The issue is just we are both 57, so strength will grow as an issue over the next decade. And she probably will be a better shooter than me because her eyesight is better and generally she is better at all hand-eye coordination type tasks (her dad was a professional athlete, my dad was a teacher so she got better genes for anything physical).
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Help me decide - first pistol
- Thread starter tedder987
- Start date
Ron Swanson
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If you are concerned with strength, also get something like this to help with holding on to the grip from recoil
That’s an example the weights vary find the right weight for you.
That’s an example the weights vary find the right weight for you.
Yeah I am still lifting and running but time stops for no man...
So one more option I had earlier discounted as being too small ... Springfield hellcat pro OSP 9mm. 3.7". The lure is it comes with 5 mags and a red dot sight and a pistol bag for $550. Its the red dot that grabs my attention. Looking at reviews though it sounds like it kicks a bit more than the larger pistols I have been focused on...
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The Hellcat pro is a nice gun. Ive never shot one. But youre on the right track with the M2.0. Only thing is its not optic ready but you dont really need an optic. No one really needs a pistol optic. Its cool but its not an essential feature.
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9mm. G17 or 19.
This topic sure comes up a lot. M&P's and Glocks are great first guns. Here are some boxes to check:
- Striker fire
- 9mm
- Ability to mount a red dot
- Proven design by a major manufacture (Glock, Smith M&P, Walther, etc... NOT Bersa)
- Fits your hands
Get a gun that you can comfortably learn on, not a gun that you intend to carry. By the time you are proficient enough to responsibly carry a pistol, your preferences will have probably evolved from what you originally purchased. As always, after the initial firearms purchase, invest in training, ammo, and range time.
- Striker fire
- 9mm
- Ability to mount a red dot
- Proven design by a major manufacture (Glock, Smith M&P, Walther, etc... NOT Bersa)
- Fits your hands
Get a gun that you can comfortably learn on, not a gun that you intend to carry. By the time you are proficient enough to responsibly carry a pistol, your preferences will have probably evolved from what you originally purchased. As always, after the initial firearms purchase, invest in training, ammo, and range time.
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I have the Hellcat Pro OSP and I can confidently say it does kick more than larger pistols - but that's any micro/subcompacts for that matter. With the Springfield Promo (I got the same promo last year) - it is a hell of a deal, but for a first handgun, stick with the G17 or S&W and master grip control/recoil management before going into subcompacts.
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Another option OP is the P2000. Turners has them for $500 right now. Which is crazy good deal albeit what these things should go for regularly. This gun is nicer than any striker fired polymer pistol IMHO.
tomrkba
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Option 1. Bersa Firestorm 380 w/2 mags. $260. Cheap to buy but 380 ammo seems to start at $0.60/rd. Recommended by a friend that has one. Like the James Bond overtones.
Option 2. Glock 17 gen 3 w/2 mags. $500. Same friend hates glocks because of the angle. Didn't bother me but only fired 20 ish rounds. Like the reliability and simplicity.
Option 3. SW M&P 2.0 4.25" barrel w/3 mags: $590. Same friend loves it, I haven't fired this one. Seems like it would be nicer than the glock and not a ton more $$.
First, 380 is marginal for defense. I only use it in very small pocket guns. 9x19mm is the minimum and ammo is much cheaper. Second, Bersa is not a good manufacturer. I'm sure everyone with a Bersa is going to jump in and say "But mine works great!" Yeah, yeah, sure.
You said it yourself: you have large hands. This means the Glock 17 and M&P full size are more in line with your hand. Also consider that you are LEARNING to shoot a handgun. It's best to learn on a full sized gun with a longer barrel such as the 17 or M&P. You could consider the Glock 20 or 21 along with the Beretta 92FS or M9 and variants. However, you only mentioned two so I will stick with those.
"Getting a feel for the gun" in the gun store is USELESS. You don't even know how shoot! How can you evaluate a handgun? Of course you cannot. You're just guessing.
I have both guns. The S&W ain't no "Lexus". It's more of a Honda with nicer interior (back when they had better interiors).
Of the two, the M&P has a very aggressive grip texture. It does feature a thumb safety and has a slightly better trigger out of the box. It has ambidextrous controls and you can change the backstrap. The thumb safety can be a detriment if you forget to swipe it off. This happens in class and we can often see the student anticipating the recoil when this happens (the muzzle dips). You'll need to learn to shoot with your thumb ON the safety at all times. This prevents your hand riding up and accidentally activating it while shooting.
The Glock doesn't have all that. It doesn't really need it either. "Features" are nice options. You can get a grip sleeve for the Glock if your hands are so huge that you need it. Glock has tons of after market support for parts and holsters that far outdoes any support for the M&P.
Consider this great Glock 17 propaganda:
You Won't Believe How Much Abuse This Glock 17 Has Taken
Athlon Outdoors Exclusive Firearm Updates, Reviews & News
athlonoutdoors.com
This, of course, doesn't mean the M&P is not a great pistol. It is and it will serve you well. Both will be fine for learning. You can carry either; this notion that a carry gun must be tiny is for those who want a magical anti-criminal talisman rather than a gun for fighting. It's the entire point.
Next, I saw that people recommended the Beretta 92FS or M9. Sure, they're great guns and they're not the actual garbage military M9. However, keep in mind that at least only the Brigadier has a dovetailed front sight. This means you can replace it with a night sight. The other models have it milled into the slide so it cannot be removed. Also, they are double action/single action guns. You'll need to train hard with this to master shooting it. Mastering DA/SA shooting is a whole chapter in a book on shooting.
