Gun advice.

[Jester]

No, that is not a typo...I am seeking advice on sidearms.

To wit, I am considering purchasing a firearm. Specifically, a hand gun. I DO know that I'd prefer a semiautomatic to a revolver, but other than that, I really don't know much about what I want.

I would be using this mostly for sport, at a local firing range, though the idea of personal protection is also somewhat in the mix. Not that I live in an unsafe area...I don't. And I have no plans of using said firearm on any of a few choice people that I would like to see leave the planet. I don't. Prison doesn't sound like a fun place for me, so the only bullets I'd be putting in these people's skulls would be in my imagination, not reality.

I want a balance of ease of use with power. I once possessed a .25 caliber, and it was a bit small, and because it was such an oddball caliber, the ammunition for it was more expensive than it would be for, say, a .22.

So, any suggestions from those of you who own guns as to caliber, make, or model I should be looking for? Any recommendations? Anything I should avoid?

This is not something I am going to be purchasing immediately, so I have time to sort all the details out.

So, fire away, folks.


EDITED TO ADD: I just looked at the website of the local gun club/firing range, and apparently they actually rent guns for use on their range, so I could "test drive" various models that you folks suggest, assuming they have them and rent them. I like this idea.

[dalesys]

Well, nothing else is going to be anywhere near as cheap as .22... less materials + simpler manufacturing => cheaper.

A quick glance at Cabelas:
100 .22 LR $7.49
50 .25 Auto $17.99
50 9mm $13.99
most handgun ammo there is around 50/$20, except for .44/.45 Magnums at 50/$32.

[BlaqueKatt]

My friend Sawyer(armed security guard) owns a glock 9mm, nice pistol, low recoil, lower maintenance, and inexpensive ammo(now that the shortage is mostly over).

I own a .40 S&W Sigma, also nice pistol, higher recoil, heavier trigger pull, slightly more expensive ammo, also available in 9mm, and it has no safety.

the things I look for in a handgun:
1: grip, can I comfortably hold the firearm, is the grip texture comfortable, can either of these things be changed?(my hands are too small for a PX4 storm just as an example)

2: brand, is it a known manufacturer, or a newer one, what's the reputation?

3: trigger pull, I prefer a heavier trigger pull, Sawyer's glock has a 5lb trigger pull, mine is set at 15 pounds-it's a personal preference thing.

4: price, the glock was over $600 with the accessories he put on it the Sig was $279.

5: caliber, many firearms come in different calibers, or have conversions that can easily be done by a gunsmith*, because the parts were manufactured by the original company, there just wasn't enough demand to make x model in y caliber, but they made a few interchangeable parts for their customers that do want y caliber.

6: stopping power, a 9mm round is designed to more or less deform/fragment and "bounce around" causing soft tissue damage, while a .45acp round will deform slightly but punch straight through a target leaving a large hole.

Though semi-automatics are nice(and what I currently own), they do sometimes jam, and mine has a very overactive ejection of spent casings(this can be a major issue for left-handed shooters), and I have had casings land in my hair and burn the side of my face after bouncing off the partition in the range-spent casings are HOT!

For home protection I am actually partial to the Taurus Judge, it is a revolver, but it fires both .410 shotgun shells and .45 colt ammunition. and a specific Winchester personal defense round. It holds 5 rounds, and it's suggested the first 3 be .410 buckshot, or the aforementioned Winchester PDX, and the remaining two .45 slugs, it's quite likely the .410 will stop a threat, however if it fails to, you still have the back up of two .45 slugs that WILL stop just about anything.

I do know a lot about firearms, grew up with them, used to spend my weekends on the range saturday and at the reloading bench sunday, and my first husband's uncle was a gunsmith, I learned a lot from him.

*they can be done by an experienced shooter, however I prefer to have all firearm maintenance, beyond simple cleaning(which includes breakdown/reassembly), be performed by a licensed gunsmith.

[csquared]

What works for one person may not work for another. There are a lot of factors that come into play, your stature, weight, size of your hands. There are several models of the Glock 9mm.

