so i'm wanting to buy a hand gun for the first time. maria and i went shopping today and found a glock 9 we really like. its $499 new at a shop in McDonough. what we want to do with it is use it for protection, and take it to rang to fire off a few rounds. suggestions? anyone selling? is 499 kinda pricey? i am very elliterate when it comes to guns.
I don't like Glocks personally. If you ever carry a round ready to go in it you're limited to the trigger safety. Check out the Springfield XD. It's got trigger AND grip safety which IMO is a better way to go. Also has some other nice features. (I own one so I am biased.)
Beats me, I bought mine new when they were sold under the HS Arms brand for $329. Check your local stores or online gun broker.
People really either love Glocks or they hate them....... I don't have a problem with them at all, but I agree with moose that the XD is a little bit better in terms of quality and safety. Glocks are durable, reliable, and consistent, but just keep in mind that there's no external safety other than the trigger....... As far as price goes, $500 for a brand new Glock is just about right. Don't expect a good quality used one to go for less than about $350-$400 depending on what kind of goodies it has (sights, grips, etc......) That said, there is much more in the world of handguns than just Glock, especially when it comes to affordability. Kahr makes an excellent 9mm pistol that's a perfect size and weight for concealed carry. Ruger and Taurus make 9mm's that, although not as high-tech as Glock or Springfield, can be had very inexpensively used. Like moose said, check around at gun shops and shows. Some shops/ranges have loaners or will allow you to put a few rounds through a used gun to see how it fits. Also have a look at GunBroker.com..... I've not used it but a bunch of guys at work are addicted to it.
when you pull the gun out do you still need the safety ? if your finger is on the trigger does that mean you are ready to shoot. I own 3 glocks and love them all. I recommend glock 19 and load the magazine with various / alternating kinds of rounds for home protection. Hollow points dont go through walls very well. The 9mm will give you the necessary protection but for more stopping power a 10mm is recommended. For protection in the dark, you may want to consider the night sights (cost a tad more). Maintenance on a glock is fairly easy check out some speed disassembly and reassembly videos.
I dont like Glocks, but its more because of the way they fit my hand. I will second the suggestion to try the springfield XD I had a 9mm and loved it, I sold it but I honestly wish I had not. Ill probally buy another one soon. Another cool thing about the XD is that you can get it chambered in 357 sig which is a very fun round to shoot. Matt
I second this. I went with the Springfield XD as well over the glock. I like the way it feels and shoots better than the glock. It does have more safety features than the glock and just feels like it's a higher quality piece of equipment when I hold it. The trigger safety is there so when you slide your gun into your holster, the trigger doesn't get caught on something and shoot you in the leg or foot... I've shot a few of the more popular 9mm and 45's and out of all of them I still like my XD the best. The gun shop/range that I go to even has teh XD as one of their rental guns... Thats gotta say something.
Springfield makes a great gun. I have the XD 45, and I love it. Ask some of the guys at gun shops/gun ranges, they live for guns. They will give you great advice. http://www.springfield-armory.com/prod-xdpstl-45acp.shtml
I don't care for the Glock either, its got no weight to it, I don't like the safety... To me, you can't go wrong with any namebrand 1911 model(grip safety, slide safety). You can find a decent used one for $300-350. As far as I know(correct me if I'm wrong guys), a 9mm isn't ideal for home defense, the bullet travels too fast and will go thru several walls maybe hitting something/someone you didn't intend to. I favor the 45 as far as handguns go. For home defense I feel a 12 guage will do just fine, get the bad guy without having to be too acurate, pelets stop when the hit a wall. Plus, theres no more intimidating of a sound than a shotgun cocking...maybe making the bad guy run, avoiding the confrontation all together which would be ideal.
I favor the berettas though the glock would be next..Now beretta has 2 composite models if weight is an issue, if not get a full size (92,96)for ease of shooting.My brother always says to get a shiny gun for the visual effect.easier to tell if you have cleaned it good enough also.
Currently I have two firearms. One is a little bryco 380 for concealment, and the second is a glock 27 with an extended magazine for control. I keep that in a gun safe right behind my head. I keep it loaded with .40 steel core hollow points. I went with the .40 cause it had more stopping power than a 9mm, plus it didn't have the lower capacity with the .45. http://www.glock.com/g27.htm The gun safe is a finger lock safe that is run on battery power. very easy to open in an emergency because it does not need a key. http://gunvault.com/products/ If I was buying another gun, it would be a walther p99. http://www.waltheramerica.com/firearms/p99qa.cfm Also, if you are looking for a deal, go to a gun show on Sunday. No better deals than on Sunday when someone is looking to unload the last of their stock on closing day for the show...
I had a Glock 22 40cal and loved it. I put an Uncle Mikes Rubber grip on it and also never left a round in the camber when I wasn't ready to fire so the saftey issue is a moot point. Just chamber a round and fire.
thx everyone for the awesome advice! yeah i'm going to check out the springfield xd. i'm going to look for CATM ranges in my area and see if they have this gun to rent and fire off a few.
Personally I love my Glock had it tricked out w laser but took it off, never had a saftey issue with it.I tried a sigma and it clips my hand. The only gun Ive liked better is the desert eagle and baby eagle, and the tarus .357 magnum revolver. and a walther. I think that a walther might be your best choice. and put some balck talon hollow points in em.
The best gun is the gun you can shoot well when you need too. I personally like the glock. Hopefully I won't have to, but if I ever am required to point a gun at someone, it's going to be a life or death situation. With that philosophy, I don't want to mess extra safety's. Aim and shoot till it's empty.
