First gun or guns -- buy one or multiple?

[IdaD]

I think a couple of guns makes it a lot easier to carry an appropriate gun in a given situation. My carry guns are a M&P 2.0 Compact and original Shield, or if you want to put it in Glock speak the equivalent of a 19 and 43. If I could only have one gun I'd probably prefer to have an original M&P 9c or a Glock 26 to bridge the difference.

 

[theheadhunter]

A S&W M&P 2.0 would be the first gun that comes to mind when someone ever asks me what a good first pistol would be. Plinking rifle would be Ruger 10/22, and general rifle would be AR platform.

 

[Jeb Stuart]

I started my son off with BB/Pellet pistols. And I still train heavy with them. So great for point and shooting training. I can shoot more frequently and have a whole lot of fun. Set up 10 small targets as train to draw and shoot them down as fast as you can pull the trigger. They do hone the skills. When the ammo shortage had it, I really hit the training hard with Pellet guns. Came back to powders and could shoot better than every. I also train a lot with 22.cal. Again, they hone the Point and shoot skills. Makarov's like this guy's collection make excellent trainers, I own some nice replica's. I prefer the one's that are double action only.

 

[Mystery123]

A S&W M&P 2.0 would be the first gun that comes to mind when someone ever asks me what a good first pistol would be. Plinking rifle would be Ruger 10/22, and general rifle would be AR platform.

Yes, M&P 9 compact 4" barrel is the one I'm looking at online sites.
Price is so volatile. One day I see it below 375 and next day it's almost 500.

 

[george29]

I'm almost 60, shot my first gun with dad at 3, military, police and security background and I can honestly say that I've owned or carried somewhere around 30 handguns. Never really found the perfect weapon, not sure it exists.
If I were to start all over, if I were to trust that government was never going up infringe on our 2A, I would probably never own more than 3 handguns, 3 rifles and 2 shotguns knowing that I could always swap them later.
I love revolvers but have experienced cylinder lock up and that is an inconvenience at the range and deadly in a fight, never experienced a semiautomatic failure that I couldn't clear immediately and continue shooting so for reliability I would go to a tried and true semiautomatic. To me, tried and true is combat proven; BHP, 1911, Beretta 92, Glock. The next tier would be NATO approved which would be CZ, Walther, Sig, etc.
First gun if you aren't a shooter should probably be a 9mm. Since you probably aren't going to open carry a big 92 or 1911 milspec is out. I would suggest a Glock 19 which can be worn open or concealed and can double admirably as a HD gun. There is also the Glock 19X which I qualified with a few months ago and was delightful for my big hands. I don't like Glocks but I appreciate them. The S&W M&P is also very nice but it isn't combat proven and I have yet to see a cop with one holstered. The Glock is inexpensive, cheap to fix or customize, parts are abundant and much of the work can be done without a gunsmith.
I don't own a Glock but that's because I have way too many other handguns already. For a second gun I would get an M&P 22 compact (I do have one) with the threaded barrel. It's a fun gun, cheap, reliable and is close enough in size to the G19 to learn proper shooting and just for fun.

 

[Styx]

A S&W M&P 2.0 would be the first gun that comes to mind when someone ever asks me what a good first pistol would be. Plinking rifle would be Ruger 10/22, and general rifle would be AR platform.

S&W 2.0 and XD service models are what I usually suggest. They're just as good as the $500+ polymer wonders, have good durable finishes, are reasonably accurate, have good aftermarket and customer support, and both can be had for as low as $300 to under $400 price range. They're a better value out the box, feel better in hand, and are better or just as good as Glocks IMHO. They've both been on the market for years, have been carried by thousands of civilians, some L.E. and private security, as well as used in competition by many. They're proven and reliable designs, and I haven't seen any evidence to say otherwise.

 

[Styx]

Yes, M&P 9 compact 4" barrel is the one I'm looking at online sites.
Price is so volatile. One day I see it below 375 and next day it's almost 500.

