Need help deciding on a handgun

Hello,
I am taking the pistol permit course and would like some opinions on what type of handgun to buy. I am looking for something reliable, that can squeeze off rounds fast, lightwieght, and doesn't jam. My wife is also taking it with me would also like opinions on a gun for a female. This gun is for defense and I plan on using it at the range a lot so it should be durable. I am not a rich person so price is also a factor.
Thanks in advanced

Originally posted by jlafleur02
Hello,
I am taking the pistol permit course and would like some opinions on what type of handgun to buy. I am looking for something reliable, that can squeeze off rounds fast, lightwieght, and doesn't jam. My wife is also taking it with me would also like opinions on a gun for a female. This gun is for defense and I plan on using it at the range a lot so it should be durable. I am not a rich person so price is also a factor.
Thanks in advanced

I wish I lived in a country where I could do as You're doing.

As it is, I cannot even carry a small knife for self defence. I have to rely on nature. A shard of glass, a stick that is fit...

And if I encounter the sorts of mongrels I have most of my life where I live, I cannot fail to use them..

yet numbers often outweigh the situation..

I hope you are given good advice here, and not take consideration of the #e you will cop, you will cop it..

I asked a cop once why he was allowed to carry a gun while he was arresting me for possession of a weapon - a knife. His reply "I'm trained with it mate.." and my reply was "Yeah, but you're never effin here when I'm getting flogged by a bunch of pricks.." and all he could say was "Not my problem."

Makes me sick...

repily to post by jlafleur02


Well I would recommend say a Glock 22, it's a 40 cal SW, very lite nice and smooth action and has 2 15 round clips and is very very reliable, it will run you approx 500.00 new. If your looking for somrthing slighly cheaper I would recommend the newer Ruger SR9 9mm it runs about 400.00 new.

Peace and GL

reply to post by jlafleur02


I would recommend the Desert Eagle Action Express, .50 calibre. It is not to heavy, is very reliable, just watch for the firing pin, they are prone to breakage.

If you attach a red dot scope and an extended magazine, you have a very powerful handgun that is still rather easy to handle and fire.

VvV

Explanation: S&F!

Caliber:
.357 Magnum® / .38 S&W Special +P revolver snub nosed with an enclosed/internal hammer!

Model M&P340 $980.00 * *Suggested Retail, Dealer Sets Actual Pricing

Model: M&P340
.Caliber: .357 Magnum® /.38 S&W Special +P
.Capacity: 5 Rounds
.Barrel Length: 1.87" / 4.8 cm
.Front Sight: XS Sights® 24/7 Tritium Night
.Rear Sight: Integral U-Notch
.Grip: Synthetic
.Overall Length: 6.31" / 16.0 cm
.Action: Double Action Only
.Weight Empty: 13.3 oz / 377.8 g
.Material: Scandium Alloy Frame / Stainless Steel Cylinder
.Finish: Matte Black
.Frame Size: Small - Internal Hammer
.Purpose: Personal Protection / Law Enforcement

www.smith-wesson.com...

Personal Disclosure: I hope that helps! Be safe and have fun!

If you are worried about cost you can get a HighPoint 9mm for under $200. Here is a link www.hi-pointfirearms.com... . I was thinking bout getting a handgun (I have a Remington .870 .12 gaugue) and read up heavily on this handgun. I read through about 400 reviews with only a few negative mostly all posative. The few negative ones said that the gun can jamb if you load the clip with full 8 rounds. Solution for those that had the problem was to only load 7 rounds at a time. If you do go for this gun, do not get the extended clip, just get an extra 8 round clip. I heard that the aftermarket clip they have for it jambs. Most all reviews said gun rarley ever jambs and is a great deal and feels sturdy. Get at least a 9mm or .38 if you want to be able to take a target down. .40 or .44 if you want a bigger bang. O , I also read one review where this guy was trying to "break" his Highpoint .40 cal. He said him and his friends fired 2000 rounds through it only stopping to let it cool enough to fire a new clip and didnt have 1 jamb even though the gun was hotter than @#$%. Thats what sold me. Also read many other reviews that said they had over 5000 rounds through it w little to no probs.

I recommend you pick up a CZ 82 for you and your wife...

the cz 82 is available from several gun sales places online and you can go to gunbroker.com and find a dealer in your area who will handle the firearm transfer from the online store to you for about 25 dollars plus the 7 dollar background check and any shipping fees

You can pick up a cz 82 which fires 9mm makarov and comes with 2 13 round magazines for 209 dollars at at least two separate places online... in addition you can still get 400 round sealed tins of surplus makarov ammo for under 100 dollars (it'll be a bit more than a hundred after shipping)

These pistols are reliable they fire cheap ammo they are mid sized and contrary to what people say if you aim well they will drop humans at 25 yards quite handily!

