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1st. handgun purchase

notuzin

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I am looking for my first hand gun. I moved to Tx. from NY several years ago and recently got interested in owning a firearm. My son-in-law took me to the range once, and I was hooked. Home and self defense are my primary motives for owning a gun, but I also enjoy shooting at the range. I have taken my CCL course (since Texas is not open carry) and a basic handgun safety course.

I am looking for suggestions on my choice of guns. I have been told that revolvers are good for home defense because they can remain loaded, unused for a longer period of time without damaging the mechanisms more so that semi's. But it seems a 9mm would be eaiser to conceal.

I know this is an open carry site, but I am new to this whole subject and just looking for advice.
 

buster81

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Welcome, and congratulations.

I'll give you my 2 cents worth. As far as selecting a gun, I suggest going to a range and trying a broad selection of what they have available. It's been my experience that guns are a little like golf clubs in that what works for one, doesn't work for others.

As an example, you will find people that stand by a Glock as the most reliable gun available. While that might be true, they don't sit in my hand because of the way the backstrap is, so they are just plain uncomfortable for me. Since I don't feel comfortable holding them, I never consider purchasing one.

Also, I know you've taken a safety course, but if you can, find an experienced shooter to go with. A few tips from someone who has been doing it for a while can go a long way to helping you select the best gun for you.
 

KansasMustang

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Welcome notuzin, and I'd like to 2nd Buster's comments. I know what weapon(s) I use and like. I've not shot every weapon nor caliber, but serving 25 years in the Military and learning to shoot at age 7, after taking my first shot of Great Gramps shotgun at age five I've done my fair share of poppin' caps. I have for my CC weapon a .40 cal Taurus PT140 Millenium. Thinking about getting a Kahr .45. For OC I have any of several. .44 mag Ruger Redhawk, .45 LC Ruger Vaquero, and a .45 Springfield XD, Combat version. Love em all but what's right for you is what's best. Again, find a range that'll rent and try some different weapons out. I've found that generally price does not always mean quality, and if it goes BANG! every time you pull the trigger and it fits you, then that's what you go with.
 

TehGruu

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Hey, welcome to Texas and the Forum! Sounds like you're on the right path and doing everything responsibly. Don't let the fear that an auto sitting will just break. Yeah, they require a little more attention, but they are for the most part quite reliable. I leave my 1911s cocked and locked all the time. Nothing's broken yet. If they sit then once a month they get taken out and wiped down with an oily rag. If they are handled that day I wipe them down as I put them away. This prevents rust and keeps my Colt looking pretty. :)



-Gruu




P.S. Try a 1911. I think you'll be happy. :)
 

MarlboroLts5150

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As an instructor, I always advise finding a shop that has their own range or a range with several different models to rent/test-fire. Find what your most comfortable with.

As far as a suggestion.....they can be a little pricey depending on the model, but I highly recommend Sig-Sauer, especally the P-229. 4 different calibers... .22, 9mm, .357sig, and .40 S&W. They are a mid-size frame, perfect balance. If you get a chance to shoot one, go for it.

Just my $.02
 

ecocks

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You're getting greatsuggestions regardingthe ranges and rental tryouts.

You might also look into whether there are any gun shows in the area anytime soon.

If you find any that are accessible, go and just browse the tables. Pick up the guns (where allowed, ask if others are not openly handling them) and note how they feel in yourhand. Check the mechanisms - safeties, magazine release, decockers, etc. This is part of your education and will make you a betterinformed shopper. Don't let yourself be limited to the rentals that your local range has on hand. Look for shooting clubs and comptetions. If you have friends that shoot (or even son-in-laws) sample their collections. Your purchase will run from $200 to over a $1,000 based upon what you decide so it's good to learn as much as you can.

Check on whether your area ranges offer any introductory courses wich will explain the basics to you in a room full of people like yourself who have similar questions.

When you get your short list of the ones you like, start asking around regarding impressions of quality, reliability, accuracy, concealment and other questions that you come up with.

