The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > Hogan's Alley > Handguns: General Handgun Forum

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old December 20, 2012, 05:51 PM   #1
91NWhawksfan
Junior Member
 
Join Date: December 20, 2012
Posts: 5
First time handgun

Hello, I am new to the forums and I have never owned a gun before, but I have been to the range and have shot a variety of guns: A couple small .22 rifles, 12 guage pump action shotgun, Taurus Titanium 9mm, and a Kimber Classic 45

This will be changing very soon though as I am planning on buying a handgun for home self defense/carrie purposes.

I am looking for something in the price range of 200-350, but I want a reliable gun that isn't going to jam up on me when I need it most in a life or death situation. I also want a gun that I can take to the range and have target practice with, and preferably a gun that doesn't have to much recoil. When I shot the Kimber 45 my hands were stinging after only a few rounds, want something more comfortable than that.

A couple guns that I have been looking at are:

Taurus PT111

Kel Tec PF9

Kel Tec P11

Does anyone have any experience with any of these guns or have any suggestions for others to look at?
91NWhawksfan is offline  
Old December 20, 2012, 06:21 PM   #2
TheNocturnus
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 29, 2011
Location: Missouri
Posts: 1,097
I have owned all 3 of those guns at one time or another. The Taurus PT111 I had was garbage. It could not get through a magazine without jamming and eventually the extractor broke. After fixing the extractor it still had feeding issues.

Both the Kel Tec PF9 and P11 were great guns for me. They do have a bit of kick since they weigh very little and they have long trigger pulls. The PF9 is slimmer and holds less rounds than the P11.

So to sum up my experiences:

Taurus PT111: Garbage

Kel Tec PF9: Limited Capacity (7+1 rounds), Long Trigger Pull, Easy to Carry, Reliable.

Kel Tec P11: Decent Capacity (10+1 rounds), Long Trigger Pull, Easy to Carry, Reliable.


Also do not forget that you can get a decent police trade in Glock for about $300.
__________________
My EDC:
Gun
Wallet
Brain (Use this one the most)
TheNocturnus is offline  
Old December 20, 2012, 06:40 PM   #3
91NWhawksfan
Junior Member
 
Join Date: December 20, 2012
Posts: 5
Where would I go to find those police trade in guns? Are there any online sites
91NWhawksfan is offline  
Old December 20, 2012, 06:54 PM   #4
SauerGrapes
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 22, 2009
Location: S.E.PA.
Posts: 920
Take a look at some Rugers. Your price range is going to knock out just about anything i would suggest. Although I do carry a PT709 in the summer. Mine has been a rock solid carry gun but I never tell people, go out and buy one.
As far as I'm concerned, Keltecs are garbage. I've shot some and can't stand any of them. I know lots of guys like them which is fine.
I've shot the PT111 and found it satisfactory. I just never reccomend Taurus guns even though I like some of them and own one. Especially as a new handgun owner.
For a first gun in your range, check out a Ruger. Even if you have a problem with it, they are very good with customer service from what I've read.

I have no idea where you find police trades other then just scanning the internet. I own 3 police trades that I found on the internet. Mine are all 3rd generation S&W's. Utterly fantastic guns, but very heavy to carry. I carry my S&W 4006 all the time in cooler weather.
__________________
NRA member, DCF&S member, PAFOA member, USPSA member, NSCA member

R.I.P.____Murphy

Last edited by SauerGrapes; December 20, 2012 at 07:00 PM.
SauerGrapes is offline  
Old December 20, 2012, 07:10 PM   #5
91NWhawksfan
Junior Member
 
Join Date: December 20, 2012
Posts: 5
Sauer Graps I have been looking at the Ruger P95 and have heard good things, do you know anything about that gun? Seems like they are hard to fine though
91NWhawksfan is offline  
Old December 20, 2012, 08:07 PM   #6
marine6680
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 24, 2012
Location: Parker, CO
Posts: 4,594
The Ruger pistols are a good choice for limited budget... as they are good quality, and Ruger is known to stand behind their firearms.

As far as carry... the LC9 is a good choice, and it can serve the home defense role if you only own the one pistol.

I seen them going for $350 at a gun show last weekend, prices from good online sellers should be similar.

