Advice for handgun

[YeaTexasFight]

I remember a thread on here not too long ago with information on handguns.

I'm thinking about purchasing one with my tax refund but know next to nothing about what I should get. There's a possibility I could get my concealed handgun permit one day and so it might be nice to have something practical for that, but right now I'm more concerned with just having a gun to keep in my apartment for self protection. Other than that, the only thing I care about is getting something of high quality at a reasonable price.

I couldn't find the link to the other thread, so if anyone can, that would probably suffice...although I'd have to filter through all the Quack's stuff that ended up on that thread which I don't care about and would like to keep off this thread.

Thanks in advance.

 

[CleverNickname]

People have strong opinions about this type of thing. If you haven't shot much, go to a range that rents guns and try a few out. Everyone's hand is different, find a gun that feels right. There are a grab bag of features that most autos have, figure out what is right for you. One thing to keep in mind is that often a family of guns all fit pretty much the same. This makes getting a second gun pretty easy, in that all the practice you put into one gun helps you be comfortable with the other. Examples: glock family, the CZ 75/2075 family, some sigs.

If you want something basically concealable, things to look for:
* small frame, but still fits your hand
* figure out if you want DA, or SA/DA, a decocker, etc. Do some google searches (about.com is decent) and figure out the difference.
* decided how you want to carry. I.e. with a bullet chambered with safety and cocked, not cambered, chambered but DA, etc.
* if you want a concealable, you'll want either a shrouded hammer, or a well rounded one that won't snag a shirt. I reccomend a non-shrouded hammer as you will probably feel more comfortable being able to manually decock.
* a gun that carries all 15 rounds inside the grip is probably too large to carry, but you can get 15 round magazines that fit (just hang out the bottom) which are great for practice and maybe even at home.
* cal: 9mm = most controllable, but many say tends to punch through rather than really create trauma. .40 is a bit of both, I find it too snappy in a small gun, .45 and up is the standard really get em dead fast, but can be a real cannon in terms of recoil in a small gun. Try out all of em and see what you like.
* if you really just think home protection is all you will ever need, get a pump shotgun. You can get quality for cheap, and if you live in an apartment you can get bird shot that won't penetrate the walls and kill that newborn next door. A handgun might penetrate. This is less of a concern when you live in a house without common walls.

 

[Baboso]

Clever gives good advice. If home protection is all you think you'll use it for, you can buy a "home protection" legal length sawed off pump shotgun for about $200. My next recommendation, if you must have a handgun and you're not planning on using it much would be a S&W Model 66 357 Magnum in stainless. You can pretty much bury this gun in mud for a year, dig it up and it will work. Highly reliable.

With that said, I'll give my Sig Sauer P228 in 9mm a plug. I've probably shot a couple of thousand rounds through it in the 4 years I've owned it and only had one stovepipe jam when it was new (not uncommon). I keep it loaded with Federal Hydra-shok hollow points, which increase the stopping power greatly.

 

[OrangeShogun]

If you're new to handguns then you may want to consider a DA revolver over a semi-auto. Not terribly expensive, very reliable and simple to operate. Take a look at a S&W M19, 66, 586, 686 or Ruger GP100. If you get a .357 you can target practice w/ .38 (less expensive) and keep full power loads for sel-defense. You can always graduate to a more sophisticated handgun when you feel more comfortable/experienced.

 

[YeaTexasFight]

Thanks again for the advice so far...I'm definitely planning to bring my shotgun back to my apt the next time I'm back home...not sure why I haven't done that yet.