Guns

[TM426]

I'm new to guns and considering getting a pistol. Its going to be use for target shooting and hopefully not needed for home defense. Since I will be target shooting I want something that isn't too expensive for ammo but still has stopping power. I'm not a small guy. I shot a few larger caliber pistols and had no problem handling them but I still want something I can shoot accurately. I was looking at a .40 Taurus. Has anyone had a Taurus?

[tach13]

dont have one of them but i just bought a s&w m&p semi auto 45. i believe the military is starting to use them. its been a great gun, easy to take apart and clean, well built price was good, but the amo can add up if your shooting it a lot. i have my permit to carry and will probobly getting a smaller revolver for that.

[NacsMXer]

9mm is gonna be your best bet for a compromise between inexpensive target shooting and self defense capability.

If you want more, definitely go with the .40 but target shooting will be a tad more expensive.

Taurus's are decent guns...depends on which one you choose. Which Taurus were you looking at?

[tri5ron]

Have you considered a stainless .357 revolver? (basically any brand)
any .357 revolver can also fire .38 special ammo.

Revolver = easy maintaince and disasembly, no jamming
Stainless = no rust and even easier maintaince
.38 special = fairly cheap target shooting, and fair take down power
.357 ammo = serious take down power that is only rivialed by a .44 mag, .454 Casull, or .50 cal.

btw- although it's not stainless, if you get a Ruger Blackhawk Convertable, It also comes with a change out cylinder, chambered for 9mm acp ammo. (3 different shells in one pistol!)

I own everthing except for the .454, as well as many others.
In my opinion, for cheap target shooting, you simply can not beat a good .22, (500 rounds, $15, no sore wrist)

Another option may be a .45 cal. 1911 A1, accompanied with a extra .22 conversion barrel and slide spring.
(.22 for cheap target shooting, change barrel to .45, for home protection) A gun that will shoot BB's, as well as Cannon Balls !!!

lots and lots of options out there, for what you want to do.

[mod440ex]

a springfield xd is a great gun and they are really smooth shootin.

[05LSR250R]

Whats your price range?

[TM426]

Sorry about posting in the wrong forum-

Thanks for the help. I was looking at this Taurus

http://www.taurustactical.com/products/product-details.cfm?id=563&category=Pistol

I will look at the springfield and definitely consider a stainless. I wanted to stay under about 700. There will be a gun show by me a month from now. I think I may hold out till then but im trying to do some research before.

[mod440ex]

i think i would go with eitehr the xd or the m&p. the xd is a little cheaper. i hae seen them at gun stores for around 475.

[Pappy]

Originally posted by tri5ron


Another option may be a .45 cal. 1911 A1, accompanied with a extra .22 conversion barrel and slide spring.
(.22 for cheap target shooting, change barrel to .45, for home protection) A gun that will shoot BB's, as well as Cannon Balls !!!

lots and lots of options out there, for what you want to do.

Bingo

Glock, Kimber, Colt and others are available with the conversion kits and make for cheap target practice and most importantly, allow you to learn proper gun control with no recoil AND you become extremely familiar with a weapon that might well save your life one day.

The revolver in .357 is another great option. 38 ammo is cheaper and again, a great way to learn and snap in. My wife carries a 4 inch S&W loaded with 158++P golddots, but shoots 38 wadcutters every week. (She follwos up every practice session with several cylinders of her carry ammo)

I would rather be missed 17 times then have 1 connect from a wheel gun!

[mod440ex]

another option for cheaper shooting is to load your own rounds. my dad has a s&w 357 and he makes his own wadcutter bullets and loads them pretty light so he can target shoot alot of rounds and not spend alot. we just use old tire weights. you can get alot of nice guns for under 700, you cant get a very name brand 1911 for that price and i am thinking the conversion kit is around 250-300. i can check here in a little while i got my dads gun catalogs, and my wish list.:D

[ridered92]

with the 357 mag u can shoot the 38 specials threw it too

[tri5ron]

here's a rimfire conversion for a Sig, but as said before, they are available for many semi auto's.
http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/55997-1.html


here's a couple for a 1911 a1 Mil spec.
http://www.cabelas.com/prod-1/0034431215917a.shtml

http://www.marvelprecision.com/

[suck my pipe]

I have a S&W40GVE This is my first hand gun and I like it. You can find these for a fair price. As said target shooting will not be cheap with a .40 but is affordable at about $18.00 for a 50 round box of cheap ammo.

[TM426]

Thanks for all the help. There is a range not far from me that rents many different pistols. Im going to try that out to see what has the best 'fit". Ill let you guys know what I end up going with.

