First Gun

[Stick Man]

...any gun is a good one...

Lemme clear the air . . . .

The best one for your money is what the SEALS carry.

H+K USP .40 (any variant thereof) is my choice. Tritium night sights, hogue grip, P.B. clips including an extender clip that turned my 15 shot clip into a 22 shot clip (legally for you law dogs) is what you're gunpowder seeking heart desires.

Its totally concealable and it will protect you just fine. Decocking lever that can be switched from side to side and dual side clip release is real convienient. Easy breakdown for cleaning or jammed rounds (I've never had one by-the-way).

Get two holsters - a summer (shoulder holster) and winter (hip) holster (and try them all on - you never know what will work once you buy it and take it home. Just wear you're favorite weekend outfit and go shopping. Try to conceal according to the weather you're dressing for. Dont waste time getting an ankle holster unless you're gonna carry a cannon as piece number one and a mustang or some small .380 as a backup (Starsky and Hutch style).

Also, dont worry about a 15 shot clip if you cant get one - if you're chuckin no. 13 and 14 - you'd better be runnin - cause you're either shooting at an off duty cop or a home slice with an arsenal.

Clean you're gun every time you change the oil in your car (or every time you go to the range).

Please wear hearing protection and eye protection whenever you shoot (pilot first - self protection-ist second) and join the NRA.

Dont forget to educate before you carry - otherwise you become a punchline for the dems who want to take your rights away and you become a whipping boy for every liberal news media story about self-protection and the right to carry.

One more thing - a gun is not a penis - don't show it off in public.

P.S. - Glocks are nice - but they have the sillyest safety in the world. Also - I never felt that they were too ergonomically friendly.
They are great for what they were built for - law enforcement - but there are better options out there for the same $$.
(ALSO - no offense meant to those who carry squares-Glocks)

 

[belchfire]

Frieghtdoggie

What are you doing with the gun...is it for carry (and if so, open or
concealed).

Is it for honest to God defense, or are you just going to chase cans around the gravel pit? If you're going to the gravel pit, get
a .22, buy lots of ammo and have fun! Besides, if you do need
it, you will be able to hit with it, and a fast noise never hurt
anyone.

Go to an indoor range that rents pistols, and try a bunch of them...handguns are very individual things. They absolutly must
fit YOUR hand(s), not the guy selling it to you!

The walther is nice, but .380 is a little light on power. The .40s&w
and 10mm combine supersonic velocities that make a hollowpoint
work (.380 isn't, you're better off with a solid bullet) and a larger
diameter,heavier bullet that gives mass like the old .45acp.

If you want something to keep in the closet, get a short barreled
12 gauge...the sound of a pumpgun is unmistakable, your average burglar will flee, and the crackhead that won't WILL be
stopped with one shot.

If you're going to get a handgun, lean toward something in a larger diameter. I like the berreta/taurus...don't like the double
action onlys (purely subjectve)...in .40 s&w or 10mm. If you find
a .45 acp that you like, and you can hit with it, get it! Heck, what about that new .50 S&W Mag!!! way to much for me! Great if you want to stop humvee's!!!

But find something that fits you first and formost, that you can hit
with. You are better off hitting someone ten times with a .22 than
missing 7 times with a .45acp. And go to the range alot!

 

[FL000]

I think it was the first reply that stated his first handgun was a S&W 686. I also made that my first pistol about 12 years ago. I got the 6-inch barrel. It's small enough for home protection, but large enough to hunt with if you so choose. It'll scare the hell out of anyone who sees it, and the noise with a .357 shell in there will clear out the house during a break in. If you want to save some dough during target practice, load it up with .38 shells. I got it for those reasons plus the fact it looks so classic. It's a truly beautiful gun.

 

[WrightAvia]

I had a 586, which is the same as the 686, but isn't stainless. Very fun to shoot. In fact, with rubber grips you could shoot it all day saturday and all day sunday. I used to reload 500 rounds in a session and shoot with a friend, who used to reload as many for .41 magnum, for his ruger red hawk.

We'd be in the basement at the reloading presses, all friday evening long. Like an assembly line. We would finish up by 9 or 10 o'clock in the evening, suck a few beers and get back together in the morning. Then he would grab his bolt action rifle, I'd grab the FN FAL and the H-BAR and we'd go to the range and shoot all freeking saturday and sunday.

Shooting metalic silhouettes out to 100 yards with revolvers was a hoot. In fact, we used to shoot those revolvers so much, we had gun powder boogers at the end of the day.

