Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Looking to get a handgun
- Thread starter Simgar988
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
First off, sounds like you're pretty new to the whole thing (my clue...it's called a magazine, not a clip)...my advice is to go to a range a bunch of times and a) get professional instruction, especially for SAFETY, and then b) rent a bunch of guns to get a feel for what you like. Opinions on guns are just that--opinion...if you can afford it, it's safe, reliable, and you can shoot well, nothing else really matters.
With that out of the way....
As a home-defense weapon, I'd not recommend anything smaller than a 9MM--otherwise you might as well not bother. 9MM, 38 Super, .40, .45 are all common enough in semiauto pistols; the .357 magnum and .454 are almost exclusively seen in revolvers (which you said you don't want).
I personally really like a 9MM--the ammo isn't horribly expensive (so you can afford to practice/get good), but the bullets are still large enough to count. I'd start out trying guns such as a Glock 17, Sig P226, CZ P-07, Springfield XD...all of which are relatively simple 9MMs. Find a gun that fits your hand, with a trigger action that you like. Decide if you want bare-bones simple (the Glock), or something a little more complicated. You could also try a Colt M1911 .45; one of my best friends swears by his. Really, though, until you've gotten good enough to for an opinion, just keep plugging away with the Glock or similar--don't try to learn on 5 different guns at once. I'd shot several hundred rounds through a Glock 17 before I ever tried anything else.
My personal gun of choice is a Smith and Wesson M&P 9MM--I love it, and can shoot it well. Again, though, you've got to find the gun that suits you. Learn to be safe and accurate, then try experimenting...be safe and have fun!
With that out of the way....
As a home-defense weapon, I'd not recommend anything smaller than a 9MM--otherwise you might as well not bother. 9MM, 38 Super, .40, .45 are all common enough in semiauto pistols; the .357 magnum and .454 are almost exclusively seen in revolvers (which you said you don't want).
I personally really like a 9MM--the ammo isn't horribly expensive (so you can afford to practice/get good), but the bullets are still large enough to count. I'd start out trying guns such as a Glock 17, Sig P226, CZ P-07, Springfield XD...all of which are relatively simple 9MMs. Find a gun that fits your hand, with a trigger action that you like. Decide if you want bare-bones simple (the Glock), or something a little more complicated. You could also try a Colt M1911 .45; one of my best friends swears by his. Really, though, until you've gotten good enough to for an opinion, just keep plugging away with the Glock or similar--don't try to learn on 5 different guns at once. I'd shot several hundred rounds through a Glock 17 before I ever tried anything else.
My personal gun of choice is a Smith and Wesson M&P 9MM--I love it, and can shoot it well. Again, though, you've got to find the gun that suits you. Learn to be safe and accurate, then try experimenting...be safe and have fun!
I have a Taurus 24/7 Pro in 9mm. I like it. It's my first pistol. I paid $402 after tax at a gun store. Ammo is cheaper than .40, or 45, but it's harder to find. 40s are easier to find but a little higher per 100 rounds, about $4-5 more.
Gun is easy to use. Has dual and single action. You can de-cock the gun with the safety. Push up and it's safe, push up a little farther and the action is disabled. If you put it back to fire it will fire with out having to slide the action back. Very nice i think. Has a lock on the side that removed the fire pin so there is no way it can go off. Also locks the trigger.
**EDIT**
Picture on the left is my pistol. Picture on the right shows a feature i forgot to mention but i really like. That red pin will show up when the action is cocked. When you de-cock it with the safety as i mentioned above, it will slide in and show you visually that the action is de-cocked.
It also has a little flipper thing that pokes out about 1/16th of a inch on the right hand side(mine is right handed) just behind the ejection port when there is a bullet in the chamber. Another visual item.
Good luck.
Gun is easy to use. Has dual and single action. You can de-cock the gun with the safety. Push up and it's safe, push up a little farther and the action is disabled. If you put it back to fire it will fire with out having to slide the action back. Very nice i think. Has a lock on the side that removed the fire pin so there is no way it can go off. Also locks the trigger.
**EDIT**
Picture on the left is my pistol. Picture on the right shows a feature i forgot to mention but i really like. That red pin will show up when the action is cocked. When you de-cock it with the safety as i mentioned above, it will slide in and show you visually that the action is de-cocked.
It also has a little flipper thing that pokes out about 1/16th of a inch on the right hand side(mine is right handed) just behind the ejection port when there is a bullet in the chamber. Another visual item.
Good luck.
Attachments
Seriously, you have trouble finding 9MM somewhere in the US? I know in some Euro/South American countries, it's restricted as a military ammo, but here????
Uh, I would think about considering a revolver. Revolvers don't, if ever, jam. I would look at a medium frame .357, say a Ruger GP100. If you get one of these, you can shoot caliber rounds out of it without changing the barrel. You can shoot .38 out of it, which are cheaper for practicing. One other thing to consider, if you get a pistola with a clip, it has a spring in it. If you only plan on using it for home defense, without ever firing it, the spring could weaken or something and cause a misfire.
