First pistol advice

bigfische

I am looking to buy my first handgun and was hoping i could get some advice from the forum. Price is a factor to me, i do not want to spend over $500. I went to a local Sportsman's warehouse and held onto a few and came away with a few options. What is going to be better for a fairly new pistol shooter? I have shot, but never owned my owned so i guess ease of maitenence should be factored in also. I want a gun with some knockdown power, but i have included one 9mm, the rest are .40s. I would also look at recomandations from 380s.

Here is my list

Ruger SR9
Magnum Research Baby Eagle (40)
Ruger P94
soeger cougar 40


I also have looked at Bersas, but have never held one. Any opinions as to which of the ones listed is best, or other ideas of cheap, reliable handguns to look at? Thanks!

MFI

We recommend most folks start out with a .2LR such as a Ruger MKII or III. After you master shooting a pistol then step up. .If you want to go right into it .. hard to beat a Ruger for price and quality. .Do you want something for defense or just to shoot and plink with ? If you look at the .380's then the Walther PPK is the only way to go ..

iwannausername

For not much more than $500 you should be able to get an EAA Witness (CZ97b clone, great gun) in 9mm, 38 super, 40 s&w, 10mm, or 45acp *and* a 22 conversion kit...

If you can't swing the little extra, I'd say skip the centerfire and get a great 22 like a Ruger Mk II or Browning Buckmark and a lot of extra mags...

You want the 22 to build skills cheap...

Here's one in 45 with conversion for just under your budget, just gotta find a FFL to do the transfer in your area...

http://www.midwesthuntersoutlet.com/item.aspx?pid=2906


No affiliation,etc.

topdad

I have a few lower end semi auto's and would not
take any of them over a good revolver when it comes
to reliability, and ease of maintenance.
have a Ruger single six that you can shoot til the
sun goes down for peanuts, and a S&W 66 in 357mag
that in almost 30 years has never missed a beat.
neither has ever jammed, or missfired.

Wehrmacht_45

Ruger P85mk2 or P89

Steyr M9A1

EAA Witness


All would be easy to find and shoot. However, I also recommend a 22lr if you are not used to shooting pistols.

allen griggs

Why are you focused on a semi-auto?
For your first handgun you ought to get a revolver.
How about a .357 mag?

TooBig

Like stated above you might want to start with a 22 ammo is still realitive cheap for them. 40 cal ammo is very high if your going to shoot much, 9 mm is the best priced ammo right now. 380 and 40 cal cost almost as much as shooting the 45.
CZ makes some fine pistols and like stated above the EAA withness.

ljwrench

I'd go with a revolver for a first handgun. It's simple, reliable, easy to clean, and doesn't jam. The first handgun I purchased was a used Ruger GP100 4". You can start out with .38 spl. I bought it 15 years ago and it's in the nightstand. It's still one of my favorite handguns.

ern98

My suggestion would be to find a local pistol range, usually indoors, that will rent handguns to shooters. Go and try some of them. Find what fits you. More often then not in hunting and self defence it is not the cartridge that is shot it is how you shoot it. Even if you have to drive some distance to such a range it will probably be worth your while. I tried my first glock many years back this way and it was like I was picking up my hand and punching holes in the center of the target. I can and do shoot many other handguns well, but some are just more natural to me then others and that is what you really need to know and what none of us can tell you.......

sanford0

I am also looking to buy my first handgun. I have only shot once and it was an HK USP Compact 40 and an HK P2000 Sub LEM 40. I already know taht I do not like the Sub due to the size. Not sure if it is safe to assume all Subs will be about same size. I also know that I want a semi with manual lock and not heavier than the HK USP 40. I did try to go to the local shop to rent a handgun however they are slammed right now due to the holidays. I will try to go back later. Going out with another friend this weekend to try his 9mm Berettas.

