First handgun purchase newb.

General Firearms Handguns - Semi Auto
1

I completely apologize if this topic has been covered and I missed it, Id hate to be that guy. You can tear me apart if you want im a newb and deserve it.
I saw a few that touched some key points but they were a little old and from what I gather the handgun world is rapidly changing.

Im not very knowledgeable about handguns in general and being from NY you cant even touch one in the store until you have a permit. Ill be moving out of state soon, and ill have my NY permit soon as well.

So I know id like a 9mm. I used them in the MIL for brief qualifications. And I like the price of the round as well.

What I don’t know is what gun to get.
Im NOT asking people to tell me what to get as much as Id like to be pointed in the direction to learn what makes them better or more proficient in my needs.
My needs are mostly range, training, HD in a lower priority. Not carry.

There aren’t many stickies on handgun info, where do I look for general education on this?

I THINK I want either a Glock 19 or SW MP9 because they seem to be the most common and well liked around here. Iv handled both. The Glock feels flimsy to crudely say. The MP feels very solid. But I gather that the Glock is overall better.
Both seem to have they’re issues tho. The only reason Im leaning towards the MP is that I like it more visually. But that’s no reason to buy.

So what should my first step be? Obviously seeking training on how to use it will be my highest priority. And I wouldn’t be opposed to buying something later down the road if I find that the pistol I initially buy isn’t perfect for me.

2

Budget?

Glock 34 with new trigger
CZ 75 SA
M&P 9L with APEX or similar trigger overhaul
German-made P226
CZ SP-01 Shadow
Walther PPQ

Bout all I can come up with for pistols that ignore the needs of “tactical” purposes. You don’t need to pay for some tactical weapons manipulation course to learn how to shoot a pistol. I’m assuming you have little to no experience with handguns apart from qualifications in the military. You can learn by yourself pretty easily to bring yourself up to pace then from there on go ahead and try a class. It’s more about having someone who can recognize your faults and potential and actively correct it than anything.

Learning with a good trigger, and an extended barrel (longer sight distance) will help quite a bit. Find a range that does rentals and try different things but focus on learning to shoot first…then apply that knowledge to selecting a pistol that suits you.

3

They are effectively equivalent and each have their own unique drawbacks and strengths. Just buy whichever one happens to be cheaper the day you walk in and stick with it.

if you are at ALL going to use this pistol for self defense pick a brand that is well reputed. Again that information is everywhere here.

4

http://f2sconsulting.com/What_pistol_should_I_buy.html

Personally, I think the answer to about 75 percent of the handgun questions one hears on most days is “buy a Gen 3 Glock 19”.

5

Walther PPQ
Glock 19 or 17
Springfield XD or XDM
S&W M&P
H&K P2000, P30

Any of the above weapons will serve you well. I have just recently switched from Glock to a Walther PPQ. IMO the PPQ has the best out of the box trigger of all the striker fired weapons on the market. It is better than my G23 after having trigger work done to it. It points much better as well.

I would advise before buying anything trying to get to a range that allows you to rent pistols and try some of these out. I realize you said your in NY but if you are indeed moving I would wait if it is in the near future.

6

Glock 17 or 19
S&W M&P 9mm
Springfield XD or XDM

Any of those will be reliable and fun to shoot. Go to a gun store and see which feels better in your hand. Maybe they will have a range where you can try some out. I prefer the Glock but that’s me. It feels better in my hands. Many friends don’t like it but like the feel of the other 2 I listed. Good luck.

7

I agree with Sarge, above…wait until you move, and then hopefully, you can find a shop that has a rental range…this would allow you to at least try as many different pistols as you can, see how they shoot and how well you shoot with it. I’d also add, that range rental pistols are usually abused, and rarely cleaned, So, if you have any problems with one, that dose’nt nessessarily mean it a POS,But rather, it probably needs a good cleaning and some lube.Don’t let a bad experience with a rental put you off from what may actually be a excellant pistol. Do as much research as you can, I don’t think you can go wrong with a Glock,17,19, Walther PPQ, HK P-30, P-2000 (either with a LEM trigger if you can find one)

8

I suggest you check out an HK P2000 or P30. They’re very nice pistols and well serve you well.

9

Thanks for the feedback.
I forgot about being able to rent a gun at a range. Thats inconceivable in NY for the most part. Im doing some house shopping in the area that im moving in Feb so ill see if I can get some of that in while im there.

