"What Gun Should I Buy?"

[abbafandr]

Interesting article, as always. 
Interesting thread as well.
I recommend renting or borrowing something you have an interest in.  A few magazines down range will give you a good feel for the handling, recoil etc.
 
I'm thinking of buying a 45ACP.  I want to use it in USPSA, probably Limited 10.
Three I like, no special order, CZ97BD, Glock 21(41could work also) and S&W M&P45. 
The first one eliminated is the CZ.  It isn't on the approved list of production guns, plus guns and magazines are hard to get.
Glock and SW are plentiful, guns and magazines, and there is no difficulty in getting holsters or what not.
Thinking a trip to the Bullet Hole is in order since they rent both of these.
An added bonus, 45 ammo is readily available.  Even more important, I can reload it

Nah...that's why I carry a CZ.  Commie-designed steel framed handguns make great blunt weapons.

Kinda my thought on my SW5906

No kidding.  Particularly when I see that one of them talks about their class starting at 2pm and being finished by 5pm.

I think my class ran from 8AM and didn't finish until 8PM (or later).  Course we had the obligatory 5 shot snubby with no speed loaders.  And there was the guy with the brand new handgun that he never shot before range time. 
There was so much info that someone with a modicum of firearms experience didn't need.  The firing pin hits the primer?  Who'd a thunk it?

[JTH]

I recommend renting or borrowing something you have an interest in.  A few magazines down range will give you a good feel for the handling, recoil etc.

Seeing how the gun SHOOTS is just a really good idea.

I have lately started cringing every time I hear someone say "just go with whatever feels good in your hand"---because folks new to guns have no idea what version of "feels good" equates to "shoots well for them." 

"Just go to the gun store and handle everything in 9mm.  Buy whichever feels best to you."

.....NO! 

As you said, SHOOTING them to get a _real_ feel for the gun works much better.

A hunk of Play-Doh feels good in my hand.  That doesn't mean I want the frame of my gun made of it. 
 

I'm thinking of buying a 45ACP.  I want to use it in USPSA, probably Limited 10.
Three I like, no special order, CZ97BD, Glock 21(41could work also) and S&W M&P45. 
The first one eliminated is the CZ.  It isn't on the approved list of production guns, plus guns and magazines are hard to get.
Glock and SW are plentiful, guns and magazines, and there is no difficulty in getting holsters or what not.

Note that for Lim-10, it doesn't need to be on the list of approved Production guns....

I think my class ran from 8AM and didn't finish until 8PM (or later). 
 {SNIP}
And there was the guy with the brand new handgun that he never shot before range time. 

There was so much info that someone with a modicum of firearms experience didn't need.  The firing pin hits the primer?  Who'd a thunk it?

Yep.  You can tell quite clearly that the curriculum was designed by a committee that set requirements based on a significant lack of understanding.

...and because they wrote it that way, apparently lots of people think they can show up with NO firearms knowledge, and be taught everything they need to know all at once.

[abbafandr]

 



[/quote]

As you said, SHOOTING them to get a _real_ feel for the gun works much better.

That's how I picked my G17.  Liked it  best of the 9mm pistols rented.

[SS_N_NE]

For the big city boyz, running down to the metro firing range and renting out $500 of test guns may be an option.

The American way is to just buy as many guns as you can afford and toss the ones you don't like in the back of the gun safe. It's just good for the economy. 

Joking aside, a lot of buyers don't know what they want or neglect honesty on their first purchase. Lot of people have limited choice (their local gun store and don't know their options), or no access to trying out various firearms. A lot of people depend on the opinion of others, with those opinions being totally worthless. Some are price driven assuming bargins apply to everything. I have seen people buy a POS because it was $50 less than what they should have bought.

I just got a family "what handgun should I buy" text the other day. Everyone chimed in with what they have.  I was the one that asked "what are you going to use it for?" amid suggestions from .44 mag to official Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot range model air rifle (think the BB gun was ethanol induced since it is not a handgun at all).

