[namtrag]

My wife and I are brand new to firearms. I have only fired a pistol once in my life, way back in the mid 1980's, and she has fired a few times, but none in the past 10 years. We are trying to do it right, so we are signed up for a class at our local shooting academy, but we couldn't even get into one until September. This is probably a good thing, because it's allowing us to do a lot of research and learning before we buy a weapon. I joined the forum so I could learn from people who have a lot of experience, so look forward to getting into it and making some new friends, as well as getting educated.

So far we have been looking at a lot of reviews, videos, etc on the various options. We do a lot of backpacking, so were thinking of getting a smaller single stack 9mm or a .380 to carry on those trips, which would double as my wife's carry gun. I am considering for myself to get a sub compact to carry and double as our home defense/nightstand weapon. We have a pretty limited budget, so we are looking at all around-ish guns. Another twist is that I am a left eye dominant, mostly right handed guy who does a lot of stuff lefty, such as shooting pool, and I also shot my bb gun left handed when I was a kid, so I am not even 100% sure yet which hand I will shoot a handgun with, but am guessing left.

She is liking the Ruger LC-9s, or LCP. I am looking at the SR9-C because it is fully ambidextrous. We are total noobs, so are a little afraid of not having manual safeties, but from what I am reading, we may not really need thumb safeties. I like some of the small Walthers too, but they seem to be all righty. I see some Sig Sauers which are ambidextrous, but they are a little more than we have available to spend.

Anyway, sorry to ramble so much, but we are excited to research and buy our first handguns, and we want to buy good stuff and only have to buy once! Thanks for reading!

 

[LuketheDrifter]

Welcome from GA! Everyone starts somewhere and you've found a good place to start, there is a lot of good information and great people here to learn from. I've found it to be a very valuable resource. it's good to have you!

 

[Rhinoman]

Does the range rent guns? I would recommend trying a few different firearms before spending a lot of money. The Rugers you mentioned are both good quality firearms. I'm also right handed and left eye dominant. I have to close my left eye when I shoot and I have to practice a lot to stay proficient.

Good luck and welcome to the forum.

 

[namtrag]

Thanks guys for the warm welcomes.

Yes, this is a huge range/gun store called Colonial Shooting Academy here in Va Beach. The sales clerk told me they rent out just about every gun they offer for sale, so once we take the class, we can try some out before buying.

Rhinoman, I am weird in that I do some things right handed and others left handed, but very few ambidextrous things. For example, I throw, write, and kick righty, but eat, shoot pool, use a hammer, use a screwdriver left handed. I am thinking I might be able to shoot right handed, but would have to cock my head to use my left eye for sighting. It's going to be interesting to find out when I go to the class. They supply everything we need (22's), so we won't have to buy guns until afterwards.

 

[sammeow]

Howdy from TEXAS, where the west begins. Welcome to the forum.
Glad you could join us. Pull up a chair and sit a spell.

Both you listed are good choices.

I consider the Ruger SR9C to be a great multipurpose pistol.

Very accurate. Has the ability to serve double duty as a great CC or Home Defense.
The short 10 rd mag for CC and I keep the extended mag in it at home that gives the full size grip.

The SR9C is a well made pistol.
The trigger is smooth and crisp feeling.
Very accurate, fits my hand better than I ever expected.
Ruger Customer Service is great too.

No issues with the SR9C. I love it.
All of my 10 rd and 17 rd mags slide in and drop easily.
I would recommend giving it a good cleaning. Especially the striker channel, some are packed with factory grease which can contribute to light strikes.

Btw I cleaned mine when I first got it, loaded the mags fully and let them sit about 4-5 days to break in the springs. No FTF's, FTE's with about 1500 assorted rounds. Winchester (WB, SXZ HP), Fed AE, Hornady (Critical Duty, Critical Defense, Zombie max), PMC, Hertzers, Freedom Ammo reloads, Tula BrassMax.
The only ammo I stay away from is +P+.

 

[Old Man]

Welcome to the DC Forum. You are smart learning, checking things out, and gaining some ideas before purchasing. Just a thought: while the LCP is appealing due to size, a lot of persons find its recoil significant and its sights nearly non-existent in standard (Non-custom) model. You might find that the larger Ruger easier to shoot. You will find out pretty quickly if you can rent different firearms to try out. If going the semi-auto route, Ruger, Glock, S&W and others all make compact models that should would work for you and your wife. When persons ask me for an opinion for a firearm to start with, I usually advise them to try a Glock 19 or 26, a S&W M&P Compact or Shield, and Ruger LC9. Just my two cents.

 

[Haywood]

Welcome, your going to like this Forum. These guys teach me new things all the time.

 

[Chief1297]

A friend of mine has a SR9c and I have shot it. I am nothing but praise for it as it was accurate and smooth operating. It has a larger secondary mag which is good for home defense and a shorter primary for conceal carry. It isn't expensive like an HK is either if I remember correctly.

 

[Boomstick75]

Thanks guys for the warm welcomes.

Yes, this is a huge range/gun store called Colonial Shooting Academy here in Va Beach. The sales clerk told me they rent out just about every gun they offer for sale, so once we take the class, we can try some out before buying.

Rhinoman, I am weird in that I do some things right handed and others left handed, but very few ambidextrous things. For example, I throw, write, and kick righty, but eat, shoot pool, use a hammer, use a screwdriver left handed. I am thinking I might be able to shoot right handed, but would have to cock my head to use my left eye for sighting. It's going to be interesting to find out when I go to the class. They supply everything we need (22's), so we won't have to buy guns until afterwards.