I think for my first ill stick with the MP or glock for the sake of popularity and parts. I think having something a little more obscure will screw me if I get caught up in something I don’t understand about it.

As ive been doing some reading I see a trend of people buying specific pistols and instantly adding their upgrades.
Is that necessary or is it like how people buy an AR and throw a ton of shit on it?
Is there anything I should know about them?

10

Gen 3 Glock 19 would be my first choice for a first pistol. It only NEEDS a good set of sights (my personal favorite are Ameriglo ProGlo at standard heights). Most of the other after market parts are purely optional depending on your preferences.

The M&P9 suffers the reputation of inconsistent accuracy. I have 3 and all are tack drivers with 124 grain +p ammo, but one suffers some accuracy degradation with 147 grain ammo. The M&P requires a little more tweaking out of the box for many of us who like the APEX Tactical DCAEK or FSS&T kits.

As for the HK P30, it is excellent. However, you pay for what you get as it is about $200-300 more than a Glock or M&P. Most prefer the light LEM trigger unless you are will to spend the time to master a HEAVY double action pull for your first shot.

11

+1. I don’t even have sights yet for my Glock 19 (will get them eventually, but the gun functions fine without them, and pistols are secondary weapons). The only thing I actually bought for it was a Vickers extended mag release. Made a huge difference, along with some dremel work.

12

That was part of my point above.

I bought a Glock 23 for CCW when I lived in AZ. I spent a ton of money getting that thing the way I wanted it. Night Sights, 3.5lb connector, Lone Wolf Barrel, Metal Guide Rod, I replaced many of the plastic parts with metal ones. And IMO the thing still had a caulk gun trigger and will never point natural point of aim for me.
Now do you NEED to spend all that money on your pistol? No. I would recommend night sights on ALL defensive pistols but that is really all you HAVE to do.
I must say that I come from a competitive pistol shooting background. I used to shoot high end 1911’s and S&W Revolvers. I have since sold these in favor of other more practical weapon systems. But let me tell you going from a Nighthawk Custom to a Glock was very difficult to say the least. :suicide: So I will admit I am biased to fine handguns and tried like hell to make the Glock as nice as I could.

13

I’ve been completely satisfied with my M&Ps for several years. 3 of the 4, have over 10K rounds on them. All have Apex sears and striker blocks. As the OP has mentioned, both have issues. I suggest you shoot a box or two, through both the Glock and the M&P ( or anything else you are interested in), then draw your own conclusions. For the record, I owed a G23 for years and absolutely hated the grip. If I had to own one, I’d get a Gen 3 G19, then send it to Ben at Boresight Solutions, for a grip reduction and a trigger job.

14

Those I have read who have used the P30…and the PPQ, admit the PPQ has a far better trigger.

15

Dammit I thought it would be as simple as BCM/DD/Colt sort of thing.

Where im moving to im attempting to get with their police dept.
Admittedly LE isnt even my focus in school and may not go in that direction, but would it be smart to learn on the platform they use? Happens to be an MP.

Are the upgrades mentioned above necessary for the MP or are they a luxury item? Are they something I can easily do myself or do I need a gunsmith?

Sarge is the trigger really that bad on the glock in you opinion? I HATE mushy triggers. Its extremely distracting for me. Id love to spend 1k on a custom pistol but I really don’t know what I want or need yet.

16

The APEX parts are a luxury in the sense that most LEOs have no problems qualifying with their stock M&Ps, and the pistols function fine out of the box. However, shooting a stock M&P after becoming accustomed to the APEX upgrade is painful.

The APEX DCAEK kit reduces the factory trigger pull from 6-8 to 4-5 lbs and significantly smooths the trigger uptake. The APEX RAM which is easy to install with the DCAEK gives the pistol a tactical reset and allows manual reset of a dead trigger (very rare). These upgrades, along with the M&P ergos, make me more accurate with the S&W than Glock (the opposite is true without APEX parts).

There are online instructional videos for the APEX install, or you can buy a pistol from G&R Tactical (Grant) with the parts already installed. You will need a 1/8" punch and a good sight pusher is helpful. It took me about 90 min for my first APEX install; now I do them in 20 min.

17

First off, welcome to the wonderful world of handguns. There are a plethora of good posts above, and having read them all, I tend to agree with most points.

