New to guns

[Silver-Dollar]

Researching pistols to purchase. This will be for learning and home defense for the wife and me. I do not want to purchase a $1000 firearm. I plan of using a ton of cheap ammo for practicing and some better stuff for home defense. Eventually, I would for us to get our CWPs. Once she is comfortable with it, I may step up to a 45.

Based on what I have seen, I am leaning towards a Glock 19 because how easy it looks to maintain. Plus, 9mm ammo is cheap. My only concern would be the wide grip for the wife.

Any suggestions and comments will be well received.

[csikx]

Glock 19 is an excellent choice. Check out the 4th Gen Glock 19. It has a couple new features. Most importantly it has interchangeable back straps, which will make it easier for your wife to grip.

The new Gen4 has several new features designed to satisfy the most demanding consumers. It is based on a full size G17/G22 MBS (multiple back strap) frame with a reduced short frame trigger mechanism housing. The multiple back strap system allows the user to change the circumference of the grip to fit their individual hand size.

The grip has three options; a short frame version, medium frame or large frame that are easily changed and secured with a single pin.
The grip angle of the GLOCK “Safe Action” Pistol is not changed by back strap modifications. This ensures that the shooter does not shoot high or low when modifying the back strap or when shooting with a different GLOCK Pistol.

http://www.glock.com/english/index_pistols.htm

[Matts94Z28]

Glock is a nice gun, I love my 23. It is a simple gun. The Springfield xd line rivals the glock in many ways, especially in comfort. Your best bet would be to shoot a few different guns and see what you like. If it were me I would go for atleast a .40cal.

[csikx]

Originally Posted by Matts94Z28

Your best bet would be to shoot a few different guns and see what you like.

Good advice. Although I hate to recommend them, check out ATP on College Park Road and 17A, behind The Hot Spot. They have tons of guns you can "rent." That way you will know what fits you and your wife best removing any guessing.

[minytrker]

I'm buying my wife a Sig Sauer 232 .380. She has not shot one yet but I have shot my friends and I think she will like it. Its a very good balanced gun and has a good grip on it for a smaller pistol.

[Shane361]

Had a Glock 19 as my first gun and had it for many many years till about a month ago. Now that I have my Smith and Wesson M&P 40 I will never own another Glock. I am looking to purchase a 9mm M&P for range time due to ammo cost. Go to ATP and put them both and more in your hand and see what feels good. Once you put the M&P in your hand you just might be sold like I was. -Shane

BTW...I'm a Small Arms Instructor in the Navy also so if you need any tips just ask. Know your 4 safety rules by heart and the 4 conditions of readiness and you cant go wrong.

[minytrker]

Originally Posted by Matts94Z28

Glock is a nice gun, I love my 23. It is a simple gun. The Springfield xd line rivals the glock in many ways, especially in comfort. Your best bet would be to shoot a few different guns and see what you like. If it were me I would go for atleast a .40cal.

Most women, hell alot of men would hate to shoot a sub-compact .40. Most are not that comfortable to shoot, the cheaper ones are even worse. If you shoot someone at point blank range a .380 hollow point will still get the job done.

[1iron]

I would stay away from the gen 4 glocks. The 9mm XD is what I would recommend. It is easy shooting with most practice loads and the defense loads are very good.

[csikx]

Originally Posted by 1iron

I would stay away from the gen 4 glocks.

Why is that? I know they did a recall on the spring, but they have always worked flawlessly for us.

[Sean]

My wife likes our Bersa THunder .380. It fits her hand well. I dont mind it, but I dont plan on carring it.

[Carlrx7]

for home defense id recommend Springfield armory XD45, shoots very good and hold a shit ton of ammo to finish the job.

for concealment i purchased a Glock 36 (45 auto as well) its just a tad over 1inch thick.

lots of woman prefer a small revolver to put in their purses.

ultimate home protection is my mossberg 500 pistol grib shotty

-Carl

p.s. one of these makes for a great early warning system.

[MonteC]

Originally Posted by 1iron

I would stay away from the gen 4 glocks. The 9mm XD is what I would recommend. It is easy shooting with most practice loads and the defense loads are very good.

Tara shoots a Springfield XDSC 9mm. she loves it.

[Sean]

I want a mossberg 500 soooo bad.

[LadyInRed]

Originally Posted by MonteC

Tara shoots a Springfield XDSC 9mm. she loves it.

Love my XD. Went to ATP and shot a few different guns to get an idea and feel different grips. Will most likely end up being my carry gun when I get a CWP.

