Just went shooting for the first time! Now what to get?

theCloud said:

I'll take a look at the Ruger P89 and the Springfield XD, thanks for the heads up! Too many choices.

With the Sigs, I've seen that they have the flashlight/laser attachment. But does anybody sell just a laser that slides onto the rail?

This is a slight aside, but can anybody point me to a book, a website, anything, about things I can to do improve my shooting stance, technique, etc? I already got one of those grip masters to start working out my forearm & hand strength too.

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You said you rented guns to shoot. Is there anyone there that can watch you while you shoot, maybe give you some pointers? Local indoor range I use rents guns, also has someone who will take a new shooter and show them how to shoot, to pick out a gun, or just in general. I do not know what they charge for that.

If you are really wanting to get into guns, maybe a NRA basic handgun class, or other classes in your area might be a better option than a video on the web. But, great stuff is available on the web too. I see you took a gun course, ask the teacher if more are available?

KodiakBeer said:

And I will third that recommendation. Get the .22 and learn to shoot well, then think about the next step based on your own experiences.

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And a fourth. I really believe that starting out with a .22 will put you leaps and bounds ahead in your pursuit of becoming a marksman as opposed to starting out with a 9mm. It is so much cheaper and easier to fire which in return will have you improve more in a shorter period of time if you practice.

When you feel you have reached your goal, rather it be two weeks, a month, three months, etc., then by all means go get the Glock 19 that you really enjoyed shooting and seemed to fit you well. It is a great all around gun and will serve you well. Or maybe you will find some other guns that have piqued your interest in the time it takes to reach your marksmanship goal. There are a lot of great handguns out there. Find the one that fits your hand and gives you the best natural aim.

Make sure you let us know what you get and give us some pics of your progress. Questions? There are more than enough people here with the expertise to answer any question you may have.

Good luck and welcome to THR.

Shawn

This is a slight aside, but can anybody point me to a book, a website, anything, about things I can to do improve my shooting stance, technique, etc? I already got one of those grip masters to start working out my forearm & hand strength too.

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Here is a site with a bunch of drills.

http://pistol-training.com/drills

Here are sites I have saved for grip, stance, and technique.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKgAkwB8WRo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysa50-plo48
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGhveUOnkvc
http://www.shootingusa.com/PRO_TIPS/JERRY_MICULEK/jerry_miculek.html
http://www.youtube.com/user/Learn2ShootBetter

And here is one with flashlight/pistol techniques.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZRNLfbnIJM

I would also recommend the glock 19. The sig 226 is an amazing gun, but stick a glock and you'll be happy. after i switched from my 226 to 19, i havent regretted it one bit. but i think if its your first gun and you dont have a lot of experience with them (if im understanding this correctly), it might be better to start out with a 22lr pistol first so you can nail the basics/fundamentals.

but i think if youre going to get a 22lr, should get a dedicated one instead of a conversion kit, so like either a browning buckmark or ruger 22/45. but thats just my opinion, choice is yours!

Yet another recommendation to start with a .22. It is cheap to shoot, and you will progress faster for having less kick and blast to deal with. Step up to a more powerful pistol after you are already a good shot.

Very basic how-to: http://www.squidoo.com/hitwithpistol

Welcome to shooting. It's a lot of fun, and potentially, anyway, a useful skill to have. Be safe: http://www.squidoo.com/gunsafety

I do like the idea of the .22 but when I rented the guns, I felt that I was not as accurate with the 9mm and the .40.

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My opinion based on 40 years of shooting and observation is that it takes 5000 to 10,000 rounds to become proficient with a handgun, and that's after starting with good instruction and technique. Compute the cost of 10k .22 rounds against 10k 9mm or .40 rounds and you'll begin to see why so many of us advise you to get a .22 first. The ammo savings alone will pay for your .22 many times over.

Moreover, in shooting all those rounds you'll form opinions based on your own experience as to what platform to move onto next.

If you spend time at public ranges observing other shooters you'll soon conclude that most people are terrible with a handgun. Worse, they don't even know they're awful.
Yet, you'll see a minority of people who can put out a target at 25 yards and shoot tiny palm-sized groups, or engage multiple small targets at various ranges and drill them rapidly and precisely.