Any other advise based upon my requirements? Not looking for anything fancy but something that will work on first shot and is reliable. I do not want a revolver at this point.

beantownshootah

quote:Originally posted by bigfische
I am looking to buy my first handgun and was hoping i could get some advice from the forum. Price is a factor to me, i do not want to spend over $500. I went to a local Sportsman's warehouse and held onto a few and came away with a few options. What is going to be better for a fairly new pistol shooter? I have shot, but never owned my owned so i guess ease of maitenence should be factored in also. I want a gun with some knockdown power, but i have included one 9mm, the rest are .40s. I would also look at recomandations from 380s.

Here is my list

Ruger SR9
Magnum Research Baby Eagle (40)
Ruger P94
soeger cougar 40


I also have looked at Bersas, but have never held one. Any opinions as to which of the ones listed is best, or other ideas of cheap, reliable handguns to look at? Thanks!

You've gotten some good advice already. Consider a .22 as your first gun.

As to your list, they're all fine guns. The "best" one is the one that YOU like best based on "feel", and other personal factors.

Given that list, my personal preference would be for the "Baby Eagle", better known as the Jericho. This is an Israeli-built pistol based on the famous Czech CZ-75 design. They are accurate, highly reliable, rugged, ergonomic, and relatively easy to strip and clean. These guns are standard issue for Israeli domestic police.

The Italian EAA Witness is basically the same thing (the company that makes the Witness also makes the frames for the Israeli gun), with the main difference being that the Witness has a more traditional safety that lets you go "cocked and locked", while the Jericho/Baby Eagle has a decocking safety.

And both these guns are all steel, making them heavy like bricks. That's good to improve accuracy and soak up recoil, but not so good if you want to carry the thing with you all day long.

Is this something you want at home for an emergency, or are you actually going to carry the thing on your person? If its the latter, you'll have to consider weight and size (for concealability).

The Bersa Thunder in .380 is a good choice for carry, but this one is really more of a pocket gun, and isn't really comparable to the other "Service" type autos. If you are interested in "knockdown power" the .380 hasn't got it. Its a compromise round, being until relatively recently the most powerful auto round that would fit in a gun small enough to fit in a pocket.

In your price range of $500 there are a zillion great guns you could choose, and even more if you're open to buying a used one. It comes down to which one(s) you like.

I'd add the following, don't overlook a revolver. You can get a great used Smith and Wesson revolver in .38 or (better) .357 magnum for $250 to $450 including nice features like adjustable sights and stainless steel. Not only are revolvers more reliable than ANY auto, but their single action triggers out of the box are generally superior to any but the most expensive target or custom auto guns. Revolvers are capable of shooting any ammo configuration (eg flat nose, hollowpoint, shot shells, etc). Lastly, the .357 magnum round is also ballistically superior to all the common auto cartridges (except the 10mm).

Also, don't pooh-pooh the 9mm. Gun nuts do love to bash this round (they have to bash something), but 9mm has multiple advantages, including ready availability, higher capacity, and cheap ammo, meaning you can get in more practice for the same amount of money. Some say this is a weak round, though I have yet to see anyone volunteer to get shot by one! Ballistically speaking, a 9mm+P will put out a 124 grain bullet at 1250 feet per second, which is about 80% of the way there to .357 magnum ballistics, and 90% of the way there to the 357 SIG. While it may not be quite as good as the .40SW or the .45, with modern high-performance ammo, its certainly good enough that you don't need to feel undergunned if you've got one.

bigfische

Thanks for all the replies. TO address the issue of owning a .22 first, my objection would be that i want this gun to be a home defense gun, probably not a carry gun, but i do want it to be something i feel conident in stopping an intruder with, and i just do not have that confidence in a .22.

As to the revolvers, i have put some thought into them, an i do not have a negative bias against them, i just like the idea of having an extra clip ready to load into my protection gun. I have shot a rossi 38 a few times, and do like the dependability and ease of use of a revolver, but again, i like the idea of having more ammo to easily and quickly load into my firearm.

Thanks again, for the input. Anymore advice on the listed guns or other options not on my radar? Also, to open a can of worms, what length of barrel is do you recommend to be the best mix between low recoil, accuracy, and manuverability? I do not plan on carrying this gun daily.