[gogpaintballer]

I would like to purchase a 9mm handgun for recreation and home defense. I have medium size hands and have been shooting guns for a long time but I have never shot a handgun. I live out in the country and cannot test any guns out. I would like something under 500 dollars and with a laser on it.

[SilentButDeadly]

Glock 19. Goes bang every time.

[TheGunTech]

Get a glock that feels comfy. Don't get a laser.
That being said, a 12 gauge shotgun is better for home defense and recreation, not to mention cheaper.

[Antonious]

SilentButDeadly, on 23 February 2013 - 09:05 PM, said:

Glock 19. Goes bang every time.

Unless you limp-wrist it. The plight of many polymer framed guns.

My absolute favorite 9mm is a Sig P226. However, there's no way in hell I'll ever buy one as they cost about twice the price of most other 9mm handguns ($1000+).
I would personally go for a CZ-75b as they're very reliable, accurate, fun, and just feel amazing in the hands (also, they're cool as shit). They're pretty big though, so they're not the best for concealed carry if that's your thing.
I also really enjoy Makarovs. Although they use the 9x18 Makarov round and not the 9x19 Parabellum (Still a 9mm, you didn't specify ), the ammo is still cheap and relatively easy to find (even in defensive loads like Hornady). Just like pretty much everything the Russians developed, they're also reliable as hell and very easy to shoot. That'll be what I use for my CC once I get out of the dorms.

As for lasers, unless it's a tiny gun meant to be concealed like a Ruger LCP or S&W J-frame, there's no need for a laser as the iron sights will often be superior.

Just remember, you'll be spending more time at the range than you will be defending yourself. So pick a gun you enjoy shooting and can shoot well, not one simply because it can be Call-of-Duty'd up with lights, laser, bayonets, and other nonsense. All that shit on your gun won't matter if you can't hit your target.

This post has been edited by Antonious: 23 February 2013 - 09:57 PM

[Panda Man]

CZ also make good pistols.

This post has been edited by Panda Man: 23 February 2013 - 09:55 PM

[TheGunTech]

Antonious, on 23 February 2013 - 09:37 PM, said:

SilentButDeadly, on 23 February 2013 - 09:05 PM, said:

Glock 19. Goes bang every time.

Unless you limp-wrist it. The plight of many polymer framed guns.

My absolute favorite 9mm is a Sig P226. However, there's no way in hell I'll ever buy one as they cost about twice the price of most other 9mm handguns ($1000+).
I would personally go for a CZ-75b as they're very reliable, accurate, fun, and just feel amazing in the hands (also, they're cool as shit). They're pretty big though, so they're not the best for concealed carry if that's your thing.
I also really enjoy Makarovs. Although they use the 9x18 Makarov round and not the 9x19 Parabellum (Still a 9mm, you didn't specify ), the ammo is still cheap and relatively easy to find (even in defensive loads like Hornady). Just like pretty much everything the Russians developed, they're also reliable as hell and very easy to shoot.

As for lasers, unless it's a tiny gun meant to be concealed like a Ruger LCP or S&W J-frame, there's no need for a laser as the iron sights will often be superior.

Just remember, you'll be spending more time at the range than you will be defending yourself. So pick a gun you enjoy shooting and can shoot well, not one simply because it can be Call-of-Duty'd up with lights, laser, bayonets, and other nonsense. All that shit on your gun won't matter if you can't hit your target.

If money is no object, a Browning Hi Power. Cz's are nice, and so are german/swiss sigs.

[IPlaySoccer]

M&P 9mm

Goes bang every time (essentially a Glock) looks good and is very comfortable to hold.

[PREDATOR 47]

Personally, I love the Sig Sauer P250 we have in the house. It shoots amazing, feels great, and has great balance when loaded.

[spqr-king]

Glock 19 bullet proof design most popular handgun in the world for a reason...

[TechPB-Mike]

SilentButDeadly, on 23 February 2013 - 09:05 PM, said:

Glock 19. Goes bang every time.

