First Gun Purchase?

['04_Goat]

I am looking to purchase my first handgun after christmas. I just wanted to get some feedback on what people have had experiences with. I have read through on the forums and got some ideas but it would be nice to consolidate it into one. If you have used one of the following please let me know how much you have shot it and if you had any problems. Just trying to figure out which ones may be more reliable than others. Note: Have not decided on 9mm, .40, or .45, this is just one of the lists.


FN USA FNP-40

Springfield Armory XD 40 Service Model in .40 S&W,

Beretta Px4 Storm .40 S&W

Glock 22

Magnum Research Baby Eagle .40 S&W (can't afford DE)


Beretta 90-Two Type F .40 S&W

Taurus 24/7 PRO™

[StormSigma]

Honestly, it's going to boil down to three models if you want dead awesome reliability:

- Glock (pick one)
- Springfield XD (pick your caliber)
- Smith & Wesson M&P (ditto).

Many people who love the first two but want some great ergonomics tend to look at the M&P's. I did. Love mine, but also loved the various XD's I have shot. Don't like Glocks, but have to respect their durability.

[Ross]

don't forget Sig Sauer. ALso, Ruger's P90D is very affordable, reliable and accurate.

Unless you are set on a bottom feeder, wheel guns are fun too.

['04_Goat]

Honestly, it's going to boil down to three models if you want dead awesome reliability:

- Glock (pick one)
- Springfield XD (pick your caliber)
- Smith & Wesson M&P (ditto).

Many people who love the first two but want some great ergonomics tend to look at the M&P's. I did. Love mine, but also loved the various XD's I have shot. Don't like Glocks, but have to respect their durability.


I forgot to put the Smith and Wesson M&P in my list.

['04_Goat]

don't forget Sig Sauer. ALso, Ruger's P90D is very affordable, reliable and accurate.

Unless you are set on a bottom feeder, wheel guns are fun too.

I am not sure how much the Sig Sauer and Rugers cost but I was looking between $400-$600 starting out. If they are in that category I will take them into consideration.

[Bandit]

I think you have a great list as it sits, no need to add anything else to it that will make your decision harder.

I would eliminate the Beretta from the list due to terrible trigger (long DA pull, creepy pull and lots of overtravel).

Next off the list would be the Baby Eagle (you can get better in the same profile from the company that this gun replicates: CZ)

Now go and fit each one in your hand to determine which feels best. Once you've done that, try to find a gun range that has your favorites available to rent and shoot.

[Bandit]

BTW: Any reason you chose a .40 for your first gun? Quite a torquey round, and less accurate than many other calibers. I own and have owned .40 for years, but I prefer 9mm and .45ACP over it.

[GTO831]

I have a Beretta Px 4 Storm in 9mm and I love it. I have put over 2000 rounds through it so far and no jams or problems. I love the rotating assembly too, it, for me, reduced the recoil quite a bit. It is my carry and is not too heavy or bulky.

My husband has a M&P compact .40 and loves that one too. That is his carry and doesn't appear to be too heavy or bulky either. I have shot that one as well. Now, while I don't mind shooting the 40, I prefer mine as his has quite a bit more recoil than mine.

Tracy

[bear]

BTW: Any reason you chose a .40 for your first gun? Quite a torquey round, and less accurate than many other calibers. I own and have owned .40 for years, but I prefer 9mm and .45ACP over it.


I shot several XD'x b4 I purchaced mine and I the 9mm and .45 were alot more friendly to shoot. I really would recomend the XD 9mm. Thats what I decided on and I love it! It is the first hand gun that I have taken the time to go to the range and actually learn how to shoot and I have been able to greatly improve my skills with it.

and it's purdy!
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj249/bear2466/ DSC00194.jpg

[RUQWKNF]

I can only comment on two of your choices.

Those being the Beretta and the Baby Eagle.

I've had both.

My first pistol purchase out of the service, was a Beretta 9mm 92FS. Being familiar with it in the service, it only made sense for it to be my first pistol. I bought mine back in 2000. In eight years of ownership I put approxiamately 700+/- rounds through it.

