First handguns, my dad and I, recommendations? - Page 2

DadnMe · December 25, 2012, 10:48 PM

That's a good point. I'm losing excuses to get my .45 by the minute haha.

Merry Christmas everybody!

dgludwig · December 26, 2012, 02:46 PM

DadnMe, like some others have opined, for a first handgun, it's hard to beat a nice .22 revolver. Little recoil, cheap to shoot and, in a good platform, very accurate. You say you like "old stuff" (so do I), so my suggestion is to look for a Smith & Wesson K-22 Masterpiece (the Model 17 if made after 1957). In good to excellent condition they can be found for between five and six hundred dollars. Most came with 6" long barrels and all were fitted with great triggers and are superbly accurate. Finally, first gun or not, imo, every serious shooter should have at least one quality .22 rimfire handgun in their inventory.
And welcome to The Firing Line!

BigJimP · December 26, 2012, 05:32 PM

I have big hands as well...( but my feet are only a 14 ..) ...and I find all of the single action Colts way too small to fit my hands. My pinky finger ends up under the grip ...and I can't shoot them / they're too short in the grip area.

The single action revolver I went to ...was the Freedom Arms, made in Wyoming ...their model 83, is a large frame, 5 shot revolver...and available in a variety of calibers including .357 mag, .44 mag, .45 Colt, .454 Casull etc...and they're great guns. I had one made in a 4 3/4" octagonal barrel last year...great balance...and I had them do a full action job on it ..and the total bill came to a shade over $ 3,100 but its a great gun - and worth every penny in my opinion. Here is a photo of mine...

http://thefiringline.com/forums/atta...0&d=1339790943

But I will also tell you that my favorite double action revolver ...is a S&W model 27 in a 4" nickel / .357 mag....the model 27 S&W is a great gun / the big N frame makes it a good fit for me....and the N frame is also made in .44 mag ( the dirty harry guns - model 29's which I like as well ) ....but not .45 Colt...
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I think its good advice for your dad to consider a 9mm....lots of options out there....on the smaller side, a nice Sig 239 in 9mm is a nice gun - relativlely inexpensive in the $ 800 price range / there are a lot of nice 1911's out there - Wilson Combat is my favorite..check out their website. They have a lot of 4" and 5" guns...my personal carry gun is a Wilson CQB model full size, in .45 acp ....but I have some of their 5" guns in 9mm as well. Nice guns / good people to work with on custom orders.
-----------------
Reloading is a whole different conversation ...check out the line of equipment from Dillon .../ I like it a lot - especially the 650 press with a case feeder. Its a great machine / produces a lot of amm pretty quickly ....but reloading is a big part of this hobby for me...I reload 7 handgun calibers and 4 shotgun gagues. There are other presses out there - that is good stuff too ....like Hornaday, RCBS and Dillon. But for what its worth, I'd buy the Dillon 650 again.

357 Python · December 26, 2012, 06:12 PM

If you like the big calibers don't overlook the 44 Special or 44 Magnum since it will safely handle 44 Special as well. With that said it is difficult to beat a good high quality 357 Magnum. Of all the handguns I have, the 357 Magnum is my favorite (I have 6 of them).

BigJimP · December 27, 2012, 12:07 PM

I like the .357 mag caliber as well...and I have way too many ...
(9) ..including a Henry rifle in .357 mag....but its a fun caliber to shoot...

....and relatively inexpensive at around $ 8 a box if you reload - even with a premium 158 gr JHP bullet like Montana Gold.

I'm heading out to the range today ...with a model 27 nickel 4" in .357 mag (4 boxes )...and a 1911 in 9mm ...(5 boxes )....my office is really quiet - so I need a little indoor recreation !

