Need help deciding on a handgun

If you're going to carry concealed don't get a pistol with a double stack mag as you cannot easily hide it on your person.

Test fire whatever caliber you and your wife are going to buy. my wife couldn't handle the recoil of a 9mm ( I know guys! ) but finds a .380 easy to fire.

You can still get .380 ammo inexpensively, it;s a fairly good round for stopping power and there are many good compact .380's on the market for $350 or less.

My favorite carry piece is my Kel-tec PF9.

kel tec also makes a good .32 if your wife finds the .380 too hot - the P3AT, which you can get used everywhere for about $225.

Don't buy a Hi Point. I'm with Roguetechie on that one.

Personally, I carry a Glock 19, but I didn't see a mention of the Glock 26. It's the smallest Glock they can import. Also, along the same line as the G26 is the S&W M&P9c. It the same size, more comfortable (for me anyway) than a Glock, smoother recoil, and about the same price. They make a .40cal version as well.

I'm pretty recoil sensitive (bad wrist) and I didn't have a problem with the .40, although it took me longer to get back on target (fractions of a second). Ammo is a little more expensive and a little harder to find. That's important because you should PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE. Had to say that.

Good luck in your search.

reply to post by jlafleur02


Firearms, handguns specifically are a very personal purchase. When you read the reviews for firearms, consider that the review may have a personal bias towards one or another. Glock, offer a lot of incentives to reviewers to lean on the positive aspects and ignore the less favorable ones.

Glock
For Instance, Glock is one of the most tested guns in the world. It is also used by more police services than any other weapon (at least they were in Canada).

Now the reality. Glocks suck. They are too light on the bottom side, prone to twisting when they fire and are overall difficult to disassemble for cleaning. If your opponent is 10 feet away, sure you might hit the guy. There are safeties all over the Glock, all of which rely on the trigger to disable. I have personally shot a bzillion rounds in 9mm and .40 on Glocks and this was my experience.

The Desert Eagle:
Truly a formidable weapon. A large number of movies like to glamorize the Desert Eagle. In .357 and .50 Calibers it's big fat slide is unmistakable. Fun to shoot, yes!.

The reality: Desert Eagles SUCK! they are heavy, they are DIRTY they are prone to clogging due to the immense amount of carbon build up, and they are expensive to fire. Fun to own...not. Unless your a gang banger with a drug business supporting your handgun habit keep looking.

Springfield Armory
Used by the US Army for like 50 years. Not a particularly glamorous weapon, but a very good selection in anyone's collection. I though it was a little thin (skinny) in the 40 cal, but easy to clean, easy to maintain, jam free shoots straight every time.

Trojan STI
This weapon is an outstanding piece of work. It is so tuned a blind guy can hit a target with this thing based solely on the sound of that target crapping themselves when they see it. If Ray Charles had a handgun, it would be this one. Mag after mag I pumped through this thing without any effort at all. Cleans very easily, shoots straight every time. The only downside to this handgun is if you lose it, whoever finds it has an excellent handgun to use on you.
Here Is a good picture of it.

Beretta
My personal Favorite is the Beretta FS96G Brigadier
This is a well balanced, very reliable handgun that hasn't jammed in the 5+ years I've had it.
These people know guns. Since their first contract in 1526, they have been producing superior firearms ever since. These aren't the least expensive, but certainly some of the most accurate and reliable firearms on earth.

To summarize: A gun purchase is a very personal selection. When you consider what it is your protecting price can be a factor, but a secondary one. I like so many others have a bias, mine is toward Beretta firearms but that was after shooting the others at the range. If you can, take the wife to a well equipped range and shoot a variety of different weapons and calibers. This will give you the options of different weights, different recoils and your ability to manage those factors and strike your target. Consider cleaning and long term maintenance. Poor maintenance will kill you as surely as an unreliable firearm.

..Ex

I have included a picture on my personal home protection kit.

Beretta History

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/d0420e82df27.jpg[/atsimg]

I thought I should share the web resource that influenced me to try out my Taurus 24/7 Pro DS 9mm Stainless Steel pistol. It was this article hosted on Tactical-Life

After reading through the reviews I thought for the price this was the one to check out. I spent a couple of weekends at gun shows looking for one and finally found a nearly new one with a couple of steel mags and the original paper work and carry case. I took it out to the range and hit my spinner with the first shot. It had reasonable recoil and my second shot hit the next smaller spinner with minimal time spent re-acquiring. That sold me. It works fine and fires straight and has not yet jammed on me.

I have fired over pressure rounds and it holds up just great. It really is just a fine low cost handgun. I gave it to my girl friend and had her work it for a few mags and she loves it. Someone said do not get a double stack mag for concealed carry but I would have to disagree. This pistol conceals just fine and having 17 + 1 rounds of defense ammo handy sure feels great. No worry about trying to move shoot and reload with too few rounds.

reply to post by jlafleur02


I would recomend a revolver. Perhaps a 38. Revolvers don't jam and are simple to operate, and somewhat difficult to break.

I have just purchased a SW .40c M&P on off armslist.com. It was a site actually recommended by someone here. Its like a craigslist for weapons. I was fortunate enough to have someone saling the weapon brand new for only $500. Never been fired except the one factory test fire. Still had the yellow stuff around the coil. Took it to the rang the same day, (Mon) and emptied about 200 rounds with out one misfire or jam. My sh!t is getting hard just thinking about going back to fire somemore. I will let you know more how I feel the comfortable I get with this weapon. I have always been a rifle man myself, but tI think I can get used to this pistol.

