Gun Advice (looking to buy a pistol)

[blackweb]

Originally Posted by Dan12GT I know we have some fellow gun enthusiasts and a police officer here that know their stuff about guns so I thought I'd ask here. I would like to add a pistol to the home arsenal mainly because of ease of use and size to make it easy to hide / lockup. I don't need a bunch of large guns so I figured a pistol would add a good dynamic. Anywho, I am not looking for anything fancy at all. I don't know much about pistols but have shot a few here and there. I don't need a cannon either, just a cheap reliable gun. Preferably light so my wife can learn it too yet can get the job done. Looking for suggestions since I know nothing about pistols. Maybe in the $100-150 dollar range? Thanks!

I own the Glock 19 Gen 4

http://us.glock.com/products/model/g19gen4

The most popular and highest rated self-defense weapon in America. Well balanced, easy to fire, reload and clean with excellent safety features. I got mine at Cabela's in allen. I use Hornaday Critical Duty 135 grain ammo

http://www.hornady.com/store/9MM-135...Critical-DUTY/

You cant go wrong with a G19 for self-defense. I think you should revise the amount you want to spend upward considerably for safety and quality resons. However, if you want to spend very little, a .38 revolver would be in order.

[El_Tortuga]

Gun fitment explained:
http://www.corneredcat.com/article/c...-on-a-handgun/

[GunsUp]

Danny do you want something that in an emergency situation your wife could use as well?

[JDBishopArts]

Originally Posted by lolvtec Even among the gun enthusiasts posting in this thread there is a bit of bad information.. for instance, spread out of a 18.5" 12ga shotgun barrel shooting buckshot down the longest hallway in your home is going to be about as large as your fist.

Well a fist is better than a dime and you won't over penetrate.


Bottom line Danny is you need to find the gun that's right for you and your wife. As said before, the main thing you need to do is put a few guns in your hand and hers. Come up with what you feel is best for you and her. After that it's range time to get accurate with it. Run scenarios where you have to grab the gun quickly and fire one shot. See where you're at. Try it again and again. Just like anything it takes practice. To me, this is one of the most important things you can do for your family. Hopefully you'll never have to use it but if you do you need to make sure you are both ready.

Different people will have different views on what works best for them and they are probably not wrong, but it might not be what is best for you. Personally I believe a shotgun is the best home defense weapon. 2nd to a 22 magnum. I can get to it quickly and while you do still have to aim you're more likely to hit something with a shotgun than a pistol under less than optimal conditions. Also a significantly less chance of hitting or killing someone you don't want to.

I made a little personal pros and cons list for different weapons. I've fired all the weapons I list here. Most multiple times. I'm sure people can nit pick this and more power to them. This is my opinion on these weapons.

22 Magnum Auto Highly recommended as a home defense pistol.

Pros:
Small and light
Accurate
Easy to conceal and keep away from small children
Can hold up to 31 rounds. Big pro...lots of bullets means more of a chance to hit your target without having to reload and reset.
Little/No recoil. Makes it more accurate for less experienced shooters
Not likely to over penetrate
Quiet gun
Easy and fast reloads

Cons:
Smallest round
Not a lot of stopping power (however it seems to be once a target it hit they tend to stop coming)
PITA to clean

380 Auto SubCompact My choice for carry. My wife can put all rounds on target pretty quickly.

Pros:
Small and light
Small recoil but smaller/lighter gun means more kick
Easy to conceal and keep away from small children. It fits in my pocket
380 is good round with plenty of stopping power
Easy to operate however they can jam and can be a problem resetting for an inexperienced operate.
Easy and fast reload

Cons:
Small round
More of a chance of over penetration
Most sub compacts only hold 6 rounds
Less accurate than a large frame pistol
Mild recoil
Long trigger pull (no safety or "trigger safety") can cause you to pull too hard and go off target
Can jam
PITA to clean

9 auto Most popular pistol. Great overall gun.

Pros:
Large frame 9mm are very accurate
Powerful round
Easy to conceal and keep away from small children
Easy to operate
Quick trigger pull. Less likely to pull shot to one side.
Most can hold 17-18 but can hold more
Easy and fast reloads

Cons:
Small round
Very quick round. Can easily over penetrate.
Can jam. Inexperienced user can have difficultly resetting.
PITA to clean

40/45 Auto Two different guns but I think the pro/cons are the same.

