Newbie and needs guidance in California

[oOBlinkOo]

Hey guys i just want to ask for opinions. First, I am still new to shooting in general and decided to get my first pistol. The thing is I also thought that I may plan to compete as well after some practice and few more round the range in my record. So far one of my top choice for my first pistol is a Sig P220, a 1911 from Springfield, and Glock 34.

I have shot a .45 acp 1911 and and a P226 before and really like the way the the 1911 shot but like the trigger of the P226. To be honest I love the .45 acp although the reason why I need guidance is regarding the choice of my first pistol. Like what i stated before I thought about using the pistol for competing and as well as home defense. I also do know that 9mm tends to be cheaper.

TL;DR
1.) Which pistol is better for competing, and home defense, as well as practicing in the range? To list a few that I thought about was between the Sig P220, 1911 from Springfield, Glock34.

2.) Any thoughts whether to get a 9mm or a 45 for competition?

3.)I live in California, therefore I can only carry 10 rounds in a magazine. Does that mean I can only carry 10 rounds when I compete? The P220 and the Springfield 1911 comes with two 8 round capacity mags but can they be fed a 10 round magazine if there are magazines made for them?

4.)When I really do get into the sport, which of the pistols I stated are more customizable regarding performance? I have a feeling the Glock but I don't think the P220 or a 1911 would be behind.

 

[Jim Watson]

There are many forms of competition, so answers may change if I have made a wrong assumption.
I ASSUME that because you list service pistols, that you are interested in the action shooting sports like USPSA and IDPA.
Draw fast, shoot fast, move fast, shoot some more. WHEE.
I shoot mostly IDPA, some USPSA, a little IPSC, and a couple of "outlaw" matches generally similar.

1. Glocks are very very popular, you would not go wrong with a G34.
A GOOD 1911 is a wonderful thing to shoot, the Springfield Range Officer has most of what you need at a reasonable price.
DA/SA guns like the Sig P series are much less common; although the CZ75 seems to be gaining ground.
There are several other makes and models that will get the job done at matches.
When I load up the van to go to an IDPA match, there will usually be one 1911 (mine), two or three Glocks, and a S&W M&P. Just recently added an XDm shooter to my posse.
For home defense, almost any reliable gun that you are familiar with will do the job.
Bear in mind that for a new gun you are limited to what is on the California Safe Guns Roster.
http://certguns.doj.ca.gov/

2. 9mm. .45s have become a niche caliber. While I do shoot a .45 about 1/3 of the time, it is loaded and set up to compete with the 9mms.

3. Ten is all you get, by California law and IDPA rules. Some divisions in USPSA also. There are places for the 8 round .45s in IDPA CDP and USPSA SS.

4. There are cottage industries serving 1911 and Glock. Some of the stuff you can have done to one will actually improve performance, some might help your confidence, a lot is just dressup. A Sig Sauer can be massaged a bit but the options are fewer. My Bruce Gray P226 is a fine pistol, I just cannot shoot it as well as I can a 1911, CZ, or Plastic M&P.

But FIRST, go to a range hosting a style of competition that appeals to you, talk to people, look at guns and gear.
IDPA.com and USPSA.org have club finders and rules.

 

[ny32182]

Each of those pistols would work well for your stated purposes with one slight exception:

G34 with 10 rounds is ideal for USPSA Production or IDPA SSP divisions.
1911 .45 is ideal for USPSA Singlestack or IDPA CDP
Sig P220 actually doesn't really have a "home" in USPSA, though it could be legally run in a couple divisions, just not 100% ideal like the guns above. It would work well in IDPA CDP.

Each has plenty of aftermarket/logistical support for both competition or home defense.

Get the one that works best ergonomically for you. If you want a Sig P series, a P226 with 10 rounds would be well suited for USPSA Production or IDPA SSP.

 

[luffy100]

i have carried an FN 5.7 for personal defense and also used it for competition, you are in Cali so you can use it.

 

[ny32182]

You cannot use 5.7 for sanctioned competition such as IDPA or USPSA.

 

[Sunray]

"...I live in California..." Like Jim Watson says, that's going to make a lot of decisions for you. So does the type of competition.
A .45 can be competitive in most flavours of shooting games. A 9mm not so much. I find the .45 is more pleasant to shoot than a 9mm. Difference is the barrel length(.45's is slightly longer on my Colt than my BHP) and muzzle velocity. Isn't the felt recoil. It's the muzzle blast.
I find Glocks slippery. Not a big deal as you can buy a Pachmayr Grip Gloves for cheap that fixes that.
Anyway, you need to go try a bunch of pistols on for size. It's critical that whatever you choose fits your hand right. Too small can usually be fixed with a change of grips. No often with too big.
"...mean I can only carry 10 rounds..." I believe just owning any mag larger is be illegal in CA. You'd have to read the State laws.

 

[ATLDave]

A .45 can be competitive in most flavours of shooting games. A 9mm not so much.

That really, really varies by type of competition.

 

[Corpral_Agarn]

I am from Northern CA and I shoot a Sig P226 at IDPA, USPSA, and multi gun matches, but I voted for the Glock 34.

The Glock is the cheapest option that will get you into the most competitions with rules like USPSA and IDPA.

Almost every shooting game has rules setup for Striker fired guns, DA/SA are not nearly as common.
Actually, I attended "The Western presented by Safariland" (Major IDPA match) and none of the guys at the chrono stage had handled a Sig before.