My experience:

Beretta 92FS 9mm

Field stripping is the easiest of any hand gun I've ever cleaned.
Hi cap mags are easy to come by.
Never had any FTF in all those rounds fired. P+ ammo compatible. Slight, but controllable recoil. Accuracy sucked badly, even with a bench rest. It truely is a Bruce Willis spray and pray weapon. Best grouping at 25yrds I could ever manage was around 10"-12" groups.
Verdict, it's a nice pistol, easy to maintain and parts are plentiful. Grip feel definitely takes some getting used to, and they are typically not for people with small hands. Abidextrious safety with hammer drop. Not particularly easy to conceal, and maintenance is required after a certain number of rounds. Mil does have numerous reliability issues with their current M9s in the field. If you can find one at a gun show for less than $450 that's not beat to death, it would be a good buy. FWIW I just recently sold mine at my local gun show.



Baby Eagle full size in 9mm.

In my honest opinion, this is the pistol you want. Not many people know about this gun. I learned about it from a friend in the know. Produced in Israel, production tollerances are top notch. Grip feel is excellent, actually, it's the most comfortable semi auto pistol I have ever held or shot. smooth contoured trigger, easy access slide release and magazine release. Abidextrious safety with hammer drop similar to the Beretta. Pistol has some weight to it with 16 rounds. Very smooth trigger pull and easily controllable recoil, even with P+ ammo.
Best characterisitic of this pistol, besides the feel, is ACCURACY.
This SOB is scary accurate. At 25yrds, it can put 15 rounds into a 2-2.5" group. I was amazed at the accuracy difference between the two. I've run many different brands of ammo through it, it really likes Winchester FMJs. The last added bonus for the Baby Eagle is price. It's a good deal for such an accurate pistol. I've put around 600 rounds through mine and have no intentions of getting rid of it anytime soon.

In closing, I would highly recommend the Baby Eagle in either 9mm or 40 cal. Excellent pistol.

Hope this helps and sorry so long winded.

Patrick

['04_Goat]

BTW: Any reason you chose a .40 for your first gun? Quite a torquey round, and less accurate than many other calibers. I own and have owned .40 for years, but I prefer 9mm and .45ACP over it.


I have only shot a 9mm and .45 and actually preferred the 45 over the 9mm. I was leaning towards the 40 since ammo is cheaper than the .45 but this is only preliminary. I am not set on a .40 that is just the list I had already put together on my PC. Also just to note I will be going to the range on monday to try a few more guns and I will be trying 9mm and .40s.

[A04GTO]

I am looking to purchase my first handgun after christmas. I just wanted to get some feedback on what people have had experiences with. I have read through on the forums and got some ideas but it would be nice to consolidate it into one. If you have used one of the following please let me know how much you have shot it and if you had any problems. Just trying to figure out which ones may be more reliable than others.


FN USA FNP-40

Springfield Armory XD 40 Service Model in .40 S&W,

Beretta Px4 Storm .40 S&W

Glock 22 or 23 or 27 or 35

Magnum Research Baby Eagle .40 S&W (can't afford DE) Nice but don't make it your first gun.


Beretta 90-Two Type F .40 S&W Get a 96, avoid "The Dash"

Taurus 24/7 PRO™ <-NO

And like Storm said look at the S&W M&P

[bear]

I have only shot a 9mm and .45 and actually preferred the 45 over the 9mm. I was leaning towards the 40 since ammo is cheaper but this is only preliminary. I am not set on a .40 that is just the list I had already put together on my PC.

I really think that you will be happy with the 9mm b/c it is a lot cheaper to shoot than the .45 and all you have to do is slide in that 15-16 round mag of (insert your favorite HD ammo thats for another thread) and you have enough stopping power to take anyone down

[ameaglemike]

Personally I hate Glocks. If you've had one rechamber on your hand (the skin on the back of your thumb on the hand you hold the gun with), you'll understand. A few years ago I bought a Taurus 24/7 in .45 caliber with the 12 round mags and I freaking love it! I added fiber optic sights and a grip and it is one of the best guns I have ever shot. I like it better than my best friend's XD. Now Taurus does have their new PT845, and while I haven't shot it, the reviews I've read on it say that it is an amazing gun. Now not to change your mind or anything, but is there a particular reason why you're looking at .40s? I looked at them, but I went with the .45 for a couple of reasons. There is a lot more, different kinds, and better ammo out for the .45 than the .40. The .45 has more knock down power (granted that can matter with ammo also). And I just think that .45s shoot better, have a better feel.

