# Need advice, new gun for my husband's birthday



## The Banana (Feb 13, 2009)

Hi all, new here. He has a S&W 9mm now, it is used for home defense. He loves the gun though was wishing to sell it and get something new. The gun is a few years short of being a collectible so he is keeping it and I still would like to get him a fabulous gun that he can be proud of at the range and something that makes him WANT to go with me to the range more. His birthday is in 22 days, I believe I have a 10 day wait time so I need to decide fast fast fast.

Any thoughts? What are your favorites and why? We have no kids so "safety" is not an issue.


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## gnet158 (Feb 5, 2009)

Did he mention or do you know if he’s thinking about a different caliber? I picked up a Sig 226 (40 cal) and love it. It fits my hands perfectly, I also like the Springfield XD-40 (40 cal). But the choice is endless. You might want to take him to a gun store and let him pick one out. 

And hopefully they’ll have it in stock.


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## clanger (Jan 27, 2009)

HG's are very personal. Unless you know really what he wants, the list is almost endless and they are all a little, or a lot, different. 

I suggest making up an excuse to go to a store and handle some models for 'you' and see if you can pick up on something that might strike his fancy and order it on the sly, then, give him a photcopy of the DROS on his b-day. 

Or- make up a 'gift certificate' and head on down to the store and 'make his day'. 

He's a lucky guy either way. :smt023


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## Todd (Jul 3, 2006)

clanger said:


> make up a 'gift certificate' and head on down to the store and 'make his day'.
> 
> He's a lucky guy either way. :smt023


I agree. As opposed to what some people say about gift certificates being impersonal, I'm all for them. Unless your husband has specifically mentioned a gun he wants, I wouldn't just go an get one. Make up a little certificate, take him shopping, and stand back and watch him act like a kid in a candy store.


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## literaltrance (Dec 24, 2008)

Well, I make no claim to be anything like your husband in terms of personality or preference, but I am a fellow dude and I enjoy shooting handguns so we must have something in common.  There are two factors which WILL come into play though, price and use. I don't know what kind of budget you're working with, so this "wish list" is going to be all over the place. The best I can do is recommend what I've had my eyes on for a while, expensive or not! :smt047

Below you will find a wide array of recommendations. I must confess I have no love for the popular 40S&W caliber, but if your husband really wants an upgrade in caliber size, many of the items below do come in 40S&W variants. Anyhow, on with the show:

1) just about any 1911 model from Wilson Combat, Fusion Firearms, or STI:
These things ooze quality, attention to detail, and fufill any requested custom features you'd like. I suspect any semi-auto handgun enthusiast secretly wants one of these, and SELDOM do any actually own one. The drawback is the babylike care they seem to foster. No one wants to mar the finish or in some cases, even shoot the thing. In hand with this is price, anywhere from $1200 to $3000.

2) H&K's P30 (9mm), P30L (9mm), HK45, or HK45c:
I am a big H&K fan and when I heard H&K recently released new handguns with significant updates to ergonomics and recoil, I was instantly intrigued! I have yet to shoot any of these, but I own a few H&Ks already and their quality is top-notch. I have held all of these models at one time or another, and ALL of them feel great in the hand. This site's owner/admin "js" recently picked up the P30 and had a lot of good things to say about it. These guns will run you $850 to $1100, definitely the top end price range in the handgun workhorse catagory.

3) Sig Sauer P220 (45ACP):
If the classic 1911 45ACP handgun needed to handoff its baton to continue the caliber's legacy, it would most likely go to this handgun. Sig Sauer offers a great deal of accessories for their firearms, as well as several submodels (such as the P220 Equinox and P220 Elite). Sig Sauer quality is on par with H&K, and not surprisingly, so is the price. Expect to pay $750-$1100 for a P220 depending on the model and options.

