First autoloader

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TMM

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Hello all...

once i can get a pistol, i'll be getting a revolver first, but i was wondering what a good first autochucker would be. i like polymer and/or steel... i was thinking about somthing along the lines of a...:
SA MilSpec 1911, HK USP Compact (9mm or .357SIG), a Glock of some sort (i like all of Glock's calibers they offer except .40. i've heard from multiple people that .40 is just like a 9mm yet it kicks more, etc), Beretta 92FS ... you probably get the idea. i'm looking for a good gun for CCW, but also suitable for plinking. ease of use and easy take-down for cleaning would be handy, because i am not extremely familiar with stripping guns. what would you suggest? try not to get into a 9mm vs. .45ACP or plastic vs. steel debate...

~TMM
 
I wonder if i can get a vote for the good ol makarov. Ive heard a few good things about it for CCW.

USP would be yummers though. Heh, yummers.

Lets see what the people who actually havea CCW say though. I bet you 40% of them say that one S&W 3" revolver, the 632 or whatever it is.
 
hey kreig. good call on the Makarov. forgot about that one... 9x18Mak is a bit small for carry IMO, but it's a good plinker, and i heard it's deadly accurate and reliable. good for a BUG.

as to the revo fans, i am getting a 4" GP-100 .357 mag first, like i said. and kreig, i believe it's a 642. that's the snubbie, and the 686 is fullsize/external hammer.

and yes, USP would be yummers. looks sexy too. love the angles and all...

~TMM
 
there's roughly a quarter million previous threads on the subject, so you can find a lot of good info that way. Use "first" and search titles only, in autoloaders. Course, nuttin wrong with asking again. If I had it to do over again, I'd get a CZ or BHP from the get go, but then you'd miss out on the fun of trial and error before realizing which are the best for you. So no wrong way to do it. Also very hard to go wrong with a Sig 226 or XD, and many other good ones as well - just rent em', buy 'em, shoot 'em - you'll likely like any of them. But the BHP is the most ergonomic for me. I like the CZ a tad better though for carry however, for a couple of reasons.
 
The 4" GP 100 was my first handgun. A few years later I bought a Dan Wesson Patriot (1911) and over the years realized I was shooting my GP100 less and less. I eventually traded the GP100 in for a CZ75. For me I found autoloaders to be much more enjoyable guns.

Of the guns you listed, all are good guns, however I find Glocks to be less fun than the rest. Don't get me wrong, I think the Glock is a fantastic gun that I would feel safe carrying, but shooting them is sort of ho-hum.
 
Hard to say what makes them boring. Probably a combination of the grip (don't care for it) and the hammerless design. Plus there's no external safety. Keep in mind, those aren't bad things in a gun for protection, but I never could get the same kind of connection that I could with other autoloaders.

The two guns that have excited me the most when shooting were 1911's (they all do it for me) and a Sig 226. No other guns have been nearly as fun.
 
ok then... what models do you suggest? caliber?

.. i also heard SIG's are rust magnets...?

~TMM
 
mcnutt: that's funny, i like the looks of Glocks. very simple and clean. there aren't piles of levers and stuff, just a simple boxy shape, which i like.

i do like the DA/SA or DAO guns, which turns me away *slightly* from 1911's, but, expecially for a plinker, it dosn't matter. and 1911's look real nice aswell.

~TMM
 
.45 ACP is nice, but it's more expensive than 9mm. If money were no object I'd get a nice 1911 and shoot .45 all day. When I go to the range I bring about 100 rounds of .45 and 200 rounds of 9mm because they're so cheap.

I also prefer .45 for home defense. Now if I were getting a gun just to shoot, I'd get a Sig 226. They're not cheap though, so if you can't get one of those then a CZ75 would be good alternative.

If you want a polymer gun I would take a good look at the Springfield Armory XD lineup. They fit my hand better than glocks.
 
i agree that .45acp is expensive, but...:
1)ammoman.com and other such places have cheap ammo
2) i plan on living in NM, which has fewer living expenses than here. i'd be paying for propane for cooking, taxes ($20/acre IIRC) and food, giving me some surplus $$$ for ammo.

there are some cheap SIG226's on gunbroker, and the CZ's are about the same price... i don't 100% like the looks, but someday i'll probably end up with one.

whenever i'm at a range or gunshop i'll take a look at all of these, eventually, so i'll know which fit me best.

~TMM
 
The CZ fits my hand almost perfectly, but I found the Sig 226 to have an incredible trigger for a SA/DA gun. Of course nothing, and I mean nothing, beats a 4lb trigger on a 1911.
 
If you are looking for a good, solid, reliable and accurate semi that is ideal for CCW and works just perfectly in open carry as well you need to check out the Sig P239 (9mm / .40 / .357 Sig.) Personally I would chose nothing else. As far as Sig's being a rust magnet...doubtfull, just keep your gun clean like we all should always do. About the comment on .40 Cal being a 9mm with more recoil...check some ballistics charts, .40 Cal far outperforms 9mm in many respects. Perfect round in my opinion, more power than a 9mm and not the weight and recoil of the .45 Cal.
 
