I am looking to buy my first handgun, but (as a student who spends all his money on a gym membership, supps, and food) I am little tight on money.
What handguns would you suggest? My price range is <$300.00, and I have been looking specifically at the Hi-Point 9mm. Have any of you used a Hi-point? Am I kidding myself? Sohould I just wait until I have enough change in the couch to buy a Glock 17 or a colt 1911?
Thanks,
-Mid
I have both a Beretta 96 and XD40. I would recommend either of them handily. I would also suggest to avoid 9mm and glocks. What is your pistol for? Do you want to concealed carry, target shooting, or home defense?
mike
First, why do you suggest avoiding 9mm and Glocks? I’ve shot a Glock 17 on several occasions and find them satisfying, user friendly, and affordable (9mm ammo, that is).
In terms of use, mainly for range shooting (fun, practice).
The last thing I ever want to do is shoot someone, but, truth be told, I would like a gun that COULD protect my loved ones, even if that is something I will avoid at all costs.
I would suggest the glock. try and get it used for a better price. I’e never had it jam on me. but the 40 cal is likely the best option. a high quality pistol will pay off in the long run.
-chris
I like my sig p226. I also have a desert eagle .50cal but ammo costs an arm and a leg.
I want to get one of those Walther p22’s so going to the range won’t deplete my wallet so much.
I’ve shot a bunch of pistols. I also like 357’s and colt 45’s. Never shot a 44 mag but they sound like fun.
My favorite 9mm in that price range is the Ruger P95 very accurate hell of a gun never had it jam once and put alotta rounds down that barrel. It was the first handgun I ever bought. Im way to fond of .45’s to buy naother 9 though.Sigarms, Springfield, Glock and
Walther are some of my favorite handguns not to uninclude the P95 but for that price range its a hell of a buy
[quote]Hagar wrote:
I like my sig p226. I also have a desert eagle .50cal but ammo costs an arm and a leg.
I want to get one of those Walther p22’s so going to the range won’t deplete my wallet so much.
I’ve shot a bunch of pistols. I also like 357’s and colt 45’s. Never shot a 44 mag but they sound like fun.
[/quote]
I have a P22 and it’s a great little gun. Extremely cheap to shoot, cheap to purchase and shoots very very well and true.
If all your doing is plinking around, I would take a look at this… Now if you want something bigger than a 22, look elsewhere.
I like the XD40. I can break it down and put it together in under a minute. I own a CZ40. It is a pain to break down, but it’s a well made gun and it fits my hand well.
[quote]midnightamnesia wrote:
I am looking to buy my first handgun, but (as a student who spends all his money on a gym membership, supps, and food) I am little tight on money.
What handguns would you suggest? My price range is <$300.00, and I have been looking specifically at the Hi-Point 9mm. Have any of you used a Hi-point? Am I kidding myself? Sohould I just wait until I have enough change in the couch to buy a Glock 17 or a colt 1911?
Thanks,
-Mid[/quote]
Unless you’re an experienced shooter, buy a Browning or Ruger 22 semiauto. you need a lot of range practice, 22s are cheap to shoot and you need a lot of practice.
I’ve never seen someone shoot a pistol well without help and practice. It’s a huge mistake to get a 45, 40 9mm, or 357 right away.
I’ve seen a lot of people shoot, and few do it well unless someone has taught them.
The P22 also come with a factory threaded barrel, which makes it easy and cheaper to add a suppressor or flash hider. You never know when you’ll need one of those. plus it’s got an accessory rail for a light or laser, which might come in handy too.
I had a Glock .45 compact and loved it. Unfortunately it got stolen. I do think that you get what you pay for, at least to a certain extent. But I think Ruger makes a pretty good and less expensive handgun. You may also want to check out Taurus. I don’t have any personal experience, but I think they’re less expensive and decent quality.
When I replace my stolen Glock, I’ll either get another Glock or possibly check out the Springfield XD line. I like the idea of buying American.
I own the Glock 23 and love it, never had a problem with it and trust it throughly. If your intent is to use it for concealed carry / self-defense, I would be very leary of skimping with semi-autos, too prone to jamming and misfire.
If you want to keep the price low, why not consider a 38 /357 revolver?
