Best valued hand gun?
 

I am looking to buy my first hand gun, probably a semiauto pistol. I would prefer to spend under $400, but I would spend up to $550 if it made a significant difference. What is the best gun I can get for my money?

RE: Best valued hand gun?
 

I like Glock but you will have trouble getting a new one for under $400 unless you are able to get the LEO discount. I carry a Beretta as a duty weapon every day and would not hesitate to buy a Beretta, although it will cost more than $400 as well. You can also add Sig Sauer and H&K to the same list of excellent pistold.

Your best bet would be to go to some gunstores and handle different pistols and pick one that feels good to you. You may feel the difference between the pistols and find one that you are willing to spend a little extra for.

RE: Best valued hand gun?
 

I really like the Ruger SR9's and you can get them for not much over $400.

RE: Best valued hand gun?
 

IF you want a .22 rimfire (best idea for a "first" handgun), go on the auction sites and get a Colt Woodsman or one of the High Standard target pistols.....

RE: Best valued hand gun?
 

I second that the Ruger SR9 is very good

RE: Best valued hand gun?
 

Before making an intelligent reccomendation for you,we need to know how/what you're going to use it for. Also,after you determine the caliber and type you want,you'll need to decide which action type ( dao,sa,sa/da) you want. Then go to a gun store and handle/shoot as many as you can to determine which fits you best. ONLY THEN will you be assured of making THE optimum choice that you'll be proud of from now on.

RE: Best valued hand gun?
 

Im looking for an all around pistol I can use for home protection and take out in the field. I've been thinking about a 9 mm or .45 I have no idea what the different actions are, I know I want something that is semi-auto

RE: Best valued hand gun?
 

buy a springfield xd. they are around $500, i believe, and they are some of the most reliable guns out there. plus they are accurate as well. plus you get an extra magazine, magazine loader, and a holster all in the box. its a good deal.

RE: Best valued hand gun?
 

If you want the 9mm then the SR9 as I mentioned earlier is something I'd take a look at. Rugers guns are accurate enough to just shoot for fun or for most anything you want however, they aren't the most accurate but then again they are a lot cheaper than the ones that shoot a lot better. At 25 yards you should be able to hit cans. I'd say a 3" group or so like that is plenty accurate enough for a 9mm. The other plus to Rugers is they have a reputation for being very reliable. They seem to shoot just about any ammo okay for the most part.
The SR9 is one of the better feeling handguns I've shot.

RE: Best valued hand gun?
 

Glock. Good luck.

RE: Best valued hand gun?
 

thanks for all the help. Now can yall give me any guidance to what kind of action I want if Im looking for semi auto?

RE: Best valued hand gun?
 

thanks for all the help. i will def check out the sr9 and the glocks. Now what action should i be looking for if i want semi auto. i have no clue the difference in the actions.

RE: Best valued hand gun?
 

I'm going to give you three pieces of advice, first get a caliber which has low recoil and cheap ammo available so you can shoot alot. These would be 22LR, 38 Special, and 9mm.

Next, I would suggest a revolver for ease of shooting and ease of being safe. With a revolver, when you pull the trigger, they go bang. When you are not touching the trigger, they do not. Auto's are easy to unload and due to the wrong sequence of actions, have your gun still loaded. Auto's are also relatively dependant on spring pressures for function. So when a spring wears out, it can be an issue figuring out why the gun isn't reliable. This can even happen with a new gun. This timing is much more complex than revolver timing. Anyways, there is just a bit more hassle potential with an auto.

So to answer your request for a reccomendation. . .First, I would reccomend a standard size Springfield XD-9. These are generally reliable out of the box. 9mm is easy to shoot and fairly defensively capable. They also have a good grip shape and angle. Their finger on the trigger for shooting mode and finger off the trigger for safety, is a nice simple to learn action system.

My next and better reccomendation. . .A Smith and Wesson model 10, 64 or 686 revolver with a 4 in barrel. These are great guns because you can shoot 38 spcl rounds which are very unintimidating to shoot. The mid sized revolvers have 100's of different grips available to fit almost any possible shooter. The triggers are good out of the box. Then, with the 686, you have the option of loading up with the 357 magnum round for short range deer or a stronger defense round. In that way, it kind of grows with you. Used model 10 revolvers can be had for under $300 and are generally ready for many more years of shooting! These are ok for CCW, but better suited as a range gun or home defense gun.

The last reccomendation is to get a 22LR. A 22LR revolver is a great way to learn shooting handguns, shoot 1000's of rounds of cheap ammo and generally have a blast. In an auto, the Browning Buckmark is a very good 22LR auto.

RE: Best valued hand gun?
 

Go to a range that has a well stocked rental counter and ask advice. They will be eager provide you with the help you need. That's assuming you are in a firearms friendly state.

And if you like reading and getting internet advice first, I'd respectfully suggest you go over to a handgun forum. Being comfortable with longguns and hunting doesn't make you one knowledgeable in regards to handguns. Just as I, who is a pretty experienced rifleman (former military) and a frequent handgun shooter (weekly) ) doesn't ask a forum that is handgun-oriented about hunting questions (I came here).

If you want expert advice, go where the experts are. Absolutely no disrespect is meant to this group (or any other hunting forum), but I believe when seeking advice, you are best served going to a knowledgeable source on that particular subject.


Good luck.

RE: Best valued hand gun?
 

While in general, that maybe true, I think I would have posted the same advice![&:]

RE: Best valued hand gun?
 

