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Good handgun for a first time owner?

ideal.dreams

ideal.dreams

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Jul 19, 2010
2,387
1,301
My dad and I are going for our CCWs at the end of this month and I am looking for a good handgun to purchase. I don't want anything that's tiny or that can fit in my pocket, but on the same token, I don't want anything too large. I would love to hear some suggestions of what guns I should be looking for.

I currently have my eye on the Glock 17. I have read that Glocks are extremely well made and reliable, but the problem is they're pretty expensive (the cheapest I've found is $500 for a Gen 3) and they're NOWHERE to be found.

I have called about 15-20 different gun shops, ranging locally to a half hour away and heard the same thing from each store - they have Glocks on back order and have NO idea when the shipment will be coming in.

Is the Glock worth my time? I have a month to wait so should I hold out for it? Or are there any comparable guns (in both look & reliability) that I should look in to? I'm looking for 9mm handguns.

Edit: I should have specified a price range...I don't really want to spend above $500.
 
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Personally, I love SigSauers. I carried the P226 when I worked for a Sheriff Department. It is an excellent weapon.
 
r.j.s said:
You could look into the FNS-9: http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/...S-9+9mm+4"+17+1+Black+Polymer+Grip+Black+Fini

It might be out of your price range, but FNH's quality is unmatched.
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Thank you for your suggestion but that's a bit out of my price range. I guess I should have specified that in my original post :p.

ucfgrad93 said:
Personally, I love SigSauers. I carried the P226 when I worked for a Sheriff Department. It is an excellent weapon.
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I saw a SigSauer tonight at Ganger Mountain and it caught my attention. Not sure which model it was though. Would you recommend the P226 over any other gun they offer?
 
Smith and Wesson M&P series and Springfield XD(m) series should be easier to find than Glocks at the moment and are just as good. If price is really a concern, look into the S&W SD9VE.
 
ucfgrad93 said:
Personally, I love SigSauers. I carried the P226 when I worked for a Sheriff Department. It is an excellent weapon.
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I think the 226 may be out of his $500 price range. :p

Additionally, while I too think the 226 is a great weapon, it's a bit big for concealed carry, at least for me. I prefer the M11A1. Similar caliber but a bit smaller and lighter. And it has a 15 round magazine, which I prefer.
 
ideal.dreams said:
I saw a SigSauer tonight at Ganger Mountain and it caught my attention. Not sure which model it was though. Would you recommend the P226 over any other gun they offer?
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The P226 is the only model from SigSauer that I have actually used. But I have never heard any bad things about Sig weapons.
 
Best thing to do is to go to a range and rent different guns and see what YOU like best, what YOU shoot best, and what's most comfortable to you.

Then don't worry about the price, buy from budsgunshop.com and put it on layaway, they have a great layaway program and I've gotten a few of my guns from there.

You'll be haplier in the long run.

P. S. My personal carry guns depending on where I go are a Ruger LC9 and a smith & Wesson M&P. 40


Your mileage may vary
 
My first handgun was the Springfield XD40. I LOVE this gun! I've had nothing but good times with it. It's a good size gun for CCW. If you want something a little smaller I would recommend the XDS depending on if its legal in your state. It use to be only in a 9MM but is now available in .45!

The other option I highly recommend is the Baby Desert Eagle. I don't remember the price on those though. My dad has one in 9mm and one in 45.
Very smooth and reliable guns!
 
^^^ I didn't like the trigger on the XD40, so I had to get rid of it.

I'd second the suggestion to rent a few different ones before buying to make sure your first purchase is something you'd be happy with.
 
r.j.s said:
^^^ I didn't like the trigger on the XD40, so I had to get rid of it.

I'd second the suggestion to rent a few different ones before buying to make sure your first purchase is something you'd be happy with.
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What didn't you like about the trigger? You can always get a "trigger job".
 
I have a Sig Sauer p229 (simliar to the 226) and highly recommend it. The best part about it is the no-safety like other handguns, but utilizes the decocking lever.

