First Handgun... these look good so far

I wouldn't get the P2000, not as your first HK and first gun. The decocker is very strange, the grip is really smooth, and it can't be switched to LEM trigger and back like the USP/HK45 series.
 
Chet0729 said:
Are you intending to carry this first gun. If not I would add the Beretta 92fs to your list. It is a great gun but a little big and heavy to carry. It is a pretty soft shooter and is very reliable and accurate
Click to expand...

I agree with this. If the handgun is not for CC, the Beretta 92FS is a nice 1st gun. It is a pretty heavy (all steel) platform to shoot 9mm, but it is a soft shooter and very accurate. Pre ban mags are common and you can find 92's used/new 92's at most shops for $450-650.
 
origin97 said:
Good to know. thanks.
Click to expand...

If you want an HK get either the VP9 if you want a striker-fired, or if you want all the safety stuff - manual safety, DA/SA, decocker etc, the HK45/45c are awesome, the 9mm P30 less so (again, weird decocker and can't easily switch trigger types, longer trigger reset too). The USP Compact 9mm is nice but not MA compliant, hopefully soon since HK have been adding more older guns to the roster.

HK has announced a P30sk, and is working on a compact VP9 as well as full size VP40 and VP45.
 
samandglove1 said:
I agree with this. If the handgun is not for CC, the Beretta 92FS is a nice 1st gun. It is a pretty heavy (all steel) platform to shoot 9mm, but it is a soft shooter and very accurate. Pre ban mags are common and you can find 92's used/new 92's at most shops for $450-650.
Click to expand...

+1, and Bruce Willis and Mel Gibson carried them concealed.
 
There are a couple types (or names anyway) for 9mm ammunition. I have found 9mm x 19 (obviously 19 is the length...) Also found 9mm Parabellum, 9mm Luger. i think the Ruger SR( specificaly says 9mm Luger. The pistols I'm looking at are not specific, for the most part, as to which of these type are acceptable. (HK says 9x19, Ruger says Luger)

I intend to download the manuals to find out, but in the mean time, what are the differences between each?

Thanks!
 
9mm Luger, 9x19, 9mm parabellum and 9mm nato are all the same. The ones to stay away from are 9x18 makarov and kurz which are different.

edit: they're not really the same, but will work in the 9mm guns you're looking at. Usually the differences are in bullet weight and pressures. For instance, 9mm nato is 124 grain and if I'm not mistaken runs a slightly higher pressure than most run of the mill 9mm.
 
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Al-Jim19 said:
9mm Luger, 9x19, 9mm parabellum and 9mm nato are all the same. The ones to stay away from are 9x18 makarov and kurz which are different.

edit: they're not really the same, but will work in the 9mm guns you're looking at. Usually the differences are in bullet weight and pressures. For instance, 9mm nato is 124 grain and if I'm not mistaken runs a slightly higher pressure than most run of the mill 9mm.
Click to expand...

9mm NATO is like a +p round. I forget what's it's really rated.
But rule of thumb all the other 9mm rounds is the same . If you gun can handle +p rounds NATO should be fine.
The different names are just what manufacturers use.
 
origin97 said:
There are a couple types (or names anyway) for 9mm ammunition. I have found 9mm x 19 (obviously 19 is the length...) Also found 9mm Parabellum, 9mm Luger. i think the Ruger SR( specificaly says 9mm Luger. The pistols I'm looking at are not specific, for the most part, as to which of these type are acceptable. (HK says 9x19, Ruger says Luger)

I intend to download the manuals to find out, but in the mean time, what are the differences between each?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
The 3 types of 9MM you mentioned are all the same. 9mm Luger is probably the most common name for it.
 
Depending on your budget start with a ruger sr22. Awesome little gun not finicky about 22 ammo which is great. You can get one new at four seasons for like 300 bucks and a few thousand rounds to get you comfy with it. They are small easy to conceal so you get used to that as well. Nice little first time plinker. Also if your going to get a 9mm Beretta is an excellent choice. Sig 226/229 are great I personally hated the 2022 just thought the gun was junk but lots of people on here love them. Or just skip the baby phase and step up to a glock 20 very fun to shoot
 
jkelly1229 said:
Depending on your budget start with a ruger sr22. Awesome little gun not finicky about 22 ammo which is great. You can get one new at four seasons for like 300 bucks and a few thousand rounds to get you comfy with it. They are small easy to conceal so you get used to that as well. Nice little first time plinker. Also if your going to get a 9mm Beretta is an excellent choice. Sig 226/229 are great I personally hated the 2022 just thought the gun was junk but lots of people on here love them. Or just skip the baby phase and step up to a glock 20 very fun to shoot
Click to expand...