What surprises me though, is the common dedication (for lack of a better term) to the Glock 19. You (the OP…or original poster) stated that carry is not in your near future, so I’m a little shocked to see that not more people have recommended the Glock 17. Personally I own a G17, a G19, and an M&P9c with the Apex trigger hardware. I have to say that of those three firearms, I much prefer to shoot the G17 at a range. Believe it or not, I received it as a gift from my father about 11 years ago and I have not tinkered with it in any way. It shot perfectly out of the box from day one, and has continued to do so. I rarely clean it, and even though its an older gun and it shows its age with holster wear, it still shoots as accurately as it did the day I took the tags off it.

Strangely enough, being the oldest and most shot pistol in my collection, the G17 is my bedside firearm and the one I will reach for when things go bump in the night…albeit coupled with a TLR1 light and loaded with Black Hills 124gr JHPs. Why 124s instead of 147s? Just my preference and what I have on hand.

The G17 offers a slightly longer sight radius, and as other posters have pointed out, ALL handguns should be outfitted with night sights. Currently, both my Glocks are wearing Trijicon night sights in green, although the sights on my G17 are showing their age and will soon be replaced with Ameriglo sights. The Trijicons were installed about 10 years ago and are still functional, but as I said, will be replaced soon.

My M&P9c came from the factory with horrible accuracy and a terrible trigger. Long story short…it shot 7" high and 4" left at 7 yards. That was unacceptable by any standards for a HD/carry gun. I contacted S&W via email and sent the firearm back for repair. Turns out their armorer found a poorly machined barrel crown as well as rifling that was sub-par. In the end, I received a brand new match barrel and a free trigger job, in which I had the Apex DCAEK installed at my request by the factory. Minus the cost of the Apex kit, the repair was completely free…including shipping both ways. It currently shoots point of aim, point of impact (POA-POI) at 7 yards…which is what I requested.

I guess what I’m trying to convey here is that you really can’t go wrong with a G17, a G19, or even an M&P9. I have the M&P9c just because it’s my every day carry gun, but since you won’t be carrying, you will probably be more than happy with the full size version.

My best advice to folks contemplating a pistol purchase: go to a range where they rent firearms and fire all three. See which one you like best. I’m sort of an anomaly when it comes to firearms. I shoot my G17 and G19 in IDPA pretty much every month. I’m used to that grip and have trained my muscle memory to remember that grip angle, where the controls are, and how to run that weapon system without even thinking about it. However, my EDC gun is the M&P9c. It’s a little unorthodox. You know, with all that talk about “train with what you carry” and all, but I find that I really do enjoy all three guns.

Welcome to the club, and happy buying!

18

JSOP,

There have been some excellent points made and recommendations. Of the two pistols which you listed, I would opt for the Glock 17 or 19, whichever fits your hand better.

Also, if you are considering a career in Law Enforcement, there is a strong possibility that a Glock will be the issued sidearm.

In my opinion, if your focus is to acquire practice, skill, and experience with a pistol, then I would strongly consider purchasing a high quality .22 pistol. For every box of centerfire ammo you can purchase considerably more rimfire ammo. That fact alone would put you in the position to practice frequently with your pistol.

You may have already considered this but I thought it prudent to suggest considering a rimfire because in your first post you listed practice as the first consideration and carry/ defense as secondary.

A Glock with a reliable conversion kit may be a viable option as well, depending on your budget.

Good luck in your future endeavors.

SkiDevil

19

In short “YES!” IMO. That and they have a grip angle that points up. Those are the two drawbacks to a Glock. They are reliable and durrable fairly accurate when you can get past the grip angle.
If you are trying to become a LEO your dept. will probably have requirements for your duty pistol. They may supply it or you will get a substantial LEO discount. So there again you may want to wait.
I have a young friend who is going through the same thing right now. He is in process of testing for various depts. He has a old used Glock 22. But wants a new pistol. I was working with him this weekend cause he was complaining of shooting high and right. We worked on trigger control and sight alignment. He realized how bad the grip angle on his Glock was after he shot my wife’s Walther PPQ in 9mm. Now he wants a PPQ.

Sent from my SCH-I405 using Tapatalk

20

Pretty sure it’s your hand that’s pointing the gun up.

The whole “waah waah glocks don’t fit my hand” thing is really silly. Nothing is going to “fit” your hand outside a pair of tailored gloves. You make the gun fit in your hands.

Between my 1911 and my Glocks I really don’t think the grip angle makes a big difference in my ability to shoot it well. The trigger will not help you as much as the 1911, no, but frankly the 1911 trigger only helps mask a lot of problems in trigger control. Bottom line is if you can shoot a Glock well it is because you shoot pistols well.