New to firearms

[ICEN]

Man I am glad to see that nobody is telling you to get a .22 because your new, I hate when people do that.

I just want to say one thing since you say you are getting your first handgun.
"DON'T BELIEVE THIS EXAGGERATED RECOIL HYPE ON EVERY CALIBER"

I'm sure some people are going to disagree with me but this is my opinion.

If you are just shooting for fun, target practice, a .22 is fine.

If you are using it for home defense or carry well thats not a good idea.

But thats not the point.

My point was that people will tell you since you are new shooter to start off with a .22. IMO it is a COMPLETE waste of money if you buy a .22 if you are not using it for fun or target practice that is.

I 100% hate it when people tell new shooters who are adults to start off with a baby easy to shoot .22, hell even a baby could shoot a .22.

Take a guess what the first gun I ever shot was?

The first gun I ever shot was a .45 Acp it was a taurus of some sort.

People won't even recommenced that for a new user they all say .22 because they for some reason have this thought that everyone in the world is so weak they cannot control any caliber over .22lr.

The first time I ever shot a .45 acp I literally told my neighbor "WOW".
He said "WOW WHAT?" I said "These people lied, recoil is not even a problem as people make it out to seem either that or people are baby weak"

Any person over 130 pounds and over the age 17 shoot be able to shoot a damn gun that is under .357 Mag for their first time as I started off with a .45acp.

I am by no means saying get a snappy .40S&W or .45 acp but you can control a 9mm easy and a .22 is just wasting your money.

Thats why I hate when people say get a .22lr or some other weaker caliber because they are just wasting your money. You will upgrade and you will wonder why you got suck a weak caliber.

Thats it, I think guns are easy to shoot, like I said a .45 acp was the first gun I ever shot and it was pretty freaking easy to shoot so if people need to start off wtih a .22 you are either extremely weak, 90 pounds, or a baby in diapers.

Now if you are doing it for fun you can buy it but I don't see a point of wasting your money on a crappier caliber that you will throw to the side when you want a bigger caliber gun. 9mm is fine

People may get mad but oh well, most people over exaggerate how recoil is, it is by no means even hard to shoot a bigger caliber until you start going into the Magnums, ect.

[Twoboxer]

Glad to see you got to shoot a few. I can tell you the responses you gave are not unusual. The M&P feels great, the Berettas are sexy looking to many and shoot easily, and unless you've been Glocked the first reaction to it is you are holding something made out of two pieces of 2x4 lol. It takes something more to appreciate the Glock (IMO).

Anyhow, just one further suggestion. Do not buy 2 at this time. Buy one with confidence, knowing you can come back later and buy another. Shoot it for a couple of months.

At that point a few of your personal preferences will have developed through actual experience and you may well choose something different then than you would today. Most of us do.

[djm3801]

Man I am glad to see that nobody is telling you to get a .22 because your new, I hate when people do that.

Actually that is what I said but do not advocate a 22 for home defense. An hour at the range with a 22 and an hour with a 9mm will cost a lot different and you learn the same skills with both. Recoil with a sturdy 9mm not bad at all. IN fact, some 380's kick worse. Just a question of cost and skills. Same skills from a 22 as from a 9mm..

[herplover]

You were concerned about the M&P having no safety. Someone please correct me if i am wrong but i am pretty sure you can get the M&P with or without a safety. I know that was an option for a friend of mine when he got a 45 so i assume the 9mm offers the same choice.

[JWS3]

Since you've narrowed it down to a S&W M&P series, you'll have a wealth of choices still before you.

The reason why (besides the fact that firearms tend to multiply whenever you aren't looking) so many handgunners own a multitude of firearms is that it's an ever-changing evolution due to age, vision, physical attributes, ease of carry, et al.

My younger brother was a dyed-in-the-wool revolver type. Then one day he bought a S&W M&P Compact in .40 S&W. It's been his concealed carry pistol for years and he loves it.

As a former instructor, my advice to you would be to get a model that fits your hand, is suited for your PRIMARY need (range,concealed carry, home defense) and in the LARGEST caliber that you can control/shoot accurately.

With the vast offerings of the modern projectile types out there, any caliber, in my opinion, between 9mm, .40 S&W, .357 SIG and .45 ACP will do the job.

Good luck and you'd best get ready now to plan on having more guns in the future. It is a fact that firearms accumulate!

[ICEN]

Actually that is what I said but do not advocate a 22 for home defense. An hour at the range with a 22 and an hour with a 9mm will cost a lot different and you learn the same skills with both. Recoil with a sturdy 9mm not bad at all. IN fact, some 380's kick worse. Just a question of cost and skills. Same skills from a 22 as from a 9mm..

well I know you did I ment usually alot of people say get a .22 as your first gun.

I think buying a .22 is a complete waste of money UNLESS your using it for fun or just to shoot.

People say you need to buy a .22 to learn how to shoot which is stupid for a few reasons. #1 a baby with two broken arms can shoot a .22 #2 shooting a .22 doesn't make you better with a 9mm, you have to practice with what your actually going to use #3 they will just upgrade from a .22 after they buy it.

I'm not saying if you have extra money or want to buy one for fun you can't but I don't think a new shooter will have any problem shooting a 9mm. My first gun I shot was a .45 acp and it was to say the least EASY and I didn't start on a .22 or even a 9mm for that fact.

I am saying its pointless, if your going to carry a .357 magnum shooting 400000 rounds of .22 isn't going to make you any better with the other guns you plan on using.

Do people actually believe people cannot shoot a weak ass 9mm??? I am not calling it weak I am saying anybody should be able to handle a 9mm, hell I see little kids shooting 10mms on youtube I think a full grown adult doesn't need to start off on a little .22 waste of money, waste of shooting, does nothing to help you shoot bigger calibers.

