# Buying a handgun.



## bronco1 (Aug 7, 2010)

I am buying my 1st handgun & I have it narrowed to 3 choices. Springfield xdm,Glock or CZp-07.Are these good choices & is a 9mm fine for home defense?Which one is the better weapon?


----------



## proxpilot (Aug 3, 2010)

i absolutely loved the XD-m when i held it. if i wasn't getting such a good deal on a Sig 226 it would be the gun i would buy.


----------



## mattdillon (Jul 26, 2010)

bronco1 said:


> I am buying my 1st handgun & I have it narrowed to 3 choices. Springfield xdm,Glock or CZp-07.Are these good choices & is a 9mm fine for home defense?Which one is the better weapon?


Congrats on getting your first handgun and welcome to the forum, btw.:smt1099. You will hear arguements on whether 9mm ammo is a good defense choice. My first handgun was purchased about a month ago and I selected a 9mm as my first choice for a couple of reasons. One, is the cost of ammo and secondly, I wanted my wife to shoot with me and thought that would be a good place to start. I get Federal 115g at Wal-Mart for $9.47/50 with no limit. For home defense I have Speer Gold Dot 147g hollow point.
Since my only handgun is a Sig P226 Elite I cannot comment on your choice of weapon. But I can already tell you this......it won't be your last handgun. The disease is called GAS (gun aquisition syndrome). I am already looking for handgun #2. :mrgreen: Good luck with your choice.:smt023


----------



## cougartex (Jan 2, 2010)

The best advice I could give is go fire as many of the guns you are considering as you possibly can. Rent at the range or borrow from friends, if you can. It's difficult, at best, to try to make a decision solely based on reading literature, getting free advice on the 'net or even handling pistols in a store. Being able to actually fire a gun is the best way to determine what feels best and shoots best for you. 

:smt1099


----------



## freeze3kgt (Aug 7, 2010)

I just recently purchased my first handgun and was in a similar boat as you with all these different guns with really good reputations i dont think you can go seriously wrong with any of your choices, but as stated above definitely go try out as many guns as you can, i wanted to get a HK p30 i shot it and found while on paper its a great gun and it is very accurate, i do not personally care for the trigger, and i didnt even think i wanted a 1911 until i shot a friend of mines and fell in love. So i would definitely try as many guns as you can never know what you'll like and what you wont :mrgreen:

cheers and good luck on your purchase!


----------



## atlas_drums (Jun 17, 2010)

Congrats on deciding to pick up a handgun. I was in your shoes just a few months back. I had two primary questions. 9mm or .40, and which gun to get. 

As for size, go with what's comfortable to shoot, both physically and financially. A bazooka is no good for defense if you can't afford to pay for the ammo required to practice shooting it. A well placed 9mm will take down an attacker much faster than a poorly placed .40 or .45.

As for brand, I shot as many guns as I could. I decided on the Glock 23 .40 cal gun. I wanted my first gun to be a no brainer, comfortable, accurate, fun to shoot, and rugged. The Glock fit those requirements, so I picked it up. I have loved shooting it ever since. 

There are plenty of guns out there, and they all do different things well. My search for my first gun put about 6 guns on my wish list. So be warned, this can become a costly hobby.


----------



## Seabee (May 11, 2010)

Also visit local ranges and hang with the guys for awhile, more likely than not they'll let you shoot their handguns, so you can learn more without making a costly purchase that you're not happy with....


----------



## McDAccountant (Jul 31, 2010)

mattdillon said:


> But I can already tell you this......it won't be your last handgun. The disease is called GAS (gun aquisition syndrome).


I've got a bad case of GAS...just ask my wife. Bought my first one (S&W revolver) in May, my second one in June (Browning Buckmark .22), and my third one last week (G-19). I really want to buy a small, concealed carry .380 (Sig P238/Ruger LCP/S&W BG .380) but my wife has promised to kick me out if I buy another gun this year...only 144 more days to go...:smt082. And a 1911 .45acp is on the list for next year as well...


