New first Handgun
 

Got the Okay from the wife finally...
What's your recommendations? (under $800) I've been leaning towards a Beretta 92 or the Girsan Yavuz 16....

CZ-75 SP-01 Shadow........period......

lately, several online stores had them for sale around $850.....great price for a great gun

Congratulations on joining the Club. That is a reasonable budget to have. As a long time pistol shooter and collector, please allow me to give you a good piece of advice? Start with a good quality .22 LR pistol. The reason being, ammo is cheap, you can have lots of range time, and learn good shooting discipline without the issue of developing a flinch or other bad habits by going right into a center fire (I'm assuming you are looking at the 9mm). I will admit at this point, that I didn't heed this advice, because I was all hot and bothered about getting a Sig P226 in 9mm, which I did, and which I learned to shoot. Luckily, I had a few people to help me get past some bad habits I was forming.

If you absolutely need to have that 9mm (and trust me, I get it, I really do)....don't have a set agenda or brand in mind until you have tried a few and see what fits. In your budget, I would say look at a nice used P226 or P229 Sig, the Jericho 941 is a dandy, Sig P320, the Beretta you mentioned, M&P 9, CZ Shadow....it's a long list. Go to a range, if you can, and try as many as you can. The one that feels 'right' in your hand is probably the right one. I lean heavily towards the Sigs, they just work for me, and that is all I have for center fire autos. I have a number of different autos in .22 LR though.

Really, that is where I suggest you start. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions or even want to chat. I always have time to help out somebody getting into handguns. TC

I have a Jericho 941 Range Kit and really like it. It comes in below your price range which still gives room to buy some ammo. I would look into another 942 in a heartbeat but my next one, if I get another one, will be a higher end striker fired. I just don’t want to spend the money on a sidearm that I’ll use maybe twice a year with my schedule.

I never went with the 22lr option. I would love to add one. They can be picked up cheap, or expensive, just like 22 rifles.

For the budget the OP has, this is the right answer.

Can never go wrong with a CZ.

Well, for the CZ Fanboys here (and really, what's not to like?) have a look at the Sphinx AT200 S if you have a minute. Made in Switzerland, they looked at the CZ and said 'that's nice, but there's a few things we can improve on'....and then went all Swiss watch maker on it. Milled out of solid billets of SS, hand fitted in much the same manner that the Python was by Colt...it has been compared to the Sig P210 for fit, finish, and accuracy. It was used by a few different police forces worldwide, the Swiss had a couple of their Cantons give the option of it or the P210 for their police. It's like the Ultimate Tricked Out CZ 75.

Oh, and I happen to have one, unfired still in the original soft case with paperwork. I guess I lied, I do have one center fire that is not a Sig. It's a beauty!

X2, VERY good Advice.

The price you pay for a handgun is just a down payment on the on-going cost of ammunition.

IMHO, it takes a LOT of rounds to develop proper sight picture and muscle memory.
I suggest that learning requires firing at least 200 rounds / week, and more is better.

IMHE, this much training is likely to result in developing an anticipation flinch.
IMHE, a flinch is not usually fear of recoil, but rather anticipation of noise and pressure.
It is only natural to anticipate the reaction recoil, and to resist this in order to enable holding on target for both first and re-acquiring the target for follow-up shots.

If you calculate and compare the cost of ammunition for a 9mm and a 22LR you will find that you can recover the cost of a suitable SA 22LR in only a very few range days, (and even more so comparing 45acp with 22LR).

I have several 9mm & 45acp pistols, but in a normal range visit fire many more rounds of 22LR combined with alternating 9mm & 45acp. My personal practice is 2 mags of 22LR, then 1 mag of 9mm, then 2 mags of 22LR, then 1 mag of 45acp, and repeat.

If you purchase a SA 22LR with a similar platform to your center-fire pistol, they will use similar loading & firing procedures, mal-function drills, and can use one holster.

I suggest a GSG 1911-22 or Ruger Mk III-45 combined with a Norinco NP29 (1911-9mm). The total cost for both pistols will be within your budget, and after you have recovered the cost of the 22LR (with savings of ammo cost), you can consider a Norinco 1911-45, or any other type.

Good Luck, YMMV.

Can't go wrong with a CZ. I have an old 75B SA that seems to like to shoot out the bullseye at 15 metres. Interesting that nobody mentioned the Glock 17. I'm not a fan, but some people and a lot of police agencies use it. I had a Gen 3 that just didn't fit me. I have yet to try the Gen 4 with the different back straps.

I have an M&P 9 with your name on it.