This phase is only your first taste of the fun of shooting, get ready for a lot more fun down the road!

Hope this helps!
 

Gator5713

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Welcome! Everyone so far has given you some great advise! What part of Texas are you in? There are a lot of us around TX and probably one or two close to you that would be more than happy to meet up at the range and let you try out what we have, as well as going with you to our favorite local gun shop or show! I generally try to get to the show in Austin at the Crockett center the 3rd weekend of every month... But there are plenty of others that are within reach of me that might be closer to you depending on where you are at. Also, we may be able to suggest a shop close to you if we are not directly in your area!
Good Luck!
 

45acpForMe

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notuzin wrote:
...Home and self defense are my primary motives for owning a gun, but I also enjoy shooting at the range.
If home defense is one of your main goals I would suggest getting a shotgun. They are fairly inexpensive. I like the Remmington 870 pump action tactical 6+1 or you can get any other 870 and add a magazine extension tube 7+1 or 8+1 depending on barrel length. So for $300-$400 you have something cheap but effective for home defense. My main point for home defense is avoiding over-penetration. So with birdshot you won't be hitting your neighbors house and may not accidentally kill a family member in the next room.

With that said there are many good pistols out there but again I like the .45acp over something like .44 magnum which could overpenetrate. For the pistol the price range could be from $400-$1800 depending what you want. Using SD ammunition also reduces overpenetration and transfers more of its energy into the bad guy rather than the wall behind him.
 

TehGruu

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Sig Sauer is a good brand. If you want one that has a LOT of options, check out the P250. All you have to do is buy the barrels and magazines and you can have a 9mm, .40 and .45. Buuuut, try a 1911. :) Hell, if you're near the Waco area we could meet up at a range and you could shoot my Colt and my Sig Pro.



-Gruu
 

SouthernBoy

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Welcome to the wonderful world of firearms. You'll find there is only one constant; you never stop learning.

You have stated that your interests are defense = primary, casual shooting = secondary. This is good. You have already received good information from others on this thread. I would say take your time and don't feel rushed. Otherwise you might find yourself buying and selling a host of handguns while looking for that "perfect" one. There is no such thing. But there are some that may very well be perfect for your needs.

As has been stated, visit gun shows and try to find a range where you can rent different guns to see how they work for you. Also, consider caliber and action types in your quest (single action (SA), double action (DA), and double action only (DAO)). And don't forget to consider how and in what you're going to carry your gun. This will become very important as you narrow down your search.

Read and research as much as you can regardingbrands and their reliability, as well as their functional practicality. Try not to get a handgun that is overly complex. You don't want needless complexity should the time come where you may find yourself having to use it.

And then there is price. This could be a serious determining factor. The higher you are willing to go, the wider your selection. But price in and of itself is not the single most important thing. Some of the best defensive sidearms are not the highest priced pieces. Glocks and Springfield Armory XD series come to mind immediately.

Finally, these three factors are absolute musts for a defensive handgun and should be constantly in your mind as you consider what's available. They are in order;

o Reliability. It MUST go bang when it is supposed to.

o Practical accuracy. The gun and you MUST be able to hit the target when needed.

o Power. The caliber and load MUST have sufficient power to deliver a bullet to your target's vitals in order to stop his attack.
 

GlockMeisterG21

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Welcome to OCDO! When choosing a firearm you will find that everyone has an opinion and they are all quite different. For example I don't particularly like Beretta and Taurus but htere are people who swear by them. I'll give you a couple things you should try and/or think about before I get into my personal likes and dislike.

First off, go to whatever gun store near you that has the most choices. There are a crapton of brands/makes/models out there and while it can get a bit confusing it's nice to have options.

You've stated that your primary concern is home defense and secondary is target shooting. Most any gun can accomplish both of these objectives. I personally would suggest a pistol over a shotgun for the simple reason the shotguns are rather large and if you're not trained in the properly they can be hard to maneuver with in the home. A pistol is more compact and much easier to handle and move with.