If you can go a little larger, the SR9C is a good choice. It has a shorter grip than the normal SR9 for carry, and it comes with a longer magazine that has a sleeve to lengthen the grip to normal for home and range. They do cost a bit more, a little more than $400.

The used market can be a good way to go, though I feel that new owners need to be extra wary, and have experienced help go along if possible.
marine6680 is offline  
Old December 20, 2012, 08:26 PM   #7
allenomics
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 20, 2007
Posts: 1,536
I'd recommend a Ruger LC9. It's a bit larger than the Kel-Tecks, well made and easier to shoot, and it may have better long-term reliability. The Kel-Tecs you referenced are cheap and reliable, but not that comfortable to shoot. Taurus still has a reputation of being a real budget gun, a third or fourth choice for many shooters. Try to fire each of the guns and see for yourself.
__________________
NRA Benefactor Life Member
Knowledge is not power. Applied knowledge is power!
allenomics is offline  
Old December 21, 2012, 07:59 AM   #8
loose_holster_dan
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 5, 2011
Location: NE Ohio
Posts: 2,461
Quote:
Taurus PT111: Garbage

Kel Tec PF9: Limited Capacity (7+1 rounds), Long Trigger Pull, Easy to Carry, Reliable.

Kel Tec P11: Decent Capacity (10+1 rounds), Long Trigger Pull, Easy to Carry, Reliable.


Also do not forget that you can get a decent police trade in Glock for about $300.
i agree with most of this. the keltecs need the aluminum trigger upgrade before i would call them anything but torturous. 2 weeks ago, you may have been able to get police trade glocks for $300. not anymore.

if you decide the pf-9 is the way to go, click on my link below. i have a pf-9 already upgraded with any accessories you would ever need.
__________________
Favorite range gun for the money - CZ 75B or STI Spartan V 9mm
Go-to carry setup - Walther PPS or PPQ in FIST kydex holster 1AK
Favorite semi-auto design - HK P7
"A Sig is like a lightsaber - not as clumsy or random as a Glock."
loose_holster_dan is offline  
Old December 21, 2012, 11:10 AM   #9
HisDudeness
Member
 
Join Date: March 27, 2012
Posts: 66
The Kel-Tecs you mentioned are very snappy and can be difficult to shoot well. However they do excel in their role as a deep concealment carry piece. Since you mentioned the desire to shoot often to familiarize yourself, I would stick with 9mm. Many find it easier to shoot than the 45 you mentioned as well. In my honest opinion, what makes a good carry piece does not make a good home defense firearm. This would also depend greatly upon your usual dress code where you live. For this reason I choose to have a separate firearm for each role, both in the same caliber.

Good luck
HisDudeness is offline  
Old December 21, 2012, 05:07 PM   #10
tcttcf
Junior Member
 
Join Date: December 6, 2012
Posts: 6
Better yet

Buy a Glock, they are simple to take care of, very accurate , and the glock 17 is the most popular handgun in the world
tcttcf is offline  
Old December 24, 2012, 12:40 AM   #11
jmhyer
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 19, 2012
Location: MS - USA
Posts: 899
My suggestion is to wait a while and save a couple hundred more dollars. At that point, your options will be much more plentiful.
jmhyer is offline  
Old December 24, 2012, 01:41 AM   #12
Perturbed Panda
Member
 
Join Date: December 15, 2012
Location: WI
Posts: 42
You might want to take a look at Kahrs. A CW9 NIB will run you right around $400 new, so slightly above your budget. They are a solid gun straight out of the box.
Perturbed Panda is offline  
Old December 24, 2012, 02:44 AM   #13
imthegrumpyone
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 3, 2007
Location: spring tx
Posts: 1,037
Have (2) Kel-Tecs P-40s I carry (only one at a time) stake my life on them, there hard to find at times you can look on Gun Broker. There are snappy but you have to remember they're not range guns, they're to save a life. What ever you do, take your time and look, don't buy the first gun that sparkles in your eyes.
__________________
chambered and unlocked
imthegrumpyone is offline  
Old December 25, 2012, 04:23 PM   #14
TennJed
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 26, 2010
Posts: 1,536
The kel tecs are good guns for the money but the recoil is pretty stout for a first time owner. Look at a Ruger P95
__________________
Find out just how tall I am
By jumping in the middle of a river
TennJed is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 07:15 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.10214 seconds with 10 queries