You really cannot go wrong with the Glock 34 as an entry to competition shooting. Spend the extra cash on ammo and getting yourself to the Matches.

After, if the Sig is calling to you, get one and shoot it. I love mine and highly recommend it.

 

[oOBlinkOo]

I shot the p226(9mm) and the 1911 (.45 acp) made by sig as well. What i noticed was that the .45 felt smoother and the 9mm felt like it had a little more kick I don't know if that could be the gun or the bullet maybe both. I liked the trigger on the P226 and im assuming all the p-series of sig would have similar triggers. I have not shot a glock 34 or a glock yet but i did shoot an M&P 9 shield and i do know it was meant more for concealed carrying but that thing kicked hard that's only because of the size right? not coz of the fact that it was a polymer frame?

Thanks for the replies guys keep it coming its tricky finding a great pistol here in California gun laws are kinda wack.

 

[Corpral_Agarn]

I shot the p226(9mm) and the 1911 (.45 acp) made by sig as well. What i noticed was that the .45 felt smoother and the 9mm felt like it had a little more kick I don't know if that could be the gun or the bullet maybe both. I liked the trigger on the P226 and im assuming all the p-series of sig would have similar triggers. I have not shot a glock 34 or a glock yet but i did shoot an M&P 9 shield and i do know it was meant more for concealed carrying but that thing kicked hard that's only because of the size right? not coz of the fact that it was a polymer frame?

Thanks for the replies guys keep it coming its tricky finding a great pistol here in California gun laws are kinda wack.

'kinda wack'? Nah, its nuts.

Odd that the 9mm felt like it had more recoil. Where you shooting an all steel version of the 45 and an alloy framed 9mm?
P Series have pretty much the same triggers, but I actually like the grip on a 220 better than a 226, but the 226 is a double stack, so...

The Shield will recoil more than a full size pistol for sure.

The Glock will be much more customize-able and at the price of most of the parts, you can do it yourself without too much worry.

With a Sig, I recommend sending it to Gray Guns or to the Sig Custom Shop. Other than that, you are down to changing sights and grips.

 

[oOBlinkOo]

'kinda wack'? Nah, its nuts.

Odd that the 9mm felt like it had more recoil. Where you shooting an all steel version of the 45 and an alloy framed 9mm?
P Series have pretty much the same triggers, but I actually like the grip on a 220 better than a 226, but the 226 is a double stack, so...

The Shield will recoil more than a full size pistol for sure.

The Glock will be much more customize-able and at the price of most of the parts, you can do it yourself without too much worry.

With a Sig, I recommend sending it to Gray Guns or to the Sig Custom Shop. Other than that, you are down to changing sights and grips.

i believe it was an all steel 1911 and an alloy framed p226

 

[ATLDave]

FWIW, the alloy-framed SIGs, while very fine service guns, do not see much use by high-level competitors in practical pistol competition. SIG is currently trying to re-enter that market with their P320, which is a polymer framed thing.

If you genuinely intend to compete (which you should! it's fun!), better to go to a match or two empty-handed and talk to folks about the game and their gear.

 

[waktasz]

Without a doubt, without hesitation, the Glock. I 100% recommend against a new shooter starting with a .45 as their first gun. You will likely develop bad habits because of the recoil of factory 45 ammo, which is usually like 190 power factor (a term you'll learn in competition shooting). A 9mm is going to be 135 power factor at the most. It's much easier to learn on a more lightly recoiling pistol, the ammo is cheaper, and you won't be at a disadvantage since you aren't reloading you own ammo (yet ).

 

[Dudedog]

Also if you like the 1911 you can pickup on in 9mm. I have Springfield :Loaded 9mm , aftermarket mags hold 10 rnds (CA max) great shooter, the joys of a 1911 wth the ammo cost of a 9m
USPSA Single Stack is minor PF for 9mm and .38 Supper (bullet dia + PF for major)
I really enjoy the one I have.

 

[Dudedog]

All you need to make 125PF is a 9mm with a 125 at 1000 fps. I load to about 1030-1040 just in case. (subsonic ) No muzzle blast per say from these even out of a XD subcompact.
Muzzle blast = H110 or a rifle.
If you are after a less expensive gun I prefer the XDs over Glocks. Just a matter of preference.

 

[9mmepiphany]

When I started shooting IDPA, I just used my carry gun...a SIG 220ST. Shot in IDPA CDP where the magazine capacity is limited to 8rds. I still shoot it during our annual Classifier Match as it allows me to classify in 3 divisions CDP, ESP and SSP.

The maximum magazine capacity in IDPA is 10 rounds in SSP and ESP. Since shots in these classes are scored the same regardless of caliber, most folks shoot 9mm. I've been shooting a M&P9 in ESP (because I have an Apex trigger in it), a H&K P7 in CCP, and a S&W M64 in REV.

We have several shooters in out local matches who are shooting 9mm SIG 226s and 229s. In the CA State IDPA Match mentioned in Post #8, my buddy won the ESP Division, Expert Class with a SIG 226...granted, it was an X-5...beating a Glock shooter by 2 seconds

In USPSA, I usually shoot a M&P9 or a Glock 34 in Production Class (10rd capacity). Again everyone shoots 9mm because there is no scoring advantage to shooting a larger caliber. If I want to shoot my .45 1911 in USPSA, I can shoot in Single Stack (8rd capacity)