I am the exact same way. Throw, write, play guitar, etc, all right handed. Ping-Pong, screwdriver, hammer, pretty much all tools left-handed. But I am not truly ambidextrous. However I shoot right handed and am right eye dominant. It's weird. :danceban:

 

[GPNP]

I have both the LC9s and the SR9c and I love them both. Either will be a good choice. I would just pick the SR9c for larger capacity(17+1 vs 9+1).

 

[RonM0710]

Try to find two guns from the same manufactor that function the same, ie: Glock 42 or 43 for your wife and either a Glock 26 or 19 for yourself. If your wife gets a Glock 26 and you get a Glock 19 she could use your magizines in her gun.

Once you get it narrowed down to a two or three guns each, go to the range and rent. Some ranges will charge you one rental price each and let you shoot as many guns as you like. Of course you will have to buy the ammo, so if you both shoot 9mm first, then you will only have to buy one type of ammo.

 

[5lima30ret]

Try to find two guns from the same manufactor that function the same, ie: Glock 42 or 43 for your wife and either a Glock 26 or 19 for yourself. If your wife gets a Glock 26 and you get a Glock 19 she could use your magizines in her gun.

Once you get it narrowed down to a two or three guns each, go to the range and rent. Some ranges will charge you one rental price each and let you shoot as many guns as you like. Of course you will have to buy the ammo, so if you both shoot 9mm first, then you will only have to buy one type of ammo.

^^^Very good advice!^^^

 

[gasmitty]

For a first handgun I would advise against a sub-compact such as the LCP, LC9 or similarly-sized guns - simply because they are they much harder to shoot well. I'd rather see the new shooter gain experience and competence with a handgun on which they can gain a full-hand grip, and one with a 5-inch or longer sight radius. While those are not absolutes, I've seen too many new shooters who lack the strong drive to achieve competence end up as mediocre shooters who can't keep a dozen shots on a paper plate at 5 yards, primarily because they were handicapped with curling a pinky under the grip and a super-short sight radius. For the shooter who is truly motivated to achieve mastery of his handgun, then the smaller guns are not roadblocks but rather bumps in the road that hamper progress.

Affordable guns in the compact but not sub-compact size include the Ruger SR9c, Springfield Armory XDm, Kahr CW9, and S&W Shield, plus more - those are just the ones that came to mind. The first two have double-stack magazines so they hold more rounds than the CW9 and Shield, which are single-stack guns, but of course increased bulk is the tradeoff.

Keep the conversation going here and ask lots of questions!

 

[keepitsimple]

As far as backpacking guns go, a 6 or 7 shot .357 would do you and the wife quite nicely. I consider a 4" to 6" barrel .357 revolver a necessary item when hiking or backpacking. Water, food, revolver, flashlight, GPS, maps, compass, poncho, lighters. All necessary items in descending order. They're simple to operate and maintain, reliable, and can fire shells powerful enough to take deer or light enough to barely leave the barrel. Hollow points, lead wad-cutters, shot shells, a mixture of all three maybe? .357 wheelgun don't care and will fire them all off one after the other with no issues. In a pinch, whether it be a survival situation or future legislative infringements, you can even cook up black powder rounds for it. They're well balanced and heavy enough to absorb the recoil of some very potent rounds without being too heavy to hold or aim consistently.

As far as proven design, the .357 revolver has been claiming wild critters, both 2 and 4 legged, since the early 1930s, and was the primary sidearm caliber of most US law enforcement agencies for over 50 years.

 

[Havok]

Are you guys going to do a lot of shooting, or are you going to buy the gun, take the class, and probably never fire it again? That would definitely have an impact on my purchase. Id look more into a revolver if you're not going to shoot it and get proficient with working it.

As far as the LCP is concerned, its a great little gun, but I wouldn't recommend it to someone new to shooting. As already mentioned, its got a lot of recoil for such a small bullet, and the sights suck.

Unfortunately, I cant think of any good gun that is small enough to CC that will be good for the 4 legged critters you may encounter on the hike. Id probably look at something either in .40 or .45 over 9 though. Like someone above mentioned though, I would go to the range and rent a bunch of guns and see what you like. Just dont let them sell you a Taurus.

 

[ArtsNCrash]

For a first handgun I would advise against a sub-compact such as the LCP, LC9 or similarly-sized guns - simply because they are they much harder to shoot well. I'd rather see the new shooter gain experience and competence with a handgun on which they can gain a full-hand grip, and one with a 5-inch or longer sight radius...

Here! Here!

Learn to shoot well first. I have multiple size handguns and there is a big difference. Shot placement is key.

Affordable guns in the compact but not sub-compact size include the... Springfield Armory XDm...[/QUOTE]

Of interest to you. The XD series has ambidextrous magazine release. They are great out of the box firearms needing little to do. I have an XDs 45 as a pocket gun. The large 7 round magazines give it a full size grip. The 5 round makes it fit in my pocket.

Sent from my SHIELD Tablet K1 using Tapatalk

 

[WrongRecroom]

Skip any small or light weight guns for a first gun ..Seems like a great idea but most need a lot of training to get good ..Poor sights and heavy kick for most


A nice compact would be my choice sig 229 or a Glock or a M&P ..Great for carry or double use as a HD gun


Walther are nice ..Esp the P5 etc and ambi guns but god they are not cheep at all

 

[AZ Desertrat]

Welcome aboard and a Ruger is a good choice....enjoy the journey!

 

[ca survivor]

If you don't have all the funds now, just buy one good gun and save for the second later, some times you buy cheap, like Taurus, and have to start all over again.

 

[PFranklin]

First off, you're definitely in the right place when you came here for advise. I am relatively new (not to guns) and can tell you these guys here have great knowledge of guns both technical and practical experience.

Secondly, don't be too quick to commit or narrow your search just yet. There's a lot of good guns out there. Just take your time and look around a while.