First firearm ownership suggestions

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xbatista84

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Currently looking at a M&P 2.0 compact. Some acquaintances suggested looking at sigs but are outside of my budget. Doesn't need to be new. I'd like something that is very reliable and compatible with sights. I was gifted a sight many months before getting my ltc. I'd like for my first handgun to be compatible with it.
Open to all suggestions and or advice. Looking to stay under the $500 range. Thank you for your time!
 
Still have and enjoy my M&P9c. I imagine the 2.0 is even better. Good edc gun that's better at the range rhan a tiny pocket gun. Dead nuts reliable. Lots of 3rd party support for accessories, holsters, etc.

I did the Apex trigger and recommend it

And now that I escaped the PRM it's 15+1
 
xbatista84 said:
Currently looking at a M&P 2.0 compact. Some acquaintances suggested looking at sigs but are outside of my budget. Doesn't need to be new. I'd like something that is very reliable and compatible with sights. I was gifted a sight many months before getting my ltc. I'd like for my first handgun to be compatible with it.
Open to all suggestions and or advice. Looking to stay under the $500 range. Thank you for your time!
Click to expand...

It sucks to purchase a firearm to later find out it doesn't quite work for you.

Mass firearms, On Target, etc have indoor range rental programs and usually have a selection of popular guns to try. Check them out.

For instance, MFS:

Mass Firearms School | Local Gun Range in Holliston, MA

Mass Firearms School is a gun range in Holliston, MA, that offers the Mass Basic Firearms Safety Course for your License to Carry. Apply for your MA LTC.
www.massfirearmsschool.com

1733584207625.png
 
Welcome to the world of firearm ownership.

Assuming that you would like your first purchase to be something suited for multiple uses, carry, home defense etc, there is nothing wrong with the S&W.
I personally prefer Sig, and the 365xl is a popular choice and is right around your price range.

What kind of "sight" were you gifted? Obviously a slide with the RMR cut out would be helpful.

I know you have heard it before, but it truly is about how it feels in your hand. Hold the pistol, can you reach the controls easily? Does the grip feel natural? Does your trigger finger feel like it barely reaches the trigger?

Don't fret about 100 bucks one way or the other. Your first range trip will have you blowing through 100 bucks in ammo easily. But what you don't want to do is spend your budget on a firearm you do not shoot well because some guy on the internet said it works well for them.
All that matters is that if you ever need it, you can put the bullets where you want them to go.
Doesn't matter if it is an M&P - Glock 43 or a Sig 365xl.
That having been said.... Taurus and Ruger suck balls. :)
 
I'll agree with everyone and see that learning how to shoot on a compact is difficult and can be frustrating.

You'd be better off in my opinion, getting a larger gun and using that as your house gun and eventually getting something more compact when your skills are there. I've taught several people to shoot and invariably compact and subcompact. Guns are not the way to go at the very beginning.
 
M&p 2.0 compact is a great gun. If you want a glock there are ffls openly selling them around central Massachusetts. I'd suggest a 19
 
M&P 2.0 is great. You do not need to do a trigger job like others are saying, that was common to do for the M&P 1.0s that had very heavy triggers in MA. If you get the 2.0 with the flat face trigger (I believe the flat face comes on the manual safety models) it comes with an excellent trigger. I recommend either the full size or the 4" compact, both in 9mm.
 
ruger MK4, 22LR. buy it, shoot it til the barrel wears out. learn trigger dicipline, sight pucture, tap rack roll, etc etc etc on a gun you can afford to shoot. Once you are PROFICIENT with it then buy your carry gun.

go to a range that lets you rent guns and try different ones. every gun is different and what works for me may not be the one for you. Grip angles, where the sights are in relation to the target etc. And skip the toys like lights lasers and red dots until you can be proficient with the sights on the gun. Have a SHTF situation and the toy fails and you are going to wish you practiced shooting by sights or instinct.

if you are in MA and want a good start I would look at Sig P365 or one of the variants. Also the S&W M&P line. outside of MA the same guns or a Glock 43X.
 
My first pick would be a Glock but after that I would take an M&P over a Sig any day of the week.

Tell us more about your sight. If it's an optic (red dot) it can have any one of many "footprints" (i.e. mounting blueprints) so you might be able to just plop it onto some guns, while other guns will require a mounting plate (i.e. adapter) which isn't a big deal at all. Hell, even if the pistol isn't cut for an optic at all, you can send the slide off to get milled for your specific optic model for like a hundred bucks.
 
xbatista84 said:
Currently looking at a M&P 2.0 compact. Some acquaintances suggested looking at sigs but are outside of my budget. Doesn't need to be new. I'd like something that is very reliable and compatible with sights. I was gifted a sight many months before getting my ltc. I'd like for my first handgun to be compatible with it.
Open to all suggestions and or advice. Looking to stay under the $500 range. Thank you for your time!
Click to expand...

Your going to get 17 different opinions from 12 different members. I own 11 different handguns from mild to wild, and each one has it's own feel and shoot-ability. If I were to do it all over again from zero experience I would pick up a full size polymer 9mm which ever model feels "just right" in your hands and fits your budget. TRY BEFORE YOU BUY. There's also Granite State indoor range in Hudson NH that rents tons of different handguns and gives you a discount if you choose to buy new from them. Good luck in the search , it's a very addictive and expensive hobby. My favorite goto for a excellent shooter, mild on the body and practical to shoot is my Springfield 1911 chambered in 9mm .
 
You're going to end up getting a safe for that gun and filling it with more guns, then realizing you need a bigger safe. Which will look empty so you'll need to fill it up. Then you'll need another safe....
 
Do you ultimately plan on carrying concealed? If not, consider a full-size M&P or equivalent, as they will be more comfortable to shoot just at the range. If you do plan to CC, the M&P 2.0 Compact, the Shield Plus, or Shield EZ are solid starter handguns from Smith & Wesson.

-JR
 
Road_Clam said:
Your going to get 17 different opinions from 12 different members. I own 11 different handguns from mild to wild, and each one has it's own feel and shoot-ability. If I were to do it all over again from zero experience I would pick up a full size polymer 9mm which ever model feels "just right" in your hands and fits your budget. TRY BEFORE YOU BUY. There's also Granite State indoor range in Hudson NH that rents tons of different handguns and gives you a discount if you choose to buy new from them. Good luck in the search , it's a very addictive and expensive hobby. My favorite goto for a excellent shooter, mild on the body and practical to shoot is my Springfield 1911 chambered in 9mm .
Click to expand...
Also White Birch Armory in Dover has a great selection of pistols to rent/try and pretty damn inexpensive. Id opt for a Vp9 full size, great tribber and with the sales going on under 700. Don't get hung up on the cost tho, like everyone has said, it HAS to be a gun that is comfortable to you, that fits your hand well etc.
 
xbatista84 said:
Currently looking at a M&P 2.0 compact. Some acquaintances suggested looking at sigs but are outside of my budget. Doesn't need to be new. I'd like something that is very reliable and compatible with sights. I was gifted a sight many months before getting my ltc. I'd like for my first handgun to be compatible with it.
Open to all suggestions and or advice. Looking to stay under the $500 range. Thank you for your time!
Click to expand...
Under 500? canik TP9

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6Qw-oAQBac
 

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