So...buying my first hand gun

[Diragono]

I've always had rifles and shotguns, but now I feel it's time to expand my knowledge and collection. I'm wanting to purchase a good cheap handgun(I know those 3 words don't belong in the same sentence) just to learn with, possibly get my permit with and just all around a good plinker toy. Someone at work suggested a Hi Point C9 and I've been looking through reviews and such and it seems a decent weapon, or decent enough at least.

So, on to my few questions, firstly does anyone know which weapon shops around the Chattanooga/Knoxville area that sell these NIB around a decent price? Secondly, I don't know much about the laws regarding handguns, I know for a rifle/shotgun it is legal to carry provided it is unloaded and the ammo isn't readily accessible, but for a handgun...say I'm going to the shooting range, as long as the weapon is unloaded, ammo stored safely away from the weapon should I get pulled over, would I be ok or do you still need the handgun permit for that?

Also, if you know any pawn shops/gun stores that have other pistols at a decent price, feel free to recommend them, I am simply aiming towards Hi Point because it is near my price range. (Preferring something under $300)

[Guest bkelm18]

Some people swear by their Hi-Point pistols. I avoid them. The two that I have shot were problematic. That's just my experience. How cheap are you wanting? You can find a Taurus in the ~$300 range. Spend the money on a better gun than a Hi-Point. That's just my opinion. Without a Handgun Carry Permit, the requirements for weapon transport are the same for all guns. Ammo and weapons as separate as possible. Keep your magazines unloaded while in transport. Coal Creek Armory, Frontier Firearms, Bill's Outpost, Gunny's... are the shops I can think of off the top of my head.

[Karnage]

For around $300 you can get a new Ruger p95, a new Taurus 24/7, and a few others. I would look at some police trade guns at GT Distributors G T Distributors Contact Info . In Knoxville you can check out Craig's Firearm Supply, Inc. Police Distributors . For around $300 you can usually get a trade in Glock or older S&W.

Edited September 6, 2011 by Karnage

[Guest Aces&8s]

I have owned two Hi Point handguns, the C9 and the JCP (.40 S&W), and both were good guns. Accurate, reliable, and inexpensive, plus they would eat anything I fed them. They were also heavy, ugly, and big. Personally, I can deal with heavy, ugly and big, so long as I am not carrying it... they make good guns to put in the tacklebox, truck, trunk, nightstand, etc. You might use it to qualify for your HCP, but I doubt you would be carrying it much (although I know some who do carry the C9). They are good guns to start off with, though. They are also one of the few guns I would not hesitate to buy used, since they have a lifetime, unconditional, fully transferable warranty.

Close to that $300 price range, you might look at a Ruger P95. I think I gave $350 OTD for the one I bought, NIB. It, too, is big, though not as heavy, and it came with two 15 round mags (Hi-Points are single stackers... 8 to 10 rounds max, depending on model). And of course there is the S&W Sigma, a decent gun, runs about $300, but the trigger takes a lot of getting used to.

I would recommend going to a gun shop and looking at a few different pistols to see what fits you.

[TNWNGR]

The HiPoint C-9 is a bare bones basic stright blow back pistol that appears crude but is instead fairly state of the art for a basic pistol. I won't say that one is the ideal first handgun but others have gone that route and loved the pistol. If your price range is $300.00 than look at used pistol's or revolver's, you can find a lot of nice handguns in that price range. FWIW I consider a Ruger .22/45 to be one of the best initial purchase pistols for the money. Once you learn to shoot it well you'll know more about what you want out of a pistol.

[JimmyMac483]

Are you looking for a person defense gun or a range gun?

[Diragono]

Yea, I actually probably would take the HCP eventually with it, however as you said, I will mostly be keeping it in the glove box in my truck. For one to actually conceal, well...I would find a Smith and Wesson to carry. For some reason, I've always wanted one, not even a Beretta or Colt would change my mind. I think it has something to do with the fact, when I was younger I was with a family member in Memphis, someone actually tried to rob him walking down the street in broad daylight, he had a concealed S&W and used the all to famous catch phrase..."That will be a bad idea man, I've got two friends here...a Mr Smith and a Mr Wesson" needless to say my uncle was now my hero and I've wanted one ever since lol...sad but true

Too Jimmy Mac: Right now, more along the lines of range and just learning to shoot a handgun in general...I've shot them before but not enough to be comfortable in defending my or someone else's life. Once I get the hang of it I will purchase a better more durable/dependable weapon.

Edited September 6, 2011 by Diragono

[JimmyMac483]

For a good person defense gun around $300, I would look at a Bersa Thunder .380 or Kel Tec in 9mm or .380

You can also find some good used S&W's for around that price.

