Looking for an everyday handgun for target practice. Planning on shooting at least three times a week. Need a reliable, accurate, easy to strip, handgun (revolver or semi). Just need some recommendations, I have shot a bunch of .22s and would like to own something with a little more power.
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New shooter needs reliable handgun, any suggestions
- Thread starter JKR
- Start date
marvelshooter
Banned
And a Dillon.
AmmoSapien
NES Member
I'm also a fairly new shooter and after searching around for a while I've settled on the Smith and Wesson 3rd Gen Semi Autos. You can pick 'em up used for $400-$500. Easy to care for, pretty much indestructible, scary accurate. What ever you decide on I recommend you try before you buy, I ended up trading my 1st handgun at a loss because dove in w/out trying the the thing out first.
-J
-J
S&W L frame 686, 4" ,357mag./38 spl. and on sale at Four Seasons for $669.
What shooter needs an "unreliable" gun????![[smile]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/001.gif "Smile [smile]")
OP, welcome to NES First rule of NES is broad, wide sweeping questions will lead to thread full of glock vs. sig. semi vs. revolver 9mm vs. bear answers that will spiral out of control until the thread is locked!!!
What are you looking for? Carry or home? What price do you expect to pay?
Good rules of thumb for a 1st gun are ( in no order ) 1. affordable caliber to shoot. If you cant afford to shoot it regularly you wont. A hand gun is no good to you if you are not proficient with it. 2. Buy from a good dealer and a good mfg. If it breaks they will fix it, if you can figure out how to field strip it they will help. S&W Ruger Sig Glock and others fall into this category 3. buy a gun that fits your hand, not what someone on the internet tells you is the "latest greatest"
drb
OP, welcome to NES First rule of NES is broad, wide sweeping questions will lead to thread full of glock vs. sig. semi vs. revolver 9mm vs. bear answers that will spiral out of control until the thread is locked!!!
What are you looking for? Carry or home? What price do you expect to pay?
Good rules of thumb for a 1st gun are ( in no order ) 1. affordable caliber to shoot. If you cant afford to shoot it regularly you wont. A hand gun is no good to you if you are not proficient with it. 2. Buy from a good dealer and a good mfg. If it breaks they will fix it, if you can figure out how to field strip it they will help. S&W Ruger Sig Glock and others fall into this category 3. buy a gun that fits your hand, not what someone on the internet tells you is the "latest greatest"
drb
nightpoison
NES Member
Ruger SR9c, fits all the requirements you statement and hands down the best bang for the buck when it comes pistols. SR9 for full size, SR9c for compacts
SSW
NES Member
SW M&P 9, compact for CCW or FS for range. Good first firearm, affordable ammo, easy to maintain. Up front the trigger is the draw back IMHO. Some good smiths here on NES offer trigger jobs at reasonable prices or Apex kits if you think that works for you.
What ever you buy enjoy your new gun!!!!
What ever you buy enjoy your new gun!!!!
Agree with this, depending on where you are, some shops likeFirst defense in Uxbridge MA will sell you an M&P with the trigger swapped out to the Apex by their armorers.
My .02, sig 226 in 9mm, cheap plentiful ammo, no brainer to field strip/maintain and has done better for my first time shooter wife to learn the basics than the pistols I learned on as a kid. (Mark III's and notch sight revolvers). Budget withstanding of course, Sig's aren't a dirty cheap piece of rock & roll. Good luck
Get a stainless .357 revolver with a 4" barrel and you can shoot the .357 magnums or .38 special. Plus, it will be very good to use for practicing trigger control.
I second the motion on a 4" .38/.357 revolver. Smith and Wesson 686 or Ruger GP100, your choice. Either one will be in your collection forever. (Yes, you will end up with a collection.)
I started with a Ruger 22/45. Nice gun. real accurate. Cheap to shoot. Then a Ruger P345. What's not to like about a .45 that is light and again accurate? Then a Ruger GP100. Ahhhh....I have found my Nirvana. No more chasing brass for reloading. Will shoot anything from poofy .38s to "What the hell was that?!" .357 loads. Mild to wild. And Accurate.
Then again, 9mm sure is cheap if you don't reload......
I started with a Ruger 22/45. Nice gun. real accurate. Cheap to shoot. Then a Ruger P345. What's not to like about a .45 that is light and again accurate? Then a Ruger GP100. Ahhhh....I have found my Nirvana. No more chasing brass for reloading. Will shoot anything from poofy .38s to "What the hell was that?!" .357 loads. Mild to wild. And Accurate.
Then again, 9mm sure is cheap if you don't reload......
NHKevin
NES Member
This. A Glock 19 would be a great one to start with.
rep308
NES Member
4" barreled Smith and Wesson revolver, don't be afraid to buy used and save a couple hundred bucks
Glock 19, Glock 17, sr9, sr9c, 5906 S&W, SP101 in any caliber, CZ-75...all affordable used, all great guns, all available if you look. as most will notice almost all these guns are 9's, since you are a newer shooter the 9mm is easy to handle, ammo is available everywhere in many styles, and they all most importantly WORK!
These are good rules.
Also, consider that the best gun for you is one you'll enjoy shooting, and only YOU can determine that. A gun can sound perfect on paper, but if you don't enjoy shooting it, it's useless. Before you slap $500+ down on a gun counter, get as much trigger time as you can. Some people love to shoot the Beretta, others find it way too big for their hand. Many love a GLOCK, others find the grip angle screwy. Many swear by a 4" .357 revolver, but some new shooters aren't comfortable with revolvers.
Your best bet is to make yourself a short list of guns you might like - I'd include a GLOCK, M&P, Beretta 92FS and S&W 686. Then head over to a public range like American Firearms School or Manchester Firing Line and put a few rounds of ammo through each.
FSTC
NES Member
