alright, I'm looking at picking up a semi auto pistol sometime and was wondering what people would suggest. I want something in the $300-450 range. It would primarily be for recreational shooting. I'm in a safe neighborhood and if someone breaks in I'd probably grab the shotgun.

I want a full size gun, none of those baby pistols. I'm 6'2" 250 lbs so I can handle a bit of weight and recoil. I was thinking something in a .40 cal like a ruger p series or a newer S&W sigma series.

Anybody have any suggestions?

 

For that price, take a look at the Charles Daly 45 pistols. Not the best made, but decent nonetheless.

 

Springfield Armory Mil-Spec 1911 in .45 ACP.

It's a little more than $450 new, but not too much usually. I highly recommend the 1911 in whatever form as long as it's made by a reputable manufacturer.

If you have to stay under $450 look at a Glock. I don't like them nearly as much as a 1911, (don't point as well for me) but they shoot. New prices for them are $450-500.

 

Charles Daly, you won't get one for under $600

Springfield Armory, their chepaest line of 1911 is the G.I. version and prices there start at about $550 parkerized and add about $150 or so for stainless.

I don't know how much you are into shooting, or how often you will shoot it but I would steer clear of the 1911 platform all together. Not knocking them in any way as I have 1 in .45 and am building another one in 10mm now. All 1911 production guns have reliability issues. I paid $800 for my Colt and dumped another $300 into it just to make sure that it is reliable.

In the 300-450 range your best bet is to go with a Glock. I have a Glock 23 in .40 and love it. I have put over 10,00 rounds through it without a single malfunction that I didn't intentionally cause so that I could practice clearing it.

Maintenance is not as big of an issue on the Glocks so that is always a plus. I usually put 500-600 rounds through it before I clean it. With my 1911 I have to clean it after every trip to the range just to keep it functioning properly. When you do have to clean it it takes about 10 seconds to have the gun into pieces, about 5 min. to clean it good, 10 seconds to put it back together, and about 3 seconds to give it a good wipe down with a silicone cloth and you are done.

Another thing to consider is re-sale value. Used Glocks are selling for probably about $50-$75 less than a new one costs retail depending on their condition, whereas the cheaper guns i.e. Smith Sigmas, Hi-Point, etc all loose a substantial ammount of their value in the used gun market. I could have sold my Glock a week ago for about $450 to a guy at the range and I only paid $479.00 for it new in 2000.

Here are some of the pros of the Glock

cost
-Looks...you have to admit the Glock looks like a mean SOB
-Re-Sale Value
-Accuracy, they are pretty damn accurate right out of the box
-Reliability, probably second to none save for a complete custom gun that probably cost about 3 times what the Glock did
-Cheap upgrades, any part can be fitted at home by the average man, call and find out how much it costs just to get new sights put into a 1911. On a side note my current 1911 10mm build will probably cost me about $1900.00 with 2/3 of that just being gunsmith costs
-variety, if you like the gun you can get it any caliber you want, some calibers being multi-use for example I have a .357 sig barrel that drops right into my .40 and functions flawlessly
-Point and shoot with no external safties to worry about. Most people stray away from it because there are no external safties but once you take it apart and see the internal safties you realize that it won't just go off.
- light rail, perfect for home defense if you attach a light to it

 

No, I don't, and I won't.

The Glock looks like a toy. It's a plastic gun that looks like a kids play toy.

Nothing mean looking about any Glock.

Sorry.

 

if you want an "entry level gun" meaning.... "the first time hand gun owner", i would not recommend a semi auto. get a revolver.

its simple to use
its simple to load
rarely jams
understandable by almost anybody
has a double action trigger

if you are in a home invasion scenario a revolver is the simplest way to go.... point, pull, bang......

and you can't beat the stopping power of a .357

this is what i have on top of my tv set in the bedroom. both me and my wife shoot regularly... actually she is better than i am.

just some things to think about - oaw

p.s. - you might want to read a book called "armed responce" (check amazon). it has very good advice for home protection and hand gun selection.

 

X2

If you are strictly talking entry level auto just to kick around with, a Ruger or Taurus will probably serve you just as well as anything else.

 

yep...

i have two taurus .357s

one small frame, 2" barrel for carrying in my backpack during hiking and one large frame, 4" barrel on top fo the tv. both have served me well and were not drastically expensive.

oaw

 

yeah, I was thinking a P89.