What specifically didn't you like about the Sig 2022, because yes, the consensus has been it is very good. My only gripe, and I haven;t held the gun yet, I'm not crazy about how the slide is removed. I would love to get a 226, but at this point it's not in budget. It is on my list though. I've kind of narrowed it down to the Sig 2022 and the HK VP9. Some folks have mentioned that Glock makes a slide lock extender. Do you know if the Glock 20 will accept / be compatible this? My biggest problem with the Glock is my thumb is too short to comfortably and safely lock the slide. Thanks!
 
Get a Beretta 92fs ...a great example of a lousy trigger.[grin]
On a more serious note it's a great solid and reliable gun.
It's a duty gun. .not compact or light.
 
Al-Jim19 said:
9mm Luger, 9x19, 9mm parabellum and 9mm nato are all the same. The ones to stay away from are 9x18 makarov and kurz which are different.

edit: they're not really the same, but will work in the 9mm guns you're looking at. Usually the differences are in bullet weight and pressures. For instance, 9mm nato is 124 grain and if I'm not mistaken runs a slightly higher pressure than most run of the mill 9mm.
Click to expand...

9MM Largo is also different from 9MM Luger
 
20 slide lock is changeable the 10mm is a blast to shoot I probably wouldn't get it unless your comfortable with a strong round it really goes bang when you shoot. But it's fun conceal able comfy if you have big hands. As far as the 2022 goes I thought breaking it down was no issue I hated the trigger it was just total mush to me and I threw shots every where and the gun felt cheesy to me. I got a 226 right after I sold it. Shoot that thing dead on its hands down my most accurate gun. I've had about 30 guns the 2022 was one of my least favorites tbh. The grip was uncomfortable idk I just hate it. It tore my hand up pretty good too and I have tough hands. I was pretty surprised by that because I work construction and after 300 rounds I had blisters. And I'm not hating on sig I'll be getting a 229 and 220 elite stainless this summer just wasn't my cup of tea. Idk to each their own tho. Like I said I know tons of people who love them maybe mine was just bad. Side note not for the op does anyone know if they can be upgraded to the srt?
 
Ski said:
Get a Beretta 92fs ...a great example of a lousy trigger.[grin]
On a more serious note it's a great solid and reliable gun.
It's a duty gun. .not compact or light.
Click to expand...

the 92 trigger can also be made incredible with one simple spring change that requires 2 min and $10
 
jkelly1229 said:
20 slide lock is changeable the 10mm is a blast to shoot I probably wouldn't get it unless your comfortable with a strong round it really goes bang when you shoot. But it's fun conceal able comfy if you have big hands. As far as the 2022 goes I thought breaking it down was no issue I hated the trigger it was just total mush to me and I threw shots every where and the gun felt cheesy to me. I got a 226 right after I sold it. Shoot that thing dead on its hands down my most accurate gun. I've had about 30 guns the 2022 was one of my least favorites tbh. The grip was uncomfortable idk I just hate it. It tore my hand up pretty good too and I have tough hands. I was pretty surprised by that because I work construction and after 300 rounds I had blisters. And I'm not hating on sig I'll be getting a 229 and 220 elite stainless this summer just wasn't my cup of tea. Idk to each their own tho. Like I said I know tons of people who love them maybe mine was just bad. Side note not for the op does anyone know if they can be upgraded to the srt?
Click to expand...

I will keep that in mind. I have read they did make it as an inexpensive version of the 226. from what I hear the 226 is one of the best that Sig has to offer. Plus they're kind of local. Anyway, good information, thanks.

- - - Updated - - -

ToddDubya said:
Both of those could be overstatements, too. Cheap, easy, worth it.
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Bro... your picture, avatar whatever is hilarious!
 
DO NOT BUY A .40, also reconsider the Glock for these reasons. You can buy pre ban hi capacity magazines, you can buy aftermarket slide locks and it might just have been a bad one on the gun you tried, I won an M&P that was near impossible to operate the slide lock but I doubt their all like that. Glocks are more reliable, easier to disassemble, they have more aftermarket parts etc... etc... etc... Some of the guns you listed are simply Glock rip-offs and everyone knows it but hey on the other hand try them all out and pick what you like the best!
 
