I know I can ask this on other forums, but I don't know those guys like I know you guys, so I wondering if anyone has any advice.
don't own any hand guns and interested in learning how to use them
I've heard start with a .22 and go from there, is that the way to go or should I go straight to the 9mm?

I personally don't think the caliber of the pistol is the deciding factor of which one you should learn on or purchase. There are some very manageable and comfortable guns in the 9mm and .40 caliber class that you could easily learn on and get comfortable in a matter of minutes.

As long as you take the safety courses and really drill into your head how much respect for guns you need to have and how dangerous they are you should be fine.

Absolutely, I should note that I am licensed, been to multiple trainings and even sprung for private live shooting training a couple of years ago so that stuff is fresh on my mind, but I only own a shotgun for clays and hunting. I have shot a few pistols in .22 and 9mm but nothing higher than that, felt pretty comfortable with the 9

I started with a .45 , my wife has a 9mm . If your down this way we can take a trip to the range and your welcome to try them out.

Sig Sauer 226 and the old reliable 1911 are my two of choice. Used by many active operators as sidearm of choice. I went with 9mm for my Sig as I was thinking about availability of ammo, rightly or wrongly, that was what I did. Sig has a real nice academy in NH. As for the 1911, you can choose between Colt, Smith and Wesson, Sig, and Ruger, as well as other manufacturers. .22 is a target pistol.

After getting a feel for a gun, ie. does it feel right in your grip, don't stop after firing it. Your decision should include breakdown, cleaning, etc

not to bitch - but - i want to oogle some weaponry - please
:nopics:

or at the very least provide us a LINK or two to a photo

and NO camel pics :)

No pics but mines a smith and Wesson M&P .45 fullsize, with Apex carry kit-dropped trigger pull to about 5# and the reset is much better than factory, Trijicon fiber optic night sights..love the gun now. My wifes is a Ruger SR9C , two tone, but she wants the slide cerakoted purple..that little gun shoots like a dream!

ya mean like this One

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c66/ravenob1/Ruger.png

That's the one!
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Fired a Sig P220 a few weeks ago. For a .45, I could not believe how smooth and comfortable it was. The grip was slim and the kickback was nonexistent. It's on my short list.

The thing with starting with a .22 is the Ammo is much cheaper so you won't be spending much at the range.
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That's the one!
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hey Honey> ? Yes>>>? i found the perfect gun for you

check this out ! Only 400 bucks and it's on sale....

that's all it would take ty :uhuh:

That's all it did take, almost verbatim ...I looked for one for 3 months, finally found one in Salisbury so we road tripped it the 1.5 hours up to get it. I put 100 rounds through it and it's a real nice shooter.
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BOB'S gun shop sells them with free shipping it stated

i don't know what background check they need to do

Thanks guys I was thinking 9mm so I wouldn't go broke shooting it at the range but still is a viable home defense weapon. With the current ammo situation does this still make sense or is it all just expensive now?
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Whoa just checked out the sigs...not inexpensive!
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Good luck finding any .22 ammo! Go with the 9MM and learn how to reload. Ammo prices are through the roof, if you can find what you want!

Vic

Went in with two others on a bulk buy, a week before the Ct. school massacre.... We have only seen a third of the total order... Had my better half go with me to KTP. She was not pleased when she realized I was using her as a second buyer, since they were limiting purchases to two boxes of primers per person:rotf2:

Whoa just checked out the sigs...not inexpensive!
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Nope. But they are proven performers. There is a P226 that has over a million rounds through it, with no malfunctions, stovepipes, failure to feed, etc.

I carry the S&W .40 shield. Great size and super concealable. 6 rd flush mag or 7 round extended loaded with Hornaday Critical Defense, great little gun.
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BOB'S gun shop sells them with free shipping it stated



