[Southern_Candy]

Ok...

I've gotten interested in guns of late. I've been around guns all my life, so I am used to the power and respect that they require.

I am trying to decide on my first personal fire arm.

1) Glock 17 9mm
2) Beretta PX4
3) Open to any and all suggestions

I went to the range again today and I shot a Glock 17 and a GP100. I was much better with the Glock, so I want to stay with the 9mm unless convinced otherwise.

This will be primarily a target / range gun and (god forbid) a personal protection piece.

Please feel free to post any and all comments! They are all welcome.

/Candy

[briansp82593]

beretta 92 or the new 90 two if not try a sig if not then try a walther p99 all great guns

[Guzzizzit]

I'm a big fan of the glocks. As long as it fits your hand and you shoot it well, ya cant go wrong with a glock. Try a glock 19 too and see if you like the smaller size. It's still a 9mm

Did you look at the Springfield XD's? They are becomming quite popular and are available in 9mm as well as .40 s&w and .45 ACP.

I still preffer the glock to the XD, But thats just my personal prefferance.

[Southern_Candy]

One or two things I should have mentioned:

1) I'm big: 6'5" 260, and sorta strong.
2) My hands and fingers are stupid fat and big, broken all but one of my fingers, so the bigger the grip and the heavier, the better.
2) My Glock 17's were "1.25"" @ 15 yrds. Whatever that means. :) But he did say that I wasn't using the right part of my trigger finger. Which apparently, is a bad thing and will cause you to "pull" your shots.

Thanks a lot guys!

/Candy

p.s. Can you tell I'm a newb? :rolleyes:

[Southern_Candy]

double tap

/Candy

p.s. Can you tell I'm a newb? :rolleyes:

[g5reality]

Go with the Glock. use the pad of your finger you won't pull.

[RP86]

See if you can hold/shoot a CZ 75b they're great guns! Especially for people with larger hands.

-Ryan

[DoubleTapDrew]

I'd suggest a Glock 19 although with your size you probably wouldn't have a whole lot of trouble concealing a g17 either. It was my first gun and with practice you can hit anything you want at reasonable distances, little recoil, use either the g19 (15rd) magazines or g17 (17rd?) or those big honkin 32 ronders. For a 9mm I don't feel the extra size of the 17 offers anything besides 2 extra rounds. The 19 is more compact, conceals easier (if you decide to get your CCW license), and has the same ergonomics as the 17.
Plus, it might just be my area, but the 19 seems to command a few more bucks if you sell it opposed to a 17 (more desirable I guess).

P.S.- Welcome to THR!

[ugaarguy]

Candy, get a gun that fits your hand - http://www.corneredcat.com/FirstGun/TryOnGun.htm

[possum]

first ad foremost welcome to THR.
here is my list in order of what i would choose.

1)xd's any make or model, but since you want 9mm, i would say the service model or the sc. great guns.
2)glock 19 would be better to carry than the 17 in my opinion.
3)s&w m&p

that's a few to get you started. :)

[SunRunner]

If the 1.25" groups you were geting at 15 yards was 5+ rounds and you were shooting without a bench rest and the instructor said with that you were still pulling your shots that a Glock 17 is a good fit. If paper punching is primary, home defense is next and conceal carry is "if I need to", I think you've found your gun.

[plexreticle]

Sounds like you found it if your shooting a Glock that well.

[alucard0822]

rock out with your glock out

[10-Ring]

Go w/ the Glock. I prefer the 19's but if your hands like the 17, go for it! You can find them on the pre-owned market at good deals and would make a nice place to start a collection! ;)

PS---Welcome to THR :D

[Two Cold Soakers]

Me, I like a Hi Power, but it's a single action.

CZ 75, like Ryan said, is a nice pointing gun, with a full grip. SA DA and decock, for carry, if youre so inclined :scrutiny:

Browning (Hi Power)is available in 9mm and .40; CZ 75 in 9mm (only?).


Ah, the wonderful madness of it all..................

[hexidismal]

One little thing first, no one else seems to have mentioned it. For your #2 choice, I'm not sure If you're referring to the the Ruger P-series or the Beretta PX4 , I think you've gotten the two a little confused.

That's not important though, because my advice to you is NOT to let anyone tell you what to get. For instance, many posters here have suggested Glocks. Now Glocks are a fine quality gun, but they don't work for me at all. I don't like the grip angle and they have no natural 'pointability' for me. Also I've gotten some slide bite several times because of it in relation of the shape and size of my hands to where the recess on the grip is. Had I not had the opportunity to try them out first, I may have bought one and not known right away that there were better options out there for me. My point is that different guns work for different people. Most firearms sold in shops today are of fairly high quality and you won't 'lose' with whatever you pick.

Step 1: Determine the purpose for the gun. Concealed Carry, Home Defense, Target , Hunting, or more than one of those options. This is mainly to decide size and caliber of the firearm.
Step 2 : Determine a price range. ( and try to stay within it, this will lessen the confusion of number of options )
Step 3 : Go fondle all the guns you can in popular brands within your determined prerequisites. If you live in an area where you have the opportunity, try renting as many of your choices as possible at a firing range. Find what is most comfortable for YOU, not for other people. Don't rush it.
Step 4: Once you've found what you like the feel of, now is the time to get information, possibly here on THR, about the pros and cons of the weapons you've selected. This too is to be taken with a grain of salt, just as 'what should I get'. As the old saying goes, opinions are like ******** , everybody has one. Keep in mind that it is human nature to complain when something goes wrong, but to do nothing and remain sedate when everything works out well.
Step 5: Buy the gun that works for you, the one that makes you feel good, the one that makes you feel proud, the one that makes you feel safe.

[Southern_Candy]

Good catch Hexi. The Ruger was in my head because that was the GP100 I was shooting. Ooops : )

I'll be sure to try out a bunch of 9mm and see which one fits best before I purchase.

Thanks for all the welcomes and support. I think I may go shoot some today. :p

/Candy

[Don Lu]

Just a quick question...while shooting the GP-100, where you using .357 mag or 38 sp. ? I was just wondering b/c for many, shooting .38's out of a revolver (using single action) is much easier that shooting 9's out of a GLOCK.

[Southern_Candy]

I bought a box of both. 50 each I thnk...

I don't know if I would say that the .38's were "easier" with the GP but they certainly didn't "kick" as much as the magnums or the 9mm. I was also able to shoot more accurately with the Glock. Does that make sense?


Another note:

When shooting the Glock it was kind of a pain because I'm left handed. Can you switch them? Sorry, if that is a stupid question.


/Candy

[Archer1945]

Candy, it makes perfectly good sense that you shot the Glock better than the GP. There is something about the grip on most revolvers that is not very user friendly; just look at all the makers of custom revolver grips there are. Although there are a number of manufacturers of custom side-plates for pistols most people don't find they need a really custom grip unless it is specifically for target shooting. As for the polymer guns some how most of the companies have managed to come up with a grip that fits most people surprisingly well. The only complaint I've ever heard about the Glock grip is the angle forces a person to bend their wrist slightly forward to be able to line up the sights.

I was at the range today putting a deposit on an XD-45 and the subject of gun choices came up and everyone involved in the discussion agreed probably the most important aspect to look for when choosing a gun is to first find one whose grip feels comfortable. JMHO.

Morris