I'm partial to glocks too my slide locks work fine with a loaded mag it's just unloaded they can be a bit pesky. I'd avoid the m&p series I'd pick up a sigma they are a few hundred cheaper I had one like it sold it but I liked it. But seriously hunt the classifieds check used pages you can find some good deals if you look hard enough and pound the pavement. Hell there was a guy who found a python for 400 bucks a few months back. Just keep your eyes peeled you will find some stuff you didn't think you could afford. Also not trying to be a dink but you don't know what you don't know yet so you might love the 2022 at the time I was comparing it to a smith and Wesson performance center 1911 a very broken in Beretta a few glocks a kahr p9 which is an awesome gun BTW so the trigger and everything didn't match up to the quality I had elsewhere. If it's your first gun you don't have much to compare it too therefore you might like it better than I did. Not being a snob or anything just saying it didn't stack up to what I had that's part of the reason I was so ehh on it.
 
jkelly1229 said:
I'm partial to glocks too my slide locks work fine with a loaded mag it's just unloaded they can be a bit pesky. I'd avoid the m&p series I'd pick up a sigma they are a few hundred cheaper I had one like it sold it but I liked it. But seriously hunt the classifieds check used pages you can find some good deals if you look hard enough and pound the pavement. Hell there was a guy who found a python for 400 bucks a few months back. Just keep your eyes peeled you will find some stuff you didn't think you could afford. Also not trying to be a dink but you don't know what you don't know yet so you might love the 2022 at the time I was comparing it to a smith and Wesson performance center 1911 a very broken in Beretta a few glocks a kahr p9 which is an awesome gun BTW so the trigger and everything didn't match up to the quality I had elsewhere. If it's your first gun you don't have much to compare it too therefore you might like it better than I did. Not being a snob or anything just saying it didn't stack up to what I had that's part of the reason I was so ehh on it.
Click to expand...

Indeed, not much frame of reference, I've handled a few .22's which were like air guns. (no, I would not want to be shot with one...) But this is all good to know.

I'm hearing a lot of good about the berrettas as well. One of the guys who wrote me a letter had one. he was a big fan.
 
I love my Beretta and I'm not trying to be a snob about the 2022 guns are weird I want a pk380 even though I've handled it think it's a pos but I can't help it I still want it because it was the first gun I loved when I got my ltc and I never bought one. So I don't wanna come off like a snob or you know nothing. Just get something you like and are comfortable with if you wanna go pop some of my toys off at mfs sometime shoot me a pm I have a sig 226 elite Beretta 92 getting a Taurus 92 this weekend hopefully got a glock 20 and 33 and an fn 9 and a glock 42 that should cover your basis with most except for smith and Wesson and hk which are on my list to get. As far as the 40 goes it's not a bad round but definitely shoot a 10mm first then after the 40 is like wtf is the point it's more expensive than 9mm not ad fun as 10mm and the guns aren't nearly as pretty as the 45s so and it doesn't shoot nearly as flat as the sig 357 so it's good for what it does but no one buys just one gun and the 40 blends everything nicely it just doesn't stand out anywhere compared to the other rounds. So keep that in mind too. Also look into steyrs they are weird looking things but everyone who has them loves them
 
Paul455 said:
The best solution given in earlier posts is to do a "Try Buy" and shoot the guns first.

I was ready to buy a SIG 226 until I shoot it. Did not like the high barrel axis.
Click to expand...

This is excellent advice--not only is the first sentence good philosophy, but the second sentence illustrates how important personal preference is. When I went looking for my first pistol I tried the Sig P226 "just for fun" but had pretty much already ruled it out because of price. I was planning on getting an M&P (which I ended up not caring for). I ended up liking the P226 way better than all the others I practiced with and ponied up the extra dough.

It is vital, vital to try a handgun before buying, in my opinion. If they were $50-$150, you could take a chance. But not for hundreds of $$$ (those of us working class folks, anyway).
 
Welcome!
You are looking at some fine pistols. Congratulations on deciding to get an LTC.
Could you give me an idea of what you are looking to do with your first gun? Mainly range? Range and home defense? Carry and range more so? Perhaps a well rounded all three uses firearm?
9mm or 45 ACP thereafter. .40 is not an upgrade, wears the F/A faster and is a bit more recoil intensive.
So tell me what you envision your use of the F/A for
Brian
Zero Hour Arms
 
Guns are like cars, you can read about them all you like but until you drive/fire them, you don't know if it is right for you.

Shoot some at MFS. Take some of the members up on their offer to shoot theirs. This will help you narrow down the list.

If you are thinking of the M&P 9mm I also recommend you look at the Ruger SR9C. It has a nice trigger right out of the box. You could almost buy the S&W and the Ruger for $700 used from NES.
 

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