I don't think it is smart to give someone that just learned how to drive a Ford GT. They should start with a Mustang V6 and learn how to drive. Once they get some experience they should go to some High Performance driving schools then do some track day events and eventually get a HIGH performance vehicle. That is what I did and it works the same with pistols.

If you start a new shooter off with a .44 magnum they will never be able to learn the basics.

9mm is a great starting place because of the low recoil of most 9mm pistols. This is the main reason that the Military issues a big heavy 9mm...it is easier to train new soldiers to shoot (a large majority of which have never held a pistol....video games don't count).

When I train new shooters I make sure that I ask them what they are buying a gun for. Most say for self defense and they do not plan to train much or shoot much...they just want to keep it in their home in case someone breaks in. They ask what I recommend and I recommend they get a .357 revolver (you can use .38, .38 +P or .357 magnum).

Of course they watch Youtube and they want a Glock, because it is cool! I explain that Glocks are good guns at a reasonable price and in 9mm don't kick much more than a .22 rimfire...but if they get a semi-auto they have to train. The manual of arms for a semi auto is more complicated than a revolver.

That being said I have friends that are ex SEALs that carry 9mm. These guys know how to place shots under stress as good or better than anybody...so 9mm is not just for newbies. The pistol that is best for you is the one you can be most proficient with and you can have with you all the time.

Train...Train...Train, even if it is dry fire training. I shoot about 5000 AIRSOFT bb's a month all throughout my house. Pisses off the wife when she has to vacuum up the stray "rounds"

 

I hear snappy term a lot, but the recoil on the various .40s I've shot never bother me. My dad is retired PD and has 20k through his Glock 23, still going too. It's what I first shot, and what I'm used to. The 9mm that I've shot felt, for a lack of better vocabulary, like child's play to me.

I need to try a .45. I wasn't a fan of the XD's ergonomics, at least while holding it in my hand (never shot one). I do plan to eventually get a nice 1911, but mostly out of respect for the history of the gun, not because it's going through a wave of popularity again.

 

My next purchase will be a shotgun for home defense though. And then finishing my AR build out with an optic. For a very amateur gun owner, I think that's a good start to my collection.

Oh, and as much ammo as I can afford, before it starts to sky rocket again!

 

I am a retired State Trooper and I am glad your dad served and made it to retirement (it is a different world from when he and I served). Good term "Childs Play".. I actually shoot a little better with 9mm, but I don't trust my life with it.

As far as 1911's...I love to shoot them, the first pistol I bought was a Colt MKIV series 70 45 acp in 1980. It spent years in the safe because it wasn't reliable enough to carry, to heavy and didn't carry enough rounds. I finally sold it and bought a 5" Springfield XD Tactical. I like the grip angle and ergonomics and it is turning out to have Glock reliability.

I have carried Sig's, S&W's, Glocks, FN's and a Colt. When I retired I sold all my Glocks (except the one I was given upon retirement). I only have XD 45's now.

 

Very good start. You can't beat the old Remington 870 (don't go anywhere near Winchester Shotguns). I don't know what you are setting your AR up for, if you just want a non magnified red dot go to Primary Arms and look at the holosun line. I am wanting a scope with magnification for my long range AR and it will be a illuminated 1-4X Bushnell AR Optics Scope or a Primary Arms 1-6x ACSS scope (both of these on 1x can act as a CQB red dot, but you can dial up the magnification and you have a scope with Bullet Drop Compensator and Range finding abilities).

 

Older Winchesters are very good. Same with Remington. You couldn't pay me to use a new Remington. I still like the Mossbergs anyways. Ambidextrous safety, works well enough despite feeling cheap. I had one with a ton of rounds through it and it never did fail me. My current shotgun is an old (as in, old enough to not have a serial number...) JC Higgins I cut down and refinished. Short stock, tritium bead sight...it's slick as ****, too. I've yet to handle another shotgun that is a smooth as this.

I've always loved 1911's as well but never loved the stupid amounts of time and money needed to get one that runs right. Maybe one day I'll buy another and send it out to a good smith and have it worked over so it'll actually run.

The biggest thing to remember with using a shotgun for home defense is that you CAN miss. It is VERY possible and don't think that because you're using shot that it has a wide enough spread to be effective at home defense distances. Most shotshells (especially ones you should be using for home defense) offer very little spread inside of 10-20 yards. Plus, shot is effective when the ENTIRE load lands on target, not just one or two. Also, remember that buck shot, and especially slugs WILL go through a ton of walls before stopping or losing enough energy to not blow holes in people. So again, be mindful of where you aim as that slug/pellets will have some legs on it if you miss.

Also, don't use bird shot in a home defense shotgun. If you've ever gone bird hunting, then I'm sure you've found that many times the bird shot doesn't even kill a freakin' bird. I don't know why the internet has a hard on for bird shot but it's completely useless on human sized targets.

 

That 9mm is a good round. Especially if you use good ammo. Practice with the cheap stuff. And it's truly hard to beat a Glock. There's a lot of great guns out there but I've never seen a Glock malfunction. I'm sure it's happened but not to anyone I know. Lol.

 

I know at some point in my life I will own a 9mm. My dad has a couple too, along with a couple .380s. He's only had to replace something with the trigger in his gen 1 Glock 23. I don't remember what, but other than that, it's literally been bulletproof.

Thanks for the other advice in here, I will look into those recommendations. My dad is very old school, so he tends to not keep up with the newer stuff.

 

Close quarters/short distance. If I was going to build a longer range rifle, I would probably do something else not AR style. Checking out the Primary Arms stuff now. Looks like good stuff at decent prices!

 

Probably the trigger spring. That is the only internal part changed on my 25,000 round Glock.

 

Have you concidered a AR pistol? Mine has the "Law Tactical" folding "Buffer Tube" mod...it is 21" folded.

LMT MK 18 upper w/KAK Flash can
Holosun red dot sight
Anderson Lower
LAW Tactical folding buffer tube
Thordsen buffer tube cover

First pic shows buffer tube folded.

 

I've actually been looking at AR pistols. Pistol calibre in particular. Wanted a 357sig version but it looks like Lone Wolf has dropped the 357 version. .40 wouldn't be bad either though.

 

Wow, TacBear, that's really SCARY looking. It MUST be an ASSAULT weapon.

 

After firing a Glock 17 & 19, Sig compact 9mm and .45, S&W M&P, and a Walther PPQ over the last few weeks, I kept going back to this as my first handgun....H&K VP9. Also got 500 rounds and am going to try to reduce that by 100 tomorrow.

 

Haven't shot one of those, but I haven't seen one review that didn't utterly rave about it. Congrats Tom!

 

That's a pistol?!? Not in my old school mind?

 

The lower was built as a pistol....NO Stock, just a buffer tube with a cheek rest.

 

I've had my cc permit in NY since 1975.
For info, go to a local gun club, join one. They usually have shooting leagues and training classes.
Join the NRA. You can probably get a lot from the NRA online.
I shoot a Ruger security 6 .357 revolver and carry a Springfield XDs in .45.
My next purchase will be a .9mm or .380 pocket gun.