Posted: 10/3/2015 10:54:01 PM EDT
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I'm looking to buy my first and possibly only firearm to use at the range and carry, once I'm proficient enough.
Also, used vs new. I'd like to keep it under $650, if possible. Thank you in advance for your opinion. |
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One pistol? Carry sometimes?
If I had only one pistol it, very well, might be THIS |
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Everyone has a favorite and what shoots best for them. Glock, XD, M&P or 1911, doesn't really matter as long as you like it, it works and you shoot it well.
Go to a range that rents guns and try out a bunch and see what works for you. Don't let anyone tell you you can't carry a full size gun or that it's only easy in the winter. A quality belt and holster make it possible to carry anything. |
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Quoted:
Glock Gen 2 G19 OP is limited to 10 round or pre-ban magazines because of MA. Many pre-ban Glock mags have cracked by now or will crack as most are not full metal lined. I'd probably buy a Glock 26 or 27 in MA, if I could find a decent deal. That will not be easy as they are not MA compliant. Police trade-ins do hit the used gun market one in a while. I like Sig Sauer and pre-ban mags for the classic (P226/P229) are not too difficult to find. The cost of a Sig is greater though. There are other MA compliant guns such as S&W M&P pistols, but you'll be limited to 10 rounds as there are no pre-ban magazines for them. Try searching gun dealer sites for "MA compliant" to see what can be bought new. Then if you want more than 10 rounds you need to determine if pre-ban mags are available. Buds Buds page 2 |
Hmm. I'm a 1911 guy (in a communist state), but at the price point, I'd pass. 
With the directives being: - 1 and possibly only gun, for range and maybe carry - 10rd mag cap limit I'd consider a springfield XDs 4in 9mm. They're kind of a platypus
Bunch of features that make for an odd mix of things, but if you're stuck with limited mag capacity, might as well get a single stack and enjoy a small/slim grip. If you're stuck to one caliber to learn on and shoot with and perhaps carry - I'd say go 9mm, I say this as a guy who likes 45. Especially in a first gun. Consider the 4in trim because it's primarily a range pistol anyway, with possibility of carry, and the conceal-ability difference comes from the grip length, so say most people. I guess I'd consider a S&W Shield for similar reasons, and supposedly it shoots like a larger gun anyway. |
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Quoted:
....... Bunch of features that make for an odd mix of things, but if you're stuck with limited mag capacity, might as well get a single stack and enjoy a small/slim grip. If you're stuck to one caliber to learn on and shoot with and perhaps carry - I'd say go 9mm, I say this as a guy who likes 45. Especially in a first gun. Consider the 4in trim because it's primarily a range pistol anyway, with possibility of carry, and the conceal-ability difference comes from the grip length, so say most people. I guess I'd consider a S&W Shield for similar reasons, and supposedly it shoots like a larger gun anyway. I used to think that a slim grip is better than a fat one; but, as I've aged, I've found that there's no pistol I like to hold onto better than one with a nice thick, double-stack grip. Thicker grips are simply easier to hold onto and control. That more comfortable grip and better control also shows up on the center of the target, too! It's been my general experience that anyone who can shoot a 9 x 19mm pistol can also shoot a 45 ACP. The former recoils with a bit of a snap; and the latter recoils with something of a slow push; but, with a little range time either one is quite manageable. (It's the heavier snapping: 10mm's, 40's, and 357 SIG's that I wouldn't recommend for any centerfire pistol beginner. The M&P Shield, also, appeals to me; and, for what it is, the recoil is quite manageable; but I've yet to try one that I like the trigger on. So far they've, all, been too creepy and heavy. Small pistols are also a lot more difficult for any, but a well-practiced, pistolero to shoot straight. Moreover, in my opinion, the biggest disadvantage to carrying and, thereafter, having to rely upon a small pistol is that many of the people who carry one need to get in real close before they're able to do any serious damage. (I see examples of this all of the time when I'm at a public shooting range.) Me? There's no way I want another gunman to get close enough to me for him to begin operating from within his own, 'personal combat comfort zone'. Which, again in my experience, for most people is at or well inside of 7 1/2 yards. As far as I'm concern waiting until an armed BG has approached to within any distance at which you can actually see, 'the color of his eyes' is a great way to commit - what is at best - mutual suicide with a gun in your hand! Don't get anything smaller than a compact size pistol; one that is no smaller than, say, a G-19.; and, first time out, I'd strongly recommend beginning with a pistol with a full-size frame. (The learning curve will be so much easier to complete; and, who knows, a new pistolero might actually start, 'peppering' the center of his targets!) 
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