Looking to buy a semi-auto handgun in CA

9/7/2003 | Me

[DBrow]

Get something you can compete with, like in IDPA or at least pins and plates, that is cheap to shoot. Something in a .40 or 9, that can be concealed.

If you compete in action shoots, you will get loads of experience in loading, unloading, clearing jams, finding out which ammo gives you 100% reliability.

.45 is nice but if you do not practice in a speed-and-accuracy game with some pressure on, followup shots are tough and inaccurate.

If you really get to know your 9 or .40, the lower power factor will be traded off for accuracy and speed.

Then, get your wife involved in competition, and after a month or two, tell her you need another gun, since you both compete, *then* get your .45!

[kerosene]

I'm in Northern California and I have an HK USP 45 Compact with Trijicon night sights.

It's a very nice pistol, and it's easily concealable. It's a Variant 1, which has a combo safety/decocker, so you can carry cocked and locked. It has an ammo capacity of 8+1. I considered the SIG P245, but I was sold on the lifetime warranty of the HK, safety/decocker (the SIG doesn't have a safety), bobbed hammer, and the factory-approved use of +P ammo.

A friend of mine has a stainless Para-Ordnance 7.45 LDA.

It's a bit more difficult to conceal than their Para Carry line, but it's a very nice pistol.

Trigger pull of the HK is a bit on the heavy side. Some might argue that the heavier pull makes for a safer pistol in a stressful situation. The SIG and Para-Ordnance LDA double-action pistols have smoother, lighter, trigger pulls. At 15 yards, I can shoot those pistols more accurately than my HK. At seven yards, it's a toss-up.

For home defense, I rotate between 230-grain Golden Sabres, 230-grain Winchester Supreme SXTs, and 230-grain Corbon +P Flying Ashtrays :-). For plinking, I use Miwall. For affordable plinking, I use CCI Blazers. For the most affordable plinking, I use Wolf.

[Clinging Bitterly]

You've done your homework and gone and tried some out and found one you like. Everybody will have their preference for caliber, brand, and style. The best choice for you will be any quality piece with which you are comfortable. If you're going to carry (probably unlikely FTTB in CA), size & weight would matter most, but just to keep around the house & take places just to shoot for sport that's not so important.

As for the wife, mine lets me buy anything I want. I can buy all the guns, Ham radio & computer stuff, and truck stuff I want (with whatever is left over after she buys whatever useless crap like bonbons & such that she wants). She'll leave me enough to get a box of ammo every now and then, so maybe I should just be happy.

Dave in Eugene

[Khurkris]

HK .45 is a fine piece. Buy it, practice with it. You will be very happy.

[FateAmenableToChange]

HK makes the best guns, period. Glock is a virtual equal, although it is slightly less accurate out of the box. I have competed for years with an HK USPC .45, usually in 3-gun matches requiring 200-400 rounds of handgun ammo in a dusty gravel pit. The HK never stops working. The trigger isn't as fine as a 1911 (I used to shoot a Kimber Custom Classic but stopped because it usually failed at least once or twice during a long match in the dust & sand), but it is still very consistent and controllable.

Bottom line is that I would never carry a 1911 for personal protection and won't use them any more in a match. When they work, they're awesome. But they don't always work, which is my criteria for either personal defense or competition. HK USPs always work and are just a hair under awesome when they're working.

[absalom01]

"What's a good "concealed carry" handgun, we wear khaki's and polo type shirts."

If you have a little spare change rattling around, you could do a lot worse than the H+K P7.

Pricy, and only a 9mm, but is a super carry gun.  Just need to add tritium sights to the stock model, and you're good to go.

[itzmygun]

I hope it's the first of many for you! You can never have too many guns. Good luck and happy shooting!

[conservative golfer dude]

I have a brand and style for you. How about Ruger M77 Mark2 rifle in a 7mm Mag!! That will do the trick!