My favorite gun I have shot was the .45 USP Compact by H&K. It is a sweet gun if you could afford it.
I second the .22 for practice though.
[quote]Mister T. wrote:
I also want to know why he should avoid ALL 9mm and ALL Glocks.
[/quote]
It’s just a personal preference. I wouldn’t suggest 9mm unless you’re a girl and you can’t handle recoil. It’s a weak round. In theory a flak jacket (not a bulletproof vest) should be able to stop a 9mm round, least that is what the tag says on the Interceptor vests. It’s what they have us shoot in the Corps and I wouldn’t rely on its knockdown power. That said, I do own a Kel-tec in .380 so there is something lamer than 9mm, but that pistol is the size of my wallet.
As for Glocks, the wife has seen many a Glock KB on arfcom. I really really hate the sights and it feels crappy in my hand. I thought it was because I disliked synthetics, but I LOVE the XD40, so I don’t know what to say.
But pistols are really personal. I wouldn’t buy a pistol until I have shot it. It just has to feel right to you as a person. I mean, when I was buying my first pistol I wanted a 1911. Once I held one though I decided it wasn’t for me. I had to cant my wrist to hit the slide release. All preference though.
mike
I’ve got a Colt 1911 .45 auto that’s been customized slightly. The first handgun I ever fired was a .357 revolver, followed by my .45, so when I tried a 9mm I was very unimpressed. Ammo is expensive as hell though, so I’m going to get a .22 for target practice.
If you’re concerned about self defense a .22 will do good enough damage at close range.
[quote]Mikeyali wrote:
Mister T. wrote:
I mean, when I was buying my first pistol I wanted a 1911. Once I held one though I decided it wasn’t for me. I had to cant my wrist to hit the slide release. All preference though.
mike[/quote]
You can fix that. They make a longer slide release. You can either buy a really expensive custom job, or you can just order the part and do it yourself. Which I have been meaing to do for a while now.
Buy a .22 and get familiar with it before you graduate to a larger caliber. I own an full size HK USP (.45), Walther P99 (9mm) and Glock 32 (357 Sig). Before I owned any of them, I bought a Smith & Wesson .22 and shot thousands of rounds through it.
The gun I bring to the range and carry all the time is the Glock. It’s reliable, simple to clean, easy to modify and relatively affordable to shoot. When I go to the range I swap out the 357 Sig barrel and shoot less expensive .40 caliber ammo.
Spend some time reading other sites that specialize in shooting sports. Like here, I suggest you read more than you post.
midnightamnesia –
The Walther P22 is a very fun gun to shoot. I bought my P22, a .22 cleaning kit, and 200 rounds of ammo for less than $300. The P22 is easy to shoot, easy to clean, and a great choice for a beginner.
Its not an intimidating gun. I’ve taken a half a dozen girls to the local range for a few hours of target practice. They’ve all loved the “cute lil gun”. Watch the ammo you buy for it. 36grain ammo works great.
$13 at Academy will buy 525 rounds (Remington .22LR).
Plus you can always rent something bigger once you get to the range.
Mister T. –
I think its a love/hate relationship with Glocks. Folks either love’em or hate’em. I learned to shoot on a 1911 with a .22 conversion then moved up to the .45acp. Most of the guns I own are 1911s. The multiple safeties on the 1911 is what I’m comfortable with, which maybe the reason I’ve nerver had much love for Glocks. That and its just a butt ugly gun.
I’m pretty new to the gun game too and am looking at getting my first handgun in the very near future. So far, I’m looking at either a Glock 19 or maybe a springfield XD.40. I’m lucky that the local range here has a good selection of guns to rent, and even more lucky that a good friend of mine is a “gun nut” who is very knowledgeable. He’s got a springfield XD .40, a Sig P226 and just got a glock 19, I shoot all 3 fairly regularly with him and gotta say the Sig is so smooth (and probably the best gun of the 3 mentioned), but I favor the glock for the look, size and way it fits in my hand.
He is a frim believer in the old rule of “don’t get a gun bigger than you can control.” And I see why. I rented a .357mag to try, and couldn’t hit shit, but with the glock my groupings were tight. Lots of people say the 9mm is a pussy round, but I think it all comes down to shot placement (in a defense situation)…mmmmmm gun talk! check out glocktalk for general gun info.