Buying a Handgun

**Rawr** · 02-24-12, 09:51 PM

Alright, so I'm in RI and want to finally purchase a handgun. Now I'm still waiting for my safety test thing to go to the local govt and what not before I get my blue card or what ever they call it here to buy a pistol. After that I can buy the weapon and just have to wait 8 days for the background check stuff to go through and I can pick it up.

Now for some background. I'm currently in the navy and in probably September I'll be making it to my first ship. While there I will be doing a sidearm and a rifle qualification. I plan on buying my own handgun for both practice for the qualification and protection. Since I want to practice on something moderately similar I decided that I would buy something that was at least a 9 mil. I went to the store today and got my hands on a few different things and I'm now stuck between 3 different sidearms that I'm not sure which one I like the most.

The first is the Beretta 92FS, which is basically the M9 - which the Navy uses and I will carry while on certain watches. So it would be a great thing to buy for the sheer fact that it's almost the same as the military version that I will be using. The size of it is also perfect because I love the extra large grip, and the external hammer was pretty nifty, especially being double action.

The second was the Glock 17. Loved the size, the shape and almost everything about the thing. It seems like a great gun and the maintenance looked pretty easy, but so did the maintenance on the rest of the stuff.

Third was a Smith & Wesson M&P 9Mil. I forget if there was anything else to the name, but again it was a great gun, with a lot of similarities to both the glock and the beretta. I loved the grip and the more square look of the glock so it was definitely a gun that I liked.

Since I have such a dilemma I figured there were people here that had more experience with firearms than I do. I loved all three and they all had different qualities that I liked about them. I may be wrong but the Beretta might have been the only one of the three that was full metal instead of a polymer, but the weight was kinda nice. Now I'm sure I'd be happy with one of the three no matter what but I really don't know what to chose. I want to do well with the qualification to be an expert and get the medal in addition to the ribbon, which makes the Beretta a good choice, but the S&W and Glock are probably $100 cheaper before tax which is also nice.

I really wanted to get some good range time in with some of the stuff before I fired it but Rhode Island is nothing like Tennessee when it comes to gun laws and firing at the range requires that you are the member of some rifle club, and the one we are looking at only has .22 pistols, when I want to buy / practice with a 9 mil. So basically I'll be buying the gun based on opinions and my final 'feel' I guess once I get to the store and hold the three before I buy.

Does anyone have any experience with the three / have any good information that they can pass on?

On a quick side note, the guns HAD to be the size they were because otherwise the grips were too small for my hands and extremely uncomfortable. (So no compacts / etc for me)

Oh and I'm also not worried about the size for concealed carry, I don't intend to take the pistols out of the house unless I'm on my way to the range. (For now at least)

**DR.F33LG00D** · 02-24-12, 09:55 PM

I scanned this and saw the 9mm. Gun has little stopping power. I, personally, can't own a pistol, but my dad uses a .40 cal Glock and it is powerful. Was recommended to him by a local SWAT member. I love the feel and has little kick for the size.

Sent from an HTC Thunderbolt in a religious land.

**CivilWars** · 02-24-12, 10:07 PM

My friend has a Glock 17, and I have the 19, both 9 mil just full size and compact. The best thing about Glocks is how reliable they are. I knew a guy that had literally put thousands of rounds through his, and never cleaned it. He never had any issues. I have never really used a Beretta or S&W, but they are both good guns. Not to confuse you more, but Sig also makes great guns. If you didn't look at one you might want to before you buy.

On a side note, check around because many companies will give you a big discount for being military. If there aren't any local ones in RI look online and they can ship it to an FFL in your area. Might check Cheaper Than Dirt - America's Ultimate Shooting Sports Discounter, and compare prices.

**dex71** · 02-24-12, 11:07 PM

The heavier guns will have a little less recoil. Not that a 9 mil is wrist-breaking, but the heavier guns will help you stay on target, as the gun absorbs more of the shock. Something to keep in mind since you can't shoot any of them.

**Guyver** · 02-24-12, 11:24 PM

Screw the handguns, and buy an AK90.

I've held one, but didn't fire it.

**huh?** · 02-24-12, 11:25 PM

You can't go wrong with a Glock. I personally have XD in 9mm. It fits my hand little better. I also have a Rock Island 1911 in 9mm that I bought for my wife. Taurus also came out with a 1911 in 9mm that's in decent price range. You should try out a 1911 in store. The grip is all the same and personally I think it's the best.

If you are not carrying, 9mm is the cheaper way to go, especially if you plan on doing quite a bit of practicing in the range. They go fast and it adds up.

**Senses** · 02-25-12, 12:05 AM

I just recently couple weeks ago bought a xdm 9mm compact. Love it, fits just right in my hand. Very smooth trigger... gun shoots wonderfully.

Best thing to do is go to a local gun range and try a couple out. Here in Lexington, KY we have budsgunshop.... they sold the most guns online this last year than anyone... anyway, I went there and tried a few out in the indoor range. This one fit the best in my hand.

**salty99** · 02-25-12, 12:20 AM

I went shooting with a Smith&Wesson 9mm a few months ago and I fell in love. The action was great, the feel to it was nice, and it had red-blooded-american written all over it

**Rawr** · 02-25-12, 05:56 AM

Wow thanks for all the info / links so far.

I do want to try and shoot some if possible, but rhode island kinda sucks for that. It's about 1.5 - 2 hours away but I might drive with my friends to a place in Mass that has a whole bunch of guns that we can test out. It would definitely be worth the actual experience. I will also look into the whole military discount for sure.

**jmw_man** · 02-25-12, 06:09 AM

I know the perfect solution! buy them all!!

Originally Posted by dex71

The heavier guns will have a little less recoil. Not that a 9 mil is wrist-breaking, but the heavier guns will help you stay on target, as the gun absorbs more of the shock. Something to keep in mind since you can't shoot any of them.

This is true, if it were me I would get as close to the same gun I'm qualifying with as possible. After "practicing" with something different for a while it may feel weird to hold the M9 and you may not do as well when you qualify. You can always expand your arsenal later!

I love metal though.