My First Pistol
 

So I'm getting ready to buy my first pistol. I want a 9mm and I'm thinking about the P226 or the M9. Any strong advice??

-Z

I've used a P226 (with a rail) and really liked it. From your choices I take it you want a full-size 9mm? How much are you willing to spend?

Do you plan to carry it. A full size pistol is best to keep at home because it is big

I got both (well not an M9 but a 92FS Inox). The P226 has a far better trigger. If you get a new 226 you'll pay out the ass. A used older one is the way to go.

Main reason for it is home protection and just shooting at the range. I won't be carrying it. Obviously I'd rather spend less but if the SIG is worth the extra 400-600 i might be willing to dish it out. I might do some looking around to see if I can't find a used one though. Good tip!

I reccomend you try to find a range in your area that rents out guns so that you can try a few different pistols out to determine what you feel most comfortable with/what you do best with.

Whether they are both current production or previously made models, the P226/P226R is better than the 92FS/M9 in pretty much every way, and I'd say it's worth the extra 2-400 dollars given all the benefits you get with the gun. Aside from the high cost of factory mags, the SIGs trigger is much better, the controls and grip are more ergonomic, the R has a rail if you want a light, and SIG has a better warranty (Lifetime vs 1 year for Beretta). The only reason one would get a Beretta nowadays is if they are a die hard fan of the gun be it for its use in the military, or the constant use and reference of the gun in the LE and film scene from the 1980s up until polymer became the norm.

Not to say the Beretta is a bad gun, it's just from a time previous and in terms of usability, average at best. If you do decide to get one, I'm guessing it'd be for the price point or the fact that it is THE BERETTA, in which case do yourself a favor and get a used one before they changed to the slanted dust cover of current production models, and if you're privileged enough, before they put warning labels on the frame. In other words, for your nostalgia, get the real thing, the gun worth inspiring nostalgia and pride of ownership.

Just bought a H&K USP9. Got the full size instead of the compact being that the state where I live does not have concealed carry in practice so it would have been pointless to get the USP compact. Though the compact did have a slick look to it, it held two less rounds, a shorter sight radius, and the full sized grip just feels better.

You live in IL? You poor thing

And zackmann apparently lives in California. This thread is pretty much Gun Lovers in Gun Hating States General

A buddy of mine once called to take with me about one of his coworkers thinking of getting a gun. Then he told me he lives in Chicago. I sighed and then told him all the steps he had to do to even BEGIN to buy a guy and then the steps for him to actually HAVE the gun

Nope, Maryland.

Well Maryland is a May Issue state, but I mean only IL is the only state where there is illegal to carry. A lot of states like NY and Cali makes it hard to get a carry permit, but you can if you are patient

but by "May" they actually mean not unless you carry ridiculous amounts of money or have friends in high places.
So in reality to the average citizen it is a no issue.

So you have tried at least?

I'd try but it would just be a waste of my time and money. Most everyone I talk to say it's basically impossible to get a carry permit in Maryland. I know two people who managed to get one. One was a security guard at a courthouse and another was a bartender who had to carry large amounts of cash. So basically it's like canada.

Well you could always move to a nearby state

Maybe further down the road. But for now I like the area where I live, the state as a whole not so much.

My waiting period is over and I picked it up, I'll post some pics soon.

How's the trigger?

New Jersey is technically May Issue, but in practice, the only people who get permits are retired cops. Then I moved half an hour west to PA, and they'll give them to anyone. The trouble is, none of the states that border PA have reciprocity except for West Virginia, so I can't go far.

Haven't got out to the range so I won't comment on the trigger yet.
I'll post pics in the gun purchases thread since that makes more sense.

Went to an awesome range in Van Nuys this morning and test fired both the 92FS and P228. Decided to go with the 92. Going to my local gun shop tomorrow to check out pricing. :-)

Are you going to get the one with the rails or not?

Haven't decided... Going to see what I can find. Ideally, with the rails.

Well it isn't like the P228 is found everywhere. It's actually rare for some reason

That's because they don't MAKE the 228 anymore. As soon as the 229 came out, poof, the 228 was no longer being made. The 228 frame couldn't take the pressures of the .40 round. So they changed the materials and made the P229, which was also offered in .357 SIG AND .40 S&W.