Yea the 586/686 is a great gun.

 

[Flyguy5432H]

i'm a glock fan myself. usually have the 23 in .40 S&W with me.

even without the tradional safety as on other handguns, the best safety is still between your ears.

4000+ rounds, and still not one malfunction.

 

[WrightAvia]

I'm not a big fan of the auto loaders that have the magazine safety. Those are safeties that work when the magazine is out of the gun.

IE: My friend by the name of Lynn Munger, with the Green Bay police department, went on a domestic disturbance call at a bar once. The guy that he was talking to about the disturbance, put Lynn in a bear hug and was wrestling with him over the Smith & Wesson 9MM he had in his holster. The guy was at least 350 pounds or more and had Lynn beat in the wrestling match. Lynn had the presence of mind while he had his hand on his gun, forcing it to remain in it's holster, to press the magazine release and eject the mag. His opponent eventually got Lynn's gun out of the holster and pointed at him, pulling the trigger. Keep in mind, even though you take the magazine out of an automatic, there is still a round in the chamber (if you put it there). However, the magazine safety, saved Lynn Munger from being shot that night. Email the GBPD, if you don't believe this story. Lynn's assailant's last name was Rose.

I have heard that guns with magazine safeties are really hard on the trigger pull, because of the extra mechanisim involved.

Here is one I can't back up, however. In Georgia or somewhere down south. A cop that was getting ready for work, or just coming home, placed his loaded duty Glock on the dinner table and was doing something in the kitchen. A child at the dinner table, picked the gun up and played with it. Shooting dad the cop dead. I'm not making this one up. Any tips leading up to that story are greatly appreciated. It happened less than two years ago.

 

[Cardinal]

Man you'll never have enough guns..... it's a disease...

Hey, are you the same Patriot328 over at AR15.com? Ain't that a wonderful place? After I've truly exhausted new reading material here at flightinfo, I can head over there and be occupied until 3am.

 

[Patriot328]

Hey, are you the same Patriot328 over at AR15.com? Ain't that a wonderful place? After I've truly exhausted new reading material here at flightinfo, I can head over there and be occupied until 3am.

Cardinal,

Yeppers the one and same (not very original at picking user names I guess). I spend more time over there than I do here, however. There's no Comair/DAL scope issues to dig through at arfcom..

 

[PBRstreetgang]

Hey,
All these posts and no one has made the connection to the assualt weapon ban and the mesa contract, it's on page 23 right after the requirement to place ones 'nads on the table and drop bowling ball on said 'nads.
there I feel better now
hehe
PBR

 

[Airpiraterob]

saw this on a bumper sticker...

"Fight crime, Shoot back!"

 

[skyking1976]

Allright....

The best way to find out what gun will best fit you is simply go shoot one. There are indoor firing ranges across the country that will rent handguns. Simply go and try a few out. Try different frame sizes, calibers, etc. until you find one that you are comfortable with shooting. Obviously for concealment purposes small frame autos and snub-nosed relvolvers will be your best bet. If you are concerned with individual cartridge ballistics, go to ammo manufacturers websites. They will usually post ballistics tables for comparison. My personal weapon is a Sig SP2340 SigPro. It has the durability of a polymer frame and it shoots really nice like a Sig should. It also has interchangeable calibers between .40S&W and .357 Sig (the latter is my fave).

 

[katanabob]

While on the subject.. any comments/complaints regarding .22 automatics? I have a Glock 19 I adore, but would like to get something for plinking.
Buckmarks seem to be fairly popular..

 

[LearLove]

I was cleaning out my apartment and found my old BB gun.....

Now where's Chris Beebe when you need him.

 

[WrightAvia]

While on the subject.. any comments/complaints regarding .22 automatics? I have a Glock 19 I adore, but would like to get something for plinking.
Buckmarks seem to be fairly popular..

Hey Katana Bob... If you want to purchase a conversion kit to make your Glock 19 into .22 caliber, you might want to check out this website.

http://www.22lrconversions.com/glk-pg.htm

Jonathan Ciener conversions of all types, are highly regarded in the industry. The conversion is as quick as removing your slide and magazine from your glock and replacing those with the conversion slide and .22 magazine. You get to shoot .22's in your Glock.

He also does other conversions...just click "HOME" on this page I gave you and there is a list of other products listed.

 

[Flyguy5432H]

The advantage arms is another great conversion for the glocks. can get them for pretty much any model.

heck of a lot cheaper shooting a brick of .22 with only a box or two regular caliber ammo to keep profecient.