First off I dont have much time to shoot....as it stands right now I could probably get out to shoot once a month, but thats pushing it.  Hopefully getting a firearm that I actually want to shoot will bump that number up.  Hopefully I can find a range close by that doesnt remind me of the movie "Deliverence"  I tell you this because im not that serious of a shooter.  I have a .22 high standard pistol and a glenfield .22 rifle that my late grandfather gave to me...both kinda boring although the high standard is accurate, I just feel like a dork/loser cause thats all I have.  I also have two m1a1 carbines that a got through my uncle.  I have shot those just because of the historical neatness factor and dont want to wear them out.  This same uncle took me out to shoot his glock 19 and told me the price he got it for.  The price is what got me....I had been searching the web for firearms I wanted but could not buy because of the price. ($900 .45s get old to look at) I guess my main question is what caliber should I get?  Shooting the 9mm out of the 19 was ok but I really like the way .45s shoot.  Problem is I dont want the bulk of a .45 nor do I want one of the mini glock 45s.  (when im 23 i will probably ccw the pistol i get now)  I was thinking about .40 s&w (glock 23) but dont know how they shoot.  Also, if I can find a range that has pistol course of fire competitions I want a caliber that will perform well.  What kind of mods or tricks need to be done to my new glock, if any, to make it "better"?  What is a good price for a glock and how does the price of ammo change with caliber?  Can I get high cap mags?  Whats the trigger pull like, cant remember but it felt kinda long/hard, is it DA? Sorry for the length and thank you for your time.  Matt

I'd say you'd be making an excellent choice if you decide to go with a Glock!

My 17 was my first firearm, I purchased it when I was 21.  I love that gun and don't ever plan to give it up!  Actually, I hope to someday buy a "brother" for it so that I can have a pair.

Glocks are definitely fun to shoot.  The 9mm especially if you pick up a couple of 33 round mags and let them go rapid fire! he
As far as the price of ammo 9mm is far and away the cheapest, 100 rounds of Winchester White Box target ammo is about $10 at WalMart.  I don't really know how much .45ACP costs, but I've been paying about $13 for 50 rounds of target ammo for my .45 GAP.  I've found a couple of local stores that are carrying the GAP (such as Gander Mountain), but I usually just order in bulk on the internet anyway.  The major defensive rounds are all available for the GAP as well, from Silvertips to Gold Dots.  I also have some Hydra Shocks.

No matter which model you get I would recommend getting night sites.  I got the factory night sights with my 37 and I love them.  I'm now definitely planning to upgrade my other 2 Glocks with better sights.

Bottom line, my advice is to get the .45 GAP if you want the fit of a 9mm with the power of the .45 ACP.  If the full size frame of the 17 (and 37) isn't for you then the 38 will most likely be available by the time you're looking to buy.  As far as upgrades go, you don't really NEED anything except for the night sights.  The 37 comes with an extended slide release already, you could add an extended mag release or fiddle with the trigger if you really wanted to, but Glocks don't need anything, they really are "Shooting Perfection".  That being said, there are tons and tons of mods that can be done to personalize a Glock, just take a quick look around the web and you'll see what I mean.

All Glocks are DA only.  The factory trigger has a short take-up to a very noticeable "break point" at around 5lbs.  I've done some trigger work on my 17 and its down around 3 lbs.  Unless I'm shooting them side-by-side I don't really notice the difference between the factory trigger in the 37 and the modified trigger in the 17.  I've found that for me Glock triggers are the easiest to learn and to shoot well with.  The only other handgun I can shoot as well with is my brother's S&W revolver in SA mode.

Hope this helps!

Later,

Matt (yeah, I'm a Matt too!)

Loved my G30, also a .45 cal. Hit everything I aimed at. Made my Sig owning friends very angry.
Matt #3

The .45 gap (glock automatic pistol?)  is new to me...think I may have seen it in a magazine in a store or something but dont remember.  Whats the difference between a gap and acp?  Just a longer shell=more powder=faster?  What I really need to do is find a place that has a Glock 19,23 and whatever their mid frame 45 is and hold them all to see which one feels better.  Might as well start looking at 1911 .45s too (I have always liked the looks of those)  btw...what did the .40 S&W feel like? like a .45 but a little more zing to it?  i think ive ruled out the 9mm...didnt really like the recoil...felt like shooting rubber bands as i remember it.

