New to Pistols, considerations..

[00Five-seveN]

I'll probably start off with 9mm.

Quicker follow-up shooting, higher mag capacity, and cheaper ammo (more practice) make up for the small % of stopping power increase that .45 will give me. IMO so far.

Oh, you don't need a big ass caliber for stopping power Vs. 5.7 might not be enough. *shrug*

So .357 and .40 have "snappier" recoil? What exactly does that mean? I'm not concerned with anything regarding recoil aside from how quickly I can get back on aim and refire. I'll have to try them all out some more

I think the best option is to try stuff out some more and wait until we see what happens with the laws later this year (while I save up some money). I'll have enough for a Sig or USP then, and some of you KNOW you'd be more tempted to buy a 5-7 if you could buy 20rd mags!

 

[Chip Dixon]

If you have to use more than a few shots, you'd better be using them to make everyone take cover while you get out of there. Without backup, protracted shootouts = very bad. That said, I prefer my SA 1911-A1 5" because it conceals very well, as it is the flattest gun I own that is large enough for CCW purposes. Double stack mag guns aren't thin enough for summer carry in my area. With a 8 round power mag, I get 9 shots of Cor-Bon .45 ACP +P 185gr JHP at the flick of a switch, and it isn't noticed by 99% of the people out there -- as long as I use a good IWB holster and belt. There's also 10 round power mags, and they make it easier to get a full 2-handed grip, if you can conceal the extra length off the end of the magwell (which isn't very hard unless it's warm out)

Not to mention, I get to carry around a sexy gun, instead of some chunky piece of plastic with no class.

 

[bradvanhorn]

"snappier" recoil? IMO this means the gun won't necessarily push back into your hand, but will more likely just flip upwards at the muzzle. Or put more simply, the muzzle will rise more. Strong muzzle flip can be disconcerting at first, but it's really just "different", not necessarily better or worse (depending on how well you shoot I suppose).

Of your listed preferences, and for the purposes you mentioned, I think you'd be very well served with a P228 or P229 in 9mm. Close substitutes IMO would be the P225 (my personal favorite), and the HK USP Compact 9mm.

You can't really go wrong with any of the guns you mentioned, but no matter which you choose, you will probably always wonder if the grass truly is greener on the other side.

 

[JANDARMA]

five seven s are not for civilian use, strictly military due to bullet balllistics.. you cant legally purchase them, and I haven't heard or seen any illegal five sevens yet

 

[Mr. Mysterious]

five seven s are not for civilian use, strictly military due to bullet balllistics.. you cant legally purchase them, and I haven't heard or seen any illegal five sevens yet

Its ok, we'll forgive you! You can buy one right now if you want. They are sold now since they sell JHP ammo as opposed to the AP rounds.

Go to www.galleryofguns.com if you want to order one, it will set you back about a grand though.

 

[00Five-seveN]

Five-seveNs ARE civillian legal. You just can't buy the standard rounds, only the JHPs are allowed, and of course you need to get the 10rd mags.

I was confused about it for a long time because there are still a lot of sites that say they are illegal, and even the FN website lists it as an LE only sale, they just haven't been updated. So it's a common mistake.

 

[Night Guy]

My vote goes for an HK USP 9mm compact.

Every trigger set up you can imagine. Single action cocked and locked. DA first pull and SA every shot after. LEM double action only.

VERY reliable.

It's big enough to be comfortable to shoot for long sessions.

Cheap to shoot often.

+P 9mm rounds are nothing to sneeze at performance wise.

If the ban sunsets you'll have access to 13 round mags. If not, you can use USP .40S&W compact mags for range practice and stuff 13 rounds in them.


Oh yeah, get a stainless one because they're pretty.


I have a biased opinion, but I love my HK's. For whatever that's worth.

