First Handgun...CCW or no?
 

I'm buying my first house soon, and eventually (not until the wedding is over in August), I want to purchase a little added insurance in the form of my first handgun. I own plenty of firearms, and have shot handguns quite a bit, I've just never had the desire to get one. Well now I do. This won't solely be a home defense gun, as I want to also shoot it occasionally at my cabin. I was originally thinking getting a small frame CCW, but the more I thought about it, the more I realize I don't think I need to CARRY this gun. It would be accessible to me at home, and I would carry it in my vehicle, but that's it. Do you think I should be looking at a CCW or just keep it a mid-large frame gun? I've always loved 1911s, but I'm not sure what I would get exactly. Any recommendations on a mid-sized handgun that would be fun to target shoot and still practical enough for home defense? Budget will be no more than $600 (which rules out most 1911s:D). Thanks guys.

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RE: First Handgun...CCW or no?
 

http://www.ruger.com/LCR/
This is a new 5-shooter that looks pretty neat??!!!

RE: First Handgun...CCW or no?
 

What do you guys think of the Ruger P series? I've also been eyeing up the SA XD for sure as I think SA makes great handguns. Now to choose a caliber. 9mm is a bit on the lightweight side (but cheaper ammunition). What's everyone's thoughts on .40 vs .45?

RE: First Handgun...CCW or no?
 

Buy another bow, roll the shottie under the bed, and forget about it.;)

RE: First Handgun...CCW or no?
 

Lol, I didn't even know you ventured into the gun forum. You would tell me to buy another bow:D I'm tempted, bud...REALLY tempted. I want a Constitution in the worst way. Oh, and I need another shotgun as well:D

RE: First Handgun...CCW or no?
 

9mm leaves you undergunned? hardly. It's not on the light side, i don't care what anyone says. Sure a .40 or .45 has more behind it, but with today's defense rounds a 9mm is pretty effective if you are trained.

i would suggest the Springfeild XD9. i have one, and its quite the firearm for the price. over 2300 rounds on mine without a single malfunction using Winny White box. This gun is a little big to carry so i have a 380 for that. But you have to decide if you are going to carry or not and let that be your guide. If you are just going to be plinking, get a .22LR pistol and shot 550 rounds for $12 instead of 50 rounds for $15 (9mm) or $22 for .40 cal. If you are looking for a defense gun there are so many choices but they all matter if you are going to carry. If there is any chance you will get your CCW and you don't want to buy a bunch of guns, you could look at Kahr, Bersa, or a revolver which should be 9mm or bigger yet smaller framed. Just go with what fits your hand best.

RE: First Handgun...CCW or no?
 

I would certainly plink with this, but most of my target shooting (as Ben would know) is done with my bow. I would have this to take along in my vehicle, keep at home, and of course shoot at our range at the cabin when the mood strikes me. The "do-all" gun definitely leaves out a .22 (plus I have access to an old Luger .22 for that). I'm not a big handgun expert, so the 9mm comment may have been out of line, but everything I read seems to point to the .40 and .45s getting the nod for defense purposes.

RE: First Handgun...CCW or no?
 

My two choices would be the Ruger SR9 or the Springfield XDm depending on what caliber you want.

The Ruger P series guns are also great guys since you asked about them. Not known for being the most accurate but they are super reliable. As long as you are just shooting at cans or something they are really good however, if you want to shoot at a target and expect to hit the bullseye everytime they probably wont do it. Still great guns at a great price and super reliable. The reason I'd pick the SR9 over the P89 or P95 or even the older P85 is just that to me it feels a lot better in my hands. That being said I still really like the others and most of them can be found a little cheaper.


As for a 9mm while it's not as big as a .45 I don't think it's too small. Would I go any smaller for a self defense gun? Probably not but I just don't see how a 9mm is that bad. I've heard guys say it is but honestly I shot a 2x4 and it went in the size of the bullet and left blowning a big chunk out of the back of the board. If it does this to a board just think what it would do to an animal or if you ever had to use it in defense. It's a personal preference and it's up to you what you get as I'm not the one that's shooting it. I don't think you can go wrong with a .40 or .45 either. The other thing I like about the 9mm is they usually hold lots of rounds. The P89 in 9mm holds 15 rounds vs the P90 which is a .45 holds is it 7 or 10? I'm thiking 7 but not positive. The SR9 holds 17+1. As you can see you get a lot more shots with a 9mm usually. I'm hearing the XDm holds 19+1 but I haven't verified that myself.


Also if you look in this thread they have some pictures of some 9mm ammo expanded. As you can see it's spread out to the size of a nickel. That's not small imo.

RE: First Handgun...CCW or no?
 

I don't know the prices on the other ammo so can't comment but at Wal-Mart you can buy the Winchester USA stuff in the white box for $19.99 or $19 something for 100 rounds. So it's cheaper than buying the $15 boxes of 50 rounds. It's the cheapest I've seen so far and it seems to shoot pretty good. Actually I've seen Dicks put Remington UMC ammo onsale where if you bought 10 or more boxes of 50 you could get it slightly cheaper but not all that much cheaper and I don't like Remington Ammo so I've stuck with the Winchester stuff. Plus it's always that price not just when onsale. The ammo at Dicks onsale is usually the same price as the Winchesters if you buy less than 10 boxes anyway.