Need Advice - buying my first handgun ....

[ttabs]

Originally Posted by nateroach

Then you go and drop $1500+ on the Sig 556 and the ammo? Kinda makes the cost savings on the 9mm a mute point doesn't it?

Not necessarily. In an effort to perhaps help other folks out there who are considering buying their first handgun, here was my thought process.

To get proficient at something, I believe it takes practice ... and a lot of it. A couple weekends at the range and I'll be buying more ammo. That's where the cost thing comes in. The amount of shooting you expect to do with your new gun should weigh in on your decision. The XD guns all are generally in the same price range - regardless of caliber. It's the ammo where your investment is really made and that was the deciding factor for me. (BTW - I didn't even know XD made a 9mm when I made that first post!)

My original question was get advice on what caliber to go with (related to cost) and I wanted to see if there was a general consensus out there. But really there wasn't. A couple of posts here got me thinking. "Try them all and see which one you like" and "get a 9mm. There will be more guns ... promise!!" got me thinking and pointed in the right direction.

As I mentioned earlier, I ruled out reloading as it would take too much time to keep up with the volume of ammo I anticipate needing.

So, I'll start out with a 9mm (at $170/1000 rnds) and probably pick up a 45 later this summer. It'll take a lot less ammo to get proficient with a 45 once I'm done with that 9mm. Besides, the 9mm will be a great gun for training new folks with. So I'll always have use for it.

As for the Sig- Yea I blew some cash there - but with kinda the same philosophy. The ammo for it is anywhere from .25 to .50 cents a round. For a rifle cartridge at .25 a pop, that is a lot less than loading up a 300 WinMag or 300 Savage (over $1 ea). I found that 30.06 rnds are available for .50 cents (military loads from the 1960's).

What was the deciding factor for me here was putting 5 rounds of .50 cent shells in a 30.06 or 30 rounds of .25 cent shells in a .223. That was an easy choice for me. Now I can study ballistics and get a lot of rifle shooting time in as well. Everything I learn can be applied to my other rifles.

Should be a lot of brass flyin' at the range soon. I pick my 9mm up on Sat.

Oh - and thanks to all who posted.

[IamtheNRA]

Originally Posted by ttabs

So, I'll start out with a 9mm (at $170/1000 rnds) and probably pick up a 45 later this summer. It'll take a lot less ammo to get proficient with a 45 once I'm done with that 9mm. Besides, the 9mm will be a great gun for training new folks with. So I'll always have use for it.

Just a note for you...shooting a .45 is quite different from shooting a 9 mm...the pistol is generally larger and heavier, and the recoil is greater. I shoot .45 almost exclusively, and when I shoot my friend's 9 mm, it's like shooting a .22 to me. You will have the basics of stance, sight picture, and trigger control down with the 9 mm, but you will have to practice with the .45 just as much to get proficient with it, even if you have shot the 9 mm a lot beforehand...trust me on this.

Just my .02...