Time for another one. Advice on Pistol Purchase

[chuckus]

My borther is doing his firearms safety test soon as will soon be in the market for a good pistol to start with.

He doesn't have a lot of experience other than what our dad showed us when we we're in our teens but that was ages ago (although my military time has brushed up MY l33t skills... ugh)

Anyway, my brother tends to go big with everything as in he'll buy the biggest dumbest looking pistol known to mankind because it costs a lot. Can someone recommend a good starter pistol that is

1) Fun to shoot,

2) Somewhat aesthetically pleasing (although funtionality takes precedence)

3) Not a nightmare to clean

4) Legal in Canada (although stuff that isn't legal would still be cool to research).

Let me know so I can save him from dropping a wad a cash on a hot turd and get a good weapon.

 

[geogob]

- something legal in canada
- easy to clean
- looks awesome (but is very functionnal too)
- Can be quite a lot of fun, especially during the summer.

Easy to handle and good for innexperienced shooters.

geogob recommands:

 

[Maxx]

:tup: geo

Don`t know if it`s legal in CAN but I really loved the Glock 17 when I served my duty in the army.

 

[mat69]

@ MäxX Jäger oder Sanitäter?

 

[Harrm]

:tup: geo

Don`t know if it`s legal in CAN but I really loved the Glock 17 when I served my duty in the army.

I dunno, it seems that 3 out of every 4 people hate the steep grip on glocks. Personally, I dont really mind it, but I dont think there's anything special about it either.

The answer to this question should easily be any CZ pistol. I reccomend a CZ-75. It's a good "starter gun." Trigger isn't too tough, it's well built, acurate as hell, and very cheap to own and fire compared to other guns.

--Harrm

 

[Maxx]

@ MäxX Jäger oder Sanitäter?

Sanitöter

 

[mat69]

Arsch!

Personally I do not like the Glock, especially because of its "safety" and somehow it feels not so "comfortable".

 

[Maxx]

Arsch!

Personally I do not like the Glock, especially because of its "safety" and somehow it feels not so "comfortable".

Ok, the Glock is truly no "beauty" but I really enjoyed it. I also asked for a second one but the sergeant said one should do

It was really quick and easy to clean and I had no Problems with my aiming accuracy with it. But tbh BIG weapons are much cooler

 

[mat69]

Yeah I agree that it is easy to clean compared with a MG74 that fired more than 1000 rounds ...
You will love the copper on the recoil-strengthener, but that's still better than the dust in all the edges ...

And no I can't think of an one-liner to make my post less OT.

 

[DEFkon]

Ya know i haven't owned one, but i've heard that a great starter / range pistol are those ruger .22's. Not a self-defense weapon by any means, but the ammo is on average 50% cheaper than the larger pistol ammo, and the recoil is pretty much non-exsistant which all translates into lots of shooting practice, and from your description that sounds like what your looking for.

Another avenue that many over look are revolvers. My boss said his first (and still favorite) purchase was a Ruger Gp 100. It's a 357. Magnum, and will also take .38 special (roughly = to a 9mm). It's very accurate and the ability to fire to different types of ammo from the same gun lets you scale up to larger recoil (and more expensive ammo) without buying a new gun. And i'd highly doubt that they'd be illegal anywhere guns aren't.

My final and most valuable piece of advice is to go a range that rents firearms, and just try everything that suits your fancy. Do not just go and buy a gun based on reputation, review, or even how it feels in your hand. You wouldn't go buy a car without test driving it, so why would you buy a gun without having tried it (or at least that model). After i got my LTC i rented, borrowed, ect for aproximatly 8 months before making my choice. For example I considered a glock till i had nearly every ejected casing slam me directly in forhead (and had one roll down and get traped behind my saftey glasses... hot brass pressed against your eyeball while holding a loaded gun is a real test of pain tolerance..) and was not forgoten when making a purchase decision. A friend of mine i think put it best. " A gun is a like a woman - They all have the same parts on paper, but even 2 that look the same will act and feel worlds apart when your holding them.

and in case your wondering.. my purchase was a USP because i feel in love with the trigger and other furinture... it was down to the wire with a SIG 220, but i shot better with the HK, so.. that was it.

 

[Harrm]

It's a 357. Magnum, and will also take .38 special (roughly = to a 9mm).

I thought all modern .357s do this?

my purchase was a USP because i feel in love with the trigger and other furinture... it was down to the wire with a SIG 220, but i shot better with the HK, so.. that was it.

Both are also very good firearms. Sig make a dandy little plinker. I reccomend getting ahold of a 220 just to try it out (it can take 4 kinds of ammo!).

