I am looking to buy a handgun and I am not altogether familiar with what is out there. Can any one give me some imput on what they think might work so I can go to my local range and try a few out?
I am looking for something that has a good safety on it. Most revolvers I have looked at have either no safety or a double pull triger for a safety and I am not very comfortable with that. So I have been looking into some semi autos
I want to also find something that is fairly easy to use. I want to be able to carry it arround hiking or what not and have it pretty much ready to go. I supose I am too used to my rife and shot gun where you hit the safety button and you are ready to go.
I was thinking about a smith and wesson cs10. Has anyone ever owned one or know much about it? It was smaller and seemed to fit my hand well.
For your first handgun, I would recommend a revolver. hey are safer, and if you will be carrying it for protection against more than people, is available in more powerful cartridges.
Hmmmmm Opinions are like..... You've heard the saying.
Ok,....I'm not going to blow smoke up your kazoo telling you I'm the all-knowing gun guy. Here's where my knowledge comes from. Bought my first handgun when I was 21 (37 now). I loved guns, still do. Spent 7 years in law enforcement, and a couple hears in the military (where I used computers, not guns). I still carry a handgun. It sounds like you are interested in a defensive weapon, not a hunting handgun. That being the case you will probably have to get over the desire for a safety. Most combat handguns---and lets get down to brass tacks here, that's what a defensive weapon is-- do not have safetys. Most, but not all. Some do. Example Sig semi-auto handguns don't. They have a decock lever but no safety. Beretta 92f does. Although many police agencies teach their officers to use it as a decock lever and never leave it on safe. These weapons will not fire unless the trigger is pulled. There is an internal safety that requires the trigger to be to the rear for the hammer to drop. throw glock, and Springfield's XD into the mix and it gets even weirder. They each have additional safety devices that are of disputable value. You can argue it all day.
I would say the most important starting point is to decide if you want a revolver or an autoloader. Both require practice at the range to become proficient. The autoloader requires additional practice to prepare yourself to use it as a defensive weapon. You have to know how to clear a feed jam, and you have to practice it enough that you can do it in high stress situations. Then you have to take on conceilability, Caliber, and personal preference. Some handguns just feel good in your hand. some dont. Some buck way to hard to be comfortable for some people.
I carry a 9mm. I can argue all day long weather that is enough power or not. I have carried a /380., a .38 and a .357 as well. I have friends who love to shoot .44 magnums and larger handguns. I think you can forget about reasonable concealment at that point and I also don't like the way those big bore handguns kick. I would say that if you are looking for a concealed carry handgun, take a course. Look at a revolver. .38 cal or .357 which you can load with .38's or .357's if you so choose. You can find one that doesn't have an exposed hammer so it won't snag on anything and has a double action trigger pull each time. That's the best place to start.
I will most likely go for a .357 or 38. I will probably go to the range this weekend and try out a few more. From what I have tried so far I liked a semi auto better. It will be mainly used for personal protection.
I am out in the woods a lot with my husbands work. It is all remote parts of the west coast. He brush cuts logging roads. I usualy end up doing a lot of walking on them. There are lots of strange people and wild life in these areas. A hand gun would be alot easier that packing my shot gun around on a quad.
Let me know if anyone has imput on a specific modle or hand gun that they like I would like some idea of what to try out.
Some years back my wife wanted a handgun. We got her a small semiautomatic. Not sure what you are like, but my dear wife does not share my particular fascination with the mechanical intricacies of handguns, and we both concluded that she would be better off with a revolver, where you can keep it loaded with all springs relaxed, and where there are no confusing safeties, latches, magazine release buttons and such stuff.
We ended up getting her a Smith & Wesson Ladysmith .38 special revolver. It is rather small, a five shot affair, with a 3" barrel. We got the heavier, finger-tip target grips with it. My wife's hands are rather small, and this weapon fits her quite well. She is very happy with it.
If you opt for a handgun you will want to make sure that it fits your hand well. If you get a small revolver like my wife's Ladysmith I highly recommend that you get the 3" barrel over the standard 1 7/8" barrel. Extra barrel length will tame recoil better, suppress muzzle blast better, give you a longer sight radius and also higher velocity from your ammo.