 

[00Five-seveN]

That's what I love about the USP. I'd probably do Variant 1 (SA/DA, Decocker, Internal Firing-Pin Safety, Manual Safety, etc). Even if I changed my mind, I'd still be able to use the same gun I'd be used to .

The USP Compact fit me perfectly, though I've heard it doesn't have nearly as good as a recoil reducer as the full-size. Not a huge deal, but does anybody have any opinions on the difference?

 

[Highland Ranger]

My first gun was an HK USP in 40; I bought it because:

1. 40 is a compromise between the power of a 45 and the capcacity of a 9mm. Not an issue right now - 10 of 45 is better than 10 of 40 or 9 so consider it (unless the ban sunsets) when selecting caliber

2. Can be safely carried cocked and locked (check the manual) but can also be carried with the hammer down for a DA first shoot and SA follow up shots. The latter is recommended by many self defense experts as the best configuration because the long DA pull for the first shot can't be later said to be an accidental shot from a gun with a "hair trigger". Once the first shot is off, that's no longer an issue so SA is appropriate.

3. USP has a great reputation for durability and reliability - well deserved in my experience.

4. Easy to take down and clean

5. Only downside might be the size, these are big guns compared to many others of similar capacity and caliber - so make sure you hold one in person.

 

[Majic]

Once the first shot is off, that's no longer an issue so SA is appropriate.

After the inital shots there may be a pause in the shooting for whatever the reasons. If the shooting then restarts then it could become an issue again (ie. a new person enters the situation and startle you).

 

[patentnonsense]

The FiveseveN IS available, and you can get your hands on one at the right gun store; factory ammo is $20 for a box of 50, so it's a little more expensive than .44M.

The word is that the FiveseveN has very little recoil, but it will still be much more than a .22. (A rough rule of thumb is that recoil energy is:
proportional to muzzle energy;
proportional to bullet weight; and
inversely proportional to gun weight.
This formula does not apply to ported guns.)

I think the FiveseveN is very interesting, but it's important to get something you can afford to shoot a lot. I'm an almost-beginner myself, working hard on improvement, and I will go through 500 rounds a week at the range; with 9mm that would mean $60 for quality factory loads, but for 5.7 that would mean $200. If you go to reloading, the 5.7 has a bottleneck case, and would be more difficult to reload than pistol cartridges like 9mm or .38.

FiveseveNs are selling fast, but they're still uncommon at the range, so you'd get a lot of attention!

And as others here have pointed out, the question of "which gun" is much less important (though easier to talk about) than the question of "how to train."

 

[Highland Ranger]

After the inital shots there may be a pause in the shooting for whatever the reasons. If the shooting then restarts then it could become an issue again (ie. a new person enters the situation and startle you).

Anything can happen sure . . . . another case might be after firing a few rounds the perp gives up and you need to hold him at gun point till the police arrive - wouldn't want a light SA trigger - you might drill the guy by mistake.

Solution: The USP, in the variant I have (variant 1 I believe) has a decocker so you could decock with the sweep of your thumb as needed.

 

[Majic]

Solution: The USP, in the variant I have (variant 1 I believe) has a decocker so you could decock with the sweep of your thumb as needed.

Another solution that don't require changing anything on your pistol would be the Taurus 92/100 series. You can carry cocked and locked, or decock after any shot with the same lever.

 

[YammyMonkey]

Or just keep that pesky finger off the trigger

 

[Highland Ranger]

Or just keep that pesky finger off the trigger

You can try. Mas Ayoob in one of his self defense books (I think "in the gravest extreme") where he makes defense weapon recommendations talks about a natural adrenaline reaction being the clenching of fists . . . hence the potentially unwanted discharge, even if you are trying to keep your finger off the trigger.

 

[Majic]

Yeah Mas, right. Now he's an expert in the medical field too. He never ceases to amaze me with his expertise.
If that were true then no one would ever catch themselves when unknowingly trip over something because your hand should be clinched into a fist.
He should stick to being the super cop he has dreamed up in his mind.