Handguns

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A

azeth

6,216
8
Good morning, so I just applied for my Class A LTC and aside from using them safely, I don't have any experience with handguns.

I live in MA - so our Glock laws require a pre-1998, also clips for our larger rifles are required to be pre-1994.

Does anyone have any suggestions regarding how to pick out my first handgun?

Some musts:

Semi Auto
Easy to slide
Easy to clean
Under $700
Ideally has a molded hand grip
Fires preferably .45 apc or 9mm
 
BrutulTM

BrutulTM

Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun.
<Silver Donator>
14,726
2,617
What do you want to use it for? 9mm is cheaper and much more pleasant for target shooting IMO. Not as loud, not as much kick, cheaper bullets. I love my 9 MM Glock 17. My favorite gun to shoot hands down, but I have really large hands and people with smaller hands seem to have trouble with it jamming (has never jammed once for me). Probably the thing to do would be to go to the gun store and hold a few of them and see what fits right in your hands.
 
A

azeth

6,216
8
The handgun i'd use for conceal/carry purposes, so I think like you mentioned a Glock, but sub compact. The reason for this thread though is I don't really understand why I'm favoring Glock. I think it just has an allure from law enforcement use and movies.

also if I were to buy a Glock I'd opt for .45 acp solely to avoid jamming.
 
opiate82

opiate82

Bronze Squire
3,078
5
For CC purposes I would stick with a .45 of some sort. But I would look at picking up some sort of 9mm for target practice at some point.

My favorite to shoot is my great grandpas military issued Colt 1911. He put some sort of fancy competition trigger on it and it is a dream to shoot. Wouldn't be that great for concealed carry though. He also had a Detonic compact 45 but I don't like shooting that as much because it order to hold it I have to wrap my pinky underneath the grip because my hands are to big. But the magazine has this funny lip sticking out that sometimes cuts my hands. I don't know if you can get a different magazine for it or not but I never looked into it because I already told my brother he could have that gun as long as I get the 25-06. It is a nice size for carrying though.

rrr_img_16877.jpg
 
BrutulTM

BrutulTM

Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun.
<Silver Donator>
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2,617
People say you need a .45 for self defense, but I look at it differently. The chances that you would actually shoot someone or use a CCW in any situation are near zero for most people. Then, on top of that, the chances that the difference between a good outcome and a negative one are the difference between a 9MM and a .45 are much lower than that. All things considered, practicing a ton is far more likely to help you in a self defense situation than having a slightly larger caliber, and you don't want to practice with one pistol and then need to use a different one. For that reason, I think you can make a case that a 9MM would be a superior choice if it would result in you practicing more due to cheaper ammo and less recoil.

That said, I have no need to carry a gun for self defense and I don't consider that the purpose of any of my guns so YMMV.
 
opiate82

opiate82

Bronze Squire
3,078
5
I am outdoors a lot, so when I consider having a gun for "self defense" I am also thinking of cougars and bears. Obviously some sort of rifle or shotgun would be much more effective but that isn't always practical when hiking or mountain biking. (Ran into cougars twice now while mountain biking, thankfully both times they high-tailed it away from me). If I ever do need to protect myself from an animal like that and all I have is a hand-gun, I'd much rather have the .45.

You are right though, a well placed 9mm is going to stop a bear much quicker than a poorly placed .45 if you can't get the practice in.
 
K

Kedwyn

Silver Squire
3,915
80
The difference in shooting a .45 or a 9mm isn't that big of a deal. Certainly not going to throw you off to the point where you'll be missing targets and if you are you have no business with a weapon until you get more practice. Generally speaking the .45 is a better round but the 9mm is hardly a pellet gun.

http://policelink.monster.com/topics...e-45-acp/posts
http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/9mm%20vs%2045.htm

Some one shot stop data on different types of .45 ammo
http://www.handloads.com/misc/stoppi...=18&Weight=All

Neither a 9mm or a .45 will stop a bear unless the noise scares it away. Worried about bears get some spray or carry the appropriate weapon. Obviously you only have what you have and I'd certainly go down shooting before I was dinner and the larger the bullet and more of them the better.

Before you purchase a hand gun make sure you take it a part first and put it back together. You'll get a good idea of quality and reliability doing that between the brands. I recommend Sig or Glock. You'll notice some brands / models have lots and lots and lots of moving parts others are much more simple. KISS.

If you are getting a hand gun for carrying I recommend something compact and make sure its comfortable. You can look at ballistics tests on the hollow point rounds to see which you prefer.

Make sure you check your local laws and that you are compliant.
 