Pros:
Large round
Very good stopping power. One and done.
Most hold 16-18 rounds for large frame. I think 9-10 for smaller frame.
Quick trigger
Accurate. More so in larger frames.
Easy and fast reloads

Cons:
Mild/Large Recoil
Can easily over penetrate
Smaller guns have smaller round count
Loud. Can be deafening in small room.
PITA to clean

44 Magnum Auto

Pros:
Very accurate
Very powerful stopping power. One and done.
8 Rounds but can hold more. Only need one.
Has some weight to it which generally helps with feel and accuracy.

Cons:
Weight. Can be too heavy for inexperienced user.
Larger gun. Harder to conceal.
Easily over penetrate
Mild/Large recoil
Very loud. In a small room it would be deafening.

.38 Revolver

Pros:
Small and light
Easy to conceal from small children
Easy to clean
Mild recoil
Easiest type of gun to use. Doesn't mean you're a good shot with it though.
Good round
Will never jam

Cons:
Long and usually hard trigger pull. Causes inaccuracy issues.
Most only carry 5-7 rounds.
Can over penetrate
Slow reload

357 Magnum Revolver

Pros:
Very accurate
Can hold either 357 or .38 round
Can hold "snake shot" round for more spread and less penetration
Easy to fire
Easy to clean
Can not jam

Cons:
Large gun. Harder to conceal.
7 Rounds
357 or .38 round can over penetrate
Slow reload
Very loud

Shotguns

20g Shotgun

Pros:
Great stopping power
With short barrel plenty of spread in short distance
Mild Recoil. I can one hand shoot with accuracy quickly.
Autos/pump can hold 5-7 rounds
Can use multiple types of rounds
Easy to fire
Easy to clean
Autos can throw shells very quickly
Not likely to over penetrate unless using large buck shot or slugs

Cons:
Bulky and nearly impossible to hide away
Loud
Very slow reload

12g Shotgun

Pros:
Great stopping power
With a short barrel plenty of spread in short distance
Holds 7 shells
Can use multiple types of rounds
Easy to fire
Easy to clean
Autos can throw shells very quickly
Not likely to over penetrate unless using large buck shot or slugs

Cons:
Large Recoil with pistol grip. Mild/large with stock
Bulky and nearly impossible to hide away
Very slow reload
Very loud

I hope this helps and isn't too redundant.

Let's go shoot some.

[DirtyD]

I'm game to shoot. If someone doesn't mind, I'd like to see some of the pistols y'all shoot.

[blackweb]

Originally Posted by DirtyD I'm game to shoot. If someone doesn't mind, I'd like to see some of the pistols y'all shoot.

The

http://www.bullettrapinc.com/

will let you test fire weapons.

[pohnjarker]

damn good list Josh

I agree with what's said about going and renting or getting with friends that have something for you to try and get a feel for.

i bought my first gun without touching it and i didnt like it so i didnt shoot it. since then, i only buy something i've shot and know that i like it.

good luck

[fordplay]

Don't listen to lolvtec , if he was for real that desert eagle would be a .50 Cal like mine. One thing to remember about a glock, it's Tupper ware .. and the grip to barrel angle is different from 99.9% of all other handguns, it's designed to pull from a holster and fire from the hip. If you hold it straight out you have to break your wrist at an unnatural angle, every other pistol has the same angle as if you make a gun with your thumb and first finger, that's the angle they take. Glocks have also been chastised for their weird balance and blocky feel, no external safety (don't even start with the trigger safety bs) and the inability to shoot lead rounds, reloads, and the tendency for the .40 Cal to explode.. but you know other than that it's great.. you will also notice lately police forces are starting to drop the Glocks also. Even the broke city of Detroit is getting rid of their Glocks. Handle and shoot everything you can before purchasing. Then shoot every weekend and take the concealed pistol class , even if you don't plan to carry.

[lolvtec]

Originally Posted by fordplay Don't listen to lolvtec , if he was for real that desert eagle would be a .50 Cal like mine. One thing to remember about a glock, it's Tupper ware .. and the grip to barrel angle is different from 99.9% of all other handguns, it's designed to pull from a holster and fire from the hip. If you hold it straight out you have to break your wrist at an unnatural angle, every other pistol has the same angle as if you make a gun with your thumb and first finger, that's the angle they take. Glocks have also been chastised for their weird balance and blocky feel, no external safety (don't even start with the trigger safety bs) and the inability to shoot lead rounds, reloads, and the tendency for the .40 Cal to explode.. but you know other than that it's great.. you will also notice lately police forces are starting to drop the Glocks also. Even the broke city of Detroit is getting rid of their Glocks. Handle and shoot everything you can before purchasing. Then shoot every weekend and take the concealed pistol class , even if you don't plan to carry.

