What handgun should I get?

[cosine]

I've been shooting intermittently for a few years now, and have just recently decided that I want to get serious with practicing, training, and possibly competing. My shooting experience up until now has been renting something at the local range for an hour a couple of times a year. I'm basically a blank slate in terms of equipment and experience. I don't have any monetary investment in any particular platform, such as hundreds of dollars sunk into holsters, magazines, and accessories. Nor do I have any significant experience (muscle memory) with any particular platform. About a month ago I started going to the range every weekend, renting 9mm pistols (gen 4 Glock 19, M&P9, XDM), and seeing what I did and didn't like. Out of those three I preferred the Glock 19. It points naturally for me, and the gen 4 grip fit my smallish hands (for a guy) decently. Besides shooting preference, the plethora of accessories for Glocks is also appealing. I also like the size of the Glock 19, not too small as to be uncomfortable for a lot of shooting, but not too big for defense and concealment. I intend to shoot about 100-200 rounds of 9mm per month, supplemented with a few hundred rounds of .22 per month to practice my fundamentals.

Price-wise, the mid-range price of a gen 4 Glock 19 is best for my budget. For the $900 of an HK I can get the Glock 19 and a lot of ammunition for practice. I'd like to stick with 9mm, unless the issues with the gen 4 Glock 23s have been iron out and I can be convinced that avoiding the issues with the gen 4 Glock 19s is worth the increased cost of .40 ammunition. I also prefer the operational simplicity of striker-fired pistols, although I'm not opposed to other actions if someone wants to convince me otherwise.

It just seems that, based on all the reading I've been doing, that purchasing a gen 4 Glock 19 is a bit of a crapshoot, with some pistols being fine and some have tons of troubles, including troubles that don't appear until 1000-4000 round have been shot through the pistol.

Given that I'm a blank slate that could start with pretty much anything, would it be worth it for me to make my investment in a gen 4 Glock 19 and accessories, or choose something else to avoid the Glock 19 issues?

Extra information: I'm one of those lucky shooters who are right-handed, but left-eye dominant. When I began shooting I made the decision to shoot from my left side instead of my right, and I've shot enough for it to be comfortable and natural for my left hand to be my primary hand and my right hand to be my support hand.

[theblacknight]

Sounds like you have all the info, you just need someone to tell you to buy it.


Buy a glock 19.

Glocks and M&Ps are still good guns, no matter what the internet says.

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

[Shokr21]

I was in roughly the same position as you were about 5 months ago. I went with the Gen 4 Glock 19. Fully aware of the possible problems I might encounter.

My g19 was proofed on 14 sept 2011. In the first 650 rounds I had 15 fte and errant ejection of brass. I replaced the 336 ejector with a 30274 ejector and 800 rounds since have been rather dull in terms of reliability. It shoots and ejects every time I want it to go bang.

I'd go with the g19 and never look back.

[_JD_]

We have one of the early Gen 4 19s, it needed to have the recoil spring replaced, other than that it's running strong and been put thought some decent use.

[GJM]

Assuming you want a Glock 19, and want the best chance of getting a pistol that runs out of the box, and continues to run for a long time, I would Google up the Glock serial number list, and buy a Pre 2010 Gen 3 through Gunbroker or another source.

[F-Trooper05]

I'm nowhere near comfortable enough to recommend new Glocks to my friends and family. Just this past weekend I was in a class with a guy who had a new Gen 3 that was flawless for the first 1,000 rounds, then all of a sudden it started malfunctioning in the class. Find a used Glock on Gunbroker and call it a day. That's my advice.

[l8apex]

I've lived with the G19 for many years now and have gotten to know them very well. The information you will find online regarding the issue of the Gen4 is valid.

I'd recommend finding a Gen3 or a more recent Gen4. Had the woes of an early Gen4 until it was resolved by the new ejector.

Spend the rest of your loot on getting training and ammo. Spend extra time on knowing the G19 in out as well as your ammo choices.

[lamarbrog]

As someone who has had minor, non-functional issues with a Gen3 Glock 19 in the ejection department, I will tell you to pick up a Glock 19 and don't look back. They're still a great pistol. Put it through its paces, if there are issues fix them, and get on with life. You won't regret it.

[Tony Muhlenkamp]

I would find a used Gen 3, (and in fact just bought two, a 17 and a 19) but the pistol is not the only part of the "system" to consider.

See this thread

http://pistol-forum.com/showthread.p...ping-Beginners

Today I would change my mag pouch recommendation to either the Sidearmor or the Comp-Tac as some of the other commenters suggested.
Good luck

[rob_s]

One of the biggest pitfalls to new gun owners is analysis paralysis. Simply, they get caught up in trying to find "perfect". It is unfortunate that neither S&W nor Glock can get their act together enough to make one or the other a clear, unequivocal, choice today. In fact, it downright pisses me off. But given that neither are perfect, you may as well choose either.

Things like "fit my hand", "points naturally", etc. are meaningless going forward. They only seem to matter until you finally figure out that they don't. What matters is getting a gun, spending some time on the range with it to ensure function, and then getting into a class. and resisting the temptation to "if only" this situation. Just stick it out with whatever you picked, it really doesn't matter what it is provided it goes bang with an acceptable level of reliability.

That choice that seems so overwhelmingly important when you're starting out is really one of the most insignificant choices in the long term. What matters FAR more is who you choose to begin your training with.