The biggest difference between those two groups of people is in how many rounds they expend in practice. The more you shoot, the better you get; hence the .22 as the first and later, permanent, part of your arsenal.

EAA Witness 9mm/.22lr combo. ~$400-450
All steel italian gun. Can purchase multiple caliber slides for it. Awesome gun. I love mine
Ive put about 1500 rounds thru the .22, no issues.
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Another vote for the Glock 19 and a Browning Buckmark.

As many have already stated, a 22LR pistol is going to be exponentially cheaper to shoot than any centerfire pistol. I like the Federal Auto Match bulk 22LR which runs 325rds for $15, the cheapest factory 9mm ammo will run 300rds for $60. If your objective is to learn how to shoot a handgun, spend a lot of time at the range/plinking then it's hard to argue against a rimfire for your first handgun.

With that being said, the first handgun I purchased was a Ruger P95 (which I believe is just the latest version of the P89 already mentioned) for $300 NIB. I already had a decent amount of experience with a rimfire pistol as a child and also wanted something for home defense so I felt confident moving on to the 9mm. In a full-size gun the recoil is almost non-existent and overall the gun is a pleasure to shoot; after well over 1k rounds I have not had any issues with the P95 (FTF, FTE, etc). The gun is too bulky and heavy to conceal (IMO) but I have the utmost confidence that it will perform as expected in a difficult situation if I ever need it to. I still find myself wishing I had a Ruger Mk3 or similar though, several days of plinking with a 9mm can burn through some ammo.

If you can find a P95 nearby I would at least check it out. The grip is on the verge of being too bulky to be comfortable for me so if you have small hands it may not work. I found the S&W Sigma's grip to feel much better in my hand but preferred the Ruger's DA/SA trigger. Those are two budget 9mm's (both ~$300) I liked, just a thought but you may be able to pick up a Sigma/P95/etc + rimfire pistol for slightly more than what you would pay for a Glock. That would give you the option of cheap plinking and exposure to centerfire calibers; a gun you could convert between 22LR/9mm would also be great IMO. The best advice anyone can give you is to try as many different options as possible and then choose what you like best.

theCloud said:

Now the problem is finding range time. I'm not going in on the weekends because I'm paranoid about shooters not being safe. During the training course I heard one too many stories about unsafe behaviour on the range- people accidentally pointing guns at others. Every now and then I get a morning during the weekday off. I figure I can sneak in early, shoot for 1hr, and get out before it gets busy.

Thanks for all the help!

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I'm not saying I have never seen anything unsafe at the range, but usually stories are exaggerated. Find a good range and you will be fine. If you do see something unsafe at the range don't be afraid to say something though. Just remember to be polite, tactful, and offer to show the right way.

I think I'm leaning toward a browning buckmark, it seems like it is easier to field strip. I'm also got my eye on a sig- either the 229 or 226, whichever fits better in my hand.

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Congratulations. Sounds like you are on your way to becoming a marksman.

Someone already recommended them but I will second the recommendation on getting either the Ruger MKII .22 or a Browning Buckmark.

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This recommendation is dead-on. Your first .22 should be a Ruger Mark II or III, or a Browning Buckmark. Either will give you years of good service. Both are accurate and reliable. Personally, I prefer the Rugers.

Avoid the Sig Mosquito (and other potmetal guns like the Walther (actually Umarex) P22, etc.)

theCloud said:

So I had no experience in shooting and took a basic course. I was interested, well curious but not so sure if this basic course would extend to making this into a hobby or not.

Well after I fired off 5 rounds, I'm hooked! I got to shoot a Sig Sauer Mosquito, a Glock 23, a Glock 19, and a .38 revolver.

Not a big fan of the revolvers. I love the simplicity of them, but that's about it.

I think I've narrowed it down to either a .22 or a 9mm. The Mosquito had some failure to eject and load issues, but I'd say it fired about 98% of the time without issue But then again I was using Federal Bulk and read that it works best on CCI mini mags. And the gun was a rental- so I'm sure it wasn't the cleanest gun. I don't know if it was because it was the first gun I shot, or what but I liked the Mosquito. But I am concerned about all the negative reviews on it on the internet.