Truth to that

My Glock 19 is my all time favorite handgun. You can get 15 round magazines for it, works amazing, no crazy safeties or levers, switches or anything else to impede the use in an emergency

I love the 9mm round, alot of people focus on the power of the single round, but I personally think "follow up" shot is alot more important. 9mm had a very manageable recoil to it

But of course, when getting a handgun, you MUST get a flashlight for it. Either mounted, or something you can carry

I use the Glock Tactical Light and I love it. Lights up an entire room easily, and the "brightest" part of the light is where the round goes if you fire



Also, it's just barely small enough to carry IWB if you want to carry it.

[gogpaintballer]

TechPB-Mike, on 24 February 2013 - 06:21 PM, said:

SilentButDeadly, on 23 February 2013 - 09:05 PM, said:

Glock 19. Goes bang every time.

Truth to that

My Glock 19 is my all time favorite handgun. You can get 15 round magazines for it, works amazing, no crazy safeties or levers, switches or anything else to impede the use in an emergency

I love the 9mm round, alot of people focus on the power of the single round, but I personally think "follow up" shot is alot more important. 9mm had a very manageable recoil to it

But of course, when getting a handgun, you MUST get a flashlight for it. Either mounted, or something you can carry

I use the Glock Tactical Light and I love it. Lights up an entire room easily, and the "brightest" part of the light is where the round goes if you fire



Also, it's just barely small enough to carry IWB if you want to carry it.

I am really liking this, whats your personal experience with recoil on this gun shooting defense rounds? Have you shot indoors in close quarters?

[TechPB-Mike]

^^^ I've shot everything from +P to ++P, all are still extremely manageable. You get a bigger flash, and it is measurable louder, but the recoil is still VERY manageable

Yes I've shot it without hearing protection, inside of a gun range for practice. I don't do it very often, but I've learned that if you plan on using a firearm for home defense, you better know what it sounds like to shoot a firearm WITHOUT hearing protection. You don't do it very often, but 2 or 3 times is more than enough to understand how loud they are, inside of an enclosed space. And yes, it's so loud it's nauseating.

The thing I love about the glock, is that it's not picky at all. If it's 9mm, it'll feed perfectly. I've fired everything from 60 gram, to 146 gram rounds and the gun has practically never jammed on me. I think I've easily got 4,000+ rounds through it, I've owned it for 10 years and I've shot a TON of ammo through it.

I tend to just shoot for self defense, what the police use. From my understanding, many police departments use either corbons, or hydrashocks, Speer Gold Dot, so that's what I use. The reason why I use those rounds, is because if I have to defend my actions in court, and the prosecutor asks "Well why did you choose the rounds that you chose? Was it because you intended to kill the person?" I can simply reply "I chose to use what my police department uses"


But I'm a 9mm fan. Not that I don't like other rounds, I love my FN Five-seveN, I love .357 sig, I love .45... but 9mm is my favorite round. I feel very confident and safe with. Plus it's a NATO round, so in a true SHTF scenario, you can find 9mm everywhere

[gogpaintballer]

TechPB-Mike, on 24 February 2013 - 10:14 PM, said:

^^^ I've shot everything from +P to ++P, all are still extremely manageable. You get a bigger flash, and it is measurable louder, but the recoil is still VERY manageable

Yes I've shot it without hearing protection, inside of a gun range for practice. I don't do it very often, but I've learned that if you plan on using a firearm for home defense, you better know what it sounds like to shoot a firearm WITHOUT hearing protection. You don't do it very often, but 2 or 3 times is more than enough to understand how loud they are, inside of an enclosed space. And yes, it's so loud it's nauseating.

The thing I love about the glock, is that it's not picky at all. If it's 9mm, it'll feed perfectly. I've fired everything from 60 gram, to 146 gram rounds and the gun has practically never jammed on me. I think I've easily got 4,000+ rounds through it, I've owned it for 10 years and I've shot a TON of ammo through it.