Used Glock 19 (compact 9mm 15+1) runs about $400 and  is a good CCW piece. You can use G17 17+1 and G18 32+1 mags. (mm ammo is cheap.Wally world $10-11 =100rds. Price goes up with .40 and up again with 45. Mods are pretty universal with various models. My only enhancement would be night sights and maybe extended slide stop. YMMV

As a rule of thumb.
$5.00 increment in price per 100 rds. of wally world white box.
9mm/$10.00 per 100
40.S&W/$15.00 per 100
45auto/$20.00 per 100

I personally bought my first pistol about a year ago (I am 22). I spent many many months before and a few after debating the same question. I ended up going with the GLOCK 22.

Why? A number of reasons:
-40. S&W is a great compromise between the two opposites(9mm/45auto). You get about the same firepower of the .45 and about the same magazine capacity of the 9mm.
-Many LE agencies are trading in their 45s and especially their 9mm's for .40's. The 40 was specifically designed as a battle round. Very high pressure behind a heavy bullet 180gr.
-Compromise in price of ammuniton. a little more expensive than 9mm but more affordable than .45

I also looked at the 45 gap and came very close to purchasing it because of the smaller frame fitting my hands much better than the glock 20. The only complaint I had was availability of ammunition.

There is a great article on the Glock .45 GAP and the .40 caliber round in "Guns and Ammo 2005 annualHandgunsmagazine.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

-Many LE agencies are trading in their 45s and especially their 9mm's for .40's. The 40 was specifically designed as a battle round. Very high pressure behind a heavy bullet 180gr.

Actually the .40 was specifically designed to duplicate the weakened "FBI loads" of the 10mm, while giving a higher magazine capacity since they no longer needed such large cases.

I'd go for the Glock 17 in 9mm or the Glock 20 or 21 in 10mm or 45 ACP respectively.
These are full size guns, but they conceal well in a good holster because of their low weight and relatively thin polymer frame.

I have several Glocks in 9mm and 40 cal. Love them all.  The 40 save my life along with another officer.  I'm biased and love Glock. As stated by another, they are all DA, even if they don't appear that way.   You can get trigger pull in 3.5, 5, 8.5  and in the NewYork if you want it.  I personally wouldn't recommend it. I've tried it and dont like having 12lbs to pull or even the 8.5 lbs.  Typically they are sold as 5 lbs unless you specify something different.

Now, anyone can get high cap mags, except those states that still have the ban. But the night sights when you order the gun, big plus when shooting in no/lowight conditions.

Good Luck and Happy Birthday...

One shot, One kill.

 Msokol13,   Nice gillie suit !!! Do you know David and do you have one?



One shot, One kill.

No. I don't know David but I do have one

He makes a great gillie suit. I won it in a sniper competition. I'll tell you that his gillie siuts are so well made, that you cannot detect a hidden sniper/observer with thermal imager !! No lie, 100%truthfull. I use it on callouts and training and I'm actually cooler with it on in the sun than without it.

One shot, One kill.

One more question.  Could someone explane "drop free" to me?

drop free mags are fully lined with metal so even partially loaded they will "drop free" of the weapon; the old ones (10 years ago) didn't.  shouldn't be an issue now- i think all new mags are df.

get a g23 and you may never buy a carry pistol again.  i've sold damn near all my other handguns- they just don't serve a purpose anymore.

.40 s&w is a SHORTENED 10mm.  they're the same diameter so you'd get the same # of rounds in a mag.  10mm are WAY bigger because of the length/power of the cartridge.  they have similar results on human size targets so there's not really a reason to carry the bigger gun.

good luck!

i second the G23 recommendation.  I got my first handgun (G23) two years ago when i turned 21(in march also hange
Plus, all you gotta do is buy a .357 G32 barrel and some G32 mags ( i got high cap.)... switch 'em out with the G23 barrel & mags and you got a G32 .357 sig.  

I also recommend an Extended Slide Release Lever and Extended Magazine Catch.  They're both very simple first mods that i installed myself and they'll help with your tactical reloads should you ever need to deploy your firearm.
Another good recommendation is a Complete Glock Disassembly/Assembly Video/DVD .  I found that video VERY useful.

Whatever firearm you do choose, just make sure that it's the one you truly want.  And once you do get it...  practice, practice, practice!  Get to know your firearm inside & out.

For a first gun, I would go 9mm just because the lower cost of ammo will encourage you to shoot it more and practice.

Quoted: For a first gun, I would go 9mm just because the lower cost of ammo will encourage you to shoot it more and practice.

