Handgun Reccomendations?

[Guest ecmontgomery]

I am an avid shotgun owner with little or no handgun experience. I am looking for a great (I do not have an unlimited bank account though) handgun for concealment and target shooting. What are your recommendations? I have done quit a bit of research on the web, but I would love to hear from actual owners!

[Guest Verbal Kint]

Can't go wrong with a flavor of 1911, XD, Sig, HK... or <gasp> even a Glock.

Polymer vs steel frame? You mention you have little experience with handguns... have you shot any before, or recently? Have a preference in caliber, or know what you can handle best? If not... might want to hit a local range/shop that will let you squeeze of a few rounds in various sizes. Also, what is the price range you can comfortably spend?

From your research on the web, do you have a few favorites that you've looked at?

[Smith]

Really subjective question, but I have an XD9 Service (full size carry) and a Kel-Tec PF9 (deep concealment). i guess it really depends on what exactly you want out of your gun.

[Guest ecmontgomery]

9/40/45 are all fine. Have no issues with fire power. I have shot with handguns in the past but never owned one. So far I have looked into:

* Springfield XD's (45 compact / 40 sub)

* FN FNP 40

* Sig 229 Equinox

* Walther PPS 40

* Glocks (seem to small for my hands)

* Magnum Research Baby Eagle in 40

[nb forrest]

+1 for the XD

[Guest canynracer]

I have a Sigma 9ve...reliable as all heck, 2-16rd mags, S&W has a deal now for two extra mags (4 total) after the mail in. $320.00 out the door, its a little big...

if you can spend more, you should look at the M&P 9c...or the M&P 40c

that is my dream gun!

also, Rabbi has quite the carry package in the "vendor midway" package

http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/showthread.php?p=34144#post34144

[Smith]

Might I add, that if you are going to "target" shoot a lot, I would opt for the 9mm. A whole lot more shooting for the money over .40 or .45

[Guest looneeetunes]

my advice would be to goto a store with a range that rents guns, put a few diffrent ones in your hand. then you can see where you want to be. i think alot of guns are personal preference. there is the part about reliability. lot of reliable guns, just have to find the caliber that suits you and the one that you like to the fit of your hand.

[Guest ecmontgomery]

Sounds like great advice. Can you reccomend a range in East TN? I am north of Chatt.

[Guest bkelm18]

I just picked up a CZ P-01 not too long ago. It's the gun of the Czech National Police. It's pretty compact, shoots 9mm, and quite accurate out of the box. Mine came with night sights, don't know if those are standard though. CZs are rugged pistols at a good price. My daily carry is a HK USPc .40SW. Nice and compact with HK reliability, but kinda pricey. If you're looking into a 1911, you'll be hard pressed to find any bad comments about Rock Island Armory. They make quality 1911's for next to nothing compared to others.

[Guest 270win]

Check into the HK, Sig, and Walther 4 inch barrel handguns, if the Glock seems a little too small for you in the grip. All three are of excellant quality and you should be able to conceal it well in a good inside the waistband holster. The Walther has adjustable grip inserts. I know Sig 228 and 229 are a little thicker in the grip than the Glock 17 and Glock 19. I have to go the opposite of you and try thinner grip handguns like the Glock and 1911's.

If you are looking for target fun (not competition), look into 9mm. People talk bad about it, but you can buy a lot of 9mm ammo cheaper than 40 or 45. Practice is what matters. I bought a Glock 19 9mm for the reason of cheap ammo.

[jgrauman]

i shoot at carters on 58. you are more than welcome to come shoot with me to give the xd's a shot, i have a service and sub in .40

[Guest Mugster]

I'll second or 3rd the 9mm notion. Cheaper to shoot, recoil is less. You could go with a good .22lr if plinking is what you want to do.

[Guest xd45]

I'll second the XD in 9mm or .45acp compact.Versatile, can be compact or full size.No matter how much research you do something else may grab your eye when you go to the store,but the research is still worth effort.

[molonlabetn]

It'd be a good idea to start with a .22 or 9mm, simply to make the most out of your practice and ammunition fund.

There are many excellent 9mms out there, as well, for which there are 9mm conversion kits. 1911s, Hi-Powers, Beretta 92s and Glocks come to mind immediatly... However, the XD is an excellent choice as well, even though there is no .22 conversion kit yet available.

[Guest TN.Frank]

For someone that's not a handgun person I'd stay away from semi-autos for a while, at least until you learn some basics. Pick yourself up a good Smith & Wesson K or L frame .357Mag with a 3" or 4" bbl., get some 38spl wadcutter ammo for practice and load up with 38spl +P for Home Defence. Then if you want/need more power you can load up with full power 357 Mag. Something like the M-65 with a 3" bbl would be a great little carry gun that'd be easy to shoot.

[Branket]

XD 9mm service was my first handgun, and I'm glad it was. You could do a lot worse for more money than to buy one of those.

On the other hand I happen to know of a certain Sig 229 in .40 for sale.

[saintsfanbrian]

I am curious as to why Frank suggests staying away from Semi-Auto handguns because you are relatively new to handguns. This is my opinion. Go to a range that rents, shoot as many as you can afford. Go from there.

There is nothing wrong at all with a 9mm. There is nothing "magical" about a .45. The only bad gun is the one you left at home as long as you go with a reputable vendor.

[Guest canynracer]

I LOVE my 9mm...I am pretty good with it too...its all a matter of preference, I find my 9mm easy to control and VERY consistant. I dont think there is anything wrong with a 9mm

[Guest TN.Frank]

The manual of arms for a semi-auto is a lot harder than it is for a revolver. You have "Tap, Rack, Bang" drills, you have to know about clearing a "stove pipe" jam, you have all kinds of other stuff that can make life rather hard when learning how to shoot using a semi-auto. Revolvers, on the other hand, are pretty much "newbie" proof. You open the cylinder, load the ctgs. close the cylinder and pull the trigger, that's it.

If a person wants to take the time to learn how to properly use a semi that's cool but a revolver is much simpler to make go "bang" then a semi as a general rule.

http://www.notpurfect.com/main/revolver.html

[saintsfanbrian]

Very valid points there Frank. Thanks for taking the time to explain it.

[Guest TNDixieGirl]

My first and only gun is the SW9VE (S&W). Didn't take much to figure the thing out and it's been good and reliable.

Has anyone actually fired the Kel-Tec PF9 yet? How did it handle? I'm drawn to it, but would like an opinion from an owner or someone thats used one before.

[Marswolf]

Check http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2626. There are some reports there from shooters of the PF-9

[Smith]

My first and only gun is the SW9VE (S&W). Didn't take much to figure the thing out and it's been good and reliable.

Has anyone actually fired the Kel-Tec PF9 yet? How did it handle? I'm drawn to it, but would like an opinion from an owner or someone thats used one before.

Good link above. mouseguns.com did a real good review on it. I own one and have shot it quite a bit. It is my daily carry when I need a deep concealment piece. It handles really well. Not real snappy, but I wouldn't want to shoot all day with it, though.

[Guest ecmontgomery]

All...

Thanks to everyone for their input. All well taken to heart. I went and tried several. I have to say that the Sig 229 in .40 got me going (I won't go into detail on how it got me going because they would censor it anyway) and I decided to by it. Shoots well (as far as I can tell). Feels awesome in my hand. Comes apart easy. I went for more comfortable feel than concealment. And.... for the statement I made about not having an open bank account..the money I did have is gone. This puppy wasn't cheap. I hope to be putting many rounds thru it. Again, thanks to everyone. (Oh....the Springfield XD40 compact came in second)