['04_Goat]

Personally I hate Glocks. If you've had one rechamber on your hand (the skin on the back of your thumb on the hand you hold the gun with), you'll understand. A few years ago I bought a Taurus 24/7 in .45 caliber with the 12 round mags and I freaking love it! I added fiber optic sights and a grip and it is one of the best guns I have ever shot. I like it better than my best friend's XD. Now Taurus does have their new PT845, and while I haven't shot it, the reviews I've read on it say that it is an amazing gun. Now not to change your mind or anything, but is there a particular reason why you're looking at .40s? I looked at them, but I went with the .45 for a couple of reasons. There is a lot more, different kinds, and better ammo out for the .45 than the .40. The .45 has more knock down power (granted that can matter with ammo also). And I just think that .45s shoot better, have a better feel.

I have shot the Glock 21 and 19. I actually prefer the .45 but the ammo is more expensive, which will add up each trip to the range. I was also able to shoot the .45 more accurately than the 9mm. ( no flaming plz, only been to the range 3 times so far) I had a list for 9mm .40 and .45 but only posted one since they were about the same. I am not set on a .40 and after the range trip monday I will decide on 9mm, .40, or .45.

[ameaglemike]

I have a 9mm and I hardly ever shoot it. If you get into a situation where you need the power, you'll want the .45 cal. And ammo's going to go up across the board anyways now that Obama's going to be in office. I don't know if you've looked, but ammo and gun prices have increased by at least 20%-50% since the beginning of the year. But there isn't going to be much of a difference betweeen the two ammos in price, especially if it's just for target practice at the range. I always buy refired ammo for the range anyways. The last time I bought some (granted this was back in Sept or so), I paid like $150 for 500 rounds or something like that. And if you're going to use this for personal/home defense also, I cannot stress enough how much more I'd choose the .45 over the .40 or the 9mm. The only real advantage the smaller calibers have over the .45 is they have higher capacities in their mags, IMO.

[Ross]

I am not sure how much the Sig Sauer and Rugers cost but I was looking between $400-$600 starting out. If they are in that category I will take them into consideration.


The Ruger runs about $400 - $$450, new. The P90 is a .45 and the P91 is a .40, though you will have a really hard time finding a P91.

The Sig P226 comes in .357, 9mm, and .40 to name a few. New, they run about $750 unless you are a first responder or retired/active military - then you can purchase from a authorized dealer for about $150 less. A certified preowned (CPO) Sig will run around $500. THe CPO are buy-backs which Sig rebuilds as required, they also come with a warrenty.

[BaDaSsGoAt]

well man i got torn apart for asking the same question a lil while ago im happy you got a response... i ended up putting my deposit on a glock 21 seems nice felt nice and have heard nothing but good things just gotta wait for my firearms id card and pistol permit to go through.. should be a few months thanx to our wonderful president elect causing the largest gun craze ever...

[Clueless]

I'm one of those guys that hates Glocks. You either love'em or hate'em. I hate'em. I just don't like the feel of them and I have never been able to shoot worth a damn with them. But I can't say I have shot many of them or know exactly which models I've shot. Mostly shot friends guns and couldn't stand them.

I like full frame models. I have a Taurus PT-99, almost a duplicate to the Beretta 92FS except the metallurgy is supposedly improved in the Taurus, at least that was the case in the 90's. I like the gun, easy to shoot, pretty accurate, has cheap ammo.

I also have a Kahr Micro-9 MK9, but I have yet to ever shoot it. I know, shame on me. I plan on carrying this one eventually, loaded with something other than ball.

If you get some specialty ammo, the 9mm has very good penetration and stopping power 450+ ft-lbs. Look into Magsafe and other specialty rounds on a site called Ableammo.com. Compare them for yourself. One thing to look at is the ft-lbs of energy dissippated by the round. Some rounds will pass through an object and not transfer much energy (armor piercing or ball). Others will transfer all of its energy (fragmented, or sintered or other special designs) and wreak more destruction and create more stopping power. Look for the high energy rounds in 9mm if you keep it loaded for home defense. You can get some in 9mm with more stopping power than the standard .45 ACP ball rounds.

9mm is definitely cheaper than the .45 ACP but I keep the .45 loaded with special rounds by the bedside.

