Going for pistol licence soon……..
What would be a good choice for a first time pistol owner? Self defense/competition $400. $500. range
All Replies
In all seriousness though, here’s a good read on buying a handgun. (also has a good explanation on this site why glocks are NOT good)
I mean, think about it. That massive amount of power will drop anyone. The massive fireball and noise will make any robbers in the county drop what they are doing and run. With a proper holster they can be rather concealable.
Now, you better hit with that first shot, because it may take a few minutes for you to recover from it and get off a second shot, but that’s beside the point. 😆
Perfectly said by the young master 😯
I had a buddy walk up to me, and he pulled a 6″, 500 smith out of his front pocket. he was a rather round individual. with big pockets. he still surprised me.
goofy basterd was skeered to shoot it. LOL
By far the best starter handguns and ones to use as carry/defense handguns are either the:
Desert Eagle in .50AE
Or a good S&W 500
I can’t see any reasonable arguments as to why either of those would be bad guns for carry and self defense. 😉
Hell i just assume everyone has a rim fire , i always get one out before shooting most anything to settle down, whether i am shooting 44’s ,, or 38’s.
Thank you all for your suggestions. You have given me alot to think about.
get a ruger MKIII .22lr used
for trigger time and getting used to shooting pistols its great and fun and cheap to shoot
then save up and get you personal defence gun
i have my ruger and the HIpoint 9mm is my defence gun
Find a nice .357 revolver and shoot .38 specials out of it for target practice and .357 for killing
The operative phrase here is “first time pistol owner” guys…
all of your suggestions are fine for the EXPERIENCED pistol shooter however someone with little to zero experience really should be thinking rimfire on their initial purchase.
Reasoning is multi fold:
To become proficient with a sidearm takes practice and that practice doesn’t come cheap with center fires.
Second, its not wise to start the novice off on what they may perceive as hard recoiling arms…thats how flinches develop.
Third, competitive pistols in the center fire class simply are not to be had in $400/$500 range
you can tho hunt up a second hand Ruger Bull Barrel Target model in said range
An option to consider would be a Police trade in Sig 226 in 9mm and then purchase a .22LR conversion kit for it which will allow one to practice at minimal cost with the same pattern of firearm you would use for defense as a centerfire. The 226 can be found sub $500.00 regularly on Gun Stroker
Glocks are the very Last of pistols I would recommend to a new shooter based on the high number of accidental shootings, discharges and self inflicted wounds even among the ranks of our nations police forces that have adopted them due to the lack of any true positive safety
fine for the battlefield but poor choice for most any other application.
as far as competition the rimfire shines
with regards to self defense, I would rather see a series of well placed solid hits with rimfire hollowpoints then several clean misses with a magnum
after all the lowly rimfire has been operational for decades with most of the worlds intelligence services for assassination most notabably our own as well as the Israelis
Yeah, if its for carry I got sick of the auto and now use a S&W .38SPL.+P Airweight, it has S&W laser grips and is hammerless. Its great in a ankle holster or just in a coat pocket.
Smith & Wesson 357 magnum, (you can shoot .38 special out of it also). 4″ barrell, stainless…model 66 great choice.
get you a nice stainless snub nose 38 , Taurus is quality firearm at a good price.
get the smallest frame gun with a minimum caliber of 9mm, if you have to have an auto.
if you want to carry on the hip you can go with slightly larger handgun.
from my point of view , i bought ankle holsters, side mount behind the back holsters. shoulder holsters.
Most of the time i ended up just sticking a snub nose 38 in my waist band,
I work construction and wear tool pouches all day, and a large frame handgun was just in my way.
second favorite carry was ankle holster, it just disappears, and you don’t even notice it.
Just practice diving out of the way to get your pants leg up off your boot to draw the gun .LOL
Oh , and make sure and take the fireing test with an auto , so you can carry what ever side arm you want. dont worry about getting one for the test , most of the time you can rent a gun for it.
Probably a Glock, If you went to $600 might be able to find a used Sig or H&K.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Pistols I have shot so far.
.22 revolver (to many rounds to count)
.38 revolver (500 or so rounds)
9mm Glock (200 or so rounds)
.45 S&W (1 box)