Either the Glock 17 or M&P will be fine. Of the two, I'd pick the Glock 17 over the M&P. My reasoning is 1) so easy to work on you can do it all yourself, 2) durability, 3) long term accuracy over the life of the barrel, 4) good shooting performance and 5) market support. It's very tough to beat all that.
Commit to acquiring 12 magazines (they're expendable items; the good news is Glock mags are some of the toughest around). You'll need at least 6 for training. I generally separate mags into two groups: defense and training. The defense mags are babied and loaded. The training mags are used and abused. Mark them. Buy one a month if you have to due to budgetary concerns. Get to at least 6 for training.
If you go with the Glock, get a few extra recoil spring assemblies, at least one of every spring, two full mag rebuild kits, some slide parts, and a few trigger springs. A guy in security class had a Glock 22 and the trigger spring broke during the warm up course of fire. It's a trivial fix. I avoid this by installing a NY-1 trigger spring and a Ghost 3.5# connector (increases trigger pull weight to 6.25#, but gives a smooth pull with very positive reset for faster shooting). The NY-1 trigger spring doesn't break like the OEM trigger spring. The cause is completely avoidable: change the spring every 5,000 rounds. This is part of the gun's maintenance schedule.
ATTEND TRAINING. Go to any Level 1 and 2 pistol course. Some are two days; some are consecutive single day classes. Doesn't matter; go two days in a row to get exposed to 16-20 hours of continuous training. You will learn more in those two 8-10 hour blocks than you will in 16-20 individual 1 hour sessions. The reason is you get tired, you're living with the gun, and you're being challenged to perform under all sorts of circumstances that do NOT involved standing in a booth shooting at a piece of paper. You're going to learn how your shoulders get tired, how you start flubbing shots in a long string and how to mitigate all that. You'll walk away with skills like how to safely draw your gun quickly from a belt holster, acquire the target and fire while extending the gun to the target, reloading quickly and efficiently, mitigating malfunctions, and so on.
Don't be dwamatic. It's just a 9mm handgun.
I'll leave you with this: there is much to learn in handgunnery. Most people never bother; they shoot 50 through the gun, clean it, load it up and stick it in a drawer. Don't be like this because they're clueless. They're taking no action to hone life saving skills; one should not be learning to fight while in the middle of a gun fight. Commit to it as you would a martial art. If you do so, you're going to meet many excellent people along the way. You're going to have a ton of fun and you will be far more capable of defending yourself than the average normie sleepwalking down the street. Your last words should not be "But he came out of nowhere!" No, your death should be in a pile of brass surrounded by maimed criminals flopping around screaming for their mommies.
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Heck, I’m an old man at 73 and I have no problems with any aspect of a 9mm. And I’ve had a stroke and I don’t exercise.
9mm for the win.
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Too many suggestions and choices.
Visit a local range with several rental options. Try first, decide, then buy.
Visit a local range with several rental options. Try first, decide, then buy.
tomrkba
Well-known member
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The OP’s choices are Glock 17 and S&W M&P. Both are good and he cannot go wrong with either gun.
The CA roster limits the list to around 10-20 full sized QUALITY guns (including variants). Unfortunately, some on roster guns are out of production.
Glock 17, 34
S&W M&P FS M2.0
Beretta 92FS, M9 commercial
HK P2000 (out of production)
HK VP9 Match
Shadow Systems DR920
SIG Sauer P226 Scorpion
On roster but not at a level quality that I would recommend:
SIG P320 X-Full
Springfield XD-M
A few Kimbers and Springfield 1911’s in 9mm
I am deliberately not including “Glock 19” class handguns.
The CA roster limits the list to around 10-20 full sized QUALITY guns (including variants). Unfortunately, some on roster guns are out of production.
Glock 17, 34
S&W M&P FS M2.0
Beretta 92FS, M9 commercial
HK P2000 (out of production)
HK VP9 Match
Shadow Systems DR920
SIG Sauer P226 Scorpion
On roster but not at a level quality that I would recommend:
SIG P320 X-Full
Springfield XD-M
A few Kimbers and Springfield 1911’s in 9mm
I am deliberately not including “Glock 19” class handguns.
Just saw a reddit thread about the Glock Sport Shooting Foundation and that anyone can join and get a coupon to use at a "Blue Label" Glock retailer. Called one of the locals here and they said $425.99 for a G17 with the coupon. At that price (and with all the G+ responses here) I think I have to wait for the coupon & membership to arrive in the mail. After the 10% fed, 11% ca & 7.75% sales taxes thats going to be $210 less than the M&P. That will cover a lesson and some ammo to get started.
cityslicker
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I was in the same place as you around October, thinking about a similar set of options- I learned a lot after I bought my first gun, (turns out I prefer revolvers.) I got talked out of the Bersa fast, I think that was right, I do wonder if I should have gone with the shield or glock, but I wound up getting a Girsan Hi Power, which I actually like a lot. It's full size, super reliable, and I like it's trusty weight, but the CA version has really dumb sights that can only be replaced with an optic. The trigger is okay, it's light compared to a lot of guns, but if you are expecting a classic 1911 single action experience, it leaves something to be desired. In fact I'm currently looking to trade it because I'm not an optic guy, but in general a Hi Power knockoff like Girsan is a worthy consideration in this price range for someone looking for full size. IMO, as a realitve newbie. Idk, of your three I guess Glock seems sensible on a budget if you want full-size.
Ludesmonkey
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Glock 100%
Ron Swanson
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I had not considered the SK as a CCW before, but these prices have me thinking about it. I was looking to get something on my license that does not have the CA features (mag disco, LCI). Was trying to research it, but found nothing on it. Do these models have any of these features? I was going to eventually grab a G26 to go on my requalification, but this looks good.
I just wonder about that hammer and possibly snagging. My snub is DAO for this reason.