Pistol, revolver, single action, double action, SA/DA, controls, weight, sights, grips, calibers, convertable, modifications,target, competion, defense...lotta options that a simple "what do you got" can never cover.

[Gunscribe]

I have the opposite problem---whenever I want to buy a gun, my wife is fine with it as long as she ALSO gets a new gun.  And her gun tastes are more expensive than mine, most of the time!

Amen!

[JTH]

Lorimor came up with a good list of questions to ask of a "What Gun..." person:

We need to know what, if any, previous experience they have. 
How much do they intend to train and practice with the gun? 
Do they have the strength to rack the slide?  Do they have the strength to pull a DA revo trigger?
What do they think they are most comfortable with, semi or revo, from previous experience, if any?
What is their budget?
What is their intended use for the handgun?  SD?  Plinkin'?  Competition?  Carry?

In my article, the ones I posted as my "Top Three" were:

Is this for daily carry, range practice, or home defense?
What experience do you have with guns?  With rifles, shotguns, or handguns?
Are you actually going to practice with this?

...which, I note, match several of his, too.  Looking at the situation, I tend to think of those "top three" as the starting point of helping someone choose a gun.  (And it works for people wanting a second gun, or a third gun...) 

I really do think the most important question is:  What is the purpose of this gun?  (What is it FOR?)

Not only does it tell you what they want it for, but it also tends to tell you a lot about their knowledge base.  Example:  "So, what are you going to the use the gun for?" "Well, probably concealed carry but I was thinking of trying some NRA Bullseye competitions with it, too." 

That tells you quite a bit about their understanding of firearms, CCW, and bullseye competition. 

That first question gives you a purpose--which can narrow down a huge set of possibilities to a much narrower set.

To me, the second most important question is "How much experience do you have with firearms, handguns in particular?"

They want a carry pistol, really like the idea of a titanium j-frame in .357Mag (due to really good marketing), but have no actual previous firearms experience....yeah, that's not going to be a good choice.  (And no, I don't think a revolver is a good choice for a first-ever self-defense weapon, for anyone who is serious about self-defense.  If the person just wants a self-defense talisman, sure, why not?  But otherwise, no.)

If they don't know how to shoot, is getting them the BFG3000 as their first gun a really good idea?  Do they even know enough to be safe?  Will they be able to make appropriate choices of ammunition and gear?  (NO NYLON HOLSTERS!  STAHP!)

And third, "Are you going to practice with this gun?" 

Granted, most people are going to say "Sure, yeah!" but you can generally get a good idea of the real answer from the discussion, and that'll help you determine how much effort you should put into attempting to steer them to a actual effective self-defense weapon versus merely a gun that shoots bullets out the muzzle.

If they aren't going to practice, and REALLY want that Judge---sure, why not?  It'll be equally as ineffective in their hands as a better self-defense choice would be, and it'll make them happy--and it'll be just as potentially effective as any other gun would be in the hands of someone who doesn't know what they are doing.

Thoughts?  Is there a question that is more important that we need to know before these first three?

I like Lormior's budget/hand issue questions.  I'm not so sure about the "which do you like better, semi-auto or revolver" question, though, if talking about a self-defense gun.  General range practice, cowboy action shooting, ICORE, sure, but I'm not really sure how much their own preference for semi-auto over revolver matters when talking self-defense weapons IF they are actually going to practice with said gun.

Any other questions we should ask after those top three?  (Or instead of those top three?)

[JTH]

For the big city boyz, running down to the metro firing range and renting out $500 of test guns may be an option.

I got to thinking about this, and since I couldn't tell if you were meaning to state a serious problem in a funny fashion or just being funny....

I tend to think that by the time someone is ready to try actually shooting the possibilities, they should have narrowed the field down to two or three.  Having clarified the reason for the gun buy narrows the field a lot.  Looking at reputable offerings in an appropriate caliber (in the budget range of the buyers) narrows it further.  Once at a gun counter, checking the frame for grip, trigger for ability, sights for view tends to reduce it further--and generally by that time, there are only a couple of choices left.

