Gun advice

Matt Marvel

So, I'm starting to seriously look into purchasing a small firearm. Blue states be damned! I'm not looking for anything fancy, just a reliable, relatively affordable handgun. Something that I can enjoy taking to the range. A buddy of mine said S&W is a good place to start, and you can get one for about $150 bucks. Mind you, I've never owned a gun, and have only shot one a few times. So, if there's something you would recommend as a good 'starter' weapon, that would be appreciated. Any advice or knowledge that y'all could share would be great!

One2gofst

One2gofst

BTW, Summit is a good dude and he has some K-frames w/the hammer spur still intact. http://www.summitgunbroker.com/K_frame.html Just don't forget to add shipping and whatever your dealer charges for the transfer into the total price. Local gunshops sometimes have trade-ins too. Happy hunting.

ENFIDL

Beretta M9. Very reliable and easy to use pistol. I knew guys in the Corps with me who never shot a pistol and they took to it well. I gave classes in disassembly and reassembly of it and range some ranges for my Marines in Iraq so tthey knew how to use it if they needed it in the event we lost our plt cmdr or plt Sgt

Goldy

wwestern

150 bucks will get you a hi point and that would be fun for no one. I'd stick in the realm of springfield, s&w, and ruger are very good mid priced pistols (400-800ish). If you're going with a center fire 9mm is probably the best to learn with and it's about the cheapest ammo. I also would suggest getting a .22 my personal favorite maker of 22 pistols is browning. Hit any gun shows you can living in dallas this should be pretty easy. You could probably find a browning buckmark or challenger for under 300 dollars. Firearms are very much a get what you pay for industry so i would suggest not penny pinching in this purchase.

wwhwang

I'd suggest a Beretta M9 if you're starting out, since there's very little recoil on the 9mm, and it's cheap ammo. To me, there's really no point to a .22. Cheap ammo and little to no recoil, yes, but no stopping power whatsoever. I've shot a .40 with a Glock and the recoil was manageable. I'm really trying to get a HK USP Tactical, but das engineering of Deutscheland is expensive as hell. Springfield Armory pistols are very cheap, from what I've heard.

bige1371

If all you can afford is $150 then like wwestern said the hi point is really your only option or maybe a jennings. I owned a Hi point 9mm for a couple years bought it for around $125 at a pawn shop. I never had any major issues with the gun. They do tend to not fire cheap ammo to well. Sure it would be nice to get a ruger, glock, s&w, etc but if all you have is a $150 then you can't get one. I finally got a Glock last year best gun I've owned so far.

bige1371

M9 is sweet but your looking at at least $450+

jship079

My first pistol was a makarov it is a russian 9mm that shots 9x18mm bullets I got it for like 120 I shot like a thousand rounds out of it and never had One jam im pretty sure it was a russian MP pistol so the over prduction makes them cheap but the fact that there for MP's makes them reliable

vegassparky

are you looking for one for home protection too? check out the tauras line. they have one called the judge. it shoots 45's and 410 shoot gun shells. good gun for protection using 410 shells. and you can learn with 45's at the ranger. it is a revolver so it is really simple. it cares five shots. i have one for my house i load 2 45's and 3 410's. and priced around $400 bucks, and well worth it. i bought it to keep in the house ,so my wife could use it if needed. with 410 coming out of it, the bad guy isnt coming closer. and if he does, the 45 ends the problem. one of the best guns i have....

Hays

vegassparky:

are you looking for one for home protection too? check out the tauras line. they have one called the judge. it shoots 45's and 410 shoot gun shells. good gun for protection using 410 shells. and you can learn with 45's at the ranger. it is a revolver so it is really simple. it cares five shots. i have one for my house i load 2 45's and 3 410's. and priced around $400 bucks, and well worth it. i bought it to keep in the house ,so my wife could use it if needed. with 410 coming out of it, the bad guy isnt coming closer. and if he does, the 45 ends the problem. one of the best guns i have....

Whoa... I just checked that gun out, and that thing is freakin intense!

One2gofst

As for The Judge, its a fun toy, that is about it. No problem with that, but it is what it is. If you want a Centerfire auto, I would agree that 9mm is the way to go, though I still believe a .22 is better. Makarovs are great guns. I own one, but ammo can be hit or miss and isn't nearly as cheap as it was when they were dumping Maks onto the market around $150. Also, even though the 9x18 is not as powerful as 9mm, recoil is much sharper as it is a straight blowback design, rather than a locked breach recoil operated design like most modern service caliber pistols. One thing I neglected to mention in my first post is to go to a range that rents guns and try a bunch. What fits one person well may not fit another. With revolvers this isn't as big an issue as the grips can be replaced with a seemingly endless variety. When you are talking autos, your choices are much more severely limited. Beretta M9 and variants are a find pistol assuming the locking block has been replaced. However, it is a large pistol for 9mm. If you have large hands and don't want to conceal it, not a big issue. It is shootable even for those with smaller hands and concealable if you have to, but not ideal. Have fun.