Since you are looking mainly for target practice, find a range that rents guns. Talk to the people at the range. Find out what makes a good fit, and try several out.

As personal protection is not the primary focus, I wouldn't be quick to buy. Have fun trying out different makes and models.

[trailerparkmedic]

I'd talk to the guys at the range and see what they suggest you try out. They'll know which of their guns are good and which are crap.

My husband has a 9 mm that we both use for target practice. I also have a .22 for concealed carry. The 9 mm is bigger so it doesn't feel like a pea shooter (unlike the .22) but it's still easy for me to handle. I rarely use the .22 because it's tiny and not as much fun, but that's kind of the point. I really like Glocks because they don't have safeties. I dislike a lot of the guns with safeties that you have to squeeze when you fire them because half the time my hands are too small to do it quite right.

[TheSHAD0W]

I wouldn't recommend anything smaller than 9mm for personal defense, unless you specifically want a pistol smaller than what's available as a subcompact 9mm. Even 9mm is somewhat on the anemic side; I personally prefer it, but I use a high-powered version of the cartridge which could possibly damage less-expensive or less-well-designed pistols. There are a lot of well-respected people out there who recommend a minimum of .40 S&W for defense, and I can't entirely fault their logic.

For a pocket pistol, which you wouldn't be carrying in a holster, you absolutely positively must have a safety! Further, the pistol needs to have an internal hammer safety and a bobbed hammer. I know people who've experienced accidental discharges with pistols without those features. Aside from 9mm, the only caliber I recommend is .22LR, which is surprisingly effective; in many ways it beats .25 and .32, and if you're going to do .380 IMO you might as well use 9mm.

TPM, by "don't have safeties" I suspect you're talking about the backstrap safety, like a few .45 pistols have? The Glock does have an integrated trigger safety.

Yes, Jester, if you have the opportunity to rent pistols (or go to a range with friends who have them) and try them out, I strongly recommend it.

[Seshat]

6: stopping power, a 9mm round is designed to more or less deform/fragment and "bounce around" causing soft tissue damage, while a .45acp round will deform slightly but punch straight through a target leaving a large hole.

For the sport-shooting, stopping power is less important: what is more likely to matter is whether it makes a visible hole in the paper target.


I'll withhold most of my comments about personal safety, save to make two points:
1. Situational awareness is vital, no matter what other assets you may have.
2. If you pull a gun (or a knife, or any other weapon), you're now committed to a fight. The opponent is highly unlikely to back down at that point.

[kpzra]

You didn't list a price range. I personally like HK .45's, but they are pricy for just range shooting. Some people also have a problem with their size. I used to do competition shooting with mine when hubby was still at Ft Benning, and we'd always be the top 2. We are looking at FNP .45's right now, but have to save our pennies.

Sig makes a conversion kit for the P226 that will take it from 9mm to .22. I've recommended those for people who mostly want to target shoot for stress relief (cheap ammo) but they can change it to 9mm for personal/home defense.

I'd try some out at the range, and then we can help narrow it down. I can list guns all day long that are nice, but without a price range it's hard. Also, hand size matters as far as single stack, double, .45, 9mm. I have a personal dislike for Glocks, so I never recommend them, but others love them. I like a real safety switch.

[Kittish]

I personally like the .38 revolver we have. It's got a small grip, that fits my hands beautifully, and doesn't have too much recoil. Plus, as a couple of others have mentioned, semi automatics have a tendency to jam sometimes, and I haven't seen that issue with the revolver. I prefer to pull the hammer back myself for each shot, but with our gun it isn't actually necessary, just pulling the trigger will trip the hammer back. I prefer to do it myself because you have to pull quite a bit harder on the trigger to get it to cock vs simply squeezing a round off with it already cocked.

One big thing is keep your gun clean! Get a good cleaning kit, learn how to break down and reassemble any gun you do get, and always clean it after firing it.

Another thing- guns are LOUD! Invest in some ear protection before you go to try out various guns.