[tom400ex]

I have a S&W M&P .40 and love it. It was my first hand gun and it was easy to shoot / handle. I was like you wanted not to much recoil and some stopping power and this is the gun. Its very easy to clean and come with 3 differnt size grips which is nice.
9mm are nice but a .40 is awesome =)

[TM426]

I gotta vent! I sent my FOID card application February second. I contacted the state police 3 times and the instructed answer for them is " you will receive it in 7-10 days" without any useful info. Every time I waited at least 10 days to call. I contacted Sandy Cole my state representative and she said it was expedited a week ago. The application envelope was opened and the check was cashed in February. No problem taking the money. What a major failure by the system and infringement on our civil rights. I bet you if you or I had 30 days to appear for court and we dragged it out for 13 weeks we would be picked up. There is a recession and thousands of people without work. I'm sure there would be plenty lining up to provide a service and support their families. Is anyone else in FOID restrictions having this problem?

[mod440ex]

not to be a di** but thats one of the benefits of living where you live.

[TM426]

I think that FOID restrictions are both beneficial and non beneficial. I do not have problem with the specific laws just the neglect of my civil right. Right now the government has broken the law and of course there will be no ramifications for the actions or lack there of. If a citizen gets caught breaking the law we get prosecuted and sentenced. The good thing about where you live a law abiding citizen can get a firearm to protect themselves and their family from a criminal. The bad thing about where I live is that the system has failed many others and myself. Citizens who should be able to purchase a weapon cannot while there are armed criminals. The problem is, how many criminals decide I want to obtain a FOID card buy a weapon and commit a crime. More then likely they have already tarnished their record and would be denied a FOID license. Instead they obtain stolen guns or by other unlawful means. In this instance many criminals are protected by the law that is sopposed to protect abiding citizens. The law, as codified in 430 ILCS 65/5, requires that the Illinois State Police (ISP) “shall either approve or deny all applications within 30 days from the date they are received, and every applicant found qualified pursuant to Section 8 of this Act by the Department shall be entitled to a Firearm Owner’s Identification Card upon the payment of a $10 fee.” Rather than following the law and issuing FOID cards within this 30 day time frame, the ISP has repeatedly delayed the FOID applications of many people over the years, and this remains an ongoing issue. An early excuse was a staffing shortage. Other times the applications were claimed to have been misplaced, even know the check had been cashed. Such excuses would not be satisfactory if a citizen were applying for a driver’s license, building permit, or vehicle registration. It is certainly not acceptable given the right to gun ownership that is enshrined in Federal constitution as well as the Illinois state constitution. Illinois state Rep. John Bradley (D-Marion) tried to fix this issue back in 2006, with a bill that would have allowed citizens whose right to a FOID was infringed to sue. Sadly, this bill passed 80-29 in the state house of representatives but did not succeed in the state senate. Once again the government protecting its own *** from accountability.

[TM426]

My card finally arrived! Hopefully I can get to the range soon. I interested in trying a XDM, M&P, and a P229.

[mod440ex]

are looking at testing for something to buy. i cant wait for my ccw gun to get off backorder. if its not a card that your waiting on its the gun manufacturer.

[SPDSNYPR]

I dunno, but the .40 never really grew on me.

If I were looking at a first pistol purchase, I would look at a 9mm made by Glock, Smith M&P, or the XD. They are all polymer framed striker-fired pistols and are kinda kissing cousins. Glock is the original of that ilk, and has the greatest support network by far - but some don't like the ergos.

As far as DA/SA, sigs are great but expensive. So are the HK pistols. Both are very well made, but you'll spend more on them that the striker fired guns.

The single-action 1911 is an icon, but ammo is more expensive and usually the guns themselves are expensive. In the 1911 world, you definitely get what you pay for.

I had a Taurus pistol many years ago. I was not terribly impressed with it.

BTW - I think a .357 revolver is a great place to start. You can pick a used one inexpensively, and they are superb to learn on. You can get anything from .38 wadcutters which recoil just a bit more than a .22 to fire-breathing .357 mag ammo that you can hunt relatively large animals with. Very diverse and easy to use.

[tri5ron]

Originally posted by SPDSNYPR

BTW - I think a .357 revolver is a great place to start. You can pick a used one inexpensively, and they are superb to learn on. You can get anything from .38 wadcutters which recoil just a bit more than a .22 to fire-breathing .357 mag ammo that you can hunt relatively large animals with. Very diverse and easy to use. X2, And,... If you get the Ruger Blackhawk Combo, it comes with a change out cylinder that chambers 9mm ACP rounds too!
That's 3 different rounds out of the same pistol!
(yep. I gots me one of 'em):D

But I'd have to also say, that out of all my many guns, two of my favorite pistols are the Ruger Mk IV .22 model 678, and my Super Redhawk .44 mag, wearing a Leupold on top.

Two of my favorite rifles are my fully tricked 10/22 w/ dragonov stock, tele/folding bipod, scope, BMF crank, and some other goodies,...
and my reworked Model 94 .30-30, that is also fully tricked w/ synthetics, red dot, gel pad, Tru-glo's, and running out at 250+ yds, with the new Hornady Ballistic tips.

[SPDSNYPR]

All this gun talk made me go out and buy a G19 for my son. He's outgrowing his 22/45.

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But he's not quite up to a steady diet of the .357 mag

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[TM426]

Its been a long wait. I tried the xd, xdm, and m&P (all in 40 caliber). I ended up going with the XDm and I get to pick it up monday if I can get off of work on time.