# Newbie looking at first handgun



## ds5160 (Apr 19, 2011)

Hi all. I am a newbie in Portland, Or looking to learn more about handgun safety and marksmanship. My goal here is to hopefully help decide what I want from a handgun and narrow down some choices for me to look at and test.


Experience: 1 beginner handgun class. Shot about 100 rounds, qualified for the next course by getting a perfect score on the final test.
Single Action/Double Action Preference: Not enough experience to know.
Revolver or Semi-Automatic: Semi-Automatic
Use: Range, yes. Competition, maybe. Personal defense, maybe. Safety courses, yes, the local range all require a .380 or larger.
Size: Probably a full size at first, and then look at something smaller if I go with a concealed carry license.
Polymer/Metal frame: Dunno, not enough experience to make a decision.
Striker (Glock-style) or hammer fired (I hope these are correct descriptions): The instructor recommended that everyone get a striker-type. Ultimately, I am open to either since I have no experience.
Price range: I am thinking $5-600. I will make sure to budget extra for a safe.

In my beginner course I shot the Glock 17, and really did not like it. I did OK with it, but I was consistently low and left by an inch or two. I figure that is probably something with my technique and not the gun. I had problems picking up the sights during the course, and the grip felt a bit too large for my hands. Uncomfortable to try and get to the magazine release button, and I had a lot of problems getting the slide locked. The Glock is what the range guy suggested using, and when I realized that I wasn't really liking it, it was too late for me to try and get something new and then learn how that worked. After the course I took a look at the XD9, Sig Sauer P250, and the M&P 9mm. All of these felt better in my hands, and I had a much easier time finding the sights on them.

I want to go to the range and rent these three and give them a test to see how I like them. The only problem I have is that I need to take a gun in with me to rent one of the range's guns. I don't own a gun, and I don't know of any friends who have one, so that'll be the challenge. I am sure I can solve this pretty easily, though.

My questions:

What do I need to focus on to really get a good feeling of whether I like the gun?
Any suggestion on other guns I can take a look at?
What hammer-type guns should I keep in mind? Ideally I want to just take everything the range has and test them.

Thanks all for any tips.
Dennis


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## Overkill0084 (Nov 28, 2010)

Glocks tend to be a love it or hate it proposition. They feel awkward to me.
For striker fired guns, the XD/XDm series is a very good weapon. I have an XD40SC for carry. Truth be told, I don't really like striker fired guns as a rule. I find it interesting that your instructor recommended a striker fired gun. I'm not sure I understand it. 

Polymer vs. steel- if your weight sensitive and carrying it, I would go polymer. But for a more general purpose gun without carry as part of the consideration, steel is the way to go IMHO.
The whole bring a gun to rent a gun thing makes no sense to me. You might consider other locations, if that is a realistic option. If you must have a gun to rent a gun, maybe you could find a used HiPoint(around $100) to use for whatever it is that they force you to do there. Simply as a temporary measure only.
Do you have a caliber preference? I'd recommend 9 mm for the sake of economy. At least for starting out.
You could do a lot worse than the S&W or the XD. Both are fine guns.
CZ products will be worth a look in the hammer fired side. Along w/ the Sig 250. The Stoeger cougar is a screaming bargain as well.
There are simply too many choices to remember here.


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## ds5160 (Apr 19, 2011)

Thanks for the response. Caliber preference would be 9mm for now. Looking at my questions, asking what models to try is a pretty simple answer, everything.


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## cougartex (Jan 2, 2010)

+1 Stoeger Cougar. The Stoeger is a great gun for the money.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

As you work your way through some shop's library of rental guns, *find the one that feels the most comfortable* in your hands.
Find the one(s) that have easy-to-use-with-one-hand safety levers.
Find the one(s) that have easy-to-use-with-one-hand magazine releases.
Find the one(s) that don't pinch the web between your thumb and your index finger.
Choose from among them.

Accuracy is not an issue. All pistols you can buy are accurate enough.

The smaller the pistol, the harder it will be to shoot effectively.
The longer the grip, the harder it will be to conceal.
Life is full of compromises.

Jean and I will be away, visiting our granddaughter and attending a family reunion, from this Saturday, April 23rd, through May 9th. I'll see all of you again on May 10th.


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## samurai (Jul 8, 2010)

I have a M&P 9 fullsize , can "fitted" to your hand with the different back straps, soft shooting, accurate and has a fair amount of aftermarket accessories available.


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