First 9mm Pistol!

scuby

hey guys,

just wondering can anyone give advice on buying my first pistol ?

i have been shooting for years with my local gun club, pheasant, duck, vermin etc etc. and i would like to apply to get a pistol licence. just wondering what is the protocol in applying, i presume its to the local superintendent and depending on what type of pistol i'm applying for.!
also, would anyone have any advice on what would be the best pistol to start off on ? i would like to join a range to practice on etc, so any other advice etc would be great ....

would i be wrong in thinking a .22 would be the first one to got for, and then a 9mm, or am i way off the mark !!
cheers
scuby

Manic Moran

i would like to join a range to practice on etc,

Might want to start there, and then work on what pistol you want. Especially if the range might have any restrictions on requirements. Another advantage is that you may be able to 'try before you buy' by having a go at pistols owned by other club members.

There are so many 9mms on the market that any time this question is asked everyone just responds with their personal favourite, and you'll get as many different answers as people asked.

NTM

rrpc

scuby wrote:

would i be wrong in thinking a .22 would be the first one to got for, and then a 9mm, or am i way off the mark !!
cheers
scuby

Depends on what type of shooting you want to do, and the clubs near you that will cater for them.

There are more clubs able to cater for .22 than 9mm and then you get down to whether you want to do seriously competitive target shooting or not.

There are also more .22's out there second hand, but be very careful what you buy.

As the carpenters say: "You only cry once when you buy quality"

macnas

If you like tupperware, a Glock 17 or a S&W M&P (a very good pistol), if you want quality, a P226 or a Para LDA p18.9 but if I was buying another 9mm it would be a CZ 75 SP01.

peter-pantslez

if you can get a 9mm id go for the h&k usp great pistol

freddieot

A Lot of good advice so far. One thing - don't buy a pistol based just on someone else's opinion. Think of it like buying a car. Everyone has their own preference for models based on apart from anything else, their own particular needs.

Also, the size of your hands compared to the size of the pistol is important as is the type of use you intend for it ( eg: Practical or Standard competition shooting).

All the pistols mentioned so far are excellent but don't get anything without at least handling one of them first. For example, I had a USP Expert. Excellent gun, faultless, accurate, high capacity,good sights, indestructable and visually very nice. However, at the end of the day far too big for my hands. (The grip is quite large). I was one of the first to get a pistol when the revolution came a couple of years ago and it was very much a question of get one as fast as possible at that point, in case anything changed.

I bought 2 other pistols since then and both fit me perfectly. One a CZ85combat and the other a HPS (STI\Les Baer Custom Gun)

I have friends who have everything from Para Ordnance, Glock, HK, CZ, STI and Sig Sauer. (All are good but none are perfect).

Look around a lot before you decide.

Clare gunner

A good "cheap" 9mm is the Browning Hi power P35 AKA the "BAP".
13 shot,easily learned,customised with sights ,safties etc.Made by at least six different countries,and pretty indestructable.A good starter 9mm gun for reasonable money.

rrpc

A good quality .22 which again is very easy to customise with grips etc. and which has very good target capabilities is the Browning Buckmark.

Please steer clear of the Walther P22 and the Sig Mosquito which are plinkers with very little to recommend them bar the price. Grips are very small and in general have difficulty with barn doors

Have a look at this website for new gun prices http://www.frankonia.de

For second-hand pistols go here:
http://www.frankonia.de/shop/_/start/0/sort/norm/sortiment/Kurzwaffe/sid/GWB/GWBsearch.html

scuby

thanks for all the replies. I will probably go and see if i can get to handle a few pistols before i buy. Hopefully a few gun dealers will have some in stock so i can get an idea.
i might also drop out to a range and talk to the guys there.

rrpc

scuby wrote:

i might also drop out to a range and talk to the guys there.

I strongly suggest you drop out to Fermoy. Lads there will give you unbiased opinion which you may not get from dealers who after all have stock to flog.

If you want, PM me and I'll give you contact details and people to talk to there.

scuby

pm on the way.