Buying two guns - same or different?

[larrygeary 0]

I'm a noob preparing for my first pistol purchases. I have my heart set on a Sig P226 in 40S&W, probably the standard model but I'm still looking. The primary use would be for home defense, but I'm also thinking ahead to WROL situations. In that event, I want to have a second pistol in 9mm since that ammo may be easier to find than 40S&W.

 

My question is whether the second gun should also be a Sig. For training purposes, it makes sense to standardize on one brand or model so there is less confusion about operation under stress. On the other hand, something different would be nice since I eventually want to have a small collection of higher-end guns. I've thought about a Glock, but I prefer the larger distance between hand and slide that the Sig provides for safety reasons. I'm not sure what other brands I should consider.

 

Any thoughts on this?

[Malsua 1,422]

My question...how much range time do you have on .40 vs 9mm?

 

While it's not going to be a problem shooting either, you may find that you don't enjoy shooting a .40 as much as the 9mm. I prefer a .45 or a 9mm to a .40. The .40s tend to have more muzzle flip whereas a .45 has more of a push. Shrug, it's all personal preference and I'm not recoil adverse, it's just an enjoyment thing for me and it may be for you as well. It's something you should experience before you plunk down your money and permits.

 

As for the gun brands, Sig, Glock, HK, SW M&P are all good brands and your final choice comes down to what you like to shoot the most. There is no particular right answer.

[dtown223 12]

As much sense as it makes to standardize your equipment for a doomsday scenario, diversify your collection a bit, it's alot more fun!

I suggest.. nay, DEMAND you get a .357 revolver

You'll thank me later

And if your really worried about SHTF, a rifle or shotgun should be the first priority.

[Clintoon Eastwood 2]

9mm since that ammo may be easier to find than 40S&W

 

You sure about that?

[wooly bugger 1]

Diversify! Is more fun. I don't see the big advantage to standardizing. It's not that hard to shoot different brands.

[Duppie 73]

To reiterate on the points Malsua made. Get some range time with both calibers and while you're at it on both all steel and polymer guns. Each preforms differently as you can imagine. I started out with 9mm polymer guns and now own all steel, I also now find that I like shooting .38 and .357 caliber but it can get expensive.

I guess it all comes down to personal preference but you won't be able to make a choice suitable to you until you've shot all the options.

Good luck.

[Smokin .50 1,907]

Welcome to the hobby! As others have said, go to a range that rents guns or find a friend and go use several make guns.

 

Keep something in mind: in a true SHTF scenario, having at least one gun of every popular caliber translates into more of a chance of being able to find something usable after the Zombies attack, lol!

 

People buy guns for many different reasons, and sometimes a minty used one comes along, so don't poo-poo used guns since there are lots of Safe Queens still out there....

 

Have fun!

 

Dave

[larrygeary 0]

My question...how much range time do you have on .40 vs 9mm?

 

Three magazines of 40S&W, no 9mm. I'm VERY new to this and just exploring options right now so I don't end up making an expensive mistake. I hope to shoot a 9mm Glock next week. I shot some 45ACP in my brother's gun and found I could control it better, but 45ACP limits me to about 10 rounds per mag. I also read that the 40S&W is slightly more effective than 9mm.

[larrygeary 0]

You sure about that?

 

I'm not sure about anything.

[mag1 0]

Three magazines of 40S&W, no 9mm. I'm VERY new to this and just exploring options right now so I don't end up making an expensive mistake. I hope to shoot a 9mm Glock next week. I shot some 45ACP in my brother's gun and found I could control it better, but 45ACP limits me to about 10 rounds per mag. I also read that the 40S&W is slightly more effective than 9mm.

 

Effectiveness depends on the ammo, and how good of a shot you are

 

9mm ammo was cheaper. Not sure now compared to .40 anymore.

I had the Sig you want. Sold it. Went to a 229. Sold it. Both .40.

Wanted to trade for a 9mm, no one would trade with me. Man they are heavy.

So went with HK. I only have 1 in 9mm, but I have 2 9mm on order, already paid, just waiting for delivery.

I like just having 2 calibers now. I hated having 3. Just my opinion, and Im still new at this game!

It sucked when I would go to the range, and try to shoot my sig, hk, 1911, and glock in nice groups. They all had diff sights, and all shot different. I was all over the paper. Now I bring 1 gun at a time and shoot the centers out of all of my targets, but took a long time.

[larrygeary 0]

As much sense as it makes to standardize your equipment for a doomsday scenario, diversify your collection a bit, it's alot more fun!