Oh and if you order 2 at once you can negotiate a single transfer fee of about 40 bucks with most dealers your shipping will cost the same as for one you'll only need one background check and you'll get a ten dollar discount on EACH pistol!!

If you compare this to what others have suggested you will see that you can get a PAIR of these pistols AND your first 400 rounds at 25 cents a round OR LESS for what you would pay for a USED GLOCK.

In addition to this though I would highly recommend picking up ONE walther P22 .22 caliber pistol for you and the wife to practice with (you can get one for around 239 at same place you can get the CZ's if you order all 3 at once they'll give you a deal and you'll save on shipping and transfers!!)

Welcome to the shooting world there are deals out there for those with limitted resources DO NOT be fooled into buying less than you feel you NEED just to get what ArmCHAIR DELTA OPERATORS tell you is THE ONLY THING WORTH HAVING.

I personally own several surplus CZ handguns in various calibers and I honestly prefer them over most of the new build american pistols I've looked at. Their fit and finish is great parts are reasonably priced they function EXCELLENT and they cost LESS THAN HALF of what you'll pay for soemthing a THIRD as good brand new.

oh and PS DO NOT EVER BUY SOMETHING DIRECTLY FROM A GUN SHOP

They charge premiums of up to 100% of what you can find it for and have it transfered through certain dealers to your ownership legally. it's worth it to shop this way

reply to post by 51Reasons


I would avoid hi points at all costs... why encourage them to buy a NEW hi point when they can get a used Czech pistol they will be happier with ? Oh and 7 rounds is PITIFUL for mag capacity...

I would never ever try to talk an ENEMY let alone a friend or someone online into buying a hi point...
They are a PRIME example of how people get sucked into spending thousands for an HK or glock or sig because they go ULTRA cheap on something like a hi point and HATE IT for good reason... then they forever associate anything under 600 dollars as worthless.

THIS IS NOT TRUE. I have NOT ONCE paid more than 500 dollars for a pistol and my favorite pistols I've owned have ALL COST LESS THAN 300 DOLLARS.

Not to mention 9mm parabellum 380 .40 s and w .38 super .45 acp and etcetera ammunition is VERY Expensive and in some cases IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND AT ANY COST.

tokarev and makarov ammo is cheap and available without hassle... (well except you have to buy it in bulk and have it shipped to make it worth it) but I figure if I can hit costco for toilet paper and a MAYO canister the size of an OIL DRUM once every 3 months I can buy my bullets in bulk lots without it being a hardship.

reply to post by roguetechie
Do you know of a good place to get on online. I checked around and i see used guns. One site had them but they were over 600.00$.

J and g sales has them every day for 229 with us made barrel or 209 with surplus original barrel in NRA Very GOOD rated condition (almost new really)
cz 82 for sale

There you go sir... I highly recommend that site for ammo purchases too

Edit to add: oh and they are super nice guys when you call too if you have questions or need advice they will point you in the RIGHT direction not try to SELL more stuff.

and if you go to gunbroker.com you can find a list of dealers that do transfers in all 50 states and their prices.
it's in their FAQ section clearly marked

Explanation: Revolvers don't jam and with 1 dud round [stove piped even] the semi auotmatic becomes an awkward club that your fiddling with to fix and ... by then you and or your mates could be dead!

Amazing 100 Yrd Shot with Snub Nose Revolver. (Trail Boss by Steve Doran) [metacafe.com]

It has the distance if you have the accuracy!

Super Fast Six Shooter. (by History Channel) [metacafe.com]

6 shots and a reload and another 6 shots in 2.99 seconds!

OSSP: One Shot-Stop Percentage% [govtandeducationchat.reocities.com]

85% for the .357

Concealed Carry Weapon, CCW. A Parametric
Study. (by J. A. Zimmerman ) [govtandeducationchat.reocities.com]

Repy: Weapon of choice. (by FerFAL) [ferfal.blogspot.com/]

I know its more comfortable, but it's not a pair of panties, it's a gun for life and death situations. You want all the capacity, power (short barrel reduces fps) and accuracy you can get.

Personal Disclosure: If thats not your style or big enough then here...

Taurus Jusdge Public Defender .45LC/.410 Bore Revolver [wiki]

MODEL 4510 Public Defender [taurususa.com]

Originally posted by VreemdeVlieendeVoorwep
reply to post by jlafleur02

 

I would recommend the Desert Eagle Action Express, .50 calibre. It is not to heavy, is very reliable, just watch for the firing pin, they are prone to breakage.