My new pistol is a Springfield Armory PX9105MLP Loaded Full MC Size "Operator". Its about $1200. Accurate right out of box and doesn't need any break-in. Doesn't have that much recoil compared to lots of other .45s. Most accurate gun I've shot so far. Has Pachmayr grips, Picatiny rail, and Tritium sights. This gun was developed for Delta Force "operators". It is worth the money if you can afford it. Too large to conceal carry for me though. I keep it loaded in a fingerprint reader safe on the night stand for quick access. I would keep this one out of the bunch. Freakin baddass and I'll get a M6X laser/light combo for it soon for home defense.

If you want strictly a home defense weapon, a shotgun is best by far. Why shoot 3-5 rounds of 9mm or .45 ACP when one good round of 12 gauge will work. You can get a very cheap shotgun that works great. Load it with #4 buck rounds (preferred by law enforcement) or up to the larger 0 or 00 buck shot and you have something with few equals. I have a Winchester Speed Pump 1300. Cheap, simple and effective. The only reason I don't use this for home defense is that you can't lock it up easily and still have quick access as I do with the fingerprint reader safe and the Operator. If I didn't have kids around, this would stay loaded in the corner of the bedroom.

You really just have to go handle them yourself at the gun shows or shops. And borrow or rent as many as you can at shooting ranges.

Get a safe and practice good safety.

[Clueless]

What is your purchase price range and how much are you willing to spend per month in the first few months of ownership? And you need to consider gun cleaning gear too.

Do you have shooting experience already or a virgin?

['04_Goat]

What is your purchase price range and how much are you willing to spend per month in the first few months of ownership? And you need to consider gun cleaning gear too.

Do you have shooting experience already or a virgin?

I am looking to spend $400-$600 on my first purchase. I can get my hands on some cleaning gear so thats no worry. I hadn't really planned on spending alot after the purchase except to practice at the range. I have been to the range 3 times so far but havent shot a wide variety. I am going back monday to test out some more.

[gametech]

I would add a vote for a Kahr 9mm as a first gun. They are not too expensive, but in my experience are just as reliable as a Glock, but without the odd grip angle and tiny takedown levers. I personally prefer 1911 style pistols, but they are really not a good first gun.

[toxie]

BTW: Any reason you chose a .40 for your first gun? Quite a torquey round, and less accurate than many other calibers. I own and have owned .40 for years, but I prefer 9mm and .45ACP over it.

To each their own I suppose I like .40 alot myself because its an exellent compremise between 9mm compacity and .45 power. I've never had a problem with accuracy either.
The .40 cal does indeed have a reputation for inaccuracy. It comes from the fact that the early .40 cals were simply bored up 9mm guns and were not optimized for .40 caliber rounds. There is no inherant reason that a .40 cal would be any less accurate than a 9mm or a .45 ACP.

[Jizz]

I have a XD45 ACP if you want to shoot it send me a PM. I am just on the other side of the lake from you.

[06GTOSC]

I have a factory recertified Sig P225 9mm. It's a good gun. Little smaller than the P226. But is pretty accurate. I'm still a fairly new shooter and can do a 3-4" grouping out of the 8 round mag.

I like the 9mm Beretta 92 I fired before I bought mine. Would've bought a Beretta since the gun shop where I bought it had them for $400 but they were old range guns and they didn't know how many rounds had been through them. It felt good and I thought it was pretty accurate.

I also fired my co-workers .40 P226. I really like that gun. It was accurate and had a good feel. Will probably be my next gun. Maybe I'll get the P229 though.

[SATX-TheGOATownsME]

I have fired many types of handguns a 9mm S&W, .40 Glocks, .45 ACP SpringfieldXD, .357 Revolver. They all have there good and bad qualities but IMO for a first gun I would go with the XD chambered in whatever suits you. I say this becuase you get more bang for your buck with xd you get a cable lock which in no way would I recommend using over a gun safe, you get a double mag pouch, a holster, two mags, and a mag loader. And I think they still have special till Jan.15 where you get 2 extra mags and another double mag pouch. Check springfields website for details. As many have said go shoot the weapons you are interested in then buy what you like. I paid around 520 for my XD in .45 ACP so it is also well within your budget that you could get som accessories such as trijicon nightsights, or a taclight, laser whatever suites your fancy