It's also a 9mm. Which I also recommend.

BUT these guns are huge, and aren't very practical for concealed carry unless you're a big person too.
 
I have also owned and used extensively a Walther PPK/S. You know, the preferred weapon of James Bond. It is great as an everyday carry weapon. I used it as a second weapon as a deputy and carried in an ankle holster. It is .380 so the stopping power isn't the greatest, but its ease of carry and accuracy makes up for it in my opinion.
 
I've been to the range a few times so far and have tested out a few guns, 3 of which we own.

I used a .38 Smith & Wesson Revolver and I hated it. The recoil is annoying, the trigger is not comfortable to pull at all and I don't like having to manually dump out the spent shells to add new ones.

I also tried out a .22 caliber SR22 Reuger and that was pretty nice, but it jammed up on me at least 4 times per magazine which I didn't like. Plus a .22 caliber bullet won't do much damage to anything.

Then I used a 9mm Taurus PT-709 slim and I didn't like that much either. It was too small and the energy from the recoil had nowhere to go but into the center of my hand. I can only fit 3 fingers around the grip and I also found it too hard to pull back the trigger.

Lastly, I rented a Glock 22 at the range and didn't really like it. It didn't have a safety on it and the .40 cal bullets it uses generates too much recoil for me to like. I would have loved to test out a Glock 17 but the guy at the range didn't have any.

Thanks to everyone for making suggestions...I still haven't found quite what I'm looking for yet.
 
Try renting a glock 19. It's a nice balance of caliber, size, and capacity.

Smaller than the 15,but a good sized grip.

Also try an M&P.


I wouldn't recommend a. 40 due to the recoil. It's known for having a sharp, snappy recoil. Amazingly enough the .45 has less felt recoil
 
thehustleman said:
Try renting a glock 19. It's a nice balance of caliber, size, and capacity.

Smaller than the 15,but a good sized grip.

Also try an M&P.


I wouldn't recommend a. 40 due to the recoil. It's known for having a sharp, snappy recoil. Amazingly enough the .45 has less felt recoil
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I would have liked to rent a 19 but the range only had a Glock 22.
 
Glock 17 is one of my CCW firearms. Very nice gun, never had any problems with it.

However it is a larger pistol. The 19 is probably a better choice. My main CCW is a Glock 30, 11 rounds of .45 out of a compact firearm.

The Sig is also a great firearm. My
 
I strongly recommend a revolver over a semi-automatic.

They're easier to clean, are more dependable, certain ones can fire multiple types of ammo, and are genuinely good handguns. A semi-automatic has some advantages itself though.

And learning to shoot a revolver double action will help you learn to shoot other guns. I had a hard time shooting the Colt 1911 until I started shooting double action with a revolver.
 
benthewraith said:
I strongly recommend a revolver over a semi-automatic.

They're easier to clean, are more dependable, certain ones can fire multiple types of ammo, and are genuinely good handguns. A semi-automatic has some advantages itself though.

And learning to shoot a revolver double action will help you learn to shoot other guns. I had a hard time shooting the Colt 1911 until I started shooting double action with a revolver.
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I shot a .38 Smith & Wesson revolver at the range a few nights ago and really didn't like it. It's extremely inaccurate because of how horrible the sights are and the trigger is not comfortable to pull back at all. No safety on it either.

That being said, that gun is many years old. I'm sure newer ones are better but I've never really liked revolvers to start with.
 
ideal.dreams said:
I shot a .38 Smith & Wesson revolver at the range a few nights ago and really didn't like it. It's extremely inaccurate because of how horrible the sights are and the trigger is not comfortable to pull back at all. No safety on it either.

That being said, that gun is many years old. I'm sure newer ones are better but I've never really liked revolvers to start with.
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I don't believe a revolver is the best for beginners. Not air weights or snub nose revolvers. They are very hard to control sometimes. I have years of firearm experience however I cannot shoot a small revolver consistently.
 
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