It's Been 40-Years...

[anonEmouse]

...since I've owned a gun. That means I haven't kept up on things at all. I've been shooting several times with friends, and am ready to purchase one so I'm not always using theirs.

The main use will be range, plinking, and home defense. From what I've read, a good all-around caliber is 9mm as it's large enough to be useful and common enough to be relatively cheap to shoot. I don't have a lot to spend, so Glocks, Sig Sauer's, and the like are not realistic purchases for me. My wife has never shot anything before, so the plan is to start her on a friend's .22. If she takes to it at all, she'll move to the 9mm quickly. Still, recoil should be kept to a minimum in whatever I choose. Another consideration will be grip size. Her hands are smaller than mine. For reference, the Bersa Thunder .380ACP fir her hand perfectly, while it felt too small for mine.

I had initially settled on the Ruger Security 9. Stretched the budget a bit, but seems to be well made from what I read. Grip was more to my liking but seemed small enough that it might work for my wife as well. (She won't go gun shopping with me.) Then I started reading about the S&W SD9VE. Not only is it available for less money, but seems to be well thought of in this price range. Now, I can't make up my mind. Any advice, information, caveats, etc.?

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[Mark W.]

Drag her into Arrons Silver Falls Pawn shop here in Town on Jersey st. VERY low key and he normally has a pretty good selection and really good prices plus hes a real nice guy to deal with. Both my son and I have bought from Arron a couple times. My son carries a Bersa .380

 

[KKG]

You might want to reconsider the Glock. A number of them are available and can be fitted with a .22 Rimfire conversion kit. Personally, I don't recommend the 9mm as a Defense round. .40S&W and .45ACP are both much better in my book.

 

[Medic!]

It sounds to me like you know what your doing.
But don't forget you can get a cheep used Glock with a lifetime worth of use left in it.

Check out our Handguns for sale section when you decide. Maybe get a deal.

And don't forget to read up on current gun laws in Oregon. Things have changed a lot. And there is no need to run afoul of the law.

Handgun Classifieds

 

[ItsLunchBOX]

Welcome! The new S&W M&P 2.0 pistols are pretty nice. The M&P Shields can be found at a really good price as well. What's your budget?

 

[ItsLunchBOX]

You might want to reconsider the Glock. A number of them are available and can be fitted with a .22 Rimfire conversion kit. Personally, I don't recommend the 9mm as a Defense round. .40S&W and .45ACP are both much better in my book.

you really think .40 is better than 9mm?

edit: much better??

I agree .45 is much more powerful but from all the comparisons I have read/watched over the years, 9mm vs. .40 they are pretty even.

 

[Otter]

On a whim I bought a Stoeger Cougar 9mm just because I sort of wanted a 9mm. Paid just under $400 new and have since seen them used in the $300 range. I have about 2,000 rounds through it and it has never failed to cycle or fire even one time.

Found out later Stoeger bought the manufacturing equipment from Berretta, move it to Turkey and now manufacture what is essentially an inexpensive Berretta pistol built to the exact same specs.

I do like a 40 better for self defense, but figure if you can't get it done with 15 rounds of good bullets out of a 9mm it won't get done anyway.

 

[KKG]

you really think .40 is better than 9mm?

edit: much better??

I agree .45 is much more powerful but from all the comparisons I have read/watched over the years, 9mm vs. .40 they are pretty even.

Yep, in my opinion the .40S&W is far superior to the 9mm. A 180gr. Bullet compared to the 115gr. at pretty much the same velocity - ya, the .40 is better.

 

[Medic!]

Can't believe it took 6 posts before this turned into a caliber debate?

 

[ItsLunchBOX]

Yep, in my opinion the .40S&W is far superior to the 9mm. A 180gr. Bullet compared to the 115gr. at pretty much the same velocity - ya, the .40 is better.

 

[KKG]

View attachment 448954

Well, for once you're right!

 

[ItsLunchBOX]

Well, for once you're right!

for once? harsh!!

 

[KKG]

for once? harsh!!

We We, maybe twice...

 

[anonEmouse]

I understand that when it comes to opinions on guns (like many other things), opinions abound. I must admit I was hoping to see most of the responses, alright, at least a few, directly related to the questions asked. Nevertheless, I'll try to give a bit more information hoping it might help.

The budget is about $300. Both the Security 9 and the SD9VE are within budget and seem to be well thought of in this price range. I like the confidence of buying a name I'm familiar with, rather than a product I'm not knowledgeable enough to have an opinion on. Both the Ruger and the S&W tick that box as well. I would like the opinions (with reasonable explanations) from those who have actually fired these guns to offer their thoughts on why they would choose one over the other. If you have another gun you think I should seriously consider for about $300, fine. Just don't expect me to wait until a Glock 19 comes up for sale for $300. That would be a long wait for a sweetheart deal. Don't mean to be unappreciative.

