I need advice on a .22 and 9mm pistol

[MaGreat]

Hello, everyone!

To make a lengthy story short, I'm a newbie here and I am looking for advice on what .22LR/9mm pistol to purchase. After endless research (about two months of it, in fact), I've narrowed down my choices to these:

9mm:
1) Beretta 92FS - I love the design and ease of use, but it is kind of pricy
2) S&W MP 9mm - Recommended to me due to ease of use and low recoil

.22LR:
1) S&W 22A - NRA instructor recommended this to me
2) S&W M&P 22 - This looks good, but it's a bit pricey

Basically, the most important aspects of a gun to me is (in order of importance): Low recoil, ease of use, and design. From this, do you feel that my above choices will suit me well? Or should I look at something else?

I'm also hoping to keep the price of a 9mm to $500 or less (though I'd understand if I have to spring for a more) and I wish to keep the .22LR pistol to $300 or less.

Any advice is fully appreciated. Thank you!

[satcomtech]

I love my Italian Beretta 92. It is comfortable in my hands, reliable and accurate. I have never handled either of the .22s you mentioned, however I have been happy with the Ruger Mark II and Walther P22s I have used.

[normanvin]

Th S&W 22a is a good gun. But you should also consider Ruger's mark2, or Browning's Buckmark

[RGeorge]

I own two M&P's, a 40 compact and a 9 Pro and I highly recommend the entire line. They are great shooting, comfortable guns. You've even got the added benefit that they are relatively easy to work on and upgrade. You can swap the sights to whatever you want and you can even do a trigger job yourself for about $100 by just swapping parts from Apex Tactical.

The Beretta, on the other hand, has a couple of cons, IMHO. You'll have to drill the front pin out to swap sights, I am not a fan of DA/SA triggers and I have never liked the safety set up on the slide. It just isn't a natural movement for me for me on any gun. They are great guns, but I wouldn't buy one if it were going to be my only handgun.

As far as the 22 goes, you can't go wrong with a Ruger Mark III. If you bought an M&P 9, the M&P 22 would work realy well for cross training and you wouldn't even need to get a second holster or mag carriers.

[bripro]

If you bought an M&P 9, the M&P 22 would work realy well for cross training and you wouldn't even need to get a second holster or mag carriers.

This is a great point and should be strongly considered if it is your intention to get both a 22 and 9.

[Yoder]

If you're worried about recoil a lot I guess stick with steel frame 9mm's. Maybe a Sig, CZ or Beretta? If it's not a huge deal check out Glock 17, Springfield XD, HK USP, S&W M&P all should be between $400-$600 used and all are quality guns. I personally bought the G17 (Gen 3) and it's the best pistol I have ever owned. Over 15k rounds with no malfunctions.

If you buy a .22, I highly recommend Browning, Ruger and High Standard. I bought a Browning Buckmark just because I liked the grip better. I have at least 10-15k rounds through mine with no problems. Brownings run around $300 new.

Really it depends what you like and feel comfortable with. I personally stick with Manufacturers known for reliability and quality to avoid possible problems. You may find a cheaper reliable gun, but odds are better if you stick with more reputible manufacturers.

[redeye202]

RIA 1911 in 9mm.

GSG 1911 in 22cal.

[MaGreat]

Thank you for all the replies so far.

Regarding the Ruger Mark II, I actually did think about that as it seems to be a frequently recommended pistol on multiple forums, but I can't seem to get over its (my opinion) awkward design. I really rather have a more familiar design. As for the other mentioned guns, I'll definitely check them out!

I own two M&P's, a 40 compact and a 9 Pro and I highly recommend the entire line. They are great shooting, comfortable guns. You've even got the added benefit that they are relatively easy to work on and upgrade. You can swap the sights to whatever you want and you can even do a trigger job yourself for about $100 by just swapping parts from Apex Tactical.

The Beretta, on the other hand, has a couple of cons, IMHO. You'll have to drill the front pin out to swap sights, I am not a fan of DA/SA triggers and I have never liked the safety set up on the slide. It just isn't a natural movement for me for me on any gun. They are great guns, but I wouldn't buy one if it were going to be my only handgun.

This is extremely helpful. You even touched on important points that I kept silent on. I'm glad to hear that the M&Ps were a good choice, after all. I'm sad to hear about the Beretta, but no problem. Thanks for the information!

If you're worried about recoil a lot I guess stick with steel frame 9mm's. Maybe a Sig, CZ or Beretta?

Really it depends what you like and feel comfortable with. I personally stick with Manufacturers known for reliability and quality to avoid possible problems. You may find a cheaper reliable gun, but odds are better if you stick with more reputible manufacturers.

Recoil is definitely a huge deal for me. Perhaps it's just lack of training/experience, but during the 9mm part of my range training with an NRA instructor, I did staggeringly terrible. My shots were all over the place (that is if they even hit the target). By comparison, I was doing virtually perfect with a .22LR pistol, so at that point, it occurred to me that I may not be able to handle a 9mm unless it has a low recoil.

So it seems I might be doing some research on potential Sig, CZ, and Beretta pistols.

As for manufacturers, I'm afraid I'm really extremely new to gun ownership, so brands are still all new to me. I know the typical (S&W, H&K, Browning, Beretta, Taurus, etc), but even then, I only know them due to popularity and not their brand of specialization. It's going to take a while and perhaps a bit of spent cash before I probably know them well.

Regardless, I appreciate the help!

[IV_Warrior]

Check out the Ruger MkIII .22/45 as well. Unlike the regular Rugers, the grip angle and controls are 1911 style. Should be able to get one new under $300.

[zb338]

You never mentioned what the primary uses will
be for these pistols. Are you going to shoot IDPA
or bullseye or just informal target practice? Are
you going to carry them concealed? All of these
are issues that should be addressed.

Zeke