Handgun questions HELP

[Inches]

Alright i know this may come across as stupid but im getting ready to buy my first handgun . Can i get some help?
For instance
1. What better 9mm, .40 , or.45
2. What the hell is GAP , ACP , ACP+P ?what does this mean its greek to me
3. what bullet is more accurate?
4. Is XD better than glock or what ?
5. and on and on

 

[mwpslp]

WOW Many of the questions you are asking are more personal opinion. It's like the old Ford / Chevy debate.

 

[FTF]

That is one outrageous first post

You forgot to add which is better, Republican, Democrat or Libertarian.

 

[Euclidean]

Inches,

Seriously, stop for a second.

Tell us why you want to know this information. Why do you want the handgun, how much are you willing to spend on it, what kind of handgun do you think you might like, what is your experience with handguns, etc.?

 

[clt46910]

My advise would to not buy a gun right now. Read about the things you are asking about first. Talk to local shooters in your area. After a little time learning about firearms. Then go about buying your first handgun.

 

[RNB65]

1. What better 9mm, .40 , or.45

YES.

2. What the hell is GAP , ACP , ACP+P ?what does this mean its greek to me

GAP - Glock Automatic Pistol
ACP - Automatic Colt Pistol
ACP+P - ACP +Pressure - more powder to make the bullet go faster

3. what bullet is more accurate?

They'll all go where you're pointing the gun.

4. Is XD better than glock or what ?

Absolutely!

5. and on and on

Just buy an XD 9mm Service or a CZ 75. Both are great starter guns which don't cost an arm and leg. Then go from there as you learn.

 

[Brian Williams]

Welcome to THR,
The Search function is your very good friend
Stop and read all you can before you buy.
moving to handguns.

 

[10-Ring]

1st off - WELCOME! to THR

As for your questions - I find it really depends on you & your dedication to get good instruction & commitment to practice.
Between the 45 acp , 40 & 9, you will be well served if you dedicate yourself to sufficient practice to develop the skills needed to be proficient...there is no shortcut
As for the right ammo...all guns will shoot a little differently w/ diff't ammo - it will depend depend on you to find the one that works best in your gun of choice
Good luck on your quest!

 

[greener]

You didn't say if you had any experience shooting handguns (doesn't sound like it) or if you had any experience with long guns. If not, get some training, talk to shooters, take a safety course, etc.

For a first handgun to learn to shoot, I'd recommend a .22lr (semiauto or revolver). You get to learn the basics and the cost is relatively less. The .22 semis can be found for $200-400 and will be pretty good shooters. Reliable .22 ammo is about $0.02-$0.03/round. You can buy reasonably good larger caliber handguns for $400 up. Ammunition is $0.12-$0.20/round. It takes a lot of shooting to learn to shoot. You pay for the gun buying a .22 compared with shooting 9mm, .40 or .45. Also gives you time to figure out if you really want to shoot and loads of looking time at the loudenboomers.

 

[Froggy]

Alright i know this may come across as stupid but im getting ready to buy my first handgun . Can i get some help?

You came to the right place, but you need to slow down... don't rush out and get that first handgun yet. You want to do some reading and learning first, so that the first one you get is one that you'll want to hang onto for a while. If you rush in, you'll end up with something that is not quite right, have to sell it off (at a loss) to get one that suits you better, etc... costing you more in the long run, not to mention the frustration that is likely to go along with it.

1. What better 9mm, .40 , or.45?

A lot of personal preference, almost religious for some folks, involved in the answer to that question. How much recoil are you willing to tolerate? Only a little? Then a 9mm is better. Don't care about recoil but want a big bullet? Then the .45 is your baby. Etc. This question is best answered after you've had a chance to fire the different cartridges... is there a range nearby where you can rent guns? Do you have friends with guns who can take you shooting? Try them on for size before you decide which cartridge is right for you.

4. Is XD better than glock or what ?

Another one of those religious questions! Really depends on what you are looking for in a gun.

As others have pointed out, the conventional wisdom is to start with a handgun that shoots .22 LR cartridges as the best way to learn to shoot. I agree. But if you plan on skipping that step, do your homework so you can increase your chances of getting the right gun. Here is some reading for you:

The Cornered Cat a good place for a beginner to start.

Selecting your first handgun

Good first handguns (.22 cal)

Handguns for home defense

Welcome to a hobby you'll be able to enjoy for a lifetime. Take your time and get a good start. Don't be afraid to ask questions.

 

[daysleeprx]

Sounds like its time for you to do some reading/research before you dive into buying a handgun.

 

[zoom6zoom]

1. What better 9mm, .40 , or.45
4. Is XD better than glock or what ?

Just about every sixth post is on one of these topics. And nothing ever gets resolved, as it's all subjective!

 

[AirForceShooter]

Research
Rent
Borrow.

That's the beginning

AFS

 

[ugaarguy]

Inches, welcome to THR.

Alright i know this may come across as stupid but im getting ready to buy my first handgun . Can i get some help?