[Guest Broomhead]

While I carry a KelTec PF-9, I would not recommend one for a first pistol. The are very light and therefore have more felt recoil than most, you might end up with some flinches that you don't want.

The HiPoint C9 would be a good first pistol. That's what I did. I still shoot it and wouldn't hesitate to carry it again. It will eat anything I feed it, hit exactly where I aim it, it'll never fail, and never waver. Once you've learned, move on to bigger and better pistols, you will still come back to that C9 just for fun. Check out • Index page for a large group of owners and aficionados. I would recommend a HiPoint as a first gun to anyone, at least those with an open mind.

[sam]

harrisons sporting goods in harriman has really good prices

[TNWNGR]

People like Broomhead are advocates of the HiPoint C-9 and as he stated able to keep an open mind about the pistol and have fun with it as well. If your thinking along the lines of a S&W then I'd suggest you look for a used 5906 or one of the M&P pistol's, they are good product's. The Bersa Thunder that was mentioned is really nice as well. Another option is a CZ-75 or one of it's clone's, Armalite (spl) offers one that's made in Turkey that is first rate.

[Jonnin]

My first semi auto was my makarov; $300 got me a pistol and 1k rounds of ammo (ammo costs about twice that now but you can still find the guns for well under 300). Amazingly accurate gun, cheap and cheap to shoot, and still one of my favorites. Another thought is a cheap .22 to learn to shoot handguns and to have an inexpensive range alternative -- a used ruger mark, or s&w 22a (new!) can be found cheap. I don't recommend a .22 for defense, but do believe everyone should have 1 for the range. The mak is fine for defense -- its about like a 380 without the pricey ammo, I carried mine for over a decade. I picked up a used ruger p89 for $250 last year, also a very nice gun for a low price. Try a gun show, just this weekend I went and saw a number of used pistols under or at $300 -- heavy wear on the outside lowers the price but does not matter, its the internals that matter.

[SonnyCrockett]

avoid highpoint.......hunk of junk...

Ruger has some nice offerings in the 300-400 range weather it be a P95 or an SR9

your getting a gun thats dead on reliable and made in the usa......

I grabbed a my SR9 lightly used for 350 and its been great...

Im not a fan of pawnshops cause near me they ask for almost new price

for old truck guns,but outside the city I can find deals...P95s are all over the place

[daddyo]

My suggestion is to start out with the best you can afford. Also look at the Bersa 9's, .40's, and .45's. They can be found in the $300 - $350 range.

[Diragono]

The thing about getting the best I can afford, right now I'm looking for a pistol that I can just have fun with, learn to use to get the hang of my stance, grip and aim, and something that if it gets beat up a bit, it doesn't matter. Keep in mind, the handgun I purchase isn't going to be my permanent pistol and definitely won't be the handgun that I conceal and carry and all around put my personal defense in its' reliability. For that, as I said I'm going to be going for a S&W, or maybe even a Kimber. I like the Hi Point because it's rugged, and from a lot of stuff I've read and videos I've seen, can take a beating, shoots about any ammo thrown into it and is decently accurate.

I thank everyone for their suggestions though, I've also just learned that a old buddy of mine is wanting to sell a near brand new Taurus 380 for $275...is that a good deal on it? Are they decent handguns?

[Jonnin]

taurus makes pretty good stuff, and 275 is less than what they cost new (probably saving $50 or so). 380 ammo is very expensive for practice -- if you do not reload it at a minimum of $15 per box of 50, and closer to $20 at times. Its one of the worst calibers for learning to shoot handguns because of this. If you want a S&W I still say a .22 (22a or 22s or whatever it is model) which is $250 new and for what you can get 50 shots of 380 you can get 550 rounds of 22.

[BigK]

FWIW I consider a Ruger .22/45 to be one of the best initial purchase pistols for the money. Once you learn to shoot it well you'll know more about what you want out of a pistol.

IMHO, this is the best advice you've been given. Handguns are harder to learn to shoot well than a long gun. Buying a Ruger Mark I, II, or III is going to make you a better shot MUCH faster for 2 reasons: 1) EVERYONE flinches from the recoil when learning to shoot a handgun. With a .22 you don't learn this bad habit. 2) Ammo is dirt cheap, so you can practice 5 to 10 times as much for the same money. Plus, when you're ready to get a self-defense gun, you can sell the Ruger for nearly what you paid for it.

Let me add, however, that a Hi-Point is not a bad first centerfire handgun. Mine is accurate, reliable, and comfortable to shoot...very ugly, though.

[wjh2657]

Another for the Ruger Mark I,II or III. Handguns are hard to master and you need to practice regularly to stay proficient. Starting out, you need to master the basics with a .22 first. I own a bunch of handguns including Glocks and S&W revolvers and I carry with a HCP on a daily basis.