Yes, I know. Sarcasm doesn't carry well into text. Maybe I should of added smiley faces and winks.

I run into the same problem. When I'm laughing heartily, sometimes I look back at the post and think "hmmm" kinda sounds like I'm angry when I'm not. MOST of the time I'm laughing or snickering during posts. There's something to be said for going overboard with the 'typing in the most neutral style possible' in order to not imply emotions or motivations that were not present during the post. :D

Hey guys, just a quick question.
Firstly I've never handle any semi auto pistol in my life, just the m16 and mp5 mostly, so bear with me.....

Assuming a 1911 has no magazine and the slide stop is hooked to the slide:
some press down the slide stop after inserting a magazine to chamber a round,
while others rack the slide back and release to chamber a round.

is this purely self preference or are there reasons behind each one?

like example, me being in the law enforcement reserves, our hk mp5 instructors
always told us to cock, hook, reload and release. instead of reload and cock.
they claim it increases the chance of feeding malfunction.

I've been taught that it's best to pull back on the slide when reloading so that you can verify that a round is actually being chambered as oppose to using the slide stop release lever.

How are you "law enforcement reserves" and you have never handled a semi-auto pistol?!?!

I was going to ask that too.

Any form of military anywhere in the world should have a familiarization course in handguns depending on who gets one when deployed. But LEO everywhere are always issued with pistols, semi auto or some countries still issue revolvers. How is it that you can be in a "Law Enforcement Reserves" without any courses in handguns. What country's law enforcement only have M16s and MP5s?

That aside

to answer your question.

Pressing the slide stop or racking the slide when reloading depends on personal preference and your gun. I would recommend in training both style for different handguns. Guns like Glocks and stock 1911s have the slide stop far away from the right hand so you would need to really stretch, or push down hard to get it down, so it would be best to rack. Some guns like my XDM have the slide release very close and when I reload, I simply press down. It depends on your training. A lot of LEO instructors in America teaches to rack the slide because of gross motor skill. In stress, grabbing and pulling a large object is easier to train into a man than muscle memory of pressing a button. And the correct method for racking the slide is to NOT slingshot, but to do over hand and pull straight back

I was going to ask that too.

Any form of military anywhere in the world should have a familiarization course in handguns depending on who gets one when deployed. But LEO everywhere are always issued with pistols, semi auto or some countries still issue revolvers. How is it that you can be in a "Law Enforcement Reserves" without any courses in handguns. What country's law enforcement only have M16s and MP5s?

That aside

to answer your question.

Pressing the slide stop or racking the slide when reloading depends on personal preference and your gun. I would recommend in training both style for different handguns. Guns like Glocks and stock 1911s have the slide stop far away from the right hand so you would need to really stretch, or push down hard to get it down, so it would be best to rack. Some guns like my XDM have the slide release very close and when I reload, I simply press down. It depends on your training. A lot of LEO instructors in America teaches to rack the slide because of gross motor skill. In stress, grabbing and pulling a large object is easier to train into a man than muscle memory of pressing a button

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jm4-...feature=relmfu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJDp6x3FHsQ

Just playing devil's advocate but there are actually a lot of law enforcement agencies where police are not issued handguns or any firearms.

If you are thinking about the UK, yes they have unarmed cops there cause they are dumb.

If you are thinking about China, they have for the most part been arming pretty much all their cops and even those that were once unarmed with guns. Say what you want about China, but their police aren't unarmed. Their traffic cops are packing.

UK police
New Zealand Police
Norway Police
Ireland Police
Cook Islands Police
Falkland Islands Police
Pitcairn Island Police
Iceland Police

Also a lot of college police in the US are not armed.

Welcome to Singapore. The reserves are mostly conscripts and the main firearm is a Taurus .38 revolver. I was borned there so each year I got to go back there for a short amount of time to serve :(

Ahh that answers my question... I was told by a friend to check out "art of dynamic handgun" video. there were alot of interesting things they did.

Good tip! I'll remember that! :D

And seriously guys? Which unit is that???

Those 2 youtube links I posted should help