In terms of 9mm, I've got it down to a Glock 17/19 or a Sig Sauer 226/229.

I really, really want to get a Glock. I liked how those shot, they are very simple in terms of maintenance, and I already know of a few armorers around town. But the big thing is the controversy of the Gen 4 spring/ejector/whatever issues I've been reading about. I could see myself getting a 19 or 17. But for now, as a beginner, I'd rather get something that works well out of the box. The Sigs are nice, but expensive.

Right now I want to limit the gun collection to 2 max, Ideally 1 for now. Something for going to the range to improve my shooting skills and something for home defense. No CCW. I would consider CCW only after I pick up more experience and feel more confident in my skills.

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I am a new shooter myself. About 4 months into this and I'm hooked too! You are lucky to be able to shoot all those at the same time. Here in lower NY it's much more restrictive. I started with a 9mm and manage to visit the range 1-2/month. Idk if i plan to get a 22 pistol, maybe a 22 rifle.. I see a 1911 before anything though .

Anyways, for the .22s, I just came across the CZ 75 kadet. Not the conversion kit, but the dedicated .22 pistol. I haven't found too many reviews online for it, but generally they seem to be pretty positive. Anybody have experience with it?

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I have the Kadet Kit on my 75B which essentially makes it a CZ Kadet pistol. I can not say enough good things about it. They are accurate and reliable. The only downside of getting just the dedicated Kadet Pistol is that CZ does not sell a 9MM upper for it. My recommendation would be to get a 75B or any CZ-75 variant (75B, 85B, 75SA, PCR, P-01, SP-01, etc) and buy the Kadet Kit along with it. It is like getting two guns for the price of 1 1/2.

I also use the Kadet Kit on my PCR and it works great there to, but it pretty much living on my 75B frame fight now.

Do you have a price range on your gun?

How about a Glock 19 for carry (since it's a compact G17) and a shotgun for home defense? I have a Remington 870 Marine Magnum with Surfire pumpgrip light. Sigs are nice too, but if you like the Glock get the Glock.

This week Gander Mountain has a sale for $499 on all 3rd Gen Glock models (excluding the G21 and G34/35). Basically a 17, 19, 22, 23 can each be had for $500. But I think it's this week only, it's not too bad of a price. That being said, I spent $519 on mine from a LGS (I like the local guys if possible) back in 2008.

You could get the Kadet and the CZ-75. That's relevant training there, folks.

EAAs 9/22 combo is alot cheaper than the cz75/kadet if your budget minded. And its dam near the same gun, at least the 9mm portion

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Its a sickness I tell ya! More like an addiction really and comes complete with the with being ill if you don't get to partake in like you want to .
Welcome to the wonderful world of shooting sports. Now on to the guns you've mentioned.
As far as a .22 a ruger mklll would be a nice starter although it can be tricky to field strip. It's reliable and cheap fun at the range. You'll never get tired of shooting it.
As far as a 9mm the glock 19 IMHO is one of the best all around 9mm's available. Great capasity at 15+1 rounds. Conceals easy Inside the wast or outside the waist band. Comfortable to hold and shoot. Its just as accurate as its big brother the glock 17. It will feed what ever SD ammo you choose. It will go bang everytime you want it to. Lastly you will wear out long before that glock will. I can't speak for gen 4 problems as I only own gen 3 models.
You'll hear people tell you that glocks aren't good for beginners. Please don't listen to them. As long as you abide by the cadinal gun saftey rules, it is a safe defense tool. I started off with a glock27 as my first ever handgun against the advice of the salesman. I've been nothing but happy with my glocks.
As far as the sig 226 and 229 go, well there is tone of variations to choose from. Cruise over to sigs website to see all they have to offer. They are fantastic reliable guns. They do cost a lot of money, but you are buying quality(although the masquito is a bad exapmle, it chokes worse than me eating cornbread and milk) I own one sig and am well pleased with it and would purchase another one without hesitation. The p226 is their flag ship gun (kind of like the 17 is to glock) and would never let you down.
Good luck with your purchaces, and enjoy the hobby.