I'm just looking for something that I can go to the range and have some fun with. doesn't have to be super accurate. Just dependable and affordable.

 

oscar has a very valid point. Revolvers are good for learning the basics and dead reliable. I have 2 .357's that I run .38 specials through for plinking. One is a S&W 19-2 with a 6" bbl that is a pleasure to shoot, but it's worn out and needs a new cylinder. The other is a Ruger GP141 (4" bbl). It's built like a tank, is accurate enough and can double as a club if necessary. Take a look at used Smiths or new Rugers. There's also Tarus and a few other companies that make wheel guns.

I disagree with the assessment of thw 1911 though. The heart and soul of a 1911 is it's magazine. Spend the coin for one or two Wilson mags and never look back. The only problem that I've had with my Kimber was the factory mag misfed once, not so with the Wilson. My Dan Wesson functions flawlessly too and is more accurate than I am. Far more accurate.

 

Have to agree with PONY_DRIVER. I have a Kimber Custom Classic and never had a jam. Only time I have ever had a problem was with a friends old ex-military 45 that was very sloppy and would get the occasional smoke stack.
Also have a Dan Wesson revolver, but you won't find those for under 500.
With all my handguns, the one I like to shoot the most over my 357, 44, 40, 357sig, is the 45.

 

Well opinions are like *******s..everybodys got one lol.

Here is the way I look at it, law abiding citizens get guns for one of two reasons. Either to shoot and use for personal protection, or they get them as somewhat of a toy. They buy the shiniest, fanciest gun they can, add a bunch of different parts to them, and brag about how good of a gun they have. Truth be told I run across these types at the range all of the time...and I out shoot them with my out of the box gun. Half of them wouldn't know what to do if their life ever depended on their weapon.

If you want a gun that you can trust your life to and know that everytime you pull the trigger it will go bang, then go with a Glock. Does it look like a toy? I don't think so, and for thoes that do I am sure their opinion would change if they were looking at the buissiness end of it.

A gun even though used for recreational shooting, if you would ever consider it for personal protection then you have to look at it for what it is, a tool. If you were a carpenter would you buy the nicest looking most expensive one, or the one that will get the job done, last a long time, and never send you home early because it broke.

Are there better guns out there than a Glock, yes there are. Better guns out there for the price, no. If you have a budget of oh $2500 then I would suggest a Nighthawk custom 1911 in .45, however I am suggesting the best weapon available for the price range.

Revolvers work great as well, I have just been brought up as more of a tacticle shooter, where I want two things reliability and capacity, looks and style don't mean much when you are in a bad situation.

 

Ruger makes ok pistols. They go bang when needed but are sort of the Mack truck of the auto pistol world.
I would not take a Sigma for free.
Look into the Walther P99 / S&W SW99 series. The frame is adjustable for handsize and the ergonomics are superb. It is the first pistol that felt right in my hand.


You can find them new for under U$500.

Fritz

 

People that say Glocks are plastic don't know jack about guns.

the ONLY part of the glock that isn't metal like every other gun is the frame/handle...and it is made out of a composite that is tougher than most metals. Glocks are AMAZING guns, with nearly unmatched reliability and durability. they can be completely abused and neglected and they will still fire when you pull the trigger.

The entire rail is what? You guessed it...METAL! In fact I've seen people SHOOT the rail with a .22 and it bounced off.

There is a reason law enforcement likes to use Glocks- they are well priced, and when their lives are on the line and they NEED the gun to be there for them in a life or death situation they KNOW it will be. That can't be said for some of the other "manly" guns out there.

and no, I don't own a Glock, but I know enough about them to know they aren't toys.

 

I never meant to imply that all 1911's jam up consistantly. I am just saying that on average the 1911's are more prone to failures than any other gun I have seen. Alot of the problems can be attributed to the Mags. I use Wilson Combat and Metalforms exclusivly in my Colt and since I have had a reliability tune on it have had no jams. However there are other factors to the 1911's that can't be solved with a quality mag. Barrel/bushing fit affecting accuracy, extractor tension too tight or too soft, limp wristing, etc.. I just don't think that a 1911 is a good platform for the begining shooter to start with. This is just my opinion so take it for what it is, I have been shooting for almost 15 years and started out with a .38 revolver and have shot probably 1,000 different types of handguns alone everything from a .22 darringer, to a .50 dessert eagle, to a SOCOM Mark 23.