 

[slimmer13]

I understand that when it comes to opinions on guns (like many other things), opinions abound. I must admit I was hoping to see most of the responses, alright, at least a few, directly related to the questions asked. Nevertheless, I'll try to give a bit more information hoping it might help.

The budget is about $300. Both the Security 9 and the SD9VE are within budget and seem to be well thought of in this price range. I like the confidence of buying a name I'm familiar with, rather than a product I'm not knowledgeable enough to have an opinion on. Both the Ruger and the S&W tick that box as well. I would like the opinions (with reasonable explanations) from those who have actually fired these guns to offer their thoughts on why they would choose one over the other. If you have another gun you think I should seriously consider for about $300, fine. Just don't expect me to wait until a Glock 19 comes up for sale for $300. That would be a long wait for a sweetheart deal. Don't mean to be unappreciative.

Law enforcement trade in Glocks are pretty common and easy to find for around $300 if that's what you are really wanting.

Not trying to push you one way or another, jus an FYI

 

[FireArm]

Look online for police turn in 9mm glocks. Cheap. $300-$350.
Other wise the S&W 9mm sdv9e whatever they are calling this batch. Is a copy of a glock just like most polymer pistols. The Ruger security is another good option. Buy either. Another good option is a italian police turnin Beretta 92s $250-$300.
CDNNsports.com is Good resource for deals, check out the sale items. It will be cheaper than any store and sometimes shipping is free.
Good luck with the opinions here.

 

[Alexx1401]

...since I've owned a gun. That means I haven't kept up on things at all. I've been shooting several times with friends, and am ready to purchase one so I'm not always using theirs.

The main use will be range, plinking, and home defense. From what I've read, a good all-around caliber is 9mm as it's large enough to be useful and common enough to be relatively cheap to shoot. I don't have a lot to spend, so Glocks, Sig Sauer's, and the like are not realistic purchases for me. My wife has never shot anything before, so the plan is to start her on a friend's .22. If she takes to it at all, she'll move to the 9mm quickly. Still, recoil should be kept to a minimum in whatever I choose. Another consideration will be grip size. Her hands are smaller than mine. For reference, the Bersa Thunder .380ACP fir her hand perfectly, while it felt too small for mine.

I had initially settled on the Ruger Security 9. Stretched the budget a bit, but seems to be well made from what I read. Grip was more to my liking but seemed small enough that it might work for my wife as well. (She won't go gun shopping with me.) Then I started reading about the S&W SD9VE. Not only is it available for less money, but seems to be well thought of in this price range. Now, I can't make up my mind. Any advice, information, caveats, etc.?

Best advice is find a range that has rentals. No matter how much someone else loves any gun does not mean you will like it. If you head to a dealer and buy something based on someone else you may well end up with a gun you do not like. Then you are stuck as you can't just sell it like you used to be able to. Now you have to sell it with a background check making the sale harder. So find a range that has rentals. Take Wife with you. Rent some to try and see what you like before you buy.

 

[anonEmouse]

Clearly there's a love affair with Glock. Perhaps it's warranted, but I wouldn't know. I've seen the term "Police turn-in" in the classifieds, but know nothing about what that means. Sorry, too green to have that knowledge yet. I wanted to keep my first purchase simple, not expecting to find my perfect forever handgun. Perhaps I just need to go buy something and start there. $300 isn't much to work with I know. I can get the S&W SD9VE for $240, which leaves room in my budget for ammo and a cleaning kit. The warranty is a nice thing to have too.

 

[No_Regerts]

Clearly there's a love affair with Glock. Perhaps it's warranted, but I wouldn't know. I've seen the term "Police turn-in" in the classifieds, but know nothing about what that means. Sorry, too green to have that knowledge yet. I wanted to keep my first purchase simple, not expecting to find my perfect forever handgun. Perhaps I just need to go buy something and start there. $300 isn't much to work with I know. I can get the S&W SD9VE for $240, which leaves room in my budget for ammo and a cleaning kit. The warranty is a nice thing to have too.

Police trade-ins are guns that were owned by an agency and issued to its officers. When the requisite time elapses, the officers exchange their pistols for new ones. The used ones get sold tona distributor who sells them to the public. If you get one of the last run of that batch, you might get a nearly brand new gun for cheap.

 

[cigars]

I'm staying out of this one.