4) FN Herstal's FNP 45 or Springfield Armory's XDM (9mm):
While both of these weapons are from entirely different manufacturers, they both have a few things in common. First and foremost, both of these weapons are the current kings of capacity for their calibers (15+1 for the FNP 45, 19+1 for the XDM 9). This is quite a feat in itself and proves to be a nice benefit at the range. Due to their capacities, both of these handguns are a little more beefy than your "standard" fullsize handguns, so this option may not suit your hubby if he has small hands. Nonetheless, both of these firearms have hit the market very recently and both have received high praise. They are also moderately priced, the FNP 45 for $550, and the XDM 9 for $600.

5) Beretta 92FS (9mm):
As improvements in materials change the face of the handgun industry, weapons like the Beretta seem to be thrown to the side to make room for the latest and greatest. But advances in newer, more recent products can never take away the fact that the 9mm Beretta has served American soldiers for decades, tens of thousands of policemen around the world, and all done in a package that is arguably the most beautiful to have ever been made. And to date, the Beretta is a wonderfully easy gun to shoot due to its high capacity and heavy, all-steel contruction. A new Beretta can be nabbed for a hair over $400, and if you're looking for something with a bit more flash, add a few hundred for the stainless "Inox" model. Like the Sig P220, if the classic Browning Hi-Power needed to handoff its 9mm baton, it would undoubtedly go to the Beretta.

6) CZ 75:
It's not hard to imagine the days of the cold war and a communist society producing a robust and effective handgun. What is hard to imagine is it also happens to be widely accepted as the most ergonomic! There are several models of the CZ 75 design and all of them share an at-home feel in the hands of novice and seasoned shooters alike. There is a lot to be said about a weapon which promotes itself as a natural extension of your body. I own one these (CZ P-01) and I like the feel so much it has become my carry weapon. Similar to the Beretta, there are many great deals to be had on these, anywhere from $400 to $650 depending on the model and options.


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## literaltrance (Dec 24, 2008)

............a gift card is probably the way to go, now that I think about it.........

:smt021


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## tekhead1219 (May 16, 2008)

Welcome from southeast Texas. Agree with the above posts, figure out what you want to spend and get a gift card for that amount. That way he can go test fire many makes and models, find one that HE likes, not us, and buy it then. Good Luck.:smt023


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## PhilR. (Apr 25, 2007)

How big are his hands? Can he handle a large handgun?

How much do you want - or don't want - to spend?

Do you want a classic design like a nice revolver, or stick with an automatic?

Is he brand conscious? Or to put it a different way - is he the kind of person who has to have the best in order to be happy?

Does he like to blast away with large caliber's, or do you think he places any value on precision shooting?

Does he just shoot at a range, or will he carry concealed, or might he go hunting with a handgun?

Unless you can give us some more to go on, there would not be a way to make a suggestion as there is a thousand handguns to choose from....


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## jimmy (Feb 3, 2009)

I think a gift card would be the best solution, Hand guns are very personal and he has to like its feel and appeal..So let him choose, but the idea that you thought of it and the gift card will bring him happiness and makes him feel special..As far as the list proposed by "literaltrance ", this is an excellent list to consider..Personally I just purchased two CZ75 models (an SP01 Tactical and a COMPACT)..These are two amazing guns. Best of luck..!!


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## Ricardokid (Nov 26, 2008)

+1 to Tods advice! You can't go wrong with a gift certificate. You could go very wrong picking out a gun he doesn't like. He's a very lucky man to have a wife that supports him in gun ownership. Kudos to you!


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## paradis1142 (Dec 23, 2008)

cant go wrond with the gift certiicate


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## MattyB (Feb 23, 2009)

Go with the personalized Gift certificate. Hand draw it in crayon like you used to do for MOM on Mother's Day "One week of dishwashing" (I wasnt the only one pulling this crap when I spent all my allowance on candy was I???) just in this case it's "One badass gun to show off to all your friends and show them how awesome your wife is":smt023
Keep us posted, and let us know how it turns out.


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## rfair (Feb 9, 2009)

Will you marry me next?


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## Todd (Jul 3, 2006)

Pulling the plug on this one guys. The OP hasn't logged on since 1:45 after the initial post 13 days ago. No sense wasting everyone's time reading and answering a question for someone who's not there and, I'm speculating here, probably is not coming back.


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