What's a Solid Choice for a Handgun?

Find a place where you can handle and shoot several different pistols, both revolvers & magazine fed semi automatics. Shoot only those that fit your hand comfortably, and pay attention to how easy or difficult each one is to load, manipulate, shoot, tear down, clean and reassemble. People will name all sorts of brands, models and calibers, but none of that is important until you find a couple pistols that you are comfortable with. Come back with that list, and listen to what experienced shooters have to say about your choices.

That's my advice.

"The only purpose for a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should have never laid down."

 

Glock 19, smith and Wesson m&p 2.0 compact, hk vp9 are all pistols I have either owned or spent quite a bit of time shooting and I would recommend all three. However if you are looking at strictly home defense I would go with an ar-15 or some sort of rifle. I laugh at all these people panic buying 9mm like they are gonna defend the homestead from an onslaught of looters with a pistol.

 

Big fan of Sig Sauer.Solid and true!!!

 

I absolutely LOVE my Walther PPQ M2. Next purchase will be a Glock 43X for carry

 

If you're new to shooting, I'd make sure I had ammunition already in hand before buying my first pistol.

Don't assume you can just buy ammo at Academy or the local shop or Walmart on your way home. There's nothing on the shelves here.

I'm not suggesting you base your decision purely upon ammo availability but if you need it right now make sure you have something to feed it right now.

If your gun store is selling you a 9mm/.357 Sig/.45 ACP, they better make sure you're leaving with at least a box of ammo of whatever its chambered in. Don't let them tell you tell you they have some on order next week. The caveat is this: do not pay more than a dollar per round for self defense ammunition. Do not pay more than $.30 cents per round for range-type, bulk-type ball ammunition.

Self defense:

Federal HST 9mm 150 gr jacket hollowpoint above

Range:

Winchester White Box FMJ above

How much? A box (50 rds) or two (100 rds) are more than enough for your purposes. Yes self defense ammo will (hopefully) expand and create a larger permanent wound cavity. 100 rounds of it wont break the bank. If they only have FMJ/ball ammo (winchester white box, etc) just get it, you'll shoot it at the range later hopefully.

To your original question, hand fitment, finger placement and a good predictable trigger is more important than "what the professionals use" while LARPing on the streets.

More people have probably died from shitty jammomatic Highpoints in the hood than Beretta M9s in service of this nation since 1985.


(Hi-Point C9 above)

(Beretta M9 Above.)

I'll be honest and say I think a manual safety in the hands of a novice shooter will result in failure - just a lack of muscle memory and familiarity.

You want a striker fired pistol. I'm not going to argue over single action 1911s or Double Action - Single Action exposed hammer firearms because both of those operations require training under stress to work well.

For these reasons I'd suggest you look for a Walther PPQ, really anything from Walther.


(PPQ M2 Above)

It has an excellent trigger out of the box, no manual safety to be disengaged under pressure, a pedigree of reliability, and is very ergonomic.

If you can't find a Walther PPQ I would look for Smith and Wesson M&P 2.0 in whatever barrel length you like (without a manual safety).

I have a few Glocks and would not recommend them to someone with no experience shooting, no experience with trigger control, no experience with sight alignment or sight picture, no experience with grip pressure or recoil management, and has no need for mindbogglingly simple disassembly. Glocks are great for dumping money into (aftermarket triggers, connectors, frame cuts, slide serrations, etc etc) but if I needed something to hand to a novice shooter and expect them to perform under stress I would place Glock in the middle of the pack.

Do it now, those poor bastards in California waited too long and aren't able now.

 

I am no expert but I have taken pretty much every course offered at my local range, have read a lot and have over 15 years of shooting experience. For handguns I am a huge Springfield armory fan, specifically the Xd line. For home defense and a novice shooter, I concur with the notion that a shotgun is absolutely the best way to go. Just my .02

 

I like that advice, lots of nice lightweight easy to shoot wheelguns out there.. I prefer Glock 19, but have several S&W lightweight revolvers.

 

I did this Yesterday for a friend in "need".

 

For the love of God get some training on how to use your new firearms. Safety first. Always safety first.

 

Wouldn’t the lady be better off owning a 22cal for her first hand gun. Nice and easy to shoot. She could upgrade to a more potent caliber later.

 

Sage advise.^^^^
As far as pistol fighting your way back to your rifle. Just get a "pistol" wink wink SBR that shoots a rifle caliber.

Winning in 458Socom!

In all seriousness get something that fits your hand with safety features or lack there of you're comfortable with.

Size would depend on use.

Bedside gun?, daily carry?, concealed?, glove box?

Caliber/capacity? See above

Best of luck shopping in this climate.

 

My wife has a Springfield Armory EMP 40. It's a scaled down 1911 chambered in .40 cal. It's an all steel gun, but she likes it because the extra weight soaks up the recoil.

She likes my full size Kimber 1911 in .45 ACP more, but that's a little impractical for a daily carry unless your a pretty big guy.

Maybe it's been said here already, but unless a person is going to become proficient with a gun and maintain proficiency through regular drills they're better off not carrying a gun. If you're not properly prepared to use your weapon to defend yourself/others it's statistically more likely that the aggressor will take your weapon and use it on you.

 

Since my wife seems to fumble with the slide on my Sig P226 Scorpion, we got her a nice S&W "Lady" 38 special, which was very easy for her to hold and shoot (small raccoon hands).