It would have to be the MA compliant model, then be shipped to an FFL which is anywhere from 25.00-50.00 for them to do the transfer. So for me I just waited to find one priced right.
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Next to fishing guns, mainly pistols, r my second passion
Every gun has its purpose wether it be range, target, carry, or paper weight. Then u have revolver vs semi auto and then caliber and then brand and then budget as guns r not cheap
As others have stated ammo is expensive and hard to get. Reloading is another science that is expensive to get started with ( press, dyes, tumbler,etc) but for an experienced shooter that is shooting a lot ( when i was competeing idpa i was pushin over 1000 rds of 45 a week so was worth it)
I own different brands glock, sig, colt, ruger, berretta and mostly smiths. I used to compete .45. Carry .40sw mostly shoot .22. And the 9mms dont get much use
For first gun i would pass on my dads advice and go with a 4 inch barreled .357 mag revolver. Reason being with a revolver u r not blasting through ammo amd spending a ton of time reloading mags. If reloading dont have to scrounge of brass. Advantage of .357 mag is u can shoot much milder .38 special rds out of it yet have capabilty to fire out hotter .357 rounds if so desired. Any revolver make sure it has adjustable sites. I prefer smith revolvers
As far as semis go u need to decide if it is strictly range gun, carry gun, or one that sort of fits both roles. Carrying a gun is the most awesome responsibilty there is.
For range with out getting into competion target guns sig makes excellent accurate comfortable to shoot guns as they r heavy so easier to control recoil 229 in any caliber is excellent choice. As stated the 220 in .45 is nice. I still prefer 1911 style .45s though. The sig 1911 style 45s that just got approved in mass are dissappointing junk in my opinion
I really do not like my polymer rugers very much
If they were to come and take all my guns and leave me with only 1 it would be my glock 23 which is.40 sw. Small enough to carry yet big enough that u can go put 200 rds thru it at the range and not have your hand feel like someone smashed it with a sledgehammer if u prefer the milder 9mm the glock 19 is the same as the 23 but in 9mm.
If just want a fun inexpesive shooter get either a .22 lr revolver or semi. Smith model 41 is the nuts. Either that the ruger bull marks r pretty decent.
My recommendations r decide what u r gonna primarily use it for,then decide on budget. Used guns and especially goin to gun shows r the way to go. I think i have only bought 3 brand NIB guns in my life. Big savings
Whatever u r leaning towards take advantage of the offers from those of us on here that r willing to let u test drive them before u buy
I either own or have access to pretty much any hand gun that u can try
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I don't so a lot of shooting any more but have fired the hell outta the P226. We had them at a law enforcement academy i went to. There was maybe 20 of them and we fired about 10k rounds through them over he weekend. They were cleaned after each night. I was aware of 5 or so stovepipes. These were well used pistols. Not saying they are bad guns by any means, they are awesome just wanted to add .02. since there was a post about a million rounds without a stovepipe.

I don't so a lot of shooting any more but have fired the hell outta the P226. We had them at a law enforcement academy i went to. There was maybe 20 of them and we fired about 10k rounds through them over he weekend. They were cleaned after each night. I was aware of 5 or so stovepipes. These were well used pistols. Not saying they are bad guns by any means, they are awesome just wanted to add .02. since there was a post about a million rounds without a stovepipe.
Interesting. I never heard of stovepipe issues with sigs
Back when i used to shoot a lot and train i prob put 500,000 rds through my sig 228 9mm and never had a problem with anything. Rarely cleaned. My glock 23 was a used new bedford police service gun and i put close to 500,000 rds of all different brands of ammo through that gun and NEVER EVER cleaned it. Finally got cleaned when the trigger return/ reset spring broke and my seal buddy that is a master glock armor fixed it and was horrified at how dirty it was. He cleaned it. I was pissed because it ruined my personal glock test. The only guns i have ever had stove pipe problems with r my dads old and i mean old original colt 1911's. they would stovepipe once in a blue moon depending on ammo
Sig a few years ago were having problems with the recoil springs on 229's coming unraveled. My good bud is a waltham cop and they switched from ruger to sig and had a lot of problems with the recoil springs unraveling on brand new guns during qualification training. Within 2 mths they switched to glocks
But nothin beats the ergonomic feel of a sig in my hand
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By the way nice to finally see some activity in this forum. Been a while. Im sure bill can chime in on this topic as well
I love guns
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I clean mine after every range trip. Not sure why but I don't mind doing it at all. I would love a 1911 someday, just something about that gun that talks to me.
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I clean mine after every range trip. Not sure why but I don't mind doing it at all. I would love a 1911 someday, just something about that gun that talks to me.
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When i was competing i had a colt gold cup national match that i had alot of work done on. Was a tack driver. Then i tried a smith 1911. Out of the box stock shot circles around my colt. Sold it and bought a doug koenig model smith for about half of what i was into my colt for. Incredible gun
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This is great stuff guys thanks!
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Tons of people on the interblabs seem to like the M&P 9 any thoughts?
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M&P9 is a great gun. A ton of people have them and love them. It is a big gun however. Will this be a range gun or a carry gun?
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The M&P 9 is great in the full size, or compact model. They eat anything you feed it and wont break the bank.The one exception is the MA trigger. The factory pull is terrible and the reset is worse. Apex makes a real nice "tactical carry" kit for the m&p line that makes the gun shootable. For a first gun its a great choice.
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thanks. this will be a range and home defense gun, not planning on carrying anytime soon, would want to have a lot more training for that and mass laws are just ridiculous..
I hear this about the trigger a lot as well, can you explain what you mean by that? Does that mean the trigger pull is long, meaning you have to pull for a while before it fires? By reset I assume that means it just doesn't snap back to firing positing quickly enough to be comfortable?