Matt Marvel

Tons of info here, thanks guys. I can spend more than $150, I was just wanting to know if anyone else had seen a S&W for that price. I should've worded my question better. As for home protection, it's not something that I have to worry about all that much where I live thankfully, but it would certainly make me feel better at night.

cholmes8310

I haven't read all the above... so not sure if this is mentioned. I'd check out the Ruger LCP .380. Centerfire, small, easily concealable if you want to carry, and fairly accurate. Plus, it's good for learners as ammo is cheap and recoil is light, and then you can get some +P ammo for protection, carry. Personally, I carry a .45 XD Springfield, and will be buying a Kimber Tactical Elite shortly in .45. Definitely out of the $150 price range though.

cholmes8310

wwhwang:

I'd suggest a Beretta M9 if you're starting out, since there's very little recoil on the 9mm, and it's cheap ammo. To me, there's really no point to a .22. Cheap ammo and little to no recoil, yes, but no stopping power whatsoever. I've shot a .40 with a Glock and the recoil was manageable. I'm really trying to get a HK USP Tactical, but das engineering of Deutscheland is expensive as hell. Springfield Armory pistols are very cheap, from what I've heard.

SA are definitely not "cheap" production guns, if that's what you're implying. The XD was handgun of the year in 07. I've had glocks, rugers, para ordnance, kimber, and the XD, and the XD was the best gun I've owned in .45. Tack driver of a gun, and can be had for $500. If you strictly meant price, yes, I agree, they are absolutely cheap money for the quality. And the Sprinfield Armory custom shop options make them even better. I love that they are willing to do whatever you need done for a price but also offer pre-built packages for those wanting custom upgrades.

wwestern

TatuajeVI

One2gofst

Jetmech_63

A way I reccomend to people looking for guns is to go to an indoor gun range where you can rent them. That way you can try a large variety of guns and find one that best fits/suits you. As far as reccomendations.... I have shot a huge array of guns and my favorite are s&w not only for their revolvers, nut for their m&p line as well. Some swear by glock, I haven't found one that hasn't given me problems in the long term... But my opinion only. Ruger makes the lcp nad lcr, bothe awesome guns and if you're looking for small with a really good hand feel, sig p238in 380 is also a great gun but they're kinda hard to find at the moment. Hook up with a range or a friend with guns, most gun owners are great people who will readilly dispense with experience, advice and opinion!

zoom6zoom

One2gofst

I've been thinking about getting my C&R, as it is a requirement to hold some type of FFL to get class 3 here in MO and a C&R satisfies that requirement. However, I don't know when I will, since I am back in school and don't have much money. I figure no sense in getting it if I won't be using it for anything.

zoom6zoom

C&R is only thirty bucks for three years, and you can get some good discounts from vendors with it too.

One2gofst

Indeed. I am just not buying ANYTHING gun related right now really, as I have all the guns I need (never have all the guns I want thought ) and cases of ammo stacked up. Give me a couple years. I should be in a much better place, financially, and I'd get my C&R and some class 3 toys.

TatuajeVI

JZ

I'm partial to Glock. Great gun, extremely reliable. I have full sized 9mm .40 and .45, and a sub-compace (baby glock 9mm).

Matt Marvel

Everytime I check this thread, there's more and more of great advice. Thanks guys. I have no problem spending around $500, but anything much more is just too much for me. I'll look around and see if I can find a range where I can rent, so I can get a feel for it all. Thanks again everyone.

xmacro

One2gofst

I don't know exactly what you mean by "really good guns" but you can get firearms that are more mechanically accurate than 99% of shooters, can go thousands of rounds without cleaning and not malfunction and fit the shooter for $500, less if you go used. And if you go with a refurbished Glock, for instance, it has been totally rebuilt by Glock and carries the same lifetime warranty.

xmacro

One2gofst

I agree. I like the cigar analogy. Wine too, IMO. I compare cigars to wine but it works for guns too. It is pretty easy to get a really nice bottle of wine for $50. It is possible to get an equally good bottle of wine for $10, but it takes much more care in selection. Cheers.