Have your cake and eat it too.

Buy a drop-in 9mm barrel for your glock .40
all you need is the barrel,
I have heard that glock .40 magazines work well with 9mm. IIRC S&W once had magazines that worked for both a 9mm and .40cal. handgun.
my .02 FWIW

Lonewolfdist.com has a few different manufacturers to select from.

Quoted: Have your cake and eat it too. Buy a drop-in 9mm barrel for your glock .40 all you need is the barrel,

That's an interesting suggestion.  FWIW, I would not want to change calibers on the same gun if it's my only one - I'm a believer in practicing what you shoot.  IOW, don't use 9mm on the range and rely on a .40 to save your life.

Another possibility is to get a .22 kit for general practice.  I have one for my Glock 17.  It works well enough.  It was around $250.

If your town range has gun rentals I would go down and rent the guns in the calibers that you are most interested in and see wich one "fits you best" The first large caliber handgun I purchased was a Browning high power 40. I tried my friends high power 9, the first one I ever shot and liked the way it pointed and enjoyed shooting it and thought this is the gun for me too. Well come to think of it now I wasn't that accurate with it. (we were shooting cans and I would hit them about every 3rd shot) So I bought one in 40. Went down to the indoor range to shoot it and there just happened to be a glock promo going on with free glock rentals. I tries a G22c and a 23. I thought for sure my high power would be better than a "plastic gun" Was I ever wrong. I shot them both better than my high power and had wished that I had a glock instead.

Like others mention you can convert the glock 40s over to 357 sig, 9mm and 22lr wich is nice feature if you wish to do so.

I love my model 21 (.45) but it is expensive to shoot, twice as expensive as a 9mm.  I would probaably sugest a 9mm for this reason, no matter what you do you can shoot twice as much.  You also have the advantage if you are introducing new shooters to pistols (I think this is the responsibility of all gun owners) especially if they are women.

On the .45 vs 9mm debate I am firmly on the .45 side. It's so close that other factors, such as the ones I listed, or the fact that my wife can't shoot my primary defensice pistol, can sway me.

I own a GLOCK 22.  Why do you ask?  Cause if the shit ever hits the fan there are a LOT of G22s riding around in cop cars(fecesious)...but really though...you have excellent firepower that you can actually hunt with if the need arises.  I am sorry 9mm fans but the 40 cal round is quite a bit more potent and you guys know it.  I used to own a 45 acp 1911A1 and I loved it.  But I really like the 40 as well.  My uncle has a 9mm and it just doesn't have the authority the 40 does.  If you were to pair up a glock for with one of those Kel-Tec rifles configured to take the glock 40 mag and ammo, just think about the self defense possibilties.  Well, everyone has their own opinion.  That is just mine.  I think a GLOCK is a good weopon.  Just remember to take extra care if you have one in a home with children and unexperienced gun fans.  Once you chamber a round in your GLOCK it is definately a FORCE.  There are no second chances with it.  If you pull the trigger it will FIRE.  No safeties for backup.  I have never had a fireing malfunction with my GLOCK...it will shoot...every time.  That is good and bad.  Good if you need it bad if someone picks it up and makes a mistake.  The only reason I say this is because not everyone understands the responsibilty involved with an arm like a GLOCK.  Dont get me wrong.  Any firearm is a deadly weopon, that is what they are.  Some just have more backup safeties then others.  I wish you well.

Like I said, I really LIKE my GLOCK.  

It is 100% there for the user.

Wes

I've had Glocks in all the calibers and now just have a G17.  9mm ammo is cheap, mild recoil for fast follow up shots, premium hollow points do the job for defense and high capacity.  What more could you ask for?  

Quoted: What kind of mods or tricks need to be done to my new glock, if any, to make it "better"? Glocks are pretty good as they come from the factory. I would recommend night sights, and an extended or improved slide stop. I really like mine (below), the factory one was just too flat to get a good purchase on it. Some people like switching out the trigger to a smoother or whatever but the factory is pretty good. What is a good price for a glock and how does the price of ammo change with caliber?   Here I bought my G27 used for $400 and put night sights on it. Ammo for cheap FMJ is $8/50rds at a local gun shop. Can I get high cap mags?   Nice thing is that in any caliber you can use the next larger mags. My G27 w/9 rd mags kinda sucks but pop in a G23 mag and mag adapter and you have a short barrel with the grip of a G23

IM me if you have specific questions.