Pistol permit and first pistol..

[Altephor]

Hello all,

I'm planning on getting my carry permit in the next few months and will be in the market for a pistol, to use for target shooting. I don't have a whole lot of experience with pistols or guns in general really. I shot a little .22 pistol and some shotgun when I was younger, my dad owned a few different shotguns. The pistols I'm looking at now, and I know, I have to try them out for myself, are the HK .40 USP Tactical and either the Glock 17 or 19. Just wondering what kind of opinions I could get about how they are for beginners or if I should be looking at other weapons.

[jerrylundergard]

Originally Posted by Altephor

Hello all,

I'm planning on getting my carry permit in the next few months and will be in the market for a pistol, to use for target shooting. I don't have a whole lot of experience with pistols or guns in general really. I shot a little .22 pistol and some shotgun when I was younger, my dad owned a few different shotguns. The pistols I'm looking at now, and I know, I have to try them out for myself, are the HK .40 USP Tactical and either the Glock 17 or 19. Just wondering what kind of opinions I could get about how they are for beginners or if I should be looking at other weapons.

Well, I think the first thing you have to settle on is what caliber you want. I went with 9mm because I was familiar with it and knew it would kill shit. Well, I hadnt been paying attention to guns for the last 10-15 years in which time the 40 seems to have come to dominate. So, I wish I woulda gone with 40 cal cause it throws out bigger heavier bullets that reliably penetrate. The 9mm will penetrate but doesnt do as well punching through barriers or expanding as reliably and such as the 40 when using hollow points. The 40 will hold 13 the 9 holds 15. The 9 is cheaper but the 40 hits harder. The 40 is noiser, a big negative in my book. The reciol on a 40 isnt a problem for me and hits only slightly slower than the 9mm.

I would pretty much only buy a Glock if I could only have 1 pistol.

Id personally trade my G19 for a G23 if it was in similar condition.

[Lord of Lies]

For a beginner, 9mm. The difference in stopping power between a 9mm, .40 S&W and .45 ACP are not enough to worry about. Get a 9mm and use the savings in ammo over the .40 to shoot more. Shot placement is critical, if you can't hit a target it doesn't matter have much stopping power the round has.

Now, for the actual gun, I would look at the Springfield XD, Glock and Smith and Wesson M&P. HK's, Sig's, etc. are nice guns, but they are very proud of them (meaning expensive). The first 3 brands I listed are some of the most popular, both with law enforcement and civilians. They're all good guns, you need to pick the one that fits your hand and you can shoot well.

[Jake Hardtime]

As for what gun you should buy: Go to a shooting range that lets you rent firearms. Tell the guys that you are looking at buying a gun and you want to fire anything and everything. The reason why I say this is be cause everyone on here has there opinions about what are the best guns. If you asked me what I think I would say Sig Sauer, Beretta, Smith and Wesson, Kimber. I bought a Glock and the only thing I would use that for throwing it at people. There are people on here that would disagree with me! You need to fire as many guns as you can and figure out what works best for you. After you figure out what works best do some research on the quality of the firearm and make sure you are getting the best bang for your buck (no pun intended)

As for what round you should buy: You need to think about what you want to use the firearm for (hunting/ Target shooting/ Personal Protection) this will be a factor for what size round you want/ need. Most shooting ranges that rent firearms required you to buy the ammo from the shooting range. If this is the case you will see how much it costs to shoot the gun you like and then you can make a determination from there. Remember that most guns styles come in many Calibers. If you like the Beretta 92 but want it in .40 then you can get the 96. If you like the Sig p-229 but want .45 you can get the p-220 and so on.

If you are looking for a firearm to use for personal protection Just remember if you are accurate with a 9mm but can’t hit anything with a .40 or .45 then the best gun for you is a 9mm. If you have to pull your gun out in defense (which I hope you never have to) make sure that you are familiar enough with the firearm that you can shoot that bastard and make sure they don’t take another breath of air!

It’s better to be judged by 12 then carried by 6!

[SpAzNeT]

Since you said its for just target shooting get a .22. Its cheap to shoot.

I love my G19, I no when i pull the trigger it will go bang everytime. Plus not having to deal with a safety is nice.

[RedNeckJiuJitsu]

Originally Posted by SpAzNeT

Since you said its for just target shooting get a .22. Its cheap to shoot.

I love my G19, I no when i pull the trigger it will go bang everytime. Plus not having to deal with a safety is nice.

He also said he's getting his carry permit right before that, so I assume the gun he's buying will be used for that, as well, in which case he'll likely want something with a bit more knock-down power than a .22.

[I Am Korean]

Try the Springfield Armory XD Compact.

[pittelp]

Originally Posted by Altephor

Hello all,

I'm planning on getting my carry permit in the next few months and will be in the market for a pistol, to use for target shooting. I don't have a whole lot of experience with pistols or guns in general really. I shot a little .22 pistol and some shotgun when I was younger, my dad owned a few different shotguns. The pistols I'm looking at now, and I know, I have to try them out for myself, are the HK .40 USP Tactical and either the Glock 17 or 19. Just wondering what kind of opinions I could get about how they are for beginners or if I should be looking at other weapons.

Your not really a beginner, your just rusty, the .40 gives you a lot of resources to get free ammo from law enforcement buddies, so I would buy one and buddy up.

[BPA00]

I'm a little confused. You say you are getting your carry permit, but are not very experienced with guns?? You usually get your carry permit AFTER you are a fairly experienced shooter.

My personal recommendation would be the G19. It is big enough to be comfortable, but small enough to conceal. You also have glock's legendary reliability and ease of maintenance. I like 9mm because it is cheaper to shoot, still has enough pop for self defense, high capacity, and the low recoil makes it easy to do rapid follow up shots.

I personally believe in shot placement over bullet displacement, but to each his own.

[TDonovan]

CZ75

Great guns, reasonably priced 9mm and it's miles ahead of the glock in damn there every department.