Ok, so you're at the gun store. Tell the clerk that this is your first gun and that you want to try out the grip on a number of different guns. I say this because if your gun does not have a comfortable grip then you will not want to shoot it and you'll be unhappy with your purchase. Find the grip that best fits your hand. Have the clerk show you the proper way to hold a pistol as well.

Next, figure out a caliber that you'll be comfortable with. depending on the gun this will be closly related to the grip size on a gun. For example, my Glock 21 .45 has a HUGE grip and can be a little hard to hold depending on your hand size. But a Glock 17 9mm is small enough that most everyone can handle them. In general, a larger caliber will give you more stopping power but will reduce your ammo capacity. For example, my Glock 21 holds 13 rounds of .45 acp while a Glock 17 holds 17 rounds of 9mm. For some people it's all about ammo cap, but for others it's all about stopping power. These are not the only two calibers out there but they are some of the most common.

Once you've figured out which guns fit your hand well and you've chosen a caliber start looking at the little things on the gun. Do you like how the sights look? Are the controls (mag release, slide stop, etc.) easy to reach and use? If you still have a few chocies then I'd post the makes and models on here and ask for some personal experiences.

Don't forget to try out some revolvers too. I personally wouldn't go any higher than a .357 in a revolver or a .45 acp in an automatic.

My personal recommendations are as follows. My personal sidearm is a Kimber 1911. I love the slim grip of a single stack and the power of a .45 acp. This can be a bit of an advanced firearm for SD so it may not be a good starter gun. I love my Kimber but aslo like Springfield Loadeds and most Para-Ordinance 1911s. Glock is my next favorite style of gun for the simple reason that Glocks are SIMPLE. They have around 37 parts in the entire thing, they are the most durable gun I've ever used, and they are extremely safe.

For a revolver almost any brand will work. Revolvers are hard to screw up and they'll never jam. I loke most anything made by S7W and Ruger. The Ruger GP100 is a really good deal for the money.

I hope that helps. It's alot of info and you'll have to do a bit of research before choosing but it's worth it.
 

HankT

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notuzin wrote:
I am looking for my first hand gun. I moved to Tx. from NY several years ago and recently got interested in owning a firearm. My son-in-law took me to the range once, and I was hooked. Home and self defense are my primary motives for owning a gun, but I also enjoy shooting at the range. I have taken my CCL course (since Texas is not open carry) and a basic handgun safety course.

I am looking for suggestions on my choice of guns. I have been told that revolvers are good for home defense because they can remain loaded, unused for a longer period of time without damaging the mechanisms more so that semi's. But it seems a 9mm would be eaiser to conceal.

You should go shooting. With friends. With relatives. With some OCDOers. With people you meet for the first time.

Get some experience shooting different guns.

How many times have you gone shooting so far? Approximately how many rounds total have you fired so far?
 

PrayingForWar

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You'll get a lot of oppinions on this question, and of course all anyone can do is tell you what works for them. The gun that's best for you, is only found through trial and error. Until you actually shoot it and get proficient with it, you won't know. I personally love my Springfield XD's, I'm also into 1911's and M9's. Some folks swear by Sigs, they're great guns, but IMO,(and I won't be suprised if I get flamed) they're over engineered german machines. Too many moving parts.

I say that because you have to be your own armorer, meaning you need to be able to do more than just field strip some guns. After years of heavy use and carry, they need to be fully disassembled and cleaned, perhaps some sear replacements or springs. So my suggestion isn't to just go shooting and try different guns, but look for something that you can take apart and clean. AIG has good armorers courses on DVD for intruction.

Enough of my BS, welcome to the forum, you will have a hard time finding bad advice here, the members here know their tools better than any of the other forums as far as I'm concerned.
 

ecocks

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Sorry in advance for being OT.

Sometimes when you're getting tired of all the posts about can I shoot the pizza delivery guyor let's take our AR's down to the Police Station and see if they'll try to take them, along comes someone like this who asks his question and gets a load of good, supportiveanswers.

