Need Advice on a Firearm Purchase (Only 2nd Vanity ever)

10/04/02 | me, myself and I

[seeker41]

Help me decide witch one of these firearms to purchase as I am confusing myself. Currently I own a SW 357 revolver and that's fine for home. I am female with small wrists and average sized hands, kinda long fingers and would value FReeper advice if you have experience with either of these weapons. Should I look at Glocks as well? I don't care for 9mms such as Ruger etc. Thanks in advance.

Here is my first choice
HK USP 45

Second Choice

[sneakypete]

Is there really that much kick with the 45?

No. Seems like a lot of people try to convince others of this for some reason,but I've taught both 50 year old women and 13 year old girls how to shoot,and they enjoyed shooting my 45. I teach people about recoil being exaggerated by shooting a 12 guage shotgun one-handed. Seems like severe recoil is a genuine fear of people who have never done any (or much) shooting,and EVERYBODY has heard the tales about how "that 12 gauge kicked so much it knocked me down." When they see me shoot one with one-hand,they lose their fear of recoil and have fun.

[sneakypete]

"Snubbie revolvers - due to light weight - are often real troublesome;"

That is part of the reason it stays at home. Thanks for your advice.

I'm guessing from the above that some idiot talked you into buying a snubbie 357? If this is what you have,load it with 38 Specials and be done with it. You won't get magnum velocities out of that short barrel to start with. All you get is muzzle blast,recoil,and flame coming out the barrel.

My best advise to you is to forget all that "compact" crap. If you are going to get a "full-sized caliber",get a full-sized pistol with at least a 4 inch barrel so that you can learn to shoot it accurately. I don't give a damnwho you are,if you can't shoot your gun accurately,you won'tenjoy shooting it. Also,forget about 99% of the crap you hear about hollow-points and expanding bullets. If you put the bullet where it needs to go,it doesn't matter if it expands or not. The same is true if you DON'T put it where it needs to go.

If you are absolutely determined to get a smaller semi-auto,get a Makarov in 9x18 Makarov caliber. It's a $500 pistol in a $200 pistol box.VERY accurate and VERY reliable. If you get it in the original Mak caliber,you can find cheapo surplus Soviet ammo for target practice. About the only modification these things need are good grips.

BTW,this whole "compact" gun crap is mostly style over substance. I have small handguns like a Kel-Tec 9mm that I sometimes carry,but I either carry my 44 Special revlver with a 3 inch barrel,or one of my full-sized 1911A1's more often than anything else,and I have absolutely zero problems concealing them.

[sneakypete]

Guys,let's face it,the stuff like the Kimber Custom Compact are for dedicated AND experienced gun freaks. They ain't beginner guns. They cost a ton of money that is better spent by a newbie on ammo,they are harder to shoot accurately because of the shortened sighting plane,and their muzzle blast is painful.

Recoil doesn't bother me at all,but muzzle-blast takes ALL the fun away from shooting for me.

[sneakypete]

My secret desire is to competition shoot,

Even MORE reason to stay away from compacts!

[Flyer]

Are you in the Houston area? A number of the Houston FR Chapter go to the range on occasion. I know there are Sigs and Glocks in the mix. You could join us and try them out.

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[donozark]

May I suggest the CZ-75? Excellant pistol. Hi-cap mags can still be had. Accurate, dependable. JGSALES.com has 'em.

Also, the MAKAROV is the best $99 pistol ever made. Reliable as an AK. Excellant pillow/pack/console/carry pistol. Easy to clean and fairly accurate. Hornady makes some self-defense loads, as did Cor-Bon. Ups the "horsepower" so to speak. I have used it when introducing new shooters to the world of handguns. Minimal recoil, noise,etc. Builds confidence. Was standard issue Warsaw Pact weapon for years.

Enjoy,enjoy, whatever you choose.

[ParadigmLost]

If carry is your major interest, and money is not a problem. Take a look at these links about the H&K P7

http://www.parkcitiestactical.com/pct_faq.htm#9
http://www.hkpro.com/p7m8.htm

I know its not a .45, but it is worth you taking a look.

Here is a link to a forum of rabid P7 owners for more advice. ( Park Cities tactical, Cult of the P7 ) :)
http://www.parkcitiestactical.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=forum;f=10

[yarddog]

You are completely right about the Makarov, although I doubt you can still get them for $99.00 unless you are a dealer.