As I stated, I mean no disrespect. And I feel your advice is solid. I have just found on this forum, and other longgun or hunting forums, that just because you know one type of firearm doesn't make you an expert on another.For example, and I don't believe it was here, but on a hunting forum someone asked for some handgun advice for his wife, a handgun novice. One of the posts suggested a snub-nosed J frame revolver in 357 (not even 38spl). Insane, but that piece of advice may have been given as much credence by others as the other posts. I am simply a "go where the pro's are" kind of guy. That's why for hunting advice, I came to a hunting forum.

FWIW, I think your advice is very solid.

RE: Best valued hand gun?
 

$400?!?

Stupid.

Get a hi-point.

RE: Best valued hand gun?
 

Chris_H,

The individual LEO price for a standard 9mm, .357 Sigor 40 S&W Glock(w/out night sights)is $398.20plus taxat my Glock LE dealer. You can get this price from a GlockLE dealer or order directly fromGlock. Pretty darn close to $400, don't ya think?? There are others who qualify for this discount other than LEO's,such as EMS, Firefighters, military,and etc.

So,before you call someone stupid, maybe you should get your facts straight!

RE: Best valued hand gun?
 

duplicate post.

RE: Best valued hand gun?
 

If thtis thread has degraded to gget a hi-point, it is done. What value doe Hi-Point offer to the firearms world? When people tell me about HiPoints, I usually say,

"I only have one hand, you shoot a HiPoint. . .There is too much risk for me to shoot a HiPoint."

RE: Best valued hand gun?
 

glad to know that my post has become a place for you guys to battle your opinions. anybody have any real advice?

RE: Best valued hand gun?
 

The Ruger SR9 or LCP.

RE: Best valued hand gun?
 

I just am not a fan of revolvers. Mostly because they don't have a safety. Of course many new semi auto's like the LCP don't either which I don't like. I love semi autos and hardly ever have one jam. If you learn what you are doing it's not easy to have one loaded and you not know it.

The single Action and double action mostly refers to revolvers. Double action is basically like a semi auto revolver and the single action you have to manually pull the hammer back every time.

RE: Best valued hand gun?
 

It's an internet forum. What do you expect?

I think you've gotten some good advice on this thread. I also believe you've seen some "not so good" advice. So, what do you believe? Somebody with a high post count on a hunting (versus a handgun) forum? I don't think so, but I only have one opinion, just like everyone else.

Step away from the keyboard and go to a range, or a good gun-store, when they are not crowded and can give you some advice. Soak it all in. See what feels good in your hand. See what gives you confidence (really, it is important in a self defense handgun).

Do you have any friends who are "gun guys"?. And I don't just mean hunters. True "gun guys". Ask them. Do you know any LEO's? If so, ask them if the first time they fired a handgun was at the academy. If it was, then they've possibly been brainwashed by their department and thus aren't true gun guys. You'd be surprised by how little many LEO's (who aren't gun-guys first) actually shoot. If they've been shooting long before they went to the academy, ask for their advice. Or again, go to a range or good gun-store. The key is to find somebody you trust.



Decide:

- Revolver vs. autoloader (or pistol or semi-auto). I have both, although I significantly prefer semi-autos. However what I like shouldn't matter to you.

- If you decide semiauto, you need to decide: single action, double action only (like a revolver), for DA/SA (first shot double, following shots are single action

- You also need to think about caliber. what size person are you? will your wife sometimes shoot it? How comfortable are you with guns? All this will (should) come in to play in caliber selection.

There is more, but I'll stop. Of course I think my advice is sound. I also think nksmfamjp is "bang on". I think some of the specific guns listed on this thread are good for what little you've stated your criteria are. I think some of the others are cr@p for your needs. But they are opinions on an internet forum that does not specialize in handguns. What more do you expect? Next up could be the Ginger vs. Mary Ann debate (the under 40 crowd need not apply!).

You need to get to gun store or range and talk to someone. Soak it all in. Take notes if necessary. And then come back here, if this is where you are comfortable, and bounce off ideas.

Good luck.

RE: Best valued hand gun?
 

I SURE WISH you would kindly explain to me how revolvers DON'T have safetys! As a matter of fact,almost all double action revolvers today actually offer THREE seperate safety features. Just because you don't see them on outside don't mean they don't have them. You MUST be forgetting about transfer bars,trigger rebound safetys,etc.

RE: Best valued hand gun?
 

While I can follow the points both of you make, I believe he was referring to external safety's, which revolvers (and Glocks and many DA/SA pistols) don't have. I'm defining an external safety as something that prevents the hammer from striking a primer when the trigger is pulled.

If you pull the trigger, a round will be fired with Glocks, revolvers, Sig's, and many pistols (revolvers and semi-autos). That doesn't make them less safe, but it is something you need to be comfortable with. Not all handgun newbie's are comfortable with that.

Let's please keep in mind that the OP stated that he was purchasing his first handgun. I think the KISS principle would be a benefit to him as he's trying to learn about something new.

RE: Best valued hand gun?
 

Your right griff-that's why I say you CANNOT get ANY semiauto as simple to operate as a revolver. Revolvers are the simplest to operate of all. Ialways reccomend a revolver for a first time owner. You don't have to worry about:is 1 in chamber,is magazine loaded,is magazine in gun,is safety on,is decocker on,is gun cocked,etc.-you simply have to draw and squeeze trigger.