If you can stand a somewhat bigger gun in your hand then you have a wide choice of revolvers out there. Check out Rugers as well as Smith & Wessons. The imported Taurus revolvers (from Brazil) aren't bad; they are usually copies of S & Ws and are of reasonably good quality, although I personally prefer S & W over Taurus. A 4" barrel is even more advantageous than a 3" if you deal with the extra size, but I would stay away from a 6" barrel. Revolvers with 6" and longer barrels are fine for hunting and target practice but are a chore to carry. Handguns are HEAVY, when you come down to it, and they can be more burdensome to walk around with than you might think. Get a good quality holster and belt for your specific make of gun as well.
Whichever you decide on, learn to shoot it, and practice REGULARLY. Handguns are not easy to shoot well and the skills required to shoot well are very perishable. If you need instruction, you might want to pursue this with someone other than your husband. Quite often there is "baggage" between couples that gets in the way of proper instruction. My wife took a class at one of our indoor ranges that was very comprehensive in terms of technique as well as relevant laws. This was a very good investment, and she enjoyed the company of other women in this class.
Good luck, whatever you choose, and hopefully you'll never need to use your new gun for anything other than recreation! Good for you for looking into this!
Don't worry what ever I get I intend to practice regularly with. I work in a real estate office and a lot of the female agents are going to start handgun classes together and I think that would be a great opportunity.
There is also an indoor range near my house so is realy convienent to practice.
LadyByrd, you might ask your local indoor range if they have pistols you can rent. Ours used to do this (it may still, I just haven't been there in awhile.) This would be a great way to see what's out there before you invest too much money.
I used to go to our local indoor range on lunch hour. A young female engineer that I worked with wanted to learn to shoot, so she would join a few of us. She actually preferred to shoot a .45 automatic over the other offerings. She was a very petite young lady and yet she learned to shoot the .45 quite well. She never cared to own a gun, which I always thought was a shame, but she turned into very good competition for some of us guys nonetheless.
Sounds like your hubby chose well!
Good luck, and let us know what you finally decide on.
I can understand your desire to have a safety, though I think revolvers are extremely safe to carry loaded. The Glock and the like are the same principle. One pistol that I have found to be a good shooter, that would fit your need for a safety, is the Styer M9. It has the Glock like qualities plus a traditional push button safety. Mine is incredibly reliable, I have put over 1500 rounds through mine since I got it this summer and it has never, ever jammed. It is a great deal also; I got mine for around $300 out the door.
I am much more nervous about carrying my 1911 cocked and locked that I would be about carrying my Smith & Wesson revolver, but it is still an auto with a "real" safety. I think that trying the 38 is a great idea. It is safe cause of the fact that the trigger has to be pulled to fire the weapon that sounds simple yet it is very important.
After reading your follow up, I have to change my reccomendation. You mentioned carrying this pistol as a replacement for a shotgun while walking fireroads, and riding an ATV. It doesn't sound like concealment is a main concern. You also mentioned wild life on the west coast. That would suggest cougar and such. I would have to say go for a full size .357. You can put .38 special rounds in it and then slowly aclimate yourself to the magnum loads. If you are used to using a shotgun, I should think the magnum would come to you will little difficulty. It is also much more effective against a dangerous animal than a .38. plus a full size (4 inch barrel) revolver is going to be much more accurate than a purse gun. Nothing says you can't get yourself something else to carry in the Burbs as a concealment gun later.
Good luck,
I work in a real estate office and a lot of the female agents are going to start handgun classes together and I think that would be a great opportunity.
Depending on the handgun class, you might want to wait until you take the class first.
At least in the NRA basic handgun class, the instructors, who are typically very experienced handgunners, will bring a wide array of different handguns for you to look at and if time permits, to try out.
A good Double action revolver such as a Smith, would be a fine choice- the double action trigger pull on their guns isn't very heavy, and the guns are very safe.
If you have small hands I would stay away from most automatics that have a doublestack (wide two column) magazine.
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choosing a first handgun-help please
