Hey guys, I’m interested in purchasing a firearm to have for piece of mind and self defense in these strange times. I will be also interested in taking it to firing ranges, and I would like something efficient and reliable. I have never owned a firearm but have handled many over the years, I just have never owned one. I would be comfortable spending up to $1k on the purchase. I would appreciate any feedback, thanks.

If it's for home defense you want reliability. I like the Ruger P series for that personally, plus I like the way it feels in my hand.

I suggest doing research into reliable handguns and testing them out at a range that allows you to use their guns. Then decide.

Will you be carrying, or strictly for home use?

Thanks. I’ll do research on that.

I feel I would like to take it with me in my car too and look into conceal carry.

You're willing to spend up to $1000. I'm going to assume that includes some practice ammo and a holster.

1000 rounds of Speer Lawman 124 gr target ammo, $183:http://www.sgammo.com/product/speer/...53616-or-53651
200 rounds of Federal HST 147gr JHP Hollow Points, $80:http://www.sgammo.com/product/federa...le-ammo-p9hst2
Stealthgear holster, prices vary:https://stealthgearusa.com/


For the gun, the easy answer is "Glock G19 Gen4". Accessories are readily available, capacity is good, they're fairly easy to shoot, totally reliable, and you can probably find one for ~$500.

For a slightly better shooting pistol, look at a Walther PPQ M2 or an H&K VP9 (Full size or SK)

Thanks man. I will look into.

Something tells me you have a death threat or something..

Must be an awful feeling knowing somebody wants you to be dead...

For concealed carry I would consider this the GOAT:https://us.glock.com/products/model/g43

For home defense I would recommend:https://us.glock.com/products/model/g22combined with a Streamlight TLR-1 light mounted on it:https://www.streamlight.com/en/produ...il/index/tlr-1

I am in law enforcement and I carry the Glock 22 with the TLR-1 daily. Extremely reliable setup. I off duty carry the Glock 43 because it is very concealable and reliable.

inafter justintense


havent seen you post in about 3 years?

I have a sig sauer SP2022, great gun. You get what you pay for so don't go cheap.

And how do I go about getting concealed carry in NY State?... Long Island.


How about just for home?

go check out a glock 19 or a smith and wesson m&p (shield). basically guns are like shoes or gloves, you have to try them to see what fits you best, get the wrong fit and you wont like shooting it. youre gonna want a decent IWB holster most likely, and pick up at as much ammo as you can and start practicing once you pick what fits you best.

keep in mind, theres good reason why police and military forces world wide have used glocks for decades now and not rugers or remingtons (remington just filed for bankruptcy back up or whatever its called, basically asking for a gvmt hand out) , im no glock lover by any means but you cant beat the reliability, shootability, and overall performance of one. you'll basically never have to worry about cleaning it if you dont want to.

i personally dont like the way glocks feel in my hand, although a buddy of mine has a g19 that i fell in love with and now im on the hunt for one. i shot a S&W m&p 9mm for a few years, ive put about 50000 rounds through mine and never had to replace anything, had any major stopages, and never had any problems with it. its an amazing, reliable gun that ive won dozens of local shooting competitions with.

whatever you decide fits you best, the key to shooting is practice. shooting isnt something thats easily picked up by most people, theyre are a lot of things to know to be a good shooter, maybe look into some sport shooting like IDPA or IPSC/USPSA. any of those shooting sports will help you get far more comfortable with a fire arm and teach you how to efficiently draw from a holster, and shoot from cover at man sized targets.


good luck OP! and keep us updated on what you get.

Sig Sauer.

you'll shoot your eye out, kid

Glock 19, Heckler and Koch USP Compact,
Sig Sauer P229, or Smith and Wesson 3913.

Those are my choices and I rotate through all 4 of them for carry. The Glock 19 is an easy choice for a beginner. Every gun shop in America has one for sale. You can get a used one for 400 bucks and it’ll be good to go because hardly anything ever breaks on a 9mm Glock.

The Sig and H&K are more expensive but also well worth the price. The Smith and Wesson 3913 (part of S&W’s third generation, all metal semiauto series) isn’t made anymore. However it is IMO one of top 3 single stack 9mm concealed carry autos ever made. Outstanding pistol that can be found used for as low as $300 nowadays. The only issue is parts availability.

Go to the store, hold some, shoot some, and see what you like. Those are my recommendations though.

I’ll make it easy since you’re a beginner.

Glock 17 for range.
Glock 19 for car and depending on your size concealable.
Glock 43 for carry. Can be put in pocket if you want.

If I could only own one gun. Glock 19 hands down.

If you're looking for @ 9mm, a Glock 19 is hard to beat imo. I carry it with a supertuck holster and in conceals nicely.

Also, skip guns chambered in 40 s&w. You're giving up capacity and gaining nothing.

My top pics would be the Glock 42 .380 cal, Glock 43 9mm, S&W MP Shield 9mm, and ruger LCP custom .380 cal.

In addition to the firearm you need to invest in a good holster. Alien gear makes great budget holsters (I use them for all my handguns). If you want something better and more expensive stealth gear is pretty much top of the line.

https://www.classicfirearms.com/hk-v...15rnd-81000135

https://grabagun.com/glock-19-gen4-9...magazines.html

https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/...18839/redirect


Some links.

CLiche answer but if you just want a good protection gun that is easy to learn to shoot, maintain and is reliable as they come, get a glock, i prefer the og 17. Alot of people prefer a 19 for edc.

Walther PPQM2 is the wife's, VP9 is mine.

glock 26 gen 3

If money isn't an issue I would go with everyone else said. When I got my first handgun I didn't want to spend too much and wanted it only for home defense (you get addicted after the first) and opted for a budget pistol. Smith and Wesson SD9VE can be had for <300$ dollars now and is just as reliable as more expensive options according to reviews and my own experience. I haven't had one malfunction in about 2000 rounds so far through mine. It is basically a glock copy but the grip is pretty rough. I personally have a ruger sp101 in .357 mag/.38 special around the house for the innate reliability of revolvers and ease of use for people not experienced with handguns. Much more limited capacity though.

Edit: Just saw your willing to spend 1k. Just buy a glock.

Here you go OP. You should purchase this. It may be old outdated technology but it sure packs a punch.

Sig P320 has a lot of issues. BTW, the military buys the gun that they can get the cheapest, not the gun that's the best.

M&P crew checking in.

> S/M/L hand grips
> Mag-drop feature (if in scuffle, pop the mag, gun then becomes a dud even if round in chamber)

I own the Sig P320 compact in .40 cal and have had zero issues with it. Mine had never jammed once and I have shot a variety of ammo through it. That’s not to say other people haven’t had issues. But in my opinion it’s an awesome gun for the price. Shoots more accurately (even at 50+ yards) and feels better in the hand than my father in laws G19 which is also a great gun.

I do need to send it in and get the recall fixed for the discharge thing though. But I hate to part from my guns they are my babies.