First off I'd like to thank everyone participating in this forum. There is a wealth of information here for those willing to read and digest what's being said and it's been extremely helpful for me as a future handgun owner.
My shooting background is hardly extensive: riflery in Boy Scouts (safety) and firing a .45 when I was around 16 (27 now). So when my friend and his father and I got together this afternoon to go to the gun range I felt pretty clueless aside from a basic understanding and terminology learned here. This forum's also a great refresher on basic handgun safety and etiquette.
We shot four different guns: Sig 9mm (polymer), Walther 9mm (single stack, steel/aluminum), Revolver (S&W? Snub, .38 special/.357mag), and a 4"(?) Kimber 1911 (.45acp). I had a pretty good range to choose from and got a much better feel for how each gun felt. The 1911 was easily the most fun to shoot, the trigger pull was VERY crisp and pronounced and the recoil wasn't nearly what I expected. The revolver was my least favorite, mostly because I had to reset more between shots since I preferred the SA pull to the SA. It was also the most difficult for me to fire accurately, though the .357 rounds sure were fun!
The Walther was very comfortable when I used to mag with the pinky rest, but there was a HUGE difference when I used the mag that didn't have it (normal to large-sized hands). The 1911 was pretty fun too, I shot it fairly accurately though it was an aluminum framed 1911 as opposed to a steel frame, so it was a little lighter than most 1911's from what they said.
But from this experience I'll probably be narrowing my search to 9mm because of accuracy (for me), comfort, and cost. My plan is to go back and rent an XD and a CZ P01 since those are the leading candidates for me from what I've read. Further along I'll be shooting regularly and getting my CCL (Tejas), and of course continuing to read and learn.
Also, it kind of surprised the guys I was shooting with, but I came out of the gate with probably a 5" spread and 2-3 bullseyes with the Sig 9mm at 10 yards. It surprised the hell out of me too considering I'd never really shot before. But enough half-assed bragging.
This isn't really an advice thread, I intend it more as an appreciation thread since it's helped me so much. Thank you all, I look forward to becoming a more active member as I learn and grow. But of course, any advice is always appreciated.
My shooting background is hardly extensive: riflery in Boy Scouts (safety) and firing a .45 when I was around 16 (27 now). So when my friend and his father and I got together this afternoon to go to the gun range I felt pretty clueless aside from a basic understanding and terminology learned here. This forum's also a great refresher on basic handgun safety and etiquette.
We shot four different guns: Sig 9mm (polymer), Walther 9mm (single stack, steel/aluminum), Revolver (S&W? Snub, .38 special/.357mag), and a 4"(?) Kimber 1911 (.45acp). I had a pretty good range to choose from and got a much better feel for how each gun felt. The 1911 was easily the most fun to shoot, the trigger pull was VERY crisp and pronounced and the recoil wasn't nearly what I expected. The revolver was my least favorite, mostly because I had to reset more between shots since I preferred the SA pull to the SA. It was also the most difficult for me to fire accurately, though the .357 rounds sure were fun!
The Walther was very comfortable when I used to mag with the pinky rest, but there was a HUGE difference when I used the mag that didn't have it (normal to large-sized hands). The 1911 was pretty fun too, I shot it fairly accurately though it was an aluminum framed 1911 as opposed to a steel frame, so it was a little lighter than most 1911's from what they said.
But from this experience I'll probably be narrowing my search to 9mm because of accuracy (for me), comfort, and cost. My plan is to go back and rent an XD and a CZ P01 since those are the leading candidates for me from what I've read. Further along I'll be shooting regularly and getting my CCL (Tejas), and of course continuing to read and learn.
Also, it kind of surprised the guys I was shooting with, but I came out of the gate with probably a 5" spread and 2-3 bullseyes with the Sig 9mm at 10 yards. It surprised the hell out of me too considering I'd never really shot before. But enough half-assed bragging.
This isn't really an advice thread, I intend it more as an appreciation thread since it's helped me so much. Thank you all, I look forward to becoming a more active member as I learn and grow. But of course, any advice is always appreciated.
