or malfunction when fed QUALITY ammo. Your gun "expert" is full of it.

Now like ANY OTHER tool the weapon requires that it be handled with care and concern for what you are doing. Those who are unwilling to excercise that care and get training in the PROPER use of a firearm shouldn't have one. That same premise also goes for cars, trucks, planes and any other type of tool that can be misused.

[lazs2]

the .45 has recoil?  I think .45's are pretty mild but..

those of us who have been shooting handguns for many years have seen the semi auto make a huge rise in popularity.   I belive that the revolver is still the best tho for most any use that you may need..  the revolver does everything well.   Most first time buyers who by wizz bang autos end up shoot ing a a couple of boxes through them and then forgetting about em for long periods of time... they never do any shooting with em other than at the range and at fixed targets less than 25 yards away... that is fine but they are missing out on the fun of handgun shooting... Hitting a five gallon bucket at 200 yards with a .357 or .44 mag is a blast for instance.   shooting rats or ground squirrels... etc.  all suited to the very versitile revolver... reloading, a hobby in itself.
lazs

[Saurdaukar]

Colt 1911 A1 .45 ACP.  Accept no substitute.

Its American as apple pie and makes holes in torsos that are big enough to throw a small child through.

[bounder]

The HK P7 is a neat bit of kit.

If you like that sort of thing.

[Mini D]

There was a drastic increase in the amount of "accidental firings" of weapons when the Glocks were first introduced to police forces.  There's a damn good reason most Glock holsters cover the trigger.  Nothing worse than a 9mm slug in the foot to remind you to keep your finger off the trigger when you are unholstering your weapon.  But much of that is habbitual.  Dunno what the impact would be on a new gun owner.

BTW.. Animal.. comfort with the weapon is more important than namebrand.  Glocks, Sigs and Berettas are all fine weapons.  I encourage you to try to find a firing range that rents them and get a feel for them yourself.  They all have different feels and you will shoot better with one than another.  Machining can affect the accuracy of a gun by inches... comfort can affect it by feet.

I have pretty big hands, so Glocks and 1911s fit pretty decently, though I prefer pacmire (sp?) grips on the 1911s because the stock grip is just a tad narrow and it causes my hand to get pinched by the hammer when it comes back.

Just trying to point out that theres a difference between asking "what's a good gun" and finding a gun that's good for you.

MiniD