Great series of answers from well-meaning members who are all providing solid information.

Welcome again to the world of shooting and self-defense.
 

notuzin

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Wow!! What great feedback. Thanks guys for all your answers and suggestions. Looks like I have a lot to do before plunking down my hard earned cash.

I did shoot three different Glocks and a revolver at a basic handgun class. The revolver was a S&W but I don't remember the model or caliber, I think it was a .38.
The Glocks were the 17, 19, and 26. I think the 26 was the smallest and it felt like it would fly out of my hand. Just didn't feel comfortable with the size. The 17 felt the best. My next question is how do you feel about used guns? Don't gun shows have new and used?

Again guys, thanks.
 

PrayingForWar

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notuzin wrote:
Wow!! What great feedback. Thanks guys for all your answers and suggestions. Looks like I have a lot to do before plunking down my hard earned cash.

I did shoot three different Glocks and a revolver at a basic handgun class. The revolver was a S&W but I don't remember the model or caliber, I think it was a .38.
The Glocks were the 17, 19, and 26. I think the 26 was the smallest and it felt like it would fly out of my hand. Just didn't feel comfortable with the size. The 17 felt the best. My next question is how do you feel about used guns? Don't gun shows have new and used?

Again guys, thanks.

I've bought used guns with mixed results. Some worked great, some needed repairs or major cleaning (that's where AIG Armorers courses can help a lot) and some were broken and NRTS (not repairable at this station), which meant they had to be taken to a real gunsmith for significant repairs. Though it's only %1 that I couldn't fix myself. Anyway you can find good deals on used guns at showsmost of the time, just bring someone with you who knows where to look for damages or problems, or can identify a POS just by the brand. I don't know about too many POS brands in handguns, but I'll tell you that any AR15 with the brand HESSE is an unwieldyclub, not a firearm.

www.gunbroker.com is also a good source for used guns. You'll need a local dealer, which they'll help you locate, to do the transaction and BG check. Plus the dealer should be able to tell you if the gun was exactly as advertised, and in good working order.

If you liked the full sized Glock I'd suggest trying a Springfield XD, they're $100 cheaper, and just a better product IMO. The service model XD.40 was my first purchase after basic training, and has driven 1000's of rounds without a hicup. Though, it was one of the older models available in 2003-04 and the slide was suseptible to surface rust. It's an issue that was rectified by 2005 I believe, and was simply addressed with proper mainenance.
 

SouthernBoy

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Over the years, I can't tell you how many handguns I have bought and sold or traded while looking for that perfect carry gun. And as I had done this, I have learned a lot more and become more discriminating in my selections. This has allowed me to take better decisions in these types of arms for my personal protection. My current carry stable consists of eleven pistols. Among these are several which fall into my primary carry bucket. The first primary is one of my Glock 23's. The reason I say eleven pistols are in my stable is due to the fact that clothes, weather, destination, and a host of other variables will dictate which one winds up on my side when I venture out. I see this as a good thing because it affords me the opportunity of choice. As for which ones reside in my carry stable: five Glocks, four of my five Kahrs, an XD40 Springfield Armory, and a P3AT second gen Kel-Tec (nice little pocket gun). I also have three single action pistols, two of which are 1911's however, I don't carry these since I have never been able to get comfortable with Condition One carry - that's just me.

BTW, there are five "Conditions" for carry. These Conditions primarily address single action pistols but several are sometimes applied to DA and DAO pistols, too. Most people generally think of Conditions one through three.

The 5 conditions are:
  • Condition 0 - A round is in the chamber, the hammer is cocked, and the safety is off.
  • Condition 1 - Also called "cocked and locked", this means that a round is in the chamber, the hammer is cocked, and the manual thumb safety is on.
  • Condition 2 - A round is in the chamber, the hammer is uncocked.
  • Condition 3 - There is no round in the chamber, the hammer is uncocked but a fully loaded magazine is inserted in the mag well.
  • Condition 4 - The chamber is empty, the hammer is uncocked and there is no magazine inserted in the mag well
 

HankT

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notuzin wrote:
Wow!! What great feedback. Thanks guys for all your answers and suggestions. Looks like I have a lot to do before plunking down my hard earned cash.