First, I would say [as the poster above states] try different ones out, if at all possible. I have bought and got rid of around 12 pistols while searching for "the one" [not to mention the money wasted]

Second thing is name brands...Springfield Armory XD .45 Tactical is what i finally decided on.[come on, who doesn't like 14 rnds of .45?] anyhoo..Beretta, Kimber, Kel-tec, Ruger, S&W, are all good firearms.

Third, run like hell from ANY hipoint, jennings. Might as well throw your money at the criminal

Just my humble opinion....good luck too

Thanks for all the info, it has been very helpful. As far as gun shows go is that a good place to get a decent deal ? Can I get it right at the show or do I have a waiting period. I live in CT so do my state laws apply differently or is it a federal thing. Never bought a gun before so I have no clue. It seems that an online purchase is a pain in the butt. I will take the course on nov 29th , dec 1st and dec 5. Thats 12 hours of training that my buddy told me was a waste of time.
Basically, never put the gun in your mouth or play catch with it. Then ,he said, I need 2 letters of recommendation and must go to the state police to finalize. I am amazed at how much bull you have to go through to get the" right to bear arms". I have a friend who is an arms dealer. He basically does antiques and rifles but is old and knowledgable. Thanks again for all the info

I am a fan of the Glock .40



It is very lightweight in my opinion, very easy to use, disassemble and clean. I have never had one jam on me. That is not to say it can not happen, but I have yet to see it. The only downside really is that it does not have the traditional external thumb activated safety.

reply to post by jlafleur02


Try a Walther PPS or a SIG P239 and see how they work for you. Some folks think they need three 17 round magazines and a heavy, fat, pistol for defense against evil doers. It is highly unlikely that you will ever be in a shootout and far less likely that you will be in a pitched battle requiring 50+ rounds of ammunition. The downside to carrying what they suggest is.....carrying it all. Both of the above pistols are slim [the Walther is thinner], fairly light, and reliable. Both are available in 9mm or .40, but 9mm will give you one more round in the magazine and practice ammunition is much less expensive for the 9mm.
Have your wife try a few 3"barreled revolvers and a Bersa .380. The Bersa is very reliable, accurate, and relatively inexpensive. She can buy a purse specifically designed to conceal a weapon that provides easy access to it.

Did someone seriously say a Glock is difficult to disassemble for cleaning? Are you going to be carrying it on your person, or is it strictly for home defense? If it's just for home defense I would go with a shotgun. A Mossberg 500, or Remington 870 will do the trick. If you're stuck on a handgun I would go with anything Glock, a Springfield XD, or Kahr. All good choices, however the Kahrs can get pricey.

reply to post by jlafleur02


Hello, my family own a Gun Shop in Ca, and I have been raised all my life with guns. My suggestion would be a Sig Sauer p226, or 229 made in Germany very reliable capable of shooting fast. I'm not sure what state you live in, but I sold a factory refurbished one the other day for $650 ($870 for a new one) I would suggest 9mm if money is an issue Glaser makes some very deadly ammo that don't go through walls and don't go through people they fragment and target ammo is about 10-12 dollars a box. If that is to much money then I would go with a Glock 19, or 17 they sale for around 5. Don't be scared to buy a used gun either I buy them if they are in good shape, and taken care of.

For the lady I would suggest a Revolver in 357 mag (you can also shoot 38 spl in it for the wife) if you plan on using it for home protection a 2" bbl will do, if you want it for home/practice I would go with a 4" bbl. A nice S&W Mod 19 is a great choice, if you don't want to spend much you can get a Taurus made in Brazil for around $300.

Hope that helps

Glan.

jlafleur02....I'm here in CT too. I have a couple suggestions for you but I was going to try to send you a private message but I couldn't figure out how(kinda new here) If you know how send me one and I'll reply

Originally posted by TorqueyThePig
Did someone seriously say a Glock is difficult to disassemble for cleaning?

That would be me.

In the following picture, for people less aware of the Glocks makeup, I have circled the lever that needs to be depressed on both sides of the Glock to disassemble.
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/83ce7182fb70.jpg[/atsimg]

These little protrusions need to be pressed toward the trigger and then the slide can be moved forward. Not bad if your fingers are as tough as a guitarists. I found it uncomfortable when trying to disassemble it only 3 times in a row.

The Beretta has a button on the right side in the same location, and a lever on the left side. Depress button, flip lever and the slide comes right off. After doing this countless times I felt zero discomfort. Different guns require different methods to assemble and disassemble, so each persons mileage may vary. When you consider a woman, (no offense) having to handle the process she might feel her finger tips being grated on a Glock.

..Ex

I would personally recommend just about any kind of .45 1911, but probably the best I have seen is made by Para Ordanance and it hold 14 rounds of .45 which is double of what most other 1911's hold.

Smith & Wesson S&W 642

GLOCK 27 .

Kel-Tec P-11

Kel-Tec PLR-16 (30 round mag)

AR-15 with 100 round drum



Burning AK47 - 300 Rounds & on Fire

SW760 9mm,can be ordered as a pistol/carbine/rifle combo.

Uses 32 round Sten SMG mags which are easy to modify and reasonably cheap.

In pistol mode it's large as far as pistols go,but just seeing it will make someone think twice about confronting you.

And then there's that 32 round mag.

reply to post by VreemdeVlieendeVoorwep


What?

I've heard the DE is horribly un reliable.. aside from being too damn big, too damn powerful, and too damn heavy..

And yeah,it's a bit of a pain to conceal,but then I was under the impression that I had the inalienable right to bear arms......

I can read.

Sorry jlafleur02, I did get your U2U but since I do not have 20 post yet I can not send any