RGS: would you happen to have some ballistic charts on hand? i remember looking but not finding anything... maybe i'll look again.

i don't really like the looks of the SIG 239... but i do like the 229 (same calibers as 239)

i'll add the guns you guys suggested to my "dear santa" list ( my friend actually wrote "dear santa" on it... :D ) just so i don't forget them for the future. i have now used up both sides of a 7"x5" yellow notebook paper sheet!

~TMM
 
TMM:

I'm at work right now so I don't have any tables to look at. I'll try to put up some ballistics for you when I get home. You mention liking the P229...an outstanding handgun (was my first semi). However if you are thinking of CCW the P229 might be a bit large for that (although not really a "big" gun), would be great for a service gun carried openly though.
 
Ya know ? I went through all this over the last several weeks and finally bought a CZ P-01 as my first semi-auto which I love dearly. However, I think there are LOTS and LOTS of good high quality guns out there and what may be the best for me may not be for you. There is a great deal to consider, but in the end, the proof is in the pudding so to speak. I've also noticed that there are a lot of people that seem to be convinced their brand of gun is the best and the rest are simply inferior. Are they right ? Well, maybe yes, maybe no...they just seem to have found the right gun for THEM. So, I would suggest taking your time, shooting as many different brands and varieties as you can, do tons of research, and remember they all have their good features and not so good. For example, a friend of mine has a Sig that he absolutely loves and he shoots very well with it. I don't do nearly as well with it as I can with my CZ. I'm NOT saying Sigs aren't good guns, they are.....just not good for ME. I'm sure the same goes for many different people/different guns. Through research though, you can get a feel for the guns that have a loyal following and people are saying consistently good things about them. I chose my CZ because not only did it have a lot of great feedback, but when I finally got the chance to actually handle one, I thought "Oh yeah....this is the one....if it shoots as good as it feels, I found my gun". Once I actually shot it, I knew I made the right choice. I rolled the dice on mine though...couldn't find one to rent and nobody I know has one. To make things a little more confusing lol.....there's also a wide variety of aftermarket grips, springs, sights, etc that can make an otherwise unacceptable gun much better for you. Who knows....ten years from now I may have been through a few more "perfect guns" LOL Just my thoughts on it. I had many of the same needs in a gun as you do, and I feel good about my CZ P-01 as it meets all of them well. I hope you find the right one for you, whatever it may be.
 
by TMM:

"... i also heard that SIG's are rust magnets... "
Click to expand...

Nothing could be further from the truth! :uhoh:

RUST IS NEGLECT!

Any firearm properly taken care of will not rust. SIG's are NO
exception. For example, I have a West German 9m/m P228, and a
West German .45 caliber P220A; the P228 is a 1990 model, and the
P220A is from 1995. Both look factory fresh, because they have
been properly taken care of~ :D

As to caliber's, well I guess one needs to refer to the first paragraph
to see my favorites! :)
 
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What is your price range?

What caliber do you prefer?

Have you shot a gun chambered in .357 SIG? Try it first before you buy.

For under $500
9mm = CZ75/CZ PO1, Gen 3 Glock 19
.45 = Springfield Armory Milspec

From $500 - 1000
9mm = SIG P226/P226ST, HK USP Compact, Browning HiPower, Beretta 92FS
.45 ACP = Kimbers, Colt NRM Government , SIG P220, P220ST, Springfield Armory Loaded, HK USP.

For a first gun, shoot before you buy, fondle and recognize before you shoot, research before you fondle.

Good luck. What an exciting experience.

Oh yeah, if you get a 1911, it'll spoil you of other guns. :D :neener:
 
I would suggest you take a look at the GLOCK model 19. I carried one as a LE duty gun but it was also small enough for off duty carry. GLOCKs are very easy to break down for cleaning. I prefer revolvers for most things but when it comes to semi-autos and I have a choice, I will always pick a GLOCK.
 
thanks for the suggestions.
Ala Dan: good point. however, i thought they might be more susceptible to rust than other guns.

black majik: price range? i'd say about $500, give or take. for example, i said i liked the USP, which is about $700MSRP, or a Glock, which can be had for maybe $450...

i have not shot a gun chambered in .357SIG. why? is it different in some way? or are you more referring to "have i shot any guns chambered in the cals. i want"? to answer your question, i have shot:
.22mag rifle
.22lr rifle
.22lr Ruger mkII pistol
(grampa's a big fan of .22's...)

and about the glock 19: it's 15+1 right? and the 17 is 17+1?

~TMM
 
GLOCK 19 is 15+1, the model 17 is 17+1, that is correct. The 17 magazines will work in the 19 as well but will stick out a little.
 
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