I did shoot three different Glocks and a revolver at a basic handgun class. The revolver was a S&W but I don't remember the model or caliber, I think it was a .38.
The Glocks were the 17, 19, and 26. I think the 26 was the smallest and it felt like it would fly out of my hand. Just didn't feel comfortable with the size. The 17 felt the best. My next question is how do you feel about used guns? Don't gun shows have new and used?


The major first choice is: semi-auto or revolver. Eithertype is a good choice. It's really difficult to go through a purchase decision process with a consideration set including both types. Pick one, then go forward.

GLOCKs are safe choices for two reasons: High quality/reliability and good value retention. Major brands, e.g., Smith & Wesson, H&K, Sig Sauer, etc. are good choices too. Sometimes, a major brand will have a "lifetime" warranty that you can avail yourself of.

I've had much success in finding and buying in the used market. One should understand that "used" may mean a firearm that has been fired only 50 times. Practically new! Heck, at the last gun show I went to, I bought a S&W revolver that was 40 years old, yet unfired.

Gun shows are great to go to to learn about what's available. Consider it mandatory ongoing education. :)

If you go to a gun show, there are two gun source types: commercial vendors (for both new and used guns) and private sellers (for mostly used, but occasionally new guns). If you buy from avendor, you have to do the background check, paperwork and possibly endurea waiting period to get your gun. Depending on your state's laws, you may be able to buy directly from a private seller without any of that. Either method is OK--depends on what you want and what is available from whom at what price. Just make sure you follow all state and federal laws.

Additionally, there are usually local web sites and forumsto your state/big city that list private sale offerings. Find these and see what is available in your area and what the prices are. Often, on these sites, you can post a Wanted listing for a gun you are looking for.

I very much advocate the "used" market. This is especially true for GLOCKs. They are plentiful and there are bargains out there on good solid guns of all types. Plus, it's a lot of fun to find and pick upsome new treasure. But, careful, .... it's addicting.

Go to a gun show, learn a lotand report back how it went.

Good luck.
 

TehGruu

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SouthernBoy wrote:
BTW, there are five "Conditions" for carry. These Conditions primarily address single action pistols but several are sometimes applied to DA and DAO pistols, too. Most people generally think of Conditions one through three.

The 5 conditions are:

  • Condition 0 - A round is in the chamber, the hammer is cocked, and the safety is off.
  • Condition 1 - Also called "cocked and locked", this means that a round is in the chamber, the hammer is cocked, and the manual thumb safety is on.
  • Condition 2 - A round is in the chamber, the hammer is uncocked.
  • Condition 3 - There is no round in the chamber, the hammer is uncocked but a fully loaded magazine is inserted in the mag well.
  • Condition 4 - The chamber is empty, the hammer is uncocked and there is no magazine inserted in the mag well
Great info there for ya. Thanks for posting that SB.



-Gruu
 

RJ

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X2 on the renting of different models if you know no one that can help out.

Picking a personal carry is akin to picking new shoes/boots or that new gal, won't know how they ride, fit or feel until you got a few miles on them.

Renting a unit will help narrow it down, then buy one of similar fashion, and carry abit, best to practice a fair amount to ensure it is a comfortable fit and not just a passing fancy, (this works on selecting gals too).
So I generally buy used, always looking for a deal, just in case its not the one for me, then I can move it out and find the appropriate unit.
But alas, I have found it very hard to get rid of any, even those that ill fit me.
Hence I've become what we all abore, the "Accumulator"not the collector persay.
Goodluck, some find one personal carry favorite is not enough.
The primary desire is to have a couple, and train with both, and be proficient with both, not just comfortable.
Adios. from the Copperstate, and may you shoot straight.
RJ
 
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