Posted: 8/7/2005 8:52:32 PM EDT
| Which handgun would you all recommend on getting? My budget limit would be $800 max. Duties would be range and carry with when me when hunting. I heard a lot about HK handgun, are they any good? i would like a 9mm because the ammo are a lot cheap than the 45mm. Sorry if i sound too demanding. Thanks a lot for any response. |
get the biggest pistol you can shoot well with. get a lot of magazines. get a lot of ammunition. get some training. practice. (45mm handguns?) |
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With a budget of $800, buy a Browning Buckmark 22LR and a Springfield 1911A1. The Buckmark is ergonomically identical to a 1911 so practicing with the Buckmark is excellent training for the 1911. Transitioning from the Buckmark to the 1911 is effortless. .02c a round through the buckmark will not dent your wallet and it is a lot of fun to shoot. Go with the 45ACP. |
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If you're hunting anywhere where the animals can kill you back, I wouldn't fully trust anything less than a .44 mag, especially if you're actually just hunting with the handgun. If it's only serving in sidearm capacity, and you know you won't be running into anything tougher than deer or maybe wolves, a .357 mag is probably a decent bet. It's what I use when black bear hunting, but then again, that's only because I don't have a .44. If you absolutely must have an automatic, and need to kill bears with it, get a Desert Eagle or a 1911 in .50 AE. You can probably pick a DE up at a pawn shop for around $700-ish. I wouldn't waste time with the ones in .357 mag, unless it also comes with either a .44 mag or .50 barrel/etc. Then again, if you can't hit shit with a .44, you'd be just as well off with a Glock or something. |
This is a very well thought out answer, as is SGB's. Rent the guns and check them out for sure, but TRAINING is worth its weight in gold! I always recommend a good .22 as a first handgun because you can afford to shoot it...a lot...but even more important in my book is decent training. All of this may, indeed, use much of your current budget, but I guarantee you will find yourself well ahead of those who simply "bought a pistol" and you will be glad, in the long run, that you opted for the training instead! I usually suggest a Ruger .22 pistol AND a Glock 19 for guys in your position who just cannot take training. Carry of a handgun while hunting these days in the "lower 48" usually means protecting yourself from two-legged predators, not shooting game. |
ETA: Didn't realize you live in CA. Pick whatever you like, your government will just take it away in a few years anyway  . But in all seriousness, since your capacity is limited to ten any way you go, I would pick a .45. And like others said, go to a range and try them out. . Don't buy one because some guy you've never met on the internet tells you it's a good idea
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| hummm ... a lot of people suggest of rent guns and trying them out before buying them. That's a great idea, but i don't know if any dealer around here in california will do that sort of thing. Never heard of them rent out guns before, probably i'm a little new to handguns. How much does it cost to rent just one gun? anyone know? I guess i have nothing to lose if i were to ask if they would let me rent a couple of gun to the range. Thanks for all the suggestion. |
Well even in Maryland they rent them. It's something like $9 a hour, gotta buy their ammo, but it's reasonable. You can swap out anytime you want and just keep trying different guns. indoor range, BTW |
The HK's are nice weapons. Get one if you like it. My pref would be a Sig226 or a G17 or their variants if you're looking at a 9mm. |
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For 9mm, a Glock 17, SA XD or CZ 75b would be a very good choice. If this is your first pistol, I would not suggest anything other than 9mm or a .357 magnum revolver. .40 S&W and .45acp are a little harder to shoot if you are new to handguns. Find a nice Ruger or S&W 4" or 6" .357mag revolver. You can learn to shoot and practice with the .38 spl's and use the .357 for self defence and when you go hunting/camping. It is a great combo as a DA revolver is a very simple to use and easy to maintain handgun, and .357 is a very powerful and effective round for defensive purposes. |
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usp .45 is a great choice. i have a ss .40 and an expert .45 and love them both. the expert is the most accurate gun i own (at least that i can shoot with). i shoot it better than revolvers. that being said, my fastest centerfire is my p226 in 9mm. even though i've never used an hk 9mm, i still think i'd be faster and more accurate with the sig. but long range still nothing stacks up to the expert (usp .45 would be similar... although i'm sure the extra sight radius helps some). i've owned 3 hk's total, and i've never had a failure in any of them at all, except 1 squib round (certainly not the gun's fault). my sig has failed once, and almost failed a second time. i'm fairly confident it was a mag error, i'm having issues with some new magazines i bought for it. |