We can't always try out all firearms we might like---but between potential range rentals and folks who have guns (we are assuming the potential gun owner contacted an actual gun owner for help in the first place, and gun owners tend to be pretty cool about letting people try their guns), most of the time I think people can have a chance to try out their potential buy before spending the money.

Most people don't do this, of course--but most people don't actually do anything resembling research to make good choices in terms of buying firearms, either.

[OnTheFly]

This is a REALLY long thread for absolutely no reason at all.  The solution is simple.  Buy a KiloLima K-1, and if you can't find that in the local gun store, buy a XDm.

Solution...BAM!  That JUST happened.

Fly

[JTH]

This is a REALLY long thread for absolutely no reason at all.  The solution is simple.  Buy a KiloLima K-1, and if you can't find that in the local gun store, buy a XDm.

Solution...BAM!  That JUST happened.

...and the sad thing is that (though I know in your case you are kidding) this is the type of response that many people get, no matter what kind of situation they are in, no matter what amount of experience (or lack thereof) they have.

[sigh]

Whenever I hear a question starting with "What Gun Should I..." it is hard not to cringe--because between the loads of people with immediate answers of "You gotta buy the ThunderBlaster3000!" and the loads of questioners whose conclusions later all tend to be variations on "Well, I really liked this [completely inappropriate-for-the-situation low-quality pile of crap with no aftermarket support and no gear/equipment available for it] so I think [in spite of all logical suggestions to the contrary] I'm going to buy it"---I just want to blank them all out.

Which makes it hard to really help the people who want help, need help, and will appreciate (and listen to!) help.

[OnTheFly]

...and the sad thing is that (though I know in your case you are kidding)

Me?  Kidding?!  I'm Mr. Serious.

Okay...now for a little more serious reply. 

[serious]
If a shooter has learned the fundamentals and practiced them until they become natural, then barring a pistol that is completely the wrong size for their hands or has some other physical aspect that will not work with their hands (reaching the magazine or slide release for example), then it doesn't matter too much what they choose in regards to shooting it well.  As I have demonstrated at the local matches, I'm no expert shot, but I have found that the fundamentals transfer between guns quite well. 

So this just leaves us with the purpose of the gun.  Plinking, competition, CC, nightstand gun?  I don't know that the "feels good in the hand" aspect really matters that much if they REALLY learn proper grip, trigger finger placement, support hand purpose, etc., etc.  I can't say that a Glock feels that natural in my hands, but the only reason I shoot my XDm better than a Glock is because I am more accustomed to the trigger. 

Fundamentals are key followed by consideration of purpose.
[/serious]

Fly

[ILoveCats]

I tend to think that by the time someone is ready to try actually shooting the possibilities, they should have narrowed the field down to two or three.  Having clarified the reason for the gun buy narrows the field a lot.  Looking at reputable offerings in an appropriate caliber (in the budget range of the buyers) narrows it further.  Once at a gun counter, checking the frame for grip, trigger for ability, sights for view tends to reduce it further--and generally by that time, there are only a couple of choices left.

Maybe, but "trial and error" does happen, and sometimes you just don't know that something isn't totally right until you've lived with it for a while.  It certainly happens with fowling pieces.  I was 100% totally absolutely positively sure that a rather expensive over/under fit me just right -- but could never connect with it well in the real world during pheasant season.  Happens with defensive sidearms too, I think.

So sometimes, the answer to "What gun should I buy?" is, "This one that I have for sale right now."    

[jFader]

This is a REALLY long thread for absolutely no reason at all.  The solution is simple.  Buy a KiloLima K-1, and if you can't find that in the local gun store, buy a XDm.

Solution...BAM!  That JUST happened.

Fly

Words to live by! #CoolKidsClub