December 26, 2012, 02:46 PM	#27
dgludwig Senior Member Join Date: February 12, 2005 Location: North central Ohio Posts: 7,486	DadnMe, like some others have opined, for a first handgun, it's hard to beat a nice .22 revolver. Little recoil, cheap to shoot and, in a good platform, very accurate. You say you like "old stuff" (so do I), so my suggestion is to look for a Smith & Wesson K-22 Masterpiece (the Model 17 if made after 1957). In good to excellent condition they can be found for between five and six hundred dollars. Most came with 6" long barrels and all were fitted with great triggers and are superbly accurate. Finally, first gun or not, imo, every serious shooter should have at least one quality .22 rimfire handgun in their inventory. And welcome to The Firing Line! __________________ ONLY AN ARMED PEOPLE CAN BE TRULY FREE ; ONLY AN UNARMED PEOPLE CAN EVER BE ENSLAVED ...Aristotle NRA Benefactor Life Member

December 26, 2012, 05:32 PM	#28
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	I have big hands as well...( but my feet are only a 14 ..) ...and I find all of the single action Colts way too small to fit my hands. My pinky finger ends up under the grip ...and I can't shoot them / they're too short in the grip area. The single action revolver I went to ...was the Freedom Arms, made in Wyoming ...their model 83, is a large frame, 5 shot revolver...and available in a variety of calibers including .357 mag, .44 mag, .45 Colt, .454 Casull etc...and they're great guns. I had one made in a 4 3/4" octagonal barrel last year...great balance...and I had them do a full action job on it ..and the total bill came to a shade over $ 3,100 but its a great gun - and worth every penny in my opinion. Here is a photo of mine... http://thefiringline.com/forums/atta...0&d=1339790943 But I will also tell you that my favorite double action revolver ...is a S&W model 27 in a 4" nickel / .357 mag....the model 27 S&W is a great gun / the big N frame makes it a good fit for me....and the N frame is also made in .44 mag ( the dirty harry guns - model 29's which I like as well ) ....but not .45 Colt... ------------------ I think its good advice for your dad to consider a 9mm....lots of options out there....on the smaller side, a nice Sig 239 in 9mm is a nice gun - relativlely inexpensive in the $ 800 price range / there are a lot of nice 1911's out there - Wilson Combat is my favorite..check out their website. They have a lot of 4" and 5" guns...my personal carry gun is a Wilson CQB model full size, in .45 acp ....but I have some of their 5" guns in 9mm as well. Nice guns / good people to work with on custom orders. ----------------- Reloading is a whole different conversation ...check out the line of equipment from Dillon .../ I like it a lot - especially the 650 press with a case feeder. Its a great machine / produces a lot of amm pretty quickly ....but reloading is a big part of this hobby for me...I reload 7 handgun calibers and 4 shotgun gagues. There are other presses out there - that is good stuff too ....like Hornaday, RCBS and Dillon. But for what its worth, I'd buy the Dillon 650 again. Last edited by BigJimP; December 26, 2012 at 05:38 PM.

December 25, 2012, 10:48 PM	#26
DadnMe Junior Member Join Date: December 13, 2012 Posts: 4	That's a good point. I'm losing excuses to get my .45 by the minute haha. Merry Christmas everybody!

December 26, 2012, 06:12 PM	#29
357 Python Senior Member Join Date: June 7, 2007 Location: Charlottesville, VA Posts: 941	If you like the big calibers don't overlook the 44 Special or 44 Magnum since it will safely handle 44 Special as well. With that said it is difficult to beat a good high quality 357 Magnum. Of all the handguns I have, the 357 Magnum is my favorite (I have 6 of them).

December 27, 2012, 12:07 PM	#30
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	I like the .357 mag caliber as well...and I have way too many ... (9) ..including a Henry rifle in .357 mag....but its a fun caliber to shoot... ....and relatively inexpensive at around $ 8 a box if you reload - even with a premium 158 gr JHP bullet like Montana Gold. I'm heading out to the range today ...with a model 27 nickel 4" in .357 mag (4 boxes )...and a 1911 in 9mm ...(5 boxes )....my office is really quiet - so I need a little indoor recreation !