----------



## DJ Niner (Oct 3, 2006)

McDAccountant said:


> ... but my wife has promised to kick me out if I buy another gun this year...


If your wife didn't specify, you could claim use of the fiscal year. A little over 7 weeks to go! :mrgreen:


----------



## mattdillon (Jul 26, 2010)

McDAccountant said:


> I've got a bad case of GAS...just ask my wife. Bought my first one (S&W revolver) in May, my second one in June (Browning Buckmark .22), and my third one last week (G-19). I really want to buy a small, concealed carry .380 (Sig P238/Ruger LCP/S&W BG .380) but my wife has promised to kick me out if I buy another gun this year...only 144 more days to go...:smt082. And a 1911 .45acp is on the list for next year as well...


Sorta reminds me of that country song about the wife leaving if he went fishing again. As the song goes it is a perfect day for fishing and he says "I am sure going to miss her..." I got you beat. I bought my first one (Sig P226 Elite 9mm) the 2nd week of July, then bought a Walther P22 a couple of days later (was on sale with a $70 rebate:mrgreen; then ordered a Sig Mosquito last week (have a grandson and one of those .22's will be his one day) my justification :smt082; then bought a Sig P239 SAS Gen 2 Two Tone 9mm yesterday. I will stop there for now, but I have a Sig P220 in my sights......."I am sure going to miss her.....":anim_lol:


----------



## Bisley (Aug 24, 2008)

bronco1 said:


> I am buying my 1st handgun & I have it narrowed to 3 choices. Springfield xdm,Glock or CZp-07.Are these good choices & is a 9mm fine for home defense?Which one is the better weapon?


All of those are excellent choices.

I know everybody always says to go rent a bunch of guns and figure out what you want, but if it were me, I'd just buy the one of those I liked best, and apply all those rental fees to practice ammo. Finding the 'perfect fit' is elusive, and the things you like now may change, as you get more experienced.

Learn to shoot well with whatever you pick up, then start the hunt for the perfect gun. I'm still looking, myself, but meanwhile I am having a lot of fun shooting what I already have, whenever I want.


----------



## McDAccountant (Jul 31, 2010)

DJ Niner said:


> If your wife didn't specify, you could claim use of the fiscal year. A little over 7 weeks to go! :mrgreen:


True. But with my wife being an auditor, I'm probably screwed either way...:mrgreen:...


----------



## McDAccountant (Jul 31, 2010)

bronco1 said:


> I am buying my 1st handgun & I have it narrowed to 3 choices. Springfield xdm,Glock or CZp-07.Are these good choices & is a 9mm fine for home defense?Which one is the better weapon?


Sorry for ignoring your questions. Being "new" to this as well, I've found that the Glock is extremely simple to assemble/disassemble for cleaning purposes and its reputation as a true "workhorse" and being able to take significant "abuse" is what really sold me. That and the fact that when I picked it up for the first time, it just felt good in my hand...it isn't fancy compared to some others but its funtionality seems to be better than most.

And, as I've been told, the best caliber for home defense, or personal defense, is the caliber you can put on target when you need too...several well placed shots with a .22 on an intruder are better than a magazine full of misses from a .45...


----------



## Couch Potato (Jun 3, 2010)

bronco1 said:


> I am buying my 1st handgun & I have it narrowed to 3 choices. Springfield xdm,Glock or CZp-07.Are these good choices & is a 9mm fine for home defense?Which one is the better weapon?


 I like the XD the best of the three, but it is really like asking which of the three finalist at the Miss America pageant is the best. If random choice had anyone of the three come stay with you would you really give a second thought to the other two?


----------



## DJ Niner (Oct 3, 2006)

Another vote for Glock. Not much in the looks department, but low recoil and muzzle flip, high rust resistance, ease of use/disassembly/repair, and better-than-average accuracy combine to make a unique functional beauty. I have a double-handful of them, and if I ever had to whittle down my modest little collection, they'd be among the last to go.


----------