Zodiac

Zodiac

Lord Nagafen Raider
1,200
14
With modern self defense rounds it's all pretty much a wash now days when it comes to caliber choice. I read somewhere you have like a 85-90% chance to survive any handgun wound if not shot in a vital organ. So in my opinion getting multiple rounds on target accurately + total capacity is what matters the most - with those to stipulations you can't really beat 9mm.
 
A

azeth

6,216
8
I'm finding that the molded hand grip isn't exactly a standard feature.. a lot of Glocks seem to be missing this, and most every Sig.
 
A

azeth

6,216
8
received my class A unrestricted LTC interview date today: Thursday May 9th. I really need to start shopping around.. I feel like I want to just buy 1 handgun, and 1 rifle and be done with it.
 
D

Df~_sl

shitlord
975
0
whats stopping you from buying a rubberized or plastic mold that fits over the grip to make it finger molded?

I have glock22 and glock17 both with finger grip sleeve on them...
 
Guvnah

Guvnah

Lord Nagafen Raider
47
0
I concealed carry quite frequently when not at work (University) and would recommend you get something small and lightweight. I carry a Ruger SP101 (5 shot .357) and a Glock 20SF (15 shot 10mm) and both are too heavy for long term comfort.

Something like acompactGlock in 9mm or other small auto would be a better pick than a full size handgun. If revolver, get an airweight .38.

Something you don't mind carrying is better than massive firepower that is a huge burden on a daily basis.
 
A

azeth

6,216
8
Guvnah_sl said:
I concealed carry quite frequently when not at work (University) and would recommend you get something small and lightweight. I carry a Ruger SP101 (5 shot .357) and a Glock 20SF (15 shot 10mm) and both are too heavy for long term comfort.

Something like acompactGlock in 9mm or other small auto would be a better pick than a full size handgun. If revolver, get an airweight .38.

Something you don't mind carrying is better than massive firepower that is a huge burden on a daily basis.
Click to expand...
im definitely looking into compacts
 
Kovaks

Kovaks

Mr. Poopybutthole
2,358
3,147
SIG p229 compact version of tue 226, both very common side arms for police and FBI. And they come in pretty much any caliber. As an alternate if you just want one handgun is to look at the 250 which is modular so you can buy kits to change the caliber.
 
A

azeth

6,216
8
Kovaks_sl said:
SIG p229 compact version of tue 226, both very common side arms for police and FBI. And they come in pretty much any caliber. As an alternate if you just want one handgun is to look at the 250 which is modular so you can buy kits to change the caliber.
Click to expand...
beautiful timing with this post, i've been looking at p229s since wednesday. i'm near settled on it.
 
A

azeth

6,216
8
So this past weekend I was able to shoot a Ruger MKIII (.22lr), a .44 mag scoped Redhawk, .44 mag Super Redhawk, and an M&P 9mm.

Ruger MKIII
Heavy
Very accurate
Light trigger, can near full auto fire just by whacking your finger against the trigger
300 rounds through it - 1 misfire (bulk .22lr ammo) struck the bullet poorly, and 2 failures to feed

Scoped .44 mag Redhawk / .44 mag Super Redhawk
Accurate
Not that heavy
Comfortable recoil
very sturdy

M&P 9mm
Felt sturdy
Standard mag extremely difficult to load
150 rounds through it, no misfires, no failures to feed
Average accuracy
Light weight
Smooth action
 
C

Cowman

46
0
Azeth_sl said:
So this past weekend I was able to shoot a Ruger MKIII (.22lr), a .44 mag scoped Redhawk, .44 mag Super Redhawk, and an M&P 9mm.

Ruger MKIII
Heavy
Very accurate
Light trigger, can near full auto fire just by whacking your finger against the trigger
300 rounds through it - 1 misfire (bulk .22lr ammo) struck the bullet poorly, and 2 failures to feed

Scoped .44 mag Redhawk / .44 mag Super Redhawk
Accurate
Not that heavy
Comfortable recoil
very sturdy

M&P 9mm
Felt sturdy
Standard mag extremely difficult to load
150 rounds through it, no misfires, no failures to feed
Average accuracy
Light weight
Smooth action
Click to expand...
I have the MKIII. Nice gun. Just a target pistol really tho. You could probably pistol whip the shit out of someone with it tho. IDK if its a generalized problem or if its just mine but recently its been having a lot of issues ejecting the spent ammo.
 
karma

karma

Molten Core Raider
476
591
If you are planning on cc, find a good holster and belt. It makes all the difference in the world. If you find something sturdy, safe, and comfortable, all day carry with even a full size all metal handgun enters the realm of comfortable.
 
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