Vanity - Advice on which handgun to buy

[Perdogg]

I am looking to buy a handgun this weekend. Right now I am leaning towards a HK-VP9 or a Glock 26 or a Hammerless.

I have never owned a handgun before and I will sign up for lessons once I purchase the weapon.

Any good advice?

[WayneS]

About how much should I expect to pay for an XD in .45 ACP?

By the way, loaded chamber indicator visible in either of those photos?

[Ken H]

I'm really looking this one over =>

Model 327

$1,309.00 *

*Suggested Retail, Dealer Sets Actual Pricing

SKU:170245

Model: 327

Caliber: .357 Magnum®

.38 S&W Special +P

Capacity: 8 Rounds

Barrel Length: 2" / 5.1 cm

Caliber: .357 Magnum®

http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product4_750001_750051_764974_-1_775660_775655_757896_ProductDisplayErrorView_Y

[WayneS]

Gee, and after so many police departments abandoned the 9mm and went with the .40 over the last 10 years.

Maybe it has nothing to do with the guns.

Maybe they just enjoy wasting our money?

[thefactor]

Go to a range and try both semis and wheel guns.

I would advise against a Glock if it's your first pistol.

[taxcontrol]

5 rules of a gun fight:

1) Gun beats no gun
This means that the gun you left home because is was too big or going to “print” or what ever reason, is the same as no gun. Guns which malfunction, wont feed right or you don’t know how to clear are clubs, i.e. no gun

2) hit beats a miss
A .22 that hits is worth a whole lot more than the .44 mag that misses. Buy a gun that you can control and hit your target

3) fast beats slow
Usually the one that shoots first, wins. So regardless of the gun you carry, make sure you can get it into the gun fight rapidly.

4) big beats small
Given the three rules above, go for the biggest caliber that meets all three criteria.

5) many beats one
If it is worth shooting once, shoot twice. Two bullet holes bleed faster than one. Take this into consideration and given the prior 4 rules, choose the gun with the most ammunition capacity.

[W.]

Handguns take lots of trigger time to master, so start with a smaller caliber. The .22 Ruger Standard autoloader has been the first pistol for multitudes. Or a .22 revolver, either one for the novice. For seconds, a S&W M28/M19 .357 revolver, using light .38 specials for acclimation. You can move up to stronger .357 magnum ammo later.

[Travis McGee]

The cocked striker indicator on the back of an Xd is also a loaded indicator, in that if it's not protruding, the pistol cannot be loaded. (But it could be cocked with an empty chamber.)

So in addition, there is also a loaded chamber indicator, it's on top of the slide center-lined behind the chamber. If the chamber is loaded, that little piece of steel sticks up about 3mm or 1/8".

This picture also shows the cocked striker indicator, which is really great because it's also visible and "feelable" even with the pistol secured in a typical holster.

And there is also the grip safety visible in the photo.

[tom paine 2]

bump

[Travis McGee]

We are talking about a newbie shooter buying his first handgun, not cops.

And can you please tell me what major police depts now have banned 9mm as ineffective?

[smokingfrog]

[Eagles6]

My buddy bought a Judge on a whim. Produced a 4'+ pattern at 10 yds with #4 with maybe half of the pellets hitting the vitals or the silhouette. Not something I would reccomend to a newbie for self defense or anyone else for that matter.

That being noted, as others have said, go rent, stick with quality and get trained

[Travis McGee]

Not sure about Xds in .45, but in 9mm they run about 450-500 bucks.

[Disambiguator]

You have received a lot of good advice here. I would like to add that when you buy a gun, you also have to get a cleaning kit, holsters (because one is never enough), carrying cases, storage, etc. Be prepared to spend a few $$.

[usmcobra]

Go to an indoor range, try everything they have, the best way to shop for a gun...

I carry a Bersa 380.

Three types of safeties, a built in key lock, a de-cocker, and a magazine disconnect which prevents it from being firing without a magazine in it.

But I always ensure I have a complete safe weapon when it is not in use

[Ken H]

How do you like the S&W 8-round 357 in post #42?

[Travis McGee]

The Taurus Judge, with a rifled barrel, purely sucks as a shotgun-handgun. The patterns are all over the place past 7 yards. Totally unpredictable swirls and tangents.

Closer than 7 yards, why not just shoot them with a bullet? If you are such a bad shot that you need a “shotgun revolver” at 5 yards, you should not have a gun, PERIOD.

Past 7 yards, the pellets will be all over the side of a wall, with many random fliers, due to the rifled barrel.

[Travis McGee]

An 8 shot revolver is okay for a field or house gun, but it’s hard to conceal with a fat cylinder.

[CrazyIvan]

Yesterday it was Ruger Standards, today Springfield XDs. We must have identical taste in pistols.

[Travis McGee]

GMTA, CI.

[buffaloguy]

Rules for new handgun shooters:

1. The gun you start with will not be the the gun with which you will finish. Your needs will change over time and you will get different guns to fulfill those needs.

2. Revolvers rarely fail to fire. They are extremely reliable.

3. Revolvers will fire whatever round you put in the cylinder, good, bad or indifferent. The semi autos may be very sensitive to the quality of the ammo. Revolvers don’t care.

4. Defensive shooting has become mixed up with tactical shooting. In defensive shooting if you shoot 2 to 3 rounds in the first 2 to 3 seconds you will probably win.

5. Semi autos are a real pain to clean. I hate cleaning mine and for that reason I shoot them less than my revolvers, which are quite easy.