All depends on were you buy it. Some places charge more than others. They can be found for under $400 at several online retailers. I got mine for $369 plus a $50 rebate which mafe it come out to $319 total. I've also seen othen go for as low as $300... Hell of a deal on these. GunBuyer has it the cheapest I can find right now at $374. When I've ordered from them in the past, my firearm shipped the same day or the next day.





Put some Trijicon HD XR night sights, a Apex trigger, purchased a 17 round mag, and still I'm under the price of other top teir $500-$600+ polymer pistols with better sights and trigger.... I also put added a threaded Faxon barrell. Plenty of aftermarket support for M&Ps.

 

[Labguy47]

Cherry creek state park has an outdoor range that is both affordable and staffed by amazing knowledgeable people.

 

[Mystery123]

Shot bunch of handguns... first time 9mm shooting
I shot 6 guns today.
Until today, I only had shot 22lr so it was new experience.
Recoil is pretty strong compared to 22lr.
I didn't even feel 22lr pushing me but 9mm just slaps the palm.
It was much louder in comparison to 22lr.
I only had foam plugs with 22lr before and it wasn't as loud as 9mm with double protection, Howard Leight Impact sport and foam ear plugs.
It worked great though, it was loud but no ringing.

I also felt much pressure that was non existent with 22lr.
BTW, loading the magazine was hard for the thumbs.
They all were very stiff except for the Sig and Walther.

I've attached today's 9mm shootout and my first ever 22lr targets, both at 7 yards.
You can see 22lr was spot on but 9mm is terrible. I'm shooting all lower left.
Specially, after the Glock 19, my aim was terrible as it blistered my thumb knuckle and anticipation of the recoil.

1. M&P 2.0 Compact 4": Top left on the target
   - It feels great in hand except the texture feels like sand paper.
   
2. Glock 19: Top right on the target
   - It feels good but blocky. However, it has a lot of recoil compared to M&P. The glock's recoil pushed the back on my thumb knuckle and blistered it in just few shots.
   It probably is my hand position but still, none of the others did that.
3. M&P 2.0 Shield: Down left on the target
   - Feels okay, just little thin.
   If I get it, I definitely need to add a rubber grip to increase the width.
   My palm is boney so need thicker grip to fill the gap.
4. Sig P365: Middle on the target
   - This was small gun but felt pretty good in the hands.
   I don't think I can shoot a box with this (or any subcompact) though.
   The recoil was manageable for few magazines but hand becomes sloppy afterwards.
5. HK VP9: Down right on the target
   - This one felt the best in my hands. This means I really like wide and long grip guns.
6. Walther CCP: Top middle empty area on the target
   - This single stack felt much better than shield. I think I can live with this one. Hmm...

I wanted to try a CZ and compact Sig but they were all rented out.
However, M&P and VP9 are top two in double stack and Walther CCP and Shield are top two in single stack from today's session.



In comparison, below is my M&P 22lr target, from my very first short in my life.
I shot great when I shot the very first time and it went downhill from there.


Maybe I should stick with 22lr .

 

[Mystery123]

The more I think, I'm leaning more towards original shield as I can conceal it better and can use as HD and range, all in one.
I can upgrade the grip and trigger for cheap if needed.
I will add a 22LR for practice if shield gives me hard time at the range.

M&P 2.0 is good but it's big. I can't conceal it except when wearing jacket.
Colorado is cold but only for few months.
We are already having over 70 degrees weather.
Even in winter, I can't wear jacket at work as there's air conditioning plus I work in front of computer all day so sitting with a big gun for hours will be uncomfortable.
It's a good gun and feels good in my hands but it'll be only HD gun.
A lot of guys here suggest to practice at range with the gun you carry so can't do that with the compact as I won't be carrying it.

Decisions... decisions...

 

[BlueHeelerFl]

I have a 9mm Shield and its a good gun. Shoots like a bigger gun