first pistol advice

Semi automatic and single shot handguns, revolvers and other pistols

first pistol advice

Post by rezagh » 24 Jul 2016, 8:47 pm

Hi guy,

I have got my PTA finally and in the market for my first .22 pistol. Currently looking at:

Hammerli Xesse Standard
Beretta 87 Target
WALTHER PPQ M2
BROWNING BUCKMARK

They are all within my budget of low $1000.

I am not looking to become champion in competitions but still want to improve my scores and not just plinking.
In my club there are a lot of Hammerli and Buckmark but I though I would still ask around.

Any suggestions would be highly appreciated.
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Re: first pistol advice

Post by Cryptic » 25 Jul 2016, 9:37 am

The rugers 22/45 seem abundant at my range and are not bad shooters.
I went with a 357 for my first as I gave up my hunt for a 22 revolver in a good price range I liked. Not long after ruger bring out a 22 gp100 FFS.
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Re: first pistol advice

Post by Wylie27 » 25 Jul 2016, 10:35 am

rezagh,

What kind of shooting are you looking at?

the PPQ in .22 i own and its a good shot, however it is not an Olympic (ISSF) gun.
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Re: first pistol advice

Post by GLS_1956 » 25 Jul 2016, 2:36 pm

I've had the Browning Buckmark since the first year they came out. Mine has poorer sights in it than are now standard. but it is a great gun to shoot and I will always recommend the gun. Two other semiautos I have are a Ruger Government Model Target pistol, that particular model is no longer offered. It is a Mark II but there are Mark III target gun available if you want to go the target route but I have shot the Mark III standard pistol and they are good guns as well, my personal favorite was a friends six-inch tapered barreled model. The third semiauto I have is a Colt/Walther 1911 22/45 Rail Gun. Made by Walther in Germany and marketed in the USA with the Colt Rampart it look like the 5 inch barreled 1911 Rail Gun Colt offers, with all the controls in the right places if your thinking of getting a 1911 platform in the future it would be a good gun to think about.
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Re: first pistol advice

Post by brett1868 » 25 Jul 2016, 4:36 pm

Welcome aboard. What club are you shooting with? This your first pistol or another for the collection? I have a Beretta 87 Target and a Ruger MkIII competition and without doubt my favourite has to be the Beretta. I like it better because, it feels great in my hand, very accurate, so far very reliable, easy to clean (compared to MkIII) and has similar look and feel to a 1911 pistol. Don't discount the 22LR revolvers either as there's quite a good selection on the market.
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Re: first pistol advice

Post by rezagh » 25 Jul 2016, 5:47 pm

Thanks guys for your answers. I am with St Ives Pistol Club and this will be my first ever pistol. So far I have done .22 sport and standard matches.
No sure what I will do next. I think they are all ISSF but not quite sure what does that mean in terms of pistol type?
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Re: first pistol advice

Post by brett1868 » 25 Jul 2016, 6:33 pm

Now the retardation of NSW Pistol licensing legislation, you can buy 2 pistols during your probation period. They both have to be the same type though, either centre fire, rimfire or air. Ideally you'd buy a rimfire to practise and compete in rimfire events and a centre fire for when you need a bit more power but NO that would make too much sense. That said, are you set on buying a 22 pistol and living with it for the next 7+ months? I shoot service, precision, metallic silhouette and will soon have a shot at IPSC so maybe think about the comps that interest you and purchase the most appropriate pistol for that.
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Re: first pistol advice

Post by bigM » 25 Jul 2016, 7:01 pm

All of these pistols are good general purpose if you are planning on shooting Service or IPSC later.
Not so much if you want to shoot ISSF.
The thing is of course that at this stage you do not really know what disciplines you want to shoot.

I think a $1000 limit for your first pistol is a good idea.
It may come down to what is currently available as you do not want to wait 6 months when you are itching to get going.
I would not recommend a second hand pistol as a first gun.There is a lot of shot out rubbish around.

It is all a learning process and you need to shoot a lot of rounds to improve.
Buy 500 round bricks and shoot the sh*t out of it.

I have Ruger 22/45 ($550) and a CZ Kadet ($1000) if you want to try them.

See you on E range.
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Re: first pistol advice

Post by rezagh » 26 Jul 2016, 7:15 am

Sorry to ask a naive question but according to http://targetshooting.ca/docs/ISSF_Pistol_Specs_rev.pdf there seems to be nothing wrong with WALTHER PPQ M2 to be ISSF qualified?
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Re: first pistol advice

Post by bluerob » 26 Jul 2016, 8:25 am

rezagh wrote:Sorry to ask a naive question but according to http://targetshooting.ca/docs/ISSF_Pistol_Specs_rev.pdf there seems to be nothing wrong with WALTHER PPQ M2 to be ISSF qualified?