Next to fishing guns, mainly pistols, r my second passion
Every gun has its purpose wether it be range, target, carry, or paper weight. Then u have revolver vs semi auto and then caliber and then brand and then budget as guns r not cheap
As others have stated ammo is expensive and hard to get. Reloading is another science that is expensive to get started with ( press, dyes, tumbler,etc) but for an experienced shooter that is shooting a lot ( when i was competeing idpa i was pushin over 1000 rds of 45 a week so was worth it)
I own different brands glock, sig, colt, ruger, berretta and mostly smiths. I used to compete .45. Carry .40sw mostly shoot .22. And the 9mms dont get much use
For first gun i would pass on my dads advice and go with a 4 inch barreled .357 mag revolver. Reason being with a revolver u r not blasting through ammo amd spending a ton of time reloading mags. If reloading dont have to scrounge of brass. Advantage of .357 mag is u can shoot much milder .38 special rds out of it yet have capabilty to fire out hotter .357 rounds if so desired. Any revolver make sure it has adjustable sites. I prefer smith revolvers
As far as semis go u need to decide if it is strictly range gun, carry gun, or one that sort of fits both roles. Carrying a gun is the most awesome responsibilty there is.
For range with out getting into competion target guns sig makes excellent accurate comfortable to shoot guns as they r heavy so easier to control recoil 229 in any caliber is excellent choice. As stated the 220 in .45 is nice. I still prefer 1911 style .45s though. The sig 1911 style 45s that just got approved in mass are dissappointing junk in my opinion
I really do not like my polymer rugers very much
If they were to come and take all my guns and leave me with only 1 it would be my glock 23 which is.40 sw. Small enough to carry yet big enough that u can go put 200 rds thru it at the range and not have your hand feel like someone smashed it with a sledgehammer if u prefer the milder 9mm the glock 19 is the same as the 23 but in 9mm.
If just want a fun inexpesive shooter get either a .22 lr revolver or semi. Smith model 41 is the nuts. Either that the ruger bull marks r pretty decent.
My recommendations r decide what u r gonna primarily use it for,then decide on budget. Used guns and especially goin to gun shows r the way to go. I think i have only bought 3 brand NIB guns in my life. Big savings
Whatever u r leaning towards take advantage of the offers from those of us on here that r willing to let u test drive them before u buy
I either own or have access to pretty much any hand gun that u can try
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Go with this advice and get a S&W 686, like Mike says you will not burn through ammo, another thing is if you shoot it double action only and take your time, your shooting will improve dramatically. You can also dry fire this gun, thus work on trigger control.

I have owned alot of different guns, my carry gun is an HK USP .40c They don't have the best triggers in the world but the gun is a beast and can shoot anything, never had a failure with this gun ever. Once you get used to the trigger they are an awesome gun, you just need to find the trigger reset. ;)

I have a couple of Para-Ordinance .45's they are 1911's, one is a single stack, and the other a double stack. I have never had an issue with them, but I know how to shoot. I've had a couple of friends and family shoot them , and they would fail to load or stove pipe. The biggest cause of this is "limp wristing" the gun. Once they were shown proper technique they were off to the races

Exactly, a MA compliant trigger is supposed to be 10# to pull, I think most of them are more between 11-13# ,the "length" of pull is terrible in my opinion from factory. I was ready to use my M&P .45 as a door stop, until I read up on it. Apex (there are other companies also) makes a trigger kit, that reduces trigger pull to around 5# and reduces trigger reset which is exactly as you wrote, return forward trigger travel in order to fire another round. There are a few gunsmiths up your way that can do the work also. It makes night and day difference.

Nope. But they are proven performers.
There is a P226 that has over a million rounds through it,
with no malfunctions, stovepipes, failure to feed, etc.

that's one hell of an endorsement NF
great TIP

Exactly, a MA compliant trigger is supposed to be 10# to pull, I think most of them are more between 11-13# ,the "length" of pull is terrible in my opinion from factory. I was ready to use my M&P .45 as a door stop, until I read up on it. Apex (there are other companies also) makes a trigger kit, that reduces trigger pull to around 5# and reduces trigger reset which is exactly as you wrote, return forward trigger travel in order to fire another round. There are a few gunsmiths up your way that can do the work also. It makes night and day difference.

I have the full size M&P in .40. Hate it. Now i know what to do with it. Use it as a door stopper
The triggers on them suck. I tried to explain to my dad about how the recoil transfer through the trigger felt like someone smashed my finger with a hammer everytime i pulled the trigger. He thought i was smokin crack till he tried it and went ouchie. Answer is glock
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I'm still very much a novice shooter and the stock trigger really magnified my "trigger flinch" it's better now but still not great. I'm a member of Old Colony in Pembroke if anyone wants to put some rounds down range, now to find ammo..never enough.
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hey guys, Follow up: after shooting pretty much anything I could get my hands on (including all of the 9mm you guys mentioned here and then some more) I ended up going with the M&P. Just fit the best in my hand. I've put a couple hundred rounds through it and even with the bad stock trigger (which I'll get fixed), it feels good.

Honestly, I liked the gen 4 glock the best, but thanks to the Commenwealth I couldn't find one at even close to a good price (say, like under $900!) and the prices are just absurd for the older ones. Heartbreaking that if I was in any other state, I could have a brand new one for under 5 bills. Oh well at least I like to fish here!

Thanks again for all the help guys.

Nice choice, a gun you can afford and shoot. The trigger job will be a huge improvement once you get that done. After that you'll be ready for one of these. A Guncrafter Industries "No Name" 1911 ..it can be all yours for a measley $2800.00 . If I had that kind of $$ for a gun, this would be the one.

Damn, can that really be that much better than a S&W one at about half the price?

No idea, I'm told those are the cats ass of guns..and that one is used.
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