I'm sold on revolvers. I love Colt revolvers.
You make valid points...but ideally, we should be encouraging him to practice with his gun to stay sharp...thus checking/cleaning the gun on a regular basis, eliminating most of the concern with semiauto reliability.
A revolver would be a better purchase. Ruger's GP100 is truly a great little gun, but Smith's model 327 is an 8 round .357mag wonder. No stovepipes, no failures to feed, no jams from limp wristing it, no watching where the flying empties go. He can practice with .38s till he gets good with it.
My vote is for a 4 inch Smith 327 with night sights and a laser.
My vote is for a 4 inch Smith 327 with night sights and a laser.
Thanks guys! All good advice. I hunt and regularly shoot shotguns and rifles. Don't have much experience with handguns, just shot a few as a kid with my dad at the farm on thanksgivig etc.
I'd like to start shooting regularly.
Also, do you guys har your concealed carry? I'd also kinda like to get that although I might be jumping the gun npi.
As for renting guns, do I go to a firing range to rent? Thanks!
I'd like to start shooting regularly.
Also, do you guys har your concealed carry? I'd also kinda like to get that although I might be jumping the gun npi.
As for renting guns, do I go to a firing range to rent? Thanks!
Yes, although in a lot of places, ranges won't rent to a single person. Bring a buddy with you, or call ahead to find out what their policy is.
Have you taken any training on gun safety?
Do you know the county, city, state laws governing hand gun use and using them against intruders?
Are you prepared to kill a human being and living with the consequences for the rest of your life?
You need to answer these questions before you get a gun, because you cannot recall a bullet after it left the barrel of a gun. Such action could land you in jail depending on the laws of the land. Also w/o training and knowing how to handle and store one. You, your friends and visitors run the risk of getting injured accidently.
Do you know the county, city, state laws governing hand gun use and using them against intruders?
Are you prepared to kill a human being and living with the consequences for the rest of your life?
You need to answer these questions before you get a gun, because you cannot recall a bullet after it left the barrel of a gun. Such action could land you in jail depending on the laws of the land. Also w/o training and knowing how to handle and store one. You, your friends and visitors run the risk of getting injured accidently.
Have you given any consideration to buying a shot gun?
I know it's not as cool to have like a nice hand gun, but for home defense it cant be beat. A shot gun is just as lethal, but much more forgiving with aiming.
Even with years of shooting experience. You still might find yourself having trouble, hitting a target. In the dark, at 3am, with a hand gun.
Seriously, think about how your state of mind might be at 3am. With a intruder in your home. You cant say for sure until you experience it.
.
I know it's not as cool to have like a nice hand gun, but for home defense it cant be beat. A shot gun is just as lethal, but much more forgiving with aiming.
Even with years of shooting experience. You still might find yourself having trouble, hitting a target. In the dark, at 3am, with a hand gun.
Seriously, think about how your state of mind might be at 3am. With a intruder in your home. You cant say for sure until you experience it.
.
I think they're more worried about suicide. At least that's what my local range tells me.
I live In Compton. But seriously, I live on earth, that answer should be good enough.
Yea I know the laws, I know the responsibility and i know results when guns are mistreated. I grew up in a hunting family and have been practicing handling guns safely since getting my bb gun at 8 yo.
I'm very willing to use my gun in selfdefense and without hesitation if needed, although I also understand that it should only be used as a last resort.
I research anything I do very extensively before I do it, much less purchasing a leathal weapon. I've told very close friends straight up that I will not go hunting with them because I felt that it could be unsafe with the way they act/ joke around in daily life thinking that It could reflect how they handle a firearm.
"I wouldn't wish death on nobody, cause their ain't no coming back from that" -the late, great Notorious B.I.G.
It isn't necessarily all about where you live. I know a few people with concealed carry permits here in CA, one of whom has had call to actually unholster his firearm. If you travel with a lot of valuables, in expensive cars, with money, etc., even in a good area, a concealed weapons permit or even just a firearm stored safely in your home isn't necessarily a bad thing to have.
It sounds like the OP is capable of handling a firearm and will take the necessary safety/training courses, so he should be fine.
I second the call for a shotgun for home defense.
00 buckshot will probably not penetrate walls of an apartment complex or condo, which is important because the innocent bystanders that get injured will be enough of a reason to throw you in jail. High power mag rounds also go through doors or windows, just something to consider.
A revolver is considerably more reliable than an automatic. I have a Glock 17 but for defense I use a Mossberg model 500 with 00 buckshot. Presuming my wife and I cannot effectively escape a dangerous situation, it will take down anyone and anything reliably.
Spend some time very carefully reading the laws in your state. Make sure whatever ammo you use is as close to identical as possible to what the local cops carry, otherwise it could be used against you in court ("overkill" and the like, it has happened with people like me who load their own ammo). Revolvers are also seen for some reason as less scary than a semi-auto, at least to the uninformed layperson (i.e. juror).