Bullseye in Lawrenceville has a bunch of guns you can rent. Give em a call and find out. http://www.packing.org/range/georgia/range.php?range=343
best gun shop in ga and most fair/consistant prices Adventure Outdoors in Marietta/Smyrna, they are pretty easy to find, and I wouldn't mind meeting you there and imparting firearm knowledge or something along those lines. I'm somewhat torn between a 6 gun and a 1911 for a defense weapon.
Hey... My AR-15 is a .22! Ok, so the bullet travels at 2000fps and can go thru a propane tank like butter
a .22 can be used for a lot, and people have been killed with stray .22 rounds from over a mile, a gun is a gun, none of them are toys, period. case in point the #3 grizzly bear in the world (size/weight/etc) was taken by a little girl with a .22, went into it's eye and the brain. (the #5 griz was taken by shatner with a bow)
That's why I went with the model 22 when I bought the Glock. I sold it when I moved to the firearm-wimpy state of California for a few years.
Hey Shane, if you want to go to the range sometime, let me know. I know of a couple good places on the southside.
^i'm going to have to take you up on that offer steven! i called the range in fayeteville today and they rent all kinds of guns. i'm going to probably go there and fire off a few rentals and see what i like.
lol good one. ..it was a park ranger in alaska, there is an email going around with the story and pics, taken by a 7mm round, not sure of the load, maybe a rem mag. The bears paw was about the size of this dudes chest, it's pretty crazy. I'll see if my dad has it still. I know, I figured, I just thought I'd add that in, since a lot of people unfortunately treat some guns like glorified paintball guns
for protection nothing will beat my 20" 12G pump with pistol grip...To enjoy some occasional range shooting, I would try a couple out that you are interested in buying several places rent. I recommend bird shot as once I shoot the bastard I wanna get a couply licks in + less blood.
2 (17)clips came with glock and I got another 32 clip but then again if ya gotta shoot more than 3 times you in the wrong place anyway (unless your at a range) Let me know when ya going.
I have the same rifle, pistol grip and fold over stock loaded with birdshot... I cant remember the capacity but its at least 5.. I'd venture to say 5 would do the trick...
you must have big pockets? jk hehe, ya for home protection, nothing beats the click clock of a shotgun, don't need to even shoot. lol dude bird shot doesn't make less blood up close, it peels you like a banana, there's a pic on something awful of dude that got nailed from 5 feet with it. you don't need to go see bodies it was :eek3:
Well Shane wants me to be safe from burglers...and honestly i'll be nervous with a gun in the house, because just say if there was a "moment" I might have to use it, I probably will. There will be times Shane won't be home so I'm trying to get him to get us a dog/companion instead. So talk him into that. I don't know if having a dog will still keep me safe.
I know a woman who had an empty pump shotgun. One day someone was messing with her window. She pumped it. No more messing at the window.
Heard some statistic once that said real-life burglars turn around and leave when they hear a dog. 'Course, they were interviewing the ones in prison. Nonetheless, most people just don't want to mess with a dog. People think too much. Dogs just act.
The minute my dog hears anything on the front porch or back deck, she is in action. Barking like there is no tomorrow. It works. You should see how many girl scouts are in the street by the time I get to the door because the dogs bark is so loud and scares the crap out of them. The hard wood floors add a nice echo to it. I can hear her from the street when she is inside. You have to love a dog that guards her den. Personally get a gun that is confortable to shoot and you can handle. I have a Colt Combat Commander ready to go and my wife has a lady Smith .38 on her side. If the intruder gets through the 80lb dog, they better be armed to the teeth, because the dog is our baby. I am of the school of thought that you should not have a gun for self defence if you are not willing to use it. It should never be used to intimidate. Those gun owners are the ones that get shot. Andy
^which is why glocks are a choice for a lot of law/tac guys. they always fire. keep in mind though-you should never burn a clip on one target. 2 center mass almost always neutralizes a target. you never know if there will be more, and chances are good that you will have to justify how many rounds you put into a target. you don't want to look excessive should successors take you to court over wrongful death. you can also purchase a trigger block for the glock. it's a piece that keeps the trigger from being pulled accidentally- you just pop it out on the draw. everyone has their preference guns though... but let me take a moment on rounds. the 9mm round is hot. +p is even hotter. meaning: over penetration is inheirent. so if you go with a 9mm, please use hollow points or what i prefer-magsafes. especially in in-home scenarios. a standard 9mm fmj will easily go through your target, the wall behind him and sometimes then some. oh and plus one for randy's (bulls eye), they're great guys. big selection. and a good range.
If you want to use a gun with a positive safety you have to reflex train to turn the safety off, after all you have to draw the weapon, part of the time spent drawing can easily be used to turn the safety off. My BIGGEST suggestion and best advice, NEVER, I REPEAT NEVER carry a compensated pistol for self defense. I'll pm you my embarassing story or I can mash it out here. More then several people on here that suggest trying range rentals of potential guns, they get my props and respect, I didn't do that and wasted money on 4 different guns before I found one that fit me. Now I try before I buy, most of the rental ranges are a drive, but it's less money to drive a bit then spend up to a grand on something you don't like and resell for as low as half that depending on the gun. well said on the ammo monk, to often people use heavy penetrating loads, which can be deadly for more then just an attacker. brands I reccomend speer gold dot and winchester blacktalon which are now called SXT ranger due to PC reasons and silvertip, and also corbon http://www.allsafedefense.com/Special_Pages/BulletTest.htm
And that is why I like the XD. It has the same 'point and shoot' philosophy the Glock does with an added safety that doesn't interfer with its use when you're actually trying to fire it.