Buy a .22 if you are under the age of 4, buy a .22 if you just want to have fun.

Thats like telling brock lesner he needs to start off on a .22 because he just can't handle the other calibers LOL. People shoot .454 casull one handed I'm sure the average person can handle most common calibers with two hands without having to start off on a .22.

Maybe I'm the only one who thinks .22 is a waste of time unless your so weak you cannot pick up a pencil!!!

JUST LIKE YOU CAN DRIVE A 150MPH CAR FOR YOUR FIRST TIME AND DON'T NEED TO START OFF ON A 60MPH CAR!!!

[djm3801]

Well you know what they say about opinions... Have a good day.

[Gun]

I think buying a .22 is a complete waste of money UNLESS your using it for fun or just to shoot.

If you think it is a waste of money, then don't buy one, and don't use nonsensical arguments, like the ones below, to make your point.

People say you need to buy a .22 to learn how to shoot which is stupid for a few reasons. #1 a baby with two broken arms can shoot a .22 #2 shooting a .22 doesn't make you better with a 9mm, you have to practice with what your actually going to use #3 they will just upgrade from a .22 after they buy it.


I am saying its pointless, if your going to carry a .357 magnum shooting 400000 rounds of .22 isn't going to make you any better with the other guns you plan on using.

The commonality of all handguns, or all firearms, is one has to pull the trigger, WHILE KEEPING the firearm steady. Most people don't have the gifts you profess, and will need to shoot repeatedly to acquire your skill set. A 22 handgun will develop good trigger discipline and proper handgrip at a fraction of the cost of shooting a larger caliber firearm for those on a budget.

[sohryu76]

I think anyone fit enough to serve in the military would not have any recoil issue with any full size firearm in any popular caliber.

This assumption is a bit flawed. There are many different types of people in the military.

Man I am glad to see that nobody is telling you to get a .22 because your new, I hate when people do that.

If you are just shooting for fun, target practice, a .22 is fine.

If you are using it for home defense or carry well thats not a good idea.

My point was that people will tell you since you are new shooter to start off with a .22. IMO it is a COMPLETE waste of money if you buy a .22 if you are not using it for fun or target practice that is.

I am by no means saying get a snappy .40S&W or .45 acp but you can control a 9mm easy and a .22 is just wasting your money.

Thats why I hate when people say get a .22lr or some other weaker caliber because they are just wasting your money. You will upgrade and you will wonder why you got suck a weak caliber.

Most people recommend a .22 pistol for practice on the trigger. Not because of recoil. The only way to get better and better at shooting is practice. Tigger control, proper grip, and stance do not change from a M&P22 and an M&P9/40/45. However 300 rounds of .22LR to shoot at a target to get better is MUCH cheaper than 300 rounds of 9mm.

I don't think anyone has ever advocated a 22LR for home defense or carry. They recommend it for cheap trigger time.

I personally wouldn't recommend that someone brand new buy a gun to start carrying that week... or even that month. I think there are many here that would agree with me.

Even the shop I went to told me the reason to go with a 22 was to get trigger time to become a more proficient shooter. And that I could buy 550 rounds of .22 (this was a month before Sandy Hook) for 25.00 instead of 176.00 Want to shoot 1000 rounds to get better? that's 300 bucks cheaper than shooting 9mm. Which is a significant portion of a "real" gun.

You were concerned about the M&P having no safety. Someone please correct me if i am wrong but i am pretty sure you can get the M&P with or without a safety. I know that was an option for a friend of mine when he got a 45 so i assume the 9mm offers the same choice.

There are M&Ps with safeties. But they are not as abundant as the ones without external safeties. Maybe keep an eye out for a used USPc.

[Nick72]

bripro-Nice, cool! I really like the Navy decal!! I would not mind getting one for my gun.

The Glock itself looks nice too! I like the look of Your Glock!!

As for the Glock itself I just don't like that it's so light and it just doesn't seem to have the right feel in my hands. Further, the Glock for me it didn't seem as accurate as the M&P or the Beretta. I think the main reason for this was that I'm used to a heavier gun being from the military. I also like feel of steel. It feel to me more comfortable than the composite materials of the Glock.

The two biggest things I did not like about the Glock were the sight didn't just feel right. I like the 3 dot system. The Glock system just didn't feel right. The other thing that really bothered me was the with the magazine did not fit flush with the back straps. For me the Beretta and the M&P Just fits together just right.

Pilot321- Thank you for telling me about Tanners. Wow, they have some great buys! I'm truly impressed with their inventory and product knowledge of their people. The shops I've been to seem to fall into two categories: either a farewell knowledge staff and who know their weapons, but they're overpriced. Or they're reasonably priced, but have little desire to sell and have very little knowledge of there product lines.

I had to laugh, I went to a shop today and ask the salesperson what I should use for Concelled Carry, he Told him me that It was a personal preference. Then I told him I like Smith & Wesson's and Berretta's. His answer was it's a personal choice you should make on your own. Needless to say I'm not going back to the shop.

As for the Beretta's they are nice. I think the biggest problem I had with Beretta in the Navy was that they were normally cleaned by the poor E-1 or E-2. He Would get this assignment towards the end of the day and would rather go home then do a good job. This guy would paid little attention doing the job. So needless to say, the guns constantly jam on us. More than not going to the range once a year was more of a headache then an enjoy.

ICEN- I have to agree with you 22's for me are glorify paint ball guns. The 9 mm while not a full gun is really a fun gun, That does have some stopping power. I think that you are partly right that recoil is a bit overrated, but I want to gradual work up to a 45 caliber. Right now the 9 mm really does feel comfortable and I feel like I can handle it. But I do want to in the next few weeks work to try out a 45 caliber to see how it feels.