I've got one of these and use it as cheap practice gun for my 9mm.

Whilst you might be able to shoot this pistol in ISSF, unless you're an incredible shot or damn lucky, they aren't designed for this type of shooting and your scorinb won't be good. I've seen this 1000 times. People buy a toy and find that its useless in one match, but, a gem in another.

I always say to newbie club members "buy a precision .22 if you like 1 handed matches (ISSF etc) or buy a decent semi auto or revolver for other matches."

As Brett pointed out, in NSW, we have ridiculous laws concerning what you can own when you start out (can't have both CF & a RF).

If you enjoy the one handed matches, look at the Walther precision pistols. They aren't cheap (because they are excellent quality) and you'll shoot reasonably well. Use European ammo in European guns (SK match is a favorite of mine).

You'll love pistols. Best fun you can have with your clothes on.
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Re: first pistol advice

Post by Wylie27 » 26 Jul 2016, 12:50 pm

I own a ppq and it's a nice pistol and reasonably accurate. But it's not ISSF accurate :)
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Re: first pistol advice

Post by bigM » 26 Jul 2016, 7:27 pm

You can shoot a lot of models in ISSF but for a ISSF pistol capable of getting good scores in an experienced hand you need to pay a little more than your budget.
For an ISSF pistol in good second hand condition you are realistically talking about $1500 plus.

My partner was looking for a good second hand ISSF gun.
She saw a few Paradinis for $1800 but they all sold before we could look at them.
She ended up buying a new Paradini SP for $2500.

If you are committed to ISSF then this is a reasonable amount to spend.
The problem is that you probably have not made your mind up on what disciplines you want to shoot yet.
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Re: first pistol advice

Post by wrenchman » 27 Jul 2016, 3:03 am

these are starting to be poppuler
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Re: first pistol advice

Post by brett1868 » 27 Jul 2016, 11:14 am

Nice looking little pistol Wrenchman and at $720 would be hard to pass up. The takedown has to be one of the easiest I've seen which is important cause I know the bigger the pain to strip the less chance it's going to get cleaned as often as it needed.
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Re: first pistol advice

Post by rezagh » 27 Jul 2016, 12:26 pm

Thanks guys for all the advice and suggestions. For ISSF on .22 I might narrow down to the following considering price and look and feel too!

Hammerli Xesse Standard
Beretta 87 Target
BROWNING BUCKMARK
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Re: first pistol advice

Post by brett1868 » 28 Jul 2016, 12:13 am

Rezagh, if you can get out to St Mary's one evening let me know and I'll bring the Beretta 87 and Ruger MkIII Competition for you to try. I'm not sure if the Beretta is up to ISSF accuracy but it's a joy to shoot, I can put 10 into an inch @ 10m using RWS ammo. The Ruger is nice but since it's a right pain to clean I don't shoot it much, happy to bring a few centre fires as well to spice things up. Drop me a PM if you're keen, I'm away from Wed 3rd till Monday 8th so anytime outside those days is good.
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Re: first pistol advice

Post by Bigfoot » 05 Aug 2016, 2:04 pm

If you're set on a .22 I'd recommend a Ruger or buck mark. Considering you're at St. Ives you might want to go meet the IPSC guys first. St Ives is one of the most active and best IPSC clubs so if you like that side of our sport you might want to get straight into a centre fire.
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Re: first pistol advice

Post by gunnerjacky » 08 Aug 2016, 5:50 pm

I have gone through some websites to know which handgun is best for the first time owners. I got into the conclusion that Glock 19 Gen 4 is the top choice of most people.
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Re: first pistol advice

Post by ItsMe » 08 Aug 2016, 6:33 pm

@gunneryjacky you're right, a lot of people do go for a Glock.

Personally, I prefer something with a little more weight, like perhaps a CZ Shadow. The CZs are similarly priced to the Glock and have just as many parts and mods available.
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Re: first pistol advice

Post by GLS_1956 » 08 Aug 2016, 6:38 pm

First pistol, handgun, should be in 22 Long Rifle. I am a firm believer in this. I know that that that simply increases the cost of gun ownership with you starting small and having to go and buy bigger but the 22LR has too many advantages to pass up. The guns generally cost less, the ammo cost less and with lower cost per shot means you shoot more and gain confidence. The guns recoil less which makes them more enjoyable to shoot which means you shoot more, remember that less expensive ammo, and get to be a better shot. They are not as loud which gives you the same benefits as having lower recoil.
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Re: first pistol advice

Post by wrenchman » 10 Aug 2016, 2:08 am

my first hand gun was a ruger mk and would have no problim with one again.
brett there are lots of after market parts for the sw victory becouse of the easy take down and its a rather new gun on the market.
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