I can also shoot the Springfield XD40 subcompact with no problem or really feel much of a difference.

[WWhittle]

I wouldn't get a Glock for my first pistol either. With the weird grip angle, nothing else would ever feel right after it. I personally like the M&P. Same simplicity as the Glock but not as ugly and doesn't have the weird grip angle. It also comes with 3 backstraps for different sized hands.

[WWhittle]

Originally Posted by minytrker

I'm buying my wife a Sig Sauer 232 .380. She has not shot one yet but I have shot my friends and I think she will like it. Its a very good balanced gun and has a good grip on it for a smaller pistol.

I have a 232 and it shoots awesome. One of my more accurate pistols and it conceals great.

[1iron]

Originally Posted by csikx

Why is that? I know they did a recall on the spring, but they have always worked flawlessly for us.

Recoil spring, Ejector, trigger pull, and my brother in-law says they are still seeing issues. He is a glock Armorer and tactical instructor. I trust his judgment on this.

[csikx]

Originally Posted by 1iron

Recoil spring, Ejector, trigger pull, and my brother in-law says they are still seeing issues. He is a glock Armorer and tactical instructor. I trust his judgment on this.

Not saying you shouldn't... Although, our department has experienced the exact opposite. I trust our armorer's, as well.

[BigdaddyDupree]

anyone have any experience with beretta? i have a beretta cheetah model .380, nickel finish n all that jazz. would this be a pretty good carry weapon? its a comfortable gun.

[gearmesh, inc.]

So far the only good thing going for the Generation 4 Glocks is the shorter reach to the trigger than the Gen 3s. That and the larger, reversible mag button. Unfortunately, most of the Gen 4 trigger pulls run about 1 to 1-1/2 lbs heavier than the Gen 3s. Even when you polish up the internals and swap out to the 3.5 lb connector, the Gen 4 platform still runs about 1lb heavier on trigger pull than a Gen 3 with the same internal work.

The S&W M&Ps do have a shorter reach to the trigger than the Glocks, so smaller hands will prefer one of these. The Springfield XD has a reasonable reach to the trigger, too, but they put some hellacious recoil spring weights in them compared to other guns of the same caliber. My wife had an XD9 service model for a while and she could shoot it very well, but it was hell for her to rack the slide with her limited hand strength. If your wife has decent hand strength, the XD probably won't be a problem, though. They do fit the hand rather nicely, so don't count them out until you try one.

We traded her XD in on a 9mm 1911 and boy is she mean with that one! Way easier to rack the slide compared to the XD, and her group sizes cut in half! I put a short reach trigger in it for her with some slim grips and it fits her small hands very well.

Money wise, it is hard to go wrong with a Glock, M&P, or an XD. You get a very reliable weapon in the $500-$600 range. Stop by ATP and shoot their rental guns to see what fits your hands the best. The neat thing about rental guns is that they are hardly ever cleaned, so you get to see how reliable a model is despite their dirty un-kept states.

As far as the Glock grip angle difference goes, it is more pronounced on the full size models. The midsize and baby versions do point more noticeably muzzle lower than the full size ones. I carry a baby Glock 26 when it's sweating weather, and it points just like my 1911 .45 for me. In contrast, a full size G17 points to the moon, and it only holds 2 more rounds than the better pointing midsize G19.

All in all, if you are only going to have one gun for home defense and concealed carry duties, it is hard to beat the midsize Glock 19. It holds 15 rounds in a package that is barely larger than the 12 round M&P9 compact, yet hides just as well in an inside the waistband holster. The trigger pull on a Gen 4 can be lightened to about 4.5 to 5 lbs after a polish job and a 3.5 lb trigger connector with no loss in ignition reliability. A box stock Gen 4 trigger pull is about 6.5 to 7 lbs.

Don't discount the Gen 3 Glocks until your wife tries one. While they do have a little longer reach to the trigger for small hands, watch your wife shoot one while standing over her shoulder. Look to see if the centerline of her wrist is inline with the centerline of the gun. If she has to reach around the grip to get a good purchase on the trigger, then the grip/trigger reach is too long. A wrist centerline that is not behind the centerline of the gun will encourage limp wristing which may cause cycling issues. The muzzle will tend to recoil up towards the 10 o'clock position for a right hander and cause the ejected brass to hit her in the head and/or drop a hot one down her shirt and burn the girls. When the wrist centerline is behind the centerline of the gun, the muzzle will recoil properly up to the 12 o'clock position and send ejected brass over the shoulder or off to the side.