If you attach a red dot scope and an extended magazine, you have a very powerful handgun that is still rather easy to handle and fire.

VvV

you must not have read his post, where he states money is an issue

I just purchased a Springfield Armory .45 cal XD-M for 680 bucks. I have taken it to the range 3 times now, fired about 200 rounds and have had no jams, no anything wrong. I would recommend this 100000000% if its within your price range

reply to post by dmefoc


I second the Springfield Armory pistols. I have it in the .40s&w flavor. It fits me better than a Glock, and they are just as reliable.
To other posters: Yea yea revolvers don't jam. With proper training at the range you can teach yourself to clear a jam very quickly. I can carry double the ammo in my Springfield Armory. That makes it worth it to me.

My recommendation would be the Springfield XD series. I own a .45 but you can also get a .40 model that allows for barrel swaps so it can shoot 9mm and .357 Sig as well.

You really need to go in and get a "hands on" feel for something.

I really wouldn't recommend going with a caliber below .40 but that is just me.

reply to post by jlafleur02


For Wife I'd suggest the Glock G-19, (9mm), just rack, point, shoot, no frills, no hammer to mess with, no safety, But-has a built in safety button on trigger-pull, so more pressure, but gives you enough time to decide if you really want to fire...

For you, anything Sig-Sauer. A little more pricey, but well worth it, P220 .45 is big, not so good for carry, but check them all out at the range. It is reliable, little if any jamming issues...and just an overall fine piece. HK's are nice, but way too expensive...Glocks are good, but light and have a heavy recoil for repeated firing at higher calibers especially.

Good Luck!

Springfield XD-M or GLOCK 9mm IMO With The latest Ammo, No Need for the S&W40 Cannon or go S&W40 for you and 9mm Her. The XD-M 3.8 has very very light recoil, matched barrel, easy to shoot & what I carry daily - Yes, I know kinda big for CCW but found a Hume holster that helps and makes me very comfortable plus for that one in a quradatrillion chance of being confronted by 10 Black Hoodies - 9 double taps, one headshot and one buckwheats for their leader. Oh wait a minute, never mind that's just crazy dreamin', I meant I Run Really Really Fast

There are many Gun Shoppe/Shooting Ranges that RENT Hand Guns.

Find the one that you feel most comfortable with and then pay for the very best training with multiple courses.

For Example: Call your closest SWAT Division and ask if their trainer takes civilians students.

Happy to see you are asking for advice for something as important as self preservation.

Warmest Regards,,


t

Originally posted by jlafleur02
reply to post by roguetechie
Do you know of a good place to get on online. I checked around and i see used guns. One site had them but they were over 600.00$.

Look into the local laws and what your local dealer is going to charge you for processing as well as the seller's shipping and if they have any processing fees.

Many times after all the fees you are not saving that much not to mention not having the opportunity to feel the weapon in your hand prior to purchase. Do you have a big hand, little hand? If you buy online be certain to at least hold the weapon at a local dealer, then...

Take your best online quote and ask your local dealer how close they can come to that price.

If anything goes wrong you will be very happy to have bought locally not to mention the fact of keeping your dollars in your local economy and the help they can provide a repeat customer with range recommendations, training, accessories and ammunition.

So many options and just as many ATS threads on the topic. Different strokes for different folks. Narrow down your choices and find a good range that also rents handguns. Your class instructor may have some suggestions also.

Revolvers are very simple and reliable. You just have to accept a smaller round capacity.

Auto loaders come in all shapes and sizes. I find the little pocket .380's to be a little small for me. So I chose the Sig 239 in 9mm flavor for carry. Single stack mag and thin enough for comfortable IWB carry. Ruger and Walther also make nice thin mid-size guns that are perfect for close body carry.

In the home lockbox is Springfield XD service model in 9mm.

After all of that, choose your carry rig very carefully and keep your carry options open for different situations and seasons.

I see a lot of people do not like the 9mm any longer and many police forces are moving to 40 cal. I like the 9mm because the ammo is cheap and abundant where I live. You have to practice a lot to be any good in a fire fight so that is my reasoning for the 9mm. I practice with cheap BVAC and they shoot fine. I carry Winchester Ranger Law Enforcement Ammunition. They used to call them Black Talons. They are very good defense rounds.

My carry piece is a Taurus PT 24/7. It is light, cheap, reliable and feels good in my hand. It also holds 17 rounds. I like to carry 2 extra clips so I have a total of 51 rounds. That is a whole box of ammo +1 so if there is an extended fire fight then I am ready. The object is to keep up the fight until you can get to your long guns. Keep their heads down until you can pick up a large enough gun to defeat their cover.

That is my 2 cents.