[pitmonkey]

It is a good idea to rent a gun to see how it feels in your hand.
I have a 9mm for range shooting. It has just enough kick to make it fun without hurting. Also if you decide to carry it has good stopping power at defensive range.
I would suggest a composite gun because of the heat and humidity of Florida.
Have thought where you will store the gun when you don't have it with you? Any locked storage will need to be bolted down. Our 500lb safe is bolted to the floor.

[wolfie]

If you're looking for personal protection in addition to sport shooting, one thing I've heard is that some autoloaders will feed "ball" ammunition just fine, but will have trouble with hollowpoints. "Ball" is the (fairly) cheap stuff required by the Geneva convention (as a civilian, you don't need to worry about this - use of hollowpoints or other expanding bullets by the army would be a war crime). For personal protection, however, you'd probably want hollowpoints.

Once you've "short listed" a few models, pay the extra money and run a box of hollowpoints through each. Any misfeeds should be a red flag.

[Sandman]

Support my local area! Buy either Colt or S & W!

[trailerparkmedic]

TPM, by "don't have safeties" I suspect you're talking about the backstrap safety, like a few .45 pistols have? The Glock does have an integrated trigger safety.

I know, I just mean it doesn't have a separate trigger that needs to be flipped before you can use the gun. And I know that Glocks aren't the only ones without them but as far as I know they are the only brand that uses the trigger safety in all their guns. To me, having a safety on a concealed carry weapon is a liability since it's not unheard of for people to forget to turn the safety off when they need to use the gun. That's definitely something that varies by person.

[kpzra]

FWIW, I've never had a problem with any of my guns not feeding or ejecting properly. Cleaning and general upkeep on them should prevent this. This includes checking the magazine spring for loss of tension.

Oh, and the reason we like .45 is because Alaska is our home (trying to move back ASAP) and for most of the year people wear layers/thick jackets. We also have to worry about moose and bear. Your plans on usage will also be part of the buying process, but let us know what you liked about any of the guns you shot. There are many out there that if you like one part of this, but something from another model we may be able to point you in the right/cheaper direction.

[Sapphire Silk]

No, that is not a typo...I am seeking advice on sidearms.

To wit, I am considering purchasing a firearm. Specifically, a hand gun. I DO know that I'd prefer a semiautomatic to a revolver, but other than that, I really don't know much about what I want.

EDITED TO ADD: I just looked at the website of the local gun club/firing range, and apparently they actually rent guns for use on their range, so I could "test drive" various models that you folks suggest, assuming they have them and rent them. I like this idea.

Renting to test out calibers and types is a very good idea. It's very easy to buy the wrong gun.

What kind of gun you buy depends on:

1) What you intend to use it for. Primarily target shooting, maybe some self defense.

2) Your hand size and wrist strength. Larger calibers tend to have more recoil. The amount of powder in the round, and the make of the gun itself can also affect this.

I used to own an M1911A .45, the standard side arm of the US Army for decades. Great gun. Bitch of a recoil, even for strong men. Not the right gun for me; I got rid of it as impractical for my hand and wrist strength.

Truth is, unless you have a concealed carry permit, I wouldn't buy a hand gun for self defense in the home, especially since you live in an apartment. You risk having a round go through your neighbor's wall if you miss.

A shot gun is better for home defense: aim doesn't matter as much with buckshot when you're half awake, and if you miss you're not likely to injure an unsuspecting neighbor.

So buy your gun for your first stated purpose: target shooting for fun.

A 9 MM will suit that purpose nicely. So would a .38. Glock is a good brand. So are Colt and Smith and Wesson.

The guys at the gun shop can give you good advice on what to buy, and if you can try before you buy you are better off.

Good hand guns can run up to several hundred dollars. Ammunition can be expensive, too.

But target shooting is a LOT of fun. The ex and I used to take our guns down to the family farm and shoot cans of cheap ass soda (about .25 cents/can). BOOM! POP! FLY HIGH IN THE SKY!

Loads of fun!