I support the right to bear arms in a responsible, informed fashion. That said, I would wait six months and think it through very carefully.
00 buckshot will probably not penetrate walls of an apartment complex or condo, which is important because the innocent bystanders that get injured will be enough of a reason to throw you in jail. High power mag rounds also go through doors or windows, just something to consider.
A revolver is considerably more reliable than an automatic. I have a Glock 17 but for defense I use a Mossberg model 500 with 00 buckshot. Presuming my wife and I cannot effectively escape a dangerous situation, it will take down anyone and anything reliably.
Spend some time very carefully reading the laws in your state. Make sure whatever ammo you use is as close to identical as possible to what the local cops carry, otherwise it could be used against you in court ("overkill" and the like, it has happened with people like me who load their own ammo). Revolvers are also seen for some reason as less scary than a semi-auto, at least to the uninformed layperson (i.e. juror).
I support the right to bear arms in a responsible, informed fashion. That said, I would wait six months and think it through very carefully.
Good luck obtaining a CCW permit in CA, especially in Compton. Basically you need to be very well connected or live in one of the very northern counties where the sheriff *might* consider signing off on a permit if he is familiar with you. The last statistic I heard was the total number of permits issued in the entire state was in the 1000's.
Ditto at the range I used to go to. Suicide which happened 2 times, so they decided to make it either bring a buddy or bring a gun.
When I was looking at getting a handgun, I had it narrowed down to a couple. H&K USP compact was my number one, because I liked the feel, that it had a true safety that I could engage and disengage and the build of it.
Next was a toss up between the Sig 229 and a springfield XD 4". Both were good, but the springfield didn't have a true safety, just "grip" safety.
I also was looking at 9mm, as it was my first handgun and I wanted to shoot it at the range to gain proficiency. I figured even if I had a 50 caliber, it wouldn't matter if I couldn't hit the person when needed.
That all said, please take courses to ensure you are a responsible and safe gun owner, one who only thinks about using it last and as a final resort.
I prefer the revolver as well I recently came across some article about a model of the Taurus revolver that can chamber it's standard rounds and shotgun shells. It's called the Judge and it's capable of using 45 caliber rounds and .410 shotgun shells.
Oh here it is I found the link to another article on it not the same one I read but indeed this is a nice weapon I may one day consider purchasing.:
http://www.learnaboutguns.com/2008/05/10/the-taurus-judge-a-revolver-that-can-fire-shotgun-shells/
Oh here it is I found the link to another article on it not the same one I read but indeed this is a nice weapon I may one day consider purchasing.:
http://www.learnaboutguns.com/2008/05/10/the-taurus-judge-a-revolver-that-can-fire-shotgun-shells/
You obviously don't know about Compton.
OP, move to Texas and using your gun is okay as long as someone steps on your property. Otherwise, don't get one. Chances are you'll get killed for sure if you have one or you'll shoot some kid who has no gun and go to jail. Just sayin'.
Born and raised in So Cal, no need to school me on the dbags who roll there with cars nicer than their slum houses. However, I never felt the need for a gun, not even when I would do evictions in Pamona, Compton, and much of the IE. I'd return safely to my house behind the Orange Curtain and that was that. Call it what you want, but it was more of a question as to why people need to carry guns at all.
I also keep my Mossberg with 00 Buck near me. You just have to be careful and not believe the myth of "just point in the general direction and pull the trigger" with a shotgun. At under 20 feet or so, a short barrel shotgun can have a spread of only a couple of inches, so you do need to aim the shotgun. As far as penetration, check out the site called "The Box O Truth". This guy built a rig with layers of drywall to do penetration testing. Here is the original link to the shotgun test. Be sure to check out the other tests, as they are interesting.
http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot3.htm
A handgun can offer benefits over a long gun. You leave one hand free to use a light, phone, etc, and depending on caliber, can offer lower noise and muzzle flash. As far as models go, I love my Beretta 96 (92 model in .40 cal). The 92s are plentiful, and you can get good ones fairly cheap used. A lot of people like Glocks because they are incredibly reliable and cheap. I used to be a big caliber snob, and not shoot anything smaller than a .40 (except the .357 mag), but I have changed my views in the last few years. 9mm is fairly cheap to shoot, and not as brutal in the recoil. I bought a Taurus Milinneum Pro, but I don't care for it that much. The slide release warped on my first mag through it. Taurus is one of those brands that if you get a good one, it will last forever. If you ever get a bad one and have to deal with their customer "service", you will probably hate them.
No kidding. A friend of mine moved from TN to CA. He had his permit in TN, but still ran into nothing but problems in CA. He finally gave up.
Though what you mention about Taurus' quality and customer service issues I find the utilitarian nature of the Judge quite convenient for my tastes and hope eventually down the road they work out the kinks. I have a slight obsession with multi tools to be honest, if something can provide more than one function efficiently conveniently and safely I add it to my tool kit--it comes with my experience in the building trades.