 

I carry a 17 and 43x for duty and a 19 for personal use. Big fan of the 19

 

What round is that pistol lol

 

Try many, pick one.
If you don't like the one that you pick, you'll never carry it nor shoot it. Choose wisely. If you ever need it, you'll need it to protect your life, property, and family.
Glock products are everywhere. It's reliable. There are other manufacturers that are just as good, though they aren't as prevalent in the law enforcement and personal protective areas as Glock.

I own a Wather PPS M2 (single stack 9mm) for my Every Day Carry. I also have a Walther PPQ M2 9mm, a CZ-75 SP-01 (my only non-polymer handgun), and a Steyr L9-A1.

 

For edc sig sauer p365 for making big holes....any colt 1911

 

I just saw the post about your wife wanting something to protect herself when you’re at work... and that she really isn’t crazy about guns. Have you considered a good dog? Seriously. A barking dog is a good deterrent, better than nothing for sure.

If you move ahead, Id again say go to a good locally owned gun store and let them guide you. I’ve always had great experiences at my “go to” store near my house, I pay a little more I’m sure but their expertise is worth it IMO.

In general, I’d say start her on something small caliber, really small caliber. Maybe even an air gun to learn to get on target, stay on target and squeeze the trigger. Honestly, if all you’ve ever personally had is a .22, maybe get a .22 to start. Better to have one well placed .22 round than 10 .45 cal rounds off the mark. And if you haven’t ever handled or been around a shotgun much, the recoil and sound might be overwhelming.

If my perspective helps, my wife worked her way up to shooting the Sig p238 micro, and she’s still a little trigger shy with it. If she hadn’t shot my .22 first, I doubt she’d have stuck with shooting at all. She HATES my SR40C. And she’s absolutely terrified of my 10 and 12 gauge shotguns. She’s shot our 20 gauge semiauto a few times, a few rounds here and there, but she’d never choose to shoot it. I guess that’s the long way of saying to slowly work your way up to a place you’re both comfortable with what’s in the house and make sure you get some advice and guidance from some knowledgeable gun enthusiasts along the way.

 

Glock 19 is a good choice but I’d look at the Glock 48. It’s the single stack 9mm. It’s easier to conceal and shoots better than the smaller Glock 43. All that being said I would take the advice about finding a range with rentals or at least shooting with friends to see what you all like.

I’d expect crowds at gun stores right now if they aren’t already closed and I would also expect delays if they can even run a background check right now. A few states deemed those employees non-essential and sent them home.

 

There is nothing wrong with one or more well placed .22 LR rounds, and manufacturers like CCI produce some high quality .22 LR ammunition. This is my suppressed S&W 422, it has a 10 round magazine. 12 round mags are out there, but hard to find.



https://gundigest.com/article/defensive-22-lr-good-bad-or-stupid

 

Might looks at something a little smaller like a .380.

 

Personally own a G17 and love it.

 

Try a 1911.. easy to learn how to shoot, super reliable, hard to beat. Get some training and you will find what you like and fits you?

 

Lots of glock guys on here. I have 3 glocks but not my favorite guns. Beretta makes good guns also if you want an amazing quality gun and not spend alot buy a canik I have tp9 elite and tp9sfx they are amazing cheap guns. Gonna be some haters on that but I have owned or shot everything.

 

Great semi-auto pistols from SIG, HK, CZ, GLock, Springfield Armory XD, and Walther. Nothing wrong with revolvers from Colt, Ruger or Smith & Wesson.

I'm a 1911 guy, so I like Dan Wesson 1911 pistols.

Stay away from Hi-point and Taurus.

 

I've owned and sold more firearms than I can remember over the last 25 years.
Glock (over 16 of them), Sig Sauer, Ruger, Springfield (EMP 1911 and several XD), Kimber, Beretta, Dan Wesson, HK, Kahr, RIA 1911s, S&W (still own 2 revolvers), Taurus 709 (not proud of that one), and others.

I'm a fan of the Glock.



Favotite being my G45..



Followed closely by my Gen 2 G17s, G19, and G21.
I hate finger grooves.





My beater G17 truck gun.



But I carry my Gen 1 Ruger LCP more than any other on a daily basis..
It's no fun to shoot, but too easy to carry.







IMHO, I wouldn't recommend a 1911 single action pistol to a new handgun owner.
Muscle memory of lowering the thumb safety as well as a light SA trigger needs some training and knowledge before counting on it for self defense.

Not trying to be a gun snob, just the facts and my opinion after owning several of them.
I feel a new shooter needs a little slack in the trigger.
I like a little slack in the trigger myself for an SD gun.



I'm a fan of the SIG, but only the older WG models.
I've owned several but only have 2 WG models left.
My WG Sigs are safe queens to be handed down to my kids..
Maybe I am a gun snob...










As others stated many ranges rent firearms.
Around here, pay one rental fee and shoot as many guns as you like.
You just have to have to buy their overpriced ammo.

Perhaps when all this virus stuff is over, hit a gun show, handle and compare some guns, see what feels good in your hand.


Good luck..

 

Like anything a lot depends on your budget. It’s pretty hard to beat a Glock or a Sig, and they are always easy to sell.

Also pretty tough to beat a 9mm. No reason to buy bigger unless you just want to. There is plenty of data showing a 9mm makes the same size hole in a person as a .45 ACP.

Compact pistols are generally harder to shoot than subcompact of fill size. Buy lots of ammo and spend time at the range.

Revolvers are great too. You can pick up a .38 special for a pretty good price. No magazines to fall out.

 

We bought a Glock 17 9mm for my wife after having her try a few different handguns at the range.

Yes, some of us like our guns up here in Canada as well