Advice needed - want a pistol

[J0eybb]

No, but seriously. Get to a range and shoot. Some people love Glocks/XD/Polymer, while some love their 1911's.

I personally love my glock 26, I shoot a glock 17 in competition. One day I'l own a 1911 style pistol.

There is also the beretta 92fs, proven fighting pistol.

I personally like semi-autos over a revolver. Revolvers are simple, but reloading is a pita.

[replicant_argent]

Originally Posted by J0eybb

No, but seriously. Get to a range and shoot. Some people love Glocks/XD/Polymer, while some love their 1911's.

I personally love my glock 26, I shoot a glock 17 in competition. One day I'l own a 1911 style pistol.

There is also the beretta 92fs, proven fighting pistol.

I personally like semi-autos over a revolver. Revolvers are simple, but reloading is a pita.

I rike my Grock too.
Many thousands of rounds through my 17. Ugly and plastic, but they go bang every time. Not for a "trigger Connoisseur" or someone with taste. Same for the other plastic wondernines.
That being said, a Ruger SR1911 is probably going to end up in my hands soon.
9mm is the most affordable centerfire to shoot, and will do all of the things you said above. Without concealment criteria, remember that the longer the sight radius, the more accurate you will most likely be.
Grip angle, length of pull to the trigger from the back of your hand, the size of your mitt, all will guide you a bit as far as what fits you and what feels right. Try to learn a correct firing stance from someone you trust knows their stuff and bring each candidate up to firing position. Some will more naturally point for you than others. Geometry of the pistols will tell you what might point better/worse for you.
Joe shoots a lot.

[icehog3]

Originally Posted by MurphysLaw

If you have a local range where you can rent a few different guns, go do it. Holding a gun and shooting it is going to tell you a lot more about what is right for you than the opinion of someone else and what works for them. Once you can narrow yourself down to a few options, then do your homework and find the best prices you can. Just my

Originally Posted by 357

Best advice is shoot whatever you can get your hands on before you buy something. Many gun ranges offer rentals. You can rent a pistol and a lane and try a few out. Might cost you $40, but it'll be better than buying that same pistol for $500-1000 and finding out you don't like it.

If you have friends with pistols get a few of them to bring them to the range at the same time. You can learn a lot about your preferences in just one or two sessions this way.

Revolvers are great, reliable, simple, and can be easy to carry if you pick the right one. Semi-Autos have higher capacity, different caliber options, and offer more manufacturers for different options. I'm a 1911 guy myself, as my Kimber is my only handgun. That said, I'm probably going to buy a .357 revolver next. I'm not a big fan of Glock, but I would never put them down. They are well made and reliable, they just don't feel as good in my hand. Nor do I shoot them as well as I do my Kimber.

Like cigars, there are endless options and opinions on each. In the long run only your opinon counts.

Good advice from these gents.....Try some out, that's how I pick handguns as well.