I shoot daily. I can do that because I do my daily shooting with a .22 and once a week with my S&W and Glock. I use a Ruger MK II and a S&W 317 ( 317 is way to pricey for a casual gun, go with theRuger!) I use the 317 because it is the .22 clone of my S&W 642 that I EDC.

The .22s are also a lot of fun and lend to a more satisfying session. You will not find the transition to the bigger gun all that difficult.

Get a .22, learn how to shoot a handgun and have a bunch of fun at the same time!

IMHO you will find that you still have the Ruger long after you have traded to different guns.

Edited September 6, 2011 by wjh2657

[EastHipster]

You can get a solid used Glock 17 for $300 or so.

Buy from a reputable dealer.

It's a simple to operate and clean and if you learn good technique on that you will be able to shoot anything.

9mm at Walmart is $9-$11 for 50 rounds

RE: .22

If you think you will PRACTICE (and you should if you want to shoot well) getting a .22 is an excellent idea.

Get a Ruger 22/45 and a couple thousand rounds of Ammo from Walmart ($16 for 550!) and go SHOOT.

If you can't shoot tight groups with a .22 then you can't shoot with anything else.

If you're not going to practice, just get a Glock or a Keltec P11 and point in the general direction of the threat...

[1gewehr]

Everyone should have a .22 pistol. And getting the .22 pistol as your first pistol is an excellent idea. As you stated your goals were to learn to shoot properly and get accustomed to shooting, a .22 is the logical place to start. First, you won't go nuts thinking about sending $.25 to $1 downrange every time you pull the trigger. You can get .22 ammo very inexpensively. Second, the mild recoil and blast of the .22 will keep you from learning to flinch, jerk the trigger, or a host of other bad habits that can be learned from shooting more powerful cartridges. Third, a .22 can do almost everything. It is a great informal plinking and target-shooting pistol. It can destroy small varmints. It can put meat on the table (squirrel, rabbit, etc). And it does make a decent choice for home defense if you don't have a shotgun or larger pistol.

The skills and confidence you get from making a 1" hole at 10 yards with your .22 pistol easily transfers to larger calibers later. and you don't 'outgrow' a .22. I'll bet that almost everyone here still has their first .22 pistol. And I'll bet it still goes the the range with them pretty often. I take a .22 pistol to the range every time I go to shoot pistol. And it usually gets more rounds fired than any other pistol, too.

[Diragono]

I'm going to seriously take getting a .22 in consideration. I've got probably, 900 rounds of .22 ammo sitting in my closet from my .22 rifle. Someone just told me they have a bernardelli .25 caliber pistol for sale and it shoots .22 ammo. Their wanting $75 for it, it's a very small gun but for that price even if I end up getting a larger caliber I may have to go ahead and add it to my collection. But, does anyone know anything about them? Don't really want to get something that is going to blow my finger off.

Redirect Notice this pistol in the picture is exactly like his

[TNWNGR]

That would not be a fun gun to learn to shoot with but would be nice to have if priced right.

[Will Carry]

Save up dude. If you could just save a little more money you could get a good handgun. I know it's hard to save money when you have a family to care for but if you put that $300 aside and added to it a little at a time...........

My first two handguns were $300 pistols and I regretted buying them. The Sigma was a jam-o-matic and the Taurus M85 would lock up and not operate.

I sold them both and took a big loss.

Edited September 6, 2011 by Will Carry

[Guest nicemac]

+1 on getting a .22. You can get a Ruger Mark III or a Browning Buckmark and not break your budget. PLUS, shooting them is significantly cheaper than any center fire handgun (and a lot more fun too).

[Jonnin]

That little mousegun 22 is going to be difficult to hit anything with, I have one about that small and its hard to hit anything past about 10 feet (for reference I ususally can hit a 2-3 inch target at 30 yards or so with a full sized 22 pistol). It may be fun but its not easy to learn with, you will struggle to get 2 hands on it and may have to shoot it one handed, and it simply will not be accurate, and many small guns can have functional problems (jams and so on). That one may work fine or not, but it wont be accurate. The price is nice but I cannot recommend as anything other than a novelty. If you want to learn to shoot a defensive pistol, the walther p22 is shaped and sized and all much like a typical carry pistol. If you want to learn to shoot well, listen to what people say over and over, ruger 22, buckmark 22, and IMHO the S&W 22a is equal to either of those, with the ruger being the best of the 3 "slightly" due to its amazing rugged build (it will outlast just about any other handgun round for round). If you want a tiny pocket pistol, the $75 one is a start but I advise learning stance, marksmanship, and so on with a 2h sized weapon, even if a small one.