I tend to just shoot for self defense, what the police use. From my understanding, many police departments use either corbons, or hydrashocks, Speer Gold Dot, so that's what I use. The reason why I use those rounds, is because if I have to defend my actions in court, and the prosecutor asks "Well why did you choose the rounds that you chose? Was it because you intended to kill the person?" I can simply reply "I chose to use what my police department uses"


But I'm a 9mm fan. Not that I don't like other rounds, I love my FN Five-seveN, I love .357 sig, I love .45... but 9mm is my favorite round. I feel very confident and safe with. Plus it's a NATO round, so in a true SHTF scenario, you can find 9mm everywhere

I have never shot with ear protection but I have never shot indoors either. I like the 9mm because the ammo is cheaper than other pistols so I would be able to shoot and pratcie more often. Thanks for advice everyone!

[YoungGun32]

Home defense= tactical shotgun plain and simple.

If your set on a 9mm smith and Wesson m&p won't cost you a fortune and its a solid platform to learn on.

[Spider200081]

IPlaySoccer, on 23 February 2013 - 11:26 PM, said:

M&P 9mm

Goes bang every time (essentially a Glock) looks good and is very comfortable to hold.

the Glocks are very solid but my favorite is the S&W M&P series. I have the M&P .22, 9mm and .40 S&W. Love that they all use the same platform. I can go from .22 to .40 S&W and the feel of the pistol and it's sight aquisition just carry right over. Obviously the recoil is different but just feels nice that I can go from one to the other and the feel stays the same. 9mm rounds are inexpensive enough that you can go and shoot 400-500 rounds and not break the bank. There usually are 4 of us that go shooting and it's nothing for us to put 3000+ rounds downrange in one outing.


I don't just shoot for self defense though. I just love to shoot so the more rounds I shoot the happier I get.

[OEFVeteran]

Glocks are ok hand guns in general... they are great if they fit your hands and you have a newer generation. I hav big hands, I csnt use a high grip like I am trained to with a glock because I get slide bite... this is when the back of the slide catches the meat of your hand whn it recoils...

As fsr as I am concerned, fn makes the best hand guns on the market right now. But, as far as vakue gies, I would shoot an xd over a glock anyday

Whatever you do, avoid beretta at all costs... not worth the trouble

[Vhyrus]

Most new glocks are above $500 right now so unless you get used it might be out of your price range.

I have personally owned a Springfield XD and loved it. Very reliable and amazingly accurate. You can easily get one for under $500 if you shop around.
If you prefer a gun with a hammer you should look into a Sig SP2022 or a CZ p-07 duty. I own a 2022 and it absolutely cannot be beat for the price. CZs are also very affordable.

A couple others to consider are the ruger SR-9, sig P250, and M&P (last one might be out of your price range).

Despite what people tell you the glock is not the only game out there. Just like paintball guns, you need to go and hold them. Get a feel for the weight and size, dry fire it a few times, see if the controls are comfortable for you. Right now 9mm ammo is very difficult to find and guns are in somewhat short supply but do whatever you can to get a wide range of guns to look at.

This post has been edited by Vhyrus: 10 March 2013 - 03:05 PM

[GeezusPB]

XDM 9mm is the absolute best 9mm I have ever shot. I love mine, super easy to field strip and just amazing overall.

[OEFVeteran]

Herr is something to consider that most people overlook... the follow up shot... regardless of caliber, studies have shown that multiple hits on target increase the likelyhood of the attacker dying... studies have also shown, as coected by johns hopkins medicsl trsining hospital, that a victim has an ~80% chance of surviving from a single .45 shot... where as just two 9mm rounds decreases that chance to ~30%

Fn took these studies and developed theur handgun line, ans the SCAR rfles, to have a delayed recoil... this smooths out the shot, decreases the felt recoil of a larger caliber, and allows for a faster follow up shot... meaning, with the proper trainging, yoh will be more accurate with an fnx hand gun then most others due to its operation. Its called delayex blowback... the slide take longer to come out of battery, and has a longer slide travel, then tradaditional hand guns.

If you can, save up and look at the FNS and FNX line... best hand guns in he market, and theg retail right around 600

[Vhyrus]

I have a FNX 40 and a sig sp2022. I have nothing but praise for my FNX, but I cannot justify the extra $200 cost for a beginner shooter on a budget. 9mm barely recoils in a full size pistol. There are plenty of good cheaper pistols.