I second the Glock 19. I have a 19c. C means Compesated. Light and powerful. I also carry a S&W 637. It is a 5-shot Airweight .38 Special.

 

I carried a full size, all steel 1911 under an untucked T-shirt. They're not hard to conceal with a good belt and a good holster.

They can be finicky though, and that sucks in something you may have to use to save your *** someday. I migrated away from 1911s for that reason and carry a Glock now. I'll give the 1911 another try someday later when I can afford something from a higher end custom manufacturer.

 

I have a Glock 21 (45 Cal) and I love how light it is compared to a 1911. Police like them since they are light weight, simple to disassemble/clean, and the safety is part of the trigger. If you are looking for a combination self-defense/range pistol, you may want to try the 40 Cal version. Its supposed to be the best all around Glock pistol.

My Arsenal:

Glock 21
Ruger Super Blackhawk 44 Magnum Revolver
Mossberg Shotgun
Norinco SKS Rifle (Lots of FUN!!!)

 

Well Styx, as you can see, there are as many different answers to your original question as there are posters in the thread. You'll really need to rent some guns to get an idea which one fits you best. Do you have a range with rentals near you?

 

yes I do, I'll probably go up there sometime next week and try out a couple .22s my co-worker it trying to talk me into a m9 or 1911. I think a .22 will suit my need just fine for now tho.. I know Ill want to go bigger later down the road tho... same thing happened with my bike 6 months after I started riding I was ready for more power, two years later I'm still on my 32hp bike looking for something around 75hp

 

Go shooting with someone, get individual instruction, take a class or go rent some guns to try out.

Anyone who is an instructor should be recommending this, NOT a blanket recommendation of a firearm to buy.

You will get lots of good information on this site, along with plenty of bad information. There have been some fantastic recommendations make in this thread but you need to figure out what works best for you.

Would you go rock climbing if someone just gave you a bunch of gear and said give it a shot? NO. You need to gain experience and that take some time and investment.

If you ever make it to the D.C. area send me a PM and I would be happy to take you shooting and let you try virtually anything you would like to shoot.
If you would like to discuss the best way to go about getting some firearms education and picking a firearm, send me an e-mail or PM and I would be happy to e-mail or talk with you about it.

Good for you for being interested in taking an active role in being able to defend yourself and exercise your rights!

 

To each their own and I will never criticize anyone for what they like or want. But with that said... even though they may be high quality, I HATE plastic guns!!!

My advice to you would be to look at the CZ line of handguns. They are used by Armies and law enforcement agencies (all over the world) than any other handgun. They are outstanding firearms. I will always be packing one of the the below, either a CZ 2075 RAMI or a CZ 75B.

 

As Bowser4x4 said "ammo prices have gone thru the roof as of late". I noticed last week, 22LR have doubled in price in the last year. As far as knock down power, if your only punching holes in paper or pop cans or praire dogs. a 22 is by far your best bet in my opinion.

 

My brother has a sweet Sig P220. I'm looking at getting one too. Either that or a Glock or revolver. Can't decide. I either want a .357 or a .40.

 

Dont go with a Mark II 22/45. They are neat looking but are not at all accurate, at least not for me. I had one and traded it on the Glock and bought a .22 conversion for my Glock.

 

It's a bad boy

 

I own a .45 S&W M&P and really like it. I went into the store to buy a glock and walked out with the M&P. Just felt better in my hand, plus it was cheaper. I also didn't like have to put my hand over the barrel to take the glock apart. Just do your research and put a variety of pistols in your hands. Good luck with your purchase.

 

You should do a little reading on this subject before you make such a bold statement. The Ruger mark II is a highly accurate pistol. You might have gotten a dud, which will happen at times, but you shouldn't label them all as junk because of your bad experience.


I have owned many 22 caliber pistols from all of the top makers and the Ruger line is still one of my favorites and most accurate out of them all.

Ruger MK, I, II & III have a fan base in the thousands for a reason. Check out www.rimfirecentral.com and you will read this for yourself.

 

I think you need to check your models. The 22/45 is a variation of the original mark II and mark III. I have shot the original mark II and mark III and had no accuracy problems. The 22/45 is a cheaper version. I didnt label anything as "junk" and I also stated it could have been "me" also. Im not going to start a pissing match I just voiced my opinion and it seemed to be interpreted incorrectly.

 

2005lariatky, I'm not trying to start a pissing match either. You specifally told the guy NOT to buy the 22/45 because they were not accurate. I was merely trying to point out that while yours might not have been accurate, there are many, many out there that are. Yours was the exception, not the norm.

The MK II 22/45 is still a MK II, they have the same exact action as the standard MK II, the lower receiver is the only difference. The lower has a resin grip and it is angled and designed after the model 1911 that way guys who do a lot of shooting on the 1911 platform could practice shooting with the same basic design while utilizing the 22 caliber cartridge instead of the 45.

Sorry if my previous post came off as hateful as that was not my intentions. It's hard to tell what emotions people have when all you do is read their text.