Help me choose my birthday gun!

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Are they well build and accurate? The bersas I mean? Something thats fun to shoot?

I agree .380 is light but I'd rather have a well built .380 I can afford then no gun at all, or one that is going to not work when I need it.
 
My first semi-auto was an Interarms Walther PPK/S .380. It has never had a failure of any type and is great as a trainer and beyond. I still have it and shoot it regularly.

I haven't tried one of the new S&W Walthers, so KTIM/YMMV.
 
GunBroker has Springfield GI's for $425.00 and FN Hi Powers for $400.00, NIB. Seems pretty framworky to me.
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IN regards to Gunbroker, Gunsamerica, etc. Those prices are nice, but that doesn't take into account shipping and ffl transfer fee. I know for me, the lowest FFL transfer agent in the area that will do a transfer from an online purchase, is a flat fee of $35. Shipping for a handgun from most dealers on gunbroker is an average of about $25. So, when you add $60 to the listed prices.. they aren't any better than local stores, and sometimes much more. Since the bersa 380 was talked about here, I'll use that as a prime example. When I couldn't find one locally I looked on gunbroker, and contacted all the local FFL transfer guys. They were on sale from one seller on there for $210 ( most were 225 or so) .. so after shipping and transfer .. I would have paid $270 for a gun I did eventually find locally for $229.99 .. not such a good deal buying it online.
 
I have the Ruger P97 and P89. Both are solid pistols at a reasonable price. S&W also has a budget line of pistols. My brother has a S&W 457S which is a stainless .45 ACP. It's compact and conceals real easy.
 
GunBroker has Springfield GI's for $425.00 and FN Hi Powers for $400.00, NIB. Seems pretty framworky to me.
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Hexadecimal pretty much said what I was going to say, so I won't harp on it. Frankly, I didn't say it before, but if it were me, I would probably shop the used market. If your patient and not in a hurry you can usually find more gun for your money than you can lowballing on a new one. Without fail, every one of my "Fancy" guns has been bought used. Attached is a picture of my Bushmaster Varminter. Store Price = $1295.00. Used Price = $900.00. For those not good at math, thats a savings of $395.00. Also included is a pic of my Taurus PT-99. I purchased this at a pawn shop for $165.00. It came with a Fobus holster. It does have some holster wear, and it was dirty when I bought it, but short of my MkII Target, this is the most accurate auto I have, and has become my main "battle" pistol, for lack of a better term.
 

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I got a Taurus 24/7 Pro and I love it. One thing everyone on here told me when I asked for advice was hold and test it. I figured out my price range, went to the range and test fired a couple guns I was looking at, and ended up going with the Taurus. And while Im on this, thanks for all the advice you guys gave me a little under a month ago:D .
 
Get a Beretta 92FS on clearance. Beretta is cleaning them out of inventory to make way for the 90-TWO (shudder). Glocks are nice. Berettas look classier. :)
 
If you like how glocks feel the glock 19 (9mm smaller version of the 17) is a pretty good gun, i myself am not a big fan of glocks, but many are and my brothers friend has one and loves it. Small enough to conceal but not 2 small where you cant hold it.

Get a Beretta 92FS on clearance. Beretta is cleaning them out of inventory to make way for the 90-TWO (shudder). Glocks are nice. Berettas look classier.
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So they arent gonna make the 92FS any longer at all?
 
A final price of $465.00 is still a great price for a Hi Power, FN or Browning. And, $485.00 isn't bad at all for a Mil Spec.

My FFL only charges $10.00 so it's a better deal than that. I also don't have to pay sales tax of almost 10%. I can actuall buy it a tad cheaper with a transfer fee and shipping while saving on sales tax.
 
My favorite handgun is my XD45 Tactical. The KP89DC & P345 Ruger's both run a close 2nd. I bought a TAURUS PT1911 a while back & it's closing in on 2nd place pretty fast!. For a all around pistol, & if it were my first one, I'd buy the P89DC. It work's very well & the ammo only cost's 1/2 as much as the 45 stuff doe's. What ever you buy, have fun with it & use it safely!
Oh, by the way, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
 
So they arent gonna make the 92FS any longer at all?
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From what I've heard it's going to be replaced by the 90-TWO. Roughly the same gun, but with accessory rail and different grips. I think the 92FS will now be sold as the M-9. Same make as the military model but about $200 more. So the 92FS won't be available but the M-9 (which is basically the same thing) will be, but you'll have to pay more.
 
I suggest that you look at the CZ line of pistols. The CZ P01, 75BD, or the PCR are really great weapons that is in the $400.00 price range. I highly recommend them!:)
 
I bought the Bersa .380 as one of my first hand guns. Nice gun. Shoots straight. Light weight. I still have it and carry it when I want the size. I'm not concerned about the caliber wars, if I need a gun, I'll carry what I can carry.

Having said that, I learned most of my shooting with a CZ 75 BD in 9mm. They are cheaper to shoot than .380 unless you are reloading. I put a Kadet Kit on mine, which gives me a .22 that feels just like the 9mm except for the recoil. I could take two boxes of WinWhiteBox 9mm and a box of 500 .22 to the range for under $30 and shoot 700 rounds.