Hopefully the previous replies have been helpful to you. You're not asking stupid questions at all. For someone new to handguns who goes and picks up a magazine off the rack I've no doubt that the myriad of guns & calibers can be downright overwhelming and confusing.

1. What better 9mm, .40 , or.45

All are good cartridges and all work well. A quick run down, thinking in terms of energy, let's think physics here, Mass X Acceleration = Energy. 9mm fires lighter bullets at pretty high velocities. Recoil is relative mild and feels like a quick snap. 45 ACP gets its energy by sending large heavy bullets at relatively low velocities. Recoil is a little more than 9mm, and feels more like a slow firm push. 40 S&W sits somewhere between 9mm & 45 ACP. Bullet weights are in the middle, and velocities are in the middle. In my experience 40 S&W has more perceived recoil than 9mm or 45 ACP. It has the snap of a 9mm combned with the push of a 45 ACP. Many beginners find it a stout load to shoot, but it can easily be worked up to for most folks. Hopefully that gives you same idea.

2. What the hell is GAP , ACP , ACP+P ?what does this mean its greek to me

To expand on the earlier replies, the 45 ACP is a longer cartridge than 9mm or 40 S&W. the 45 GAP is a shortened cartridge that retains similar performance to 45 ACP. This was done by Glock to create a 45 cartridge that would fit into their smaller 9mm & 40 S&W frames.

3. what bullet is more accurate?

Modern handguns are usually more accurate than the majority of people who shoot them are cpable of. However, some guns "like" a particular style and/or weight bullet. The only way to find this out is thru experimentation, and its generally done only by competition shooters who truly need the slight benefit it yields

4. Is XD better than glock or what ?

Personal preference and which one fits your hand best. The "Trying on a Handgun" article on www.corneredcat.com provides an excellent explanation of handgun fit.

Corneredcat is a great website and full of very good info. Hopefully our responses thus far have helped you as well. If you need/want more info or clarification, or have more questions feel free to ask. THR is here for new shooters so let us know how we can help you.

 

[p35]

Tell us where you're located, and you may well find someone who's willing to take you out to the range and let you try a few different guns before you buy.

If there was one right gun for all, there wouldn't be a hundred different ones on the market. It's a matter of preference and budget, and you need to learn more.

 

[Ex-MA Hole]

Sorry to be blunt-

You are not ready to buy a gun yet.

You need to read and talk to a lot more people first.

Where are you located?

 

[BigFatKen]

Rent

As said above, go to a well stocked gun range where you can rent a gun. Usually there is a "catch", like you must buy the ammo there. Some I know charge $6 per gun for an hour, but the rent is applied to the purchase price of a new gun. So, if you rent three each of the three calibers you mensioned, you would have rented and tested nine guns and spent $54 which goes towards the purchase of a new gun. Don't try them all in one week.

 

[ozwyn]

+1 on the rental recommendations.

Go to a class, rent a lot of guns, find a gun you shoot WELL with then worry about caliber.

don't neglect wheelguns because they seem less cool, the only rrestriction you should consider is accuracy. If you shoot well with it, caliber/action concerns become much less of an issue.

and take as many of the NRA or range specific beginner courses as you can. 100 bucks in classes can save you ten times as much in smart buying.

 

[1911 guy]

I'll try to guide your research.

A few steps to follow, read up on this stuff both here and other forums. Books are better. Just like the nightly news, single sources are not as reliable as multiple sources.

1) Decide whether you want a revolver or auto-loader.
2) Decide what you'll use it for. Plinking, competition, CCW, etc.
3) Double action or single action? Both action types are available in wheel guns and semi-autos.
4) How much do you want to spend? There are 125 dollar handguns, there are 1,250 dollar handguns. To a large degree, you get what you pay for.
5) Now you start looking at caliber and capacity.
6) Have someone show you, in person, what a good fitting handgun should feel like in your hand.
7) Now go out looking for handguns that fit criteria 1-6 and fit like #7.

 

[Just_a_dude_with_a_gun]

Handgun questions HELP

Alright i know this may come across as stupid but im getting ready to buy my first handgun . Can i get some help?

For instance 1. What better 9mm, .40 , or.45

Decide for yourself how big a hole you want in the paper, and how much you want to pay for ammunition

2. What the hell is GAP , ACP , ACP+P ?what does this mean its greek to me

ACP = Automatic colt pistol. GAP= Glock auto pistol, a shorter
cased .45 round

3. what bullet is more accurate?

the ones that keep the tighter groups is 'more accutrate'.

4. Is XD better than glock or what ?

Mostly "or what"

 

[wildburp]

Inches

You might want to try a used tank first to see if the cannon and machine gun feels ok. What do you want to shoot and why? Maybe a handgun would be right for you if the tank uses too much gas. Handguns get better mileage and do not contribute to global warming as much as tanks and small nukcler weapons do, so please choose wisely.

wildburp

 

[ripcurlksm]

Good answers here for you. I just got my Kimber .45 this morning.

The best advice is to go to the range and rent and shoot the 9mm and the .45 and see what you like best. This is what I did and I bought the FORTY-FIVE