I have scrimped and pinched and saved to purchase my first handgun. Since I will be interacting with felons soon on a weekly then daily basis, this gun will be a carry and home defense first, target shooter second. I will be concealed carrying most of the time.

I have pretty much decided I need to shoot a few of my choices but wanted to ask here for your thoughts. I have my list narrowed down to five but wanted to see if anything here matches what I've picked.

I have a budget of 1000 which has include eyes, ears, cleaning kit, holster, extra mag, a couple boxes of rounds for defense, and several for practice. I don't need to spend all of it. I'm mainly considering .40, 9mm or .380 in that order.

I don't care for a laser or flashlight.

I'm not of a mindset to carry a 1911, but most compacts and subcompacts are just too damn small in my hand.

I prefer a reliable, well respected manufacturer and don't want to "do" anything to the gun except shoot it until I am back making money and can afford the hobby.

Despite what you may want to say, I will be buying new or extremely lightly used. Lets say for now I'm going new.

Don't know what else to tell ya but thanks in advance for your input.

Do you want polymer frame? no safety? High capacity or high stopping power? Your welcome to come fondle some of my collection to see if something fits your hand you didn't consider. Glock is highly popular in Law enforcement but the grip angle and overall appearance of it just does nothing for me. I've seen cops carry everything from glock to 1911 to Hi-point to revolver so you wouldn't be the only one not being a glock sheep.

You don't want a .380 for that kind of work. Those are good for pocket pistols not duty weapons.

Is it time for a PSTOC shooting range day?

Honestly, I think 9mm would be perfect if you go with a semi-auto. Ammo is easy to find and not too expensive, while its still good for carry.

Agreed that Glock grips are really not that great. The two other companies I looked at that are comparable and still very good are S&W M&P series and Springfield XD. Both have more ergonomic grips and the M&Ps come with three different backstraps to change out to fit different people's hands better.

im not saying more than i typed because i wasnted to hear your reccomendations as if you didnt know me! I'm trying to get as many opinions as I can before I take the plunge. I've already be handling lots but just wanted to see what everyone was going to suggest!

I'm a big Ruger fan. The SR9c has never let me down and my go to carry when I don't just feel like a pocket pistol or the SR1911. Comes with a 10 and 17rd magazine. Also available in .40

Im not gun expert but just thinking if your looking at a gun for mainly protection... I would say look for a gun that meets that requirement and at the cheapest cost to buy, maintain and buy ammo for. If its for protection do it really matter how ergonomic the grip is?

Don, he may not care as much about an ergonomical design, but I was just throwing that out there, it's a nice perk imo.

I will say though that cheaper is not always better when its meant for protection. Reliability is a huge factor with something that will be used for carry. If SHTF, you don't want to worry about clearing a jam/FTF. Thats not to say there aren't handguns out there that are both on the cheaper side and still very reliable. The main reason I traded my .380 for a .38 was because I wanted something that was more reliable than a little semi-auto.

All of the ones that both Mike and I have mentioned would be great candidates.

Don if it's not comfortable to hold and shoot you won't want to train with it and a grip that fits your hand will allow you to get a fast sight picture when you're drawing it, which is very important in a self defense situation.

I was going to say just that. I would think egonomics would come into play on training and could just have an effect on your overall accuracy anyways.

If your trying to put a cap in someone ass I dont think yoh need to worry about ergonomic

Unless you miss cause you can't hold it right :)

Well, I knocked a few out this weekend... Kel Tec, any revolver, and the beretta are no longer on the list. The sigs, glocks, Springfields, and Walters remain on my original list. Only one .22 is still on the list, and it's appeal is fading fast, though it still appeals to me as a target plinker.



Also, much like I do everything, I'm pretending I've never held a handgun before. Many have seen me shoot and know I'm actually okay, however, can anyone recommend a handgun safety class? I'm interested in doing this as though I've never shot and I think this would be a good way to start.

People do carry around .22s on a daily basis and depending how well you aim, its a pretty good self defense gun.

I love my .22 for target practice, but since I have other options, I'd rather carry something bigger.

Whatever you do get, remember to not only practice at the range, but practice with unholstering (unloaded of course) and turning safety off (if it has one) at home.

The walther p99 with the AS trigger system is awesome. decocker only, no safety to mess with.
ergonomics (pointability) are tunable via the changeable backstraps they come with.
trigger is nice
accuracy is spot on.
recoil is super easy to control
I've not had any issues with mine.
Good holster availability

Ruger P series pistols, built like a tank, full size grip, good capacity, available with decocker only, or safety/decocker together. pretty cheap. good to great accuracy.
the alloy frame models are a bit heavy, the polymer frames less so.
Trigger is ok, not great.
recoil is super easy to control.
good holster availability

Ruger sr9/sr9c, sr40/sr40c.
polymer, single action only with safety. no decocker. Slim, full size grip, trigger is ok, certainly not great.
easy recoil. not expensive. 17 round mags (great capacity) in the 9
remarkably similair to a glock internally. I've got something north of 5k rounds through mine, never a problem.
Good holster availability

walther pps (haven't shot one) very slim, good capacity. Bit spendy

steyr m series pistols.
Also very similair to glock, including the grip angle.
cool sights
good trigger
good capacity, with extended factory mags available
holsters are a bit tricky but do-able

There really are SOOOOOO many more choices....

Huge thanks to Mike and Rix.. Made my night the other day by answering a lot of my noob questions, letting me finger and play with virtually everything they owned and generally making sure not only was I equipped to go forward and make a better decision, but that the gun bug bit hard as well. Now, I'm not only looking for a pistol, but a Mosin-Nagant and maybe a hi-point as well to help with control and training!!!! Though I will also say the most comfortable pistol I held was the Makarov.... Damn you and your oddball stuff Mike!!!! Maybe one of those will come later!

Makarov was a Russian IJ-70 if your looking for the exact same one. Not odd ball if you consider it was the Russian military and Police issued pistol for decades and still in use. Only draw backs are only 7 round capacity and ammo isn't available at Walmart but is at all gun shops and big outdoor sports warehouses. Mags are cheap and plentiful, can get aftermarket rubberized grips, and they are only around $200 to buy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makarov_pistol