Ha! I've got an beauty old West German P226 with Tru Glo sights with his name on it!:lol:

Lol. I’ll bet my M&P is cheaper.

Trying to save up for a P226. Or CZ Shadow.

I suppose I could sell my 226 to you. It's pretty cherry for an 80s gun!

I'm really hoping to land something with a cutout for a red dot sight.

What are you hoping to get for that?

Tru Glo! With box papers, and original sights....only $840 to your door! But this is wrong forum...

Another vote for the CZ-75, I loved mine when I had it.

Cz shadow great pistol

First Handgun
 

I just bought My 1st,after a years worth of serious research and handling a few I was told are great, I ended up buying a CZ 75B Omega 9MM which I have been told has been discontinued but found one at Cabelas.This gun fits My hand like a glove and You won"t find a better built gun,maybe as good but not better and that"s why twenty different gun makers designed their best around this model.Have not fired the gun yet but can"t wait but I am going to heed the advice of a lot of experienced shooters out there and I just ordered a Ruger SR22 LR that looks a lot like the CZ and according to the masses this gun will gobble up any kind of Ammo I choose to put through it flawlessly.I have been told by many that even a lot of shooting with a 9MM for a newbie can lead to some bad habits whereas the 22 is much better to learn the basics of front sight and trigger control.Any how that"s My long winded two cents,Good Luck.

I really like my CZ shadow. Had it almost a year. 8,000 rounds and no problems. It is a pleasure to shoot.

I just ordered one of these.
http://www.henningshop.com/Detail.as...8327&CAT=10066

I am going to put a red dot on my shadow and see how I like it.

Best advice I can offer to a new pistol shooter would be to take the black badge course. I learned a lot and it's a lot of fun. Even just reading the black badge manual is pretty informative.

Good luck and have fun

go to a gunshop/range where you can try out a number of handguns. one or more of them will feel like it is an extension of your arm. that is the type of gun you want to buy. if you have several to choose from, pick one which can be fitted with a 22lr conversion. good luck, have fun and enjoy your hobby.

I'll 2nd and 3rd that. I have one, great pistol. $850.00 eh? - glad I bought mine when I did. Man oh man, do these toys go up in value. :)

As for the 1911-22's Ive discovered that GSG and Swiss Arms are a lifetime warranty, which I think should be considered.

Some good info guys! The CZ is kinda ugly looking no? Haha

H&K P30 9mm is in that price range, like John Wick's. I've only put 200 rounds through mine so far seems like a good gun no jams the single action trigger has a long pull takes some getting used to. Training with a 22 is always a good why to start.

I want the P30L so bad! Again, for John Wick fanboy reasons. And the LEM trigger system

If your objective is to put a bullet right where you want it than I agree with the idea of starting off with 22 to learn how to shoot.

If you want to have fun and blast paper then get a 9mm and enjoy. There is nothing wrong with either route.

The black badge course is a good option for center fire even if you don't want to compete.

Whichever way you go, get someone to show you the correct way to shoot. There are a lot of small things to be aware of even in the grip and trigger use. I spent a lot of years learning these myself and it would have been so much easier to have learned correctly at the beginning. Practice is important but my opinion is that focusing on each shot and learning from it is more important than volume of shots.

I have a number of handguns and find my favourite gun changes with the day. Find one that is comfortable.

The ideal option is to get yourself a 9mm and your wife a 22 as a thank you for giving you the green light on your purchase. Also if you get her hooked future purchases will be much easier.

In July Alberta Fish and Game puts on an outdoor woman's course which includes proper training on a handgun. Details on AFGA site.

Nice kit Canuck, don't see many of those around!!!

I would shy away from the Berreta 92. When I carried the military version the m9 as a primary duty weapon in the army I was in no way shape or form impressed with it. Kind of bulky in the hand sights sucked if you did a failure drill the position of the safety made it prone to tripping it unintentionally when you went to rack the slide etc... for the price there are much better options out there. Even a glock 17 or 19 would be more user friendly imo. Good luck

I've heard some bad things about Glocks and their safeties... not sure what to believe anymore haha

Solid advice.

If I may recommend, get a nice Ruger Mark I, II or III (love my Mark III Hunter) semi-auto. I don't remember offhand what I paid for it but I believe it was around $750 brand new (before taxes etc). These are very accurate firearms and a joy to shoot.

If you go that route, have a look at the "Ultimate Clip Loader"

http://www.mcfaden.com/McFadden-Mach...der-s/1827.htm

FYI, you can find these on amazon and other places if you don't want to go to the manufacturer.

I can go through 1000 rounds (or more) in a session and never get a sore thumb from loading mag's.