I still shoot the CZ alomost every trip to the range. I have a bunch of other 9mm, one .40 and three .45s. That's a few years of collecting after the kids are through college.

Good luck to you with your first hand gun. Be responsible and have fun. Do not handle your gun at all if you have been drinking. Ever.
 
CZ 83 in .380. It's a high-cap .380 that has enough grip for your whole hand. Reliable guns, usually under $400 NIB. Similar in size to the Beretta 84FS, just without the tip-up barrel and a few hundred bucks cheaper.
There's the CZ 75 PCR, P01, and CZ 2075 RAMI if you prefer bigger calibers. All these guns are DA/SA.
Also the Beretta 3032 Tomcat - a good, cheap backup piece.
The Bersa .380s are basically an ugly duckling PPK. Same capacity, same general lines. Not as good looking, but a much lower price.
 
Lupinus-Great Guns.

You want a gun that is reliable, cost effective and fun too shoot. [no pansy guns-.380 is a pansy gun if you need it for self defense you just as well hit em with the gun-probably work better!] First choice is the Springfield XD .45 acp-13 shot mag, low recoil, accurate and very reliable-yes I own one and its awesome. If you get all black cost you 480-500. Another gentleman has mentioned my other choice. I own two Taurus 24/7 Pro-.40 Excellent guns-reliable,accurate, little more recoil, and another Excellent defensive round. [15 shot mags!] Mine cost 370 for one and 400 for the other. The one that was 370 is all black. I could not give you better advice for low-cost relable fun to shoot semi-autos.

I hope you have a great Birthday!

Please always stay safe and be responsible for your own actions and you will see many more enjoyable birthdays.

God Bless!
 
Ruger's are great. I would stay away from the p345 though, i had a bad experience with them. But the p95 and the p94 are great gun's.The glock's rule and i love them. You can probably find one for around 450.00. The xd 's are for some people just not me. The sig pro's are great and come with night sight's. So there is a little relief, same with the px4 storm. Well happy looking and happy birthday. Welcome to the old enough to enjoy your gun club!
 
.357 magnum said:
[no pansy guns-.380 is a pansy gun if you need it for self defense you just as well hit em with the gun-probably work better!]
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:rolleyes:

I've heard nothing but good things about the Bersas from countless dozens of people, but apparently anything without "Magnum" in its name is a pansy round, so I guess you better get a Desert Eagle.

Look into the CZ line. Bud's currently has CZ-40Ps for under $300, and you should be able to find the CZ-75B or P-01 for around $400. They're hard to beat in terms of bang for the buck.
 
I think you ought to buy a Taurus - any Taurus.

Then you can join in on all the threads here that proclaim it as the greatest handgun ever made...

Hell - $800 oughta be enough to buy 3 or 4 Taurus'.
 
If you want a Sig...

...then get a Sig.

You'll have to shop the used market in order to find the prices you want, but I've seen many used P-series Sigs in good to excellent shape for around $500. If new is of upmost importance, polymer-framed (steel slide) Sig Pro pistols cost around $500-$550 brand new, w/night sights - and are just as reliable, accurate, and durable as the P-series pistols. They're also compact - mine is my carry gun.

Sig Pro's come in 9mm, .357 Sig (my personal favorite) and .40S&W - all great defensive calibers. Not sure how many rounds the 9mm holds.

The .357Sig / .40S&W magazines hold 12 of either round, and only a barrel is needed to change from .40 to .357, or vice versa. So when you get an extra $250 down the road, you can buy the other barrel and have 2 guns in one.
 
Re: -Tactical Ninja

Be fair, the .45 and .40 are not Magnums. But they are the best defensive rounds. The .40 is extremely popular with LE. The .45 is an excellent round esp with 230 gr winchester sxt or 230 gr federal hydra-shok.

I know, I am ex-LE and was a narcotics detective for almost 8 years. So I believe in firepower. Seen too many bad things happen because of a lack of it. My service was ended by a .45 caliber. Thank God it was just the shattered right hip, that was replaced.

Take care-Best to you and yours!
 
It's 9mm for me, but I don't consider it "better" than the .45 - just softer-recoiling and much cheaper to practice with. Hollowpoints pretty much even it out.

I do, however, consider caliber wars and statements that 'caliber x is useless' a waste of time. Lots and lots of people have been killed by the same .25 that's "useless" today, and people are even starting to question whether a .38 Special is "enough gun". Plenty of bad guys killed with .38s too - ask them if it was enough. ;)

For social situations, of course I want a 9mm or a .45 - but, as the saying goes, a Bersa .380 in your pocket is better than a .45 at home in the gun safe, right? Somethin' beats nothin' 100% of the time, and if the best someone can do with their price/weight/size requirements is .22, .25, .380. .38 or .50AE, I'm not gonna tell them they're a fool for it.

In any case, I apologize if my previous post came across as a flame. I tend to be very... blunt ;) when voicing opinions and I don't like beating around the bush. Best to you and yours, too! :) Glad you're still around to share advice and experience with us youngins. :D

Hopefully, no one else chimes in to turn this into a caliber war thread. :p Back on topic!
 
My vote would be for a Glock 19. Around here, you can find them for just under $500 (think $480 - 490) at gun shows. You can find used for $350 - 425 depending on the generation. Good luck and happy birthday.
 
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