You are wrong about them being fairly accurate tho. They are extremely accurate. I wouldn't doubt they are the most accurate production, fighting type pistol ever made. I had a Russian made one which would put all it's shots in a single slightly enlarged hole at 30 feet. That is if I was very careful and shooting from a rest. This was using Russian surplus ammo too.

[TC Rider]

Get down to a range that rents guns and try them out.

If you like the point and boom interface of your revolver, you may like the Glocks. Most of the rest have external controls such as manual safeties, decockers, etc. These can be confusing under stress, unless you're willing to invest considerable time in training and practice. (not necesarily a bad thing for any firearm)

Like a revolver, when you pick up a loaded Glock and pull the trigger, it will go boom. (except it will go boom 11 times)

If you buy one of the 9mm Glocks you should be able to snag some preban magazines and then it will go boom many more times. Preban mags are in short supply for the .40 and .357 Sigs since they became available shortly before the ban went into affect.

Now go hang out at a range. My experience has been that if a pretty lady shows up at a range wanting to try a variety of handguns, she won't have to spend much on rentals.

[Knuckrider]

You have excellent taste, If you can handle the .357 you can handle the .45. You might try the Glock, I like the fact that there's no external safety, on the Glock other than the trigger. People have been known to forget safeties under duress (me included and I've been shooting for over fourty years), especially if your use to a revolver.

[Shooter 2.5]

Kimber came out with a "melted" model with the notion that the sharp edges would be smoothed out.
I think it just made a beautiful gun into something that looked completely worn out. I hate them. Not only that but the areas that do effect the hands and fingers such as the safeties and the slide release were not touched. I think it's a useless idea that someone tried to popularize.

[e_castillo]

Sig doesn't rate with the HK USP Compact in the 45. I have fired every Sig made and I have yet to find one I would buy. On the other habd I have fired quite a few rounds thru HK USP's and have found the two guns I fired very good weapons. On the down side they are large for CCW so My first choice over either of these would be a Kimber.

[Shooter 2.5]

I have never heard a bad thing said about Sigs and Kimbers[except for my little rant about the melted Kimber].

I asked someone at a Jeff Cooper class what was important on a gun and they said sights and trigger.

I would stay away from any plastic framed pistol but that's just me. I don't have a problem carrying a Colt Combat Commander all day long.

If you're going to shoot a lot, Dillon makes the RL 550B which is the ultimate in reloading machines.

Before you buy a pistol, go to an IDPA match and just watch what everyone is using. Everyone there will be more than happy to show you what they use and they might let you shoot a little.

Before you buy any pistol, make sure that you're using proper hand placement. On a 1911 style pistol the strong hand thumb should be on the frame mounted safety and the weak hand thumb should be just over the trigger on the frame. This is very important when switching from a revolver to a pistol.

What part of Texas are you located?

[Jack Black]

For Euro 45's both you picked are great. I'd probably go with the Sig of the two, I just don't like plastic. I do like steel, which is why this is my favorite Euro.45:

[Mulder]

Have you tried the Sig P239?

It's very accurate and easy to conceal. You can get it in 9mm, .40 caliber, or .357 Sig. It will run about $550.

[Atlas Sneezed]

"My advice to you is to go to an indoor range that allows you to rent guns...That is the best advice I can give."

And that is the best advice you will receive.

(Then buy the one you think is "cooler" since whichever one appeals most to you emotionally will be the one with which you practice and enjoy most. Buy the HK!)

And the HK USP compact 45 is not at all uncomfortable to shoot for most people. Also, consider the USP 40 LEM if you want a consistent light double action trigger pull like cops prefer.

[hosepipe]

Watch out for the 45 it will break your sun glasses
if your not careful. Only if your wearing them or have
them in a shirt pocket(lol).

[river rat]

As one who frequently slips some heat into a Jean or light jacket pocket - I liked the smoothed effort..

Kimber just needs to carry it the rest of the edges that cause problems.... Especially the front and rear sight. A non-snag hammer design would be nice too.

The safety and slide release on mine are in fact smoothed.

I suspect that since this model has the night sights mounted...they are using common "un-smoothed" design, since some like you don't like the functional smoothed approach!


As far as the appearance, I didn't buy the gun for the looks - but for the size, feel, weight, bite and reliability of Kimber. I am also rapidly attempting to spend my adult children's inheritance!

Different strokes for different folks....That's why Ford had to start offering colors other than black!

Semper Fi

[wardaddy]

I thought Purvis favored the .38 Super. I know his quarry Dillinger did.

[wardaddy]

Very nice...the first pic I've seen of one.