Expert advice on selecting a handgun

[spinhat]

Damn, now I need to find a new reason to justify my 1911 as a carry......

1911's are great for pistol whipping when you run out of ammo.

[soccerdad]

Wow...great article for a newbie. Much appreciated

[lhowland.40]

Great post, Ive never jumped in the hype that bigger is always better. Ive heard alot of that kind of talk but in reality most situations invloving civilian gun fights a 9mm will do you justice as long as you've maintaned the gun and know how to use it.I personally prefer carrying .40 over anything, but not for any reason other than that is my personal preferance. I can't knock 9mm or even .380 for their easier conceal and slightly cheaper ammo. It will always come back to peoples preferance because there will always be arguements over "what is best"

[41800216]

This was a great read. A friend of mine explained what was a brief summary of the quantity > size argument, but this in-depth explanation was awesome.

I'm in a bit of a quandary though. The most comfortable pistol I've handled to date has been a S&W M&P45 compact. I've decided, however, to opt for the .40 ACP caliber for price of bullets and higher capacity. This would normally point to the M&P40 compact, however the grip is simply too short for my hand and doesn't feel as comfortable as the 45 compact. The full size versions of either of these are a bit too big for me, so I don't know what to do! I'm considering trying to see if I can handle an M&P40 compact with the full size magazine and x-grip mag spacer, but don't know of any store or any person who has that setup. I'll keep calling around though.

[indianjack]

This was a great read. A friend of mine explained what was a brief summary of the quantity > size argument, but this in-depth explanation was awesome.

I'm in a bit of a quandary though. The most comfortable pistol I've handled to date has been a S&W M&P45 compact. I've decided, however, to opt for the .40 ACP caliber for price of bullets and higher capacity. This would normally point to the M&P40 compact, however the grip is simply too short for my hand and doesn't feel as comfortable as the 45 compact. The full size versions of either of these are a bit too big for me, so I don't know what to do! I'm considering trying to see if I can handle an M&P40 compact with the full size magazine and x-grip mag spacer, but don't know of any store or any person who has that setup. I'll keep calling around though.

Get what you're comfortable with. A 50 cal Barret is NFG if you can't hit what you're aiming at.

[soccerdad]

This was a great read. A friend of mine explained what was a brief summary of the quantity > size argument, but this in-depth explanation was awesome.

I'm in a bit of a quandary though. The most comfortable pistol I've handled to date has been a S&W M&P45 compact. I've decided, however, to opt for the .40 ACP caliber for price of bullets and higher capacity. This would normally point to the M&P40 compact, however the grip is simply too short for my hand and doesn't feel as comfortable as the 45 compact. The full size versions of either of these are a bit too big for me, so I don't know what to do! I'm considering trying to see if I can handle an M&P40 compact with the full size magazine and x-grip mag spacer, but don't know of any store or any person who has that setup. I'll keep calling around though.

You might be a little far away, but Targetmaster in Chadds Ford (yes, THAT place) has a nice little set up for members. With a gold or platinum membership, you can shoot any rental gun they have for free, so you can try a LOT of things before you buy. I just joined and they seem to have at least 30 or 40 rental pistols to choose from. You only have to purchase ammo from them. That said...I'm pretty sure, after talking to a lot of my friends, that I'm going Glock 26. I really like the 19 that my friend has, but that seems too big for a CCW (for me, I know that it's the backup weapon of choice for many)

[drrhythm42]

Question, I have recently injured my left arm and lost a lot of strength. This is the first time for me. I currently carry a S&W .380 Body gaurd Semi. I also have the .38 revolver version. Should I switch to carrying my .38 untill my arm heals?

[FUNDAMENTALS]

If you have a little time, I would suggest you check out the following article.
www.spw-duf.info/handgun.html . There is alot of information for you to
consider in making a decision on " handgun selection".

[jken229]

hows it going everyone tis soon going to finally be the day where i will be able to buy my first pistol and im wondering what would be the best one to go with also caliber preference. I've dabbled a little bit with some calibers mainly 9mm and .45 but only on a few occasions mainly been into long guns as that is all i can buy, would really like some good advice so i can start doing my own research.

[Democrat Gun Owner]

I am new to gun ownership and this forum.

I found this article very interesting.

My personal preference is a .40 s&w. I just got a FNS-40 with 14 round magazines. I realize that I could have purchased a gun with a few more rounds per magazine, but I really liked how this gun felt. I think that feel is very important when chosiing a gun.