If you're going for a larger caliber, however, go for a 1911. Arguably the best handgun ever made. A tad expensive to fire, but I think the kick of firing off a .45 ACP gives you your moneys worth.

--Harrm

 

[Cap'n Beeb]

I'd start him off with a revolver in .357. He can get a feel for the process of aiming > firing with .38, and learn how his gun works. Revolvers are rather simple objects compared to semiautos, and cleanup is rather easy. After he's comfortable, get him some .357 rounds. Hell, you could look into any number of the revolvers chambered for .22.

Also, Harm beat me to it, but I'd recommend a CZ-75 if he's dead set on a semiauto. I'm actually leaning to one for my 21st birthday.

And if he even utters Desert Eagle, you are required by law to beat him senseless.

www.thehighroad.org Is great for reviews and range reports for tons of firearms. Go to a range with him and rent a few and see what he feels comfortable with.

Edit:

I thought all modern .357s do this?

As far as I know, all .357s ever are capable of shooting .38. .357 is the same caliber as a .38, just with a longer case to store more powder. More powder = more bang = more speed. Although now that I think about it, I don't know if a .38 round will feed properly in a .357 semiauto. It might/might not have enough power to cycle the action, but I'm not certain. A hot enough .38 might be able to cycle the action properly so the round will be ejected cleanly and the next one chambered.

This is why revolvers are awesome, just so you know. No worrying about OH GOD HOW I CYCLED ACTION AHHH STOVE PIPE.

 

[SaraP]

My sidearm of choice is the Walther P99 in .40 Smith & Wesson, with the "Quick Action" trigger option -- that's a partially preloaded striker setup that basically gives you both the light, consistent trigger pull of a single action and the "no rack" simplicity of a double action.

 

[SaraP]

I thought all modern .357s do this?

Any .357 Magnum revolver can handle .38 Special rounds. However, the inverse is not necessarily true; revolvers designed for .38 Special ammuntion are usually not strong enough to safely handle the more powerful round.

A magazine-fed .357 Magnum weapon such as the Desert Eagle or a lever-action rifle, on the other hand, generally cannot handle .38 Special ammunition because the shorter case isn't handled correctly by the feed system.

 

[OICW]

I'd recommend the Walter P22, if he'd like a .22 pistol to shoot.

If not, the CZ75 as mentioned above by several people, or a Sig P228/229 in 9mm.

 

[DEFkon]

sorry didn't mean to confuse anyone about the .357 Mag revolvers.. i tried to reply twice a few days ago, but some reason none of my posts showed up? *shrugs* Anyhow Sarah said it best, i'd never considerer using a different chambering in an autoloader because the best of the worst cases is that it's not gonna fit.. in the worst you end up in a hospital or morge. I'll re-iterate what just about every gun manual in the world says.. Only use the proper ammo in your gun... (and a bit of precautionary wisdom for the range, if you ever drop a bullet on the ground.. never pick it up and load it. Chances are there's a ton of brass all over the place and if your luck sucks you'll pick up something that looks like the right type of ammo but isn't... and it might actually chamber.. *eep!*)

After browseing some of the candian gun /restriction/prohibited lists... i found this under the list of Restricted firearms "The firearm of the design commonly known as the Heckler and Koch (HK) Model G11 rifle, and any variant or modified version of it."

 

[Harrm]

Sara Ps' post.

That's what I was trying to get across without being a jackoff and saying "Hey stupid, all .357 revolvers shoot .38s". Also who in **** would own a Deagleberry anyways?

I don't know if a .38 round will feed properly in a .357 semiauto.

Nope, not a chance in hell. You'd be lucky if the next round even made it into the chamber, and then you'd be even more lucky in the thing didn't misfire. Then forget about accuracy past that.

Also, Beeb, if it's your first gun, and you dont shoot much, definately go for the CZ. If you've been firing for awhile, take a look at some other models. HKs are fun to shoot (heard some good things about the new ones, and I always thought the USP was great), or you could get a XD sub compact. Both aren't really harder to fire, just different. Or you could try a glock. Say what you want about their grips, they're decent all-around guns.

--Harrm

 

[Cap'n Beeb]

Glocks are icky. CZs are the vice hotness next to any other revolver. I wouldn't mind a USP though, then I can get my own Pauer Hauer going on

 

[SaraP]

After browseing some of the candian gun /restriction/prohibited lists... i found this under the list of Restricted firearms "The firearm of the design commonly known as the Heckler and Koch (HK) Model G11 rifle, and any variant or modified version of it."

*sniggers* I guess no one ever told the Canadian government that H&K never actually put the G11 in production.

 

[TheShiningWizard]

*sNIGGERs*

I'm calling the NAACP