If your grip is correct glocks feel and work just fine

& if they are so awful why did one of the more conservative local police departments just approve their use? (Dallas) & I have two .50ae desert eagles that I everyday carry in matching shoulder holsters.. for her pleasure.

[03MachMe]

Originally Posted by lolvtec If your grip is correct glocks feel and work just fine & if they are so awful why did one of the more conservative local police departments just approve their use? (Dallas) & I have two .50ae desert eagles that I everyday carry in matching shoulder holsters.. for her pleasure.

Agree and disagree with this. The grip thing is not true. I'm promise you my grip is just fine bit when I put the glock out I have to angle my wrist to have it line up correctly, where as with my Springfield as soon as I push put it's flat and ready to fire. Some people just have a different grip angle than others. That is why I carry a Springfield rather than a glock every day. I have no problems with flocks and they are as reliable as guns come so I agree with you there. Our department doesn't issue the duty weapon so we have the freedom to choose what we want but ill say more than half of patrol carries a glock. Swat is issued glock 9mm. They are very dependable and will always go bang when the trigger is pulled. And if you need an external safety then you need to get better at handling a weapon. I have no real safety on any of my guns, just the grip safety on the Springfields.

[fordplay]

Lolvtec I was just joking. I carried mine once.. once.. After 2 rounds you have to re adjust. Fun but not practical, as for the grip you have to train your self to an unnatural angle, it's just the fact. But it's a good hip fire while retreating gun. As for why do most police forces use it? Cost.. it's cheap, from an engineer stand point the glock is a sloppy mess, I mean a colt 45 is also, if you shake it and it's doesn't rattle something is wrong, but the glock was designed to be cheap, And light. I want better tolerances and no cost cutting when my life is on the line

[zsommer79]

Always been a fan of Sigs myself. Shot a lot of good guns and for some reason always find myself carrying a P226 and P220. Bachman Pawn sells the "Factory reconditioned" ones and if you know what you are looking for you can find some almost new guns sometimes a at fraction of the cost of the new.

[TurboZ]

I have a police issue Glock 19, gen 3 I think. I bought it used for about $300, its a 9mm. It had its entire police service with no cleaning done, previous owner ran 500 rounds through it in maybe 10 years, never cleaned it once. I bought it, ran 2500 rounds through it in 6 months, then finally cleaned it. The firing pin looked like it came out of a drum brake system it was covered so bad in gunpowder. I never once had a single misfire or failure to feed. Not one single problem. There are plenty of guns out there that will do the job just fine, but I carry my glock with me daily, and I would easily trust my life with one over any other gun out there. I've had different small caliber handguns, jam, ftf, etc. on me at the range, I've never had a glock jam or misfire. EVER. And it doesn't matter what kind of ammo you run through it, cheap or good shit, they will always fire, never jam, and never clog up. Just something to think about.

[El_Tortuga]

Originally Posted by fordplay Lolvtec I was just joking. I carried mine once.. once.. After 2 rounds you have to re adjust. Fun but not practical, as for the grip you have to train your self to an unnatural angle, it's just the fact. But it's a good hip fire while retreating gun. As for why do most police forces use it? Cost.. it's cheap, from an engineer stand point the glock is a sloppy mess, I mean a colt 45 is also, if you shake it and it's doesn't rattle something is wrong, but the glock was designed to be cheap, And light. I want better tolerances and no cost cutting when my life is on the line

This engineer thinks Glocks are marvel. The simplest solution is likely the best one!!! Simple design and very tolerant of nasty conditions. One of the design features I love is how low they barrel is = less muzzle flip. I'm recoil sensitive to the point of opting for a compensated version of my gun.

Not exactly a classic beauty. No doubt, heck mine even has the pig nose. But I think its dead sexy:

"Glocks are good, Glocks are great, Glocks are better than chocolate cake..."

Seriously, grip and comfort matter more to me than than brand or features. As it works out, my 23C fits me perfectly and the angle feels perfect. After doing my initial research, I was interested in a Springfield Xd until I shot a buddy's. Heavy and uncomfortable to me. But that's why we have choices. Buy the gun that fits you and learn how to shoot it. Do this, and you likely won't go wrong with any of the main stream choices.

[pohnjarker]

i rented a glock and an HK before i bought my second handgun, which ended up being an HK, but the glock grip angle was just weird...i didnt like it. to each their own though which is why you should give it a go before buying. some like it just fine, some dont...no big deal.