First handgun, need input

[Truegiant]

You have to man, when the day comes i have to shoot someone i want them to go down!

It doesnt matter, if when that day comes you only end up shooting him in the leg once out of 10-15 bullets because you never went to the range and practiced. I would take 10 guys into battle who all owned high points, if they could consecutively hit a 8" pie plate at 25yds on the move.

Unlike most other people out there who think they know shit about handguns and make stupid comments like, get a .40 for personal protection.

Go to a range and rent 5-6 guns. Shoot 100 rounds out of each gun. See if the range place has a holster you can throw them in and walk around, sit in a chair, sit in your car, run around the building and see which one fits you the best. Why buy a Glock 23 if you cannot even fit your man hands on it? Why buy a 1911 if for the life of you, yo ucannot hit the broad side of a barn.

Dont fall into the hype of buying guns off of internet research. I feel i am a pretty damn good shot and there are some guns out there that I cannot hit shit with consistently. Anyone can shoot small groups from a rest hitting paper under no stress conditions. The same doesnt apply when your hands are sweaty, hearts racing, there is little to no light, and the target isnt sitting still.

End rant =

[DamnDisLaOsBoY]

It doesnt matter, if when that day comes you only end up shooting him in the leg once out of 10-15 bullets because you never went to the range and practiced. I would take 10 guys into battle who all owned high points, if they could consecutively hit a 8" pie plate at 25yds on the move.

Unlike most other people out there who think they know shit about handguns and make stupid comments like, get a .40 for personal protection.

Go to a range and rent 5-6 guns. Shoot 100 rounds out of each gun. See if the range place has a holster you can throw them in and walk around, sit in a chair, sit in your car, run around the building and see which one fits you the best. Why buy a Glock 23 if you cannot even fit your man hands on it? Why buy a 1911 if for the life of you, yo ucannot hit the broad side of a barn.

Dont fall into the hype of buying guns off of internet research. I feel i am a pretty damn good shot and there are some guns out there that I cannot hit shit with consistently. Anyone can shoot small groups from a rest hitting paper under no stress conditions. The same doesnt apply when your hands are sweaty, hearts racing, there is little to no light, and the target isnt sitting still.

End rant =

x2... I know swat guys that qualify at 99% all day. When they are getting shot at or in a real scenario, they say that they would rate their percentage at about a 70%.

I was once into the hype of caliber size, power of a pistol, damage it can do, etc. Once i put money forward into shooting often, I find out that everything i used to think is a buncha BS. Like truegiant says. rents a few guns and see which ones fits your hand, comfort, and accuracy best. Everyones frame is different! I see like 6'8" 300+ lbs guys carrying sub compact guns just so they can "conceal better" shoot with about 2-3 fingers dangling below their pistol. Everyone is overly hyped on everyone else's feedback and label whoring!

[Truegiant]

x2... I know swat guys that qualify at 99% all day. When they are getting shot at or in a real scenario, they say that they would rate their percentage at about a 70%.

70% is a high number depending on the type of training or scenario. I can tell you that when i joined the military and first started going to stress shoot ranges i probably could hit 10-15% of my targets. Take into consideration that we run 2 miles in full gear, drag a 200lb dummy, shoot 50rds, apply first aid to a casualty, and then shoot 150-200 more rounds. So with all that being said your engaging targets anywhere from 10-200yds on the move. 10% is not good at all. After being in the military for a few years and shooting alot of 5.56 I could gestimate that my percentage would of been around 40%. Same scenarios just a little better technique and alot more practice.

HERE I AM GOING TO BE TALKING IN A VERY STERILE MANNER!

After going to combat and actually engaging the enemy I realized two things.
Murphys Law of Combat states no original plan ever survives initial contact. Meaning you must always have a plan b. The first time I was shot at my training kicked in. Everyone wants to be a sniper and do the good ole one shot one kill. We started taking pop shots at a guy who was approx 200yds away. Assuming he was the one who took the initial shot of course. I moved my team across the village to clear the building he was in and unfortunately found out there was alot more than 1 guy!

Second thing i realized is that the first 10' are alot more important than the last 10yds. Why be so focused on shooting at 100yds if you cannot consistently hit targets at 10'. Why worry about shooting the dick off of a hummingbird in all but pristine conditions when you cannot shoot the perp who is going after your kids when its dark out.

I see to many people who go to ranges and shoot in every position except the ones that matter. Are you really going to tell the bad guy kicking down your door to hold on while you go pull your gun out of the box, load the magazine, insert the magazine, take up a good ransom rest, and fire? I mean seriously. WHY DOES EVERYONE spend there $1k budget on a gun solely on the gun. Why not buy a $400 used pistol, holster, ammo, targets, and training? HOLY SHIT!! Why buy a $2k beater car and spend $300 a month on parts/maintenance when you can buy a $15k nice car and only have the $300 a month payment.

Some people just make no sense to me at ALL!

I am overly joyed that people are going out and buying handguns and making an attempt to arm themselves in this day and age, but please PLEASE take the time to do the proper training. Dont be a hero, there is always someone who knows more than you. Internet research doesnt mean you know shit! You are educated but have no experience. You know what we call those guys in the military.. Lieutenants.

[Slomaro Z28]

If I have to defend myself, I would rather have a aluminum baseball bat opposed to a wiffle ball bat........get a .357, .380, .40 or a .45 if it's for protection

[Danny]

If I have to defend myself, I would rather have a aluminum baseball bat opposed to a wiffle ball bat........get a .357, .380, .40 or a .45 if it's for protection

Yep, but one should not forget that just because u own a baseball bat doesn't mean you know how to play ball.

[Danny]

x2... I know swat guys that qualify at 99% all day.

i qualified 99.3% my first and only run through the GA police qual. And im not a very good shooter. I have also heard that you can expect to loose about 30% of your skill under a real scenario.

I took some training last year that was simunition rounds and live actors, where you walk into scenarios blind. I was surprised how effective the scenarios were are kicking addreiline and stress into overdrive. It also prooves that you "will NOT rise to the occasion, you will revert toyour level of training". cant remember who said that, but its true. Keeps a reality check that none of us are superman, and that we wont become instant badasses, we will simply revert to whatever level of training we have invested in.

FWIW all my shots were on target, I only died once (damn suicide bomber), and I shoved 2 sim rounds through an actors eye sockets while he was holding my "wife" at gun point (only student to end that scenario with out bloodshed of innocents lol). The head shot again prooves you revert to your level of training, i was taught that outside the nose/eye triangle is a miss. I can HIGHLY recommend force-on-force training as the best training you can invest in above and beyond basic weapon manipulations and competency.

ok enough for now, dont wanna sound like a salesman.