which pistol caliber?
 

I'm looking to invest in a pistol. I just went out and shot my grandfather p-90 45acp and my uncles steyr 9mm. i really Liked shooting them and i was wondering which caliber for a semi-auto pistol you all like. I was wondering if any of you have a 22 pistol and if you like that? A 22 would be nice because of the cost of ammo and then i could just use it in 22 rifle too. also what are good brands for a cheap price. i ws looking a the Hi-Point in 9mm and 45. They seem really cheap so i was wondering am i going to get what i pay for in a pistol? thanks for your replies.

RE: which pistol caliber?
 

First you gotta tell us what you want to use this hand gun for.

General shooting at the range, home defense, concealed carry, hunting, teaching a young person, etc.......

RE: which pistol caliber?
 

sorry, i forgot that part. It would be for "general shooting at the range" and mabey some squirrels. IT would be my first pistol so it could fall under "teaching a young person".

RE: which pistol caliber?
 

22 long rifle hands down.

They are cheap to shoot so you can practice with them a bunch, there is no recoil associated with them so anyone can shoot them, and they will kill all the squirrels that you want to eat.

RE: which pistol caliber?
 

go for the .22 cal pistol. i have a ruger super six with a 2-7 power scope and it is very deadly on squirrels. i also have ruger bear-cat that is great to shoot out to about 50 yards. also have a taurus pt-22 that i really like to carry in my training bag when we are out with the dogs. it is very easy to shoot and is a straight shooter. all of these .22 pistols will out shoot my 9mm and my springfield .45 at 45 to 50 yards. the only pistol that will shoot with the .22's that i have is my .scoped .44 mag. go for the .22 and you'll be very surprized how good you will get with it. i can shoot the .22's better justbecause i shoot them so much more than the larger calibers. years ago we would make the rounds to all the dumps in the area to hunt for rats and we all used .22 pistols. used to be good enough to have a sandwinch in one hand and shoot a rat with the other. man that was fun.:)for defense it is better to hit what you are shooting at with a small caliber than to miss with a larger caliber. i feel very comfortable carrying a .22 pistol.:)

RE: which pistol caliber?
 

one nice option would be a nice kimber 45 with the 22 cal. conversion.one gun,with the ability to shoot 45cal. or 22 cal. out of a great gun.both for about 1000.00 total

RE: which pistol caliber?
 

A ruger single six in .22lr/.22wmr. Or a taurus revolver. Auto's I would look at a ruger or browning buckmark. There are others, but I have experience with these and know they work well.

From what I have heard the HI Point pistols are crap, I wouldn't waste the money on one. However I have heard the carbines are not that bad. I wouldn't bet my life on either though.

If you are looking for centerfire 9mm, .40 or 45 cal you are going to have to spend some money to a get a good one. The words cheap and auto handgun usually don't mix well. If you want a bargain look at getting a revolver in .357. You can shoot .357 or .38's out of them. Some even let you shoot 9mm out of them if you change the cylinder.

There are alot of good autoloader handguns on the market though. I wouln't expect to pay less than $400 for a decent one though. I personally like Browning and glocks. Lots of other good ones however.

To be honest a decent .22 rifle would be better though. They are cheaper, easier to get, more accurate and quieter. Not a handgun though;). Most ranges will let you shoot a .22 rifle however.

If you are not going to hunt or defend yourself with it I say just get a .22 revolver. They are a blast to shoot and inexpensive.

Paul

RE: which pistol caliber?
 

For 22's I lean towards autos and Rugers are where I started. Only 1 chamber to clean, whereas with a revolver you have 6!

RE: which pistol caliber?
 

I would recommend a 22 magnum revolver. You don't want to get a cheapy gun that you will never use after a few years. With the 22 magnum revolver you can use it for groundhogs, snakes, rats etc and you can use it for hunting as well.

RE: which pistol caliber?
 

Ruger MkIII. One of my favorite guns. Only issue is taking apart to clean can be tricky, but once you learn how, it's a snap.