I suggest.. nay, DEMAND you get a .357 revolver

You'll thank me later

And if your really worried about SHTF, a rifle or shotgun should be the first priority.

 

I shot my brother's 357 Magnum, and found the trigger was so light I kept firing before I intended. (Error: Keep finger off trigger until target in sights. But then the gun would move as I moved my finger to the trigger.)

 

Yes, a rifle and shotgun are on the list of things to get, but I still have a lot to learn, and then there's training.

[FLHX 1]

I would say get one of each in every caliber by every manufacture that you like. I thing that diversity is the spice of life. If the SHTF and you have one in every caliber then when or if you find ammo you can use it, it would suck to find a 1000 rounds of 9 when all you had was a 40. That being said I have mostly all 9's and 45's so take it for what it's worth...not much!! Buy what you like!!!

[Jon 264]

I recently consolidated my calibers DOWN TO 11 calibers/gauges so yes, I believe in diversity.

[larrygeary 0]

Diversify! Is more fun. I don't see the big advantage to standardizing. It's not that hard to shoot different brands.

 

Here is my reasoning, and it may be stupid: In the event of a home break-in, it is faster to grab a second gun and continue shooting than to load a new mag into a single gun. In that case, having the second gun work exactly like the first (same position and operation of all controls, safeties, etc) means better performance in a stressful situation.

[larrygeary 0]

Welcome to the hobby! As others have said, go to a range that rents guns or find a friend and go use several make guns.

 

Doing that. I went to the Heritage Guild range in Easton, PA and rented the Sig 226. Next time I'll try a different 226 and a Glock. My brother comes with me so he can get back into practice. He hasn't shot in years.

 

Keep something in mind: in a true SHTF scenario, having at least one gun of every popular caliber translates into more of a chance of being able to find something usable after the Zombies attack, lol!

 

Don't zombies require a shotgun blast to the head?

[Duppie 73]

Here is my reasoning, and it may be stupid: In the event of a home break-in, it is faster to grab a second gun and continue shooting than to load a new mag into a single gun. In that case, having the second gun work exactly like the first (same position and operation of all controls, safeties, etc) means better performance in a stressful situation.

Makes sense.....However my feeling is, If I can't neutralize a possible threat in my own home with a mag of 10 to 15 JHP rounds...... I should not have a firearm in the first place. I fear you're over thinking it and I'm positive there will be others that disagree but get one for HD and the balance will come naturally after time.

I have a .357 for primary HD so my wife can effectively use it and the others while always loaded are just for fun.

[jdubsss 0]

I'm in a similar situation. I own a p229 in .40 and just recently purchased a Walther PPQ m2 in 9mm. They're very different guns (hammer da/sa vs striker fired, polymer vs steel/alumnium, ect.) but I can tell you from my perspective I look forward to shooting and enjoying both. If after a while I decide I prefer one platform greatly over the other I'll make a permanent switch.

 

Until then, shoot and enjoy yourself! Diversifying and finding out what works for YOU is the best way (IMHO) to go about things. You'll get 100 different opinions everywhere you ask this question

[jto966 1]

If you can't drop someone with 10-15. Get to the range!!!

And how do you think being able to pick up a different hand gun will be faster than dropping a clip and throwing in another?? You make me think that you'll be standind like you were at the range and that after shooting the first gun the second one is going to be right there for you to pick up. This puzzles me

[NJMac 0]

I agree with others that diversification is great. In two trips to different LGS in the last week I asked after 45 ACP, 45LC, 9 mm, and 38 ammo availability. One would sell me 1 box of 45 ACP and half of 45 LC, the other 1 45 ACP and 1 9mm. I'll also second a recommendation for a 357 revolver. Personally I enjoy revolvers and it gives you something that'll shoot 38 and 357.

[kahout 0]

As always, lots of great advice in this forum.

 

Check out Hickok45 on You Tube. He's a Glock guy but likes a lot of guns, reviews many and gives his own perspective.

[larrygeary 0]

Thanks for all the great answers guys. As I said, I'm taking things slowly and just learning right now. You are right that I am over-analyzing things, and frankly the talk of WROL has all kinds of crazy scenarios going through my head that probably don't make sense. I'll work on getting that first gun and practicing at the range as much as possible, then decide what the next logical step should be. Thanks again.

[kman 56]

If you want a P226 you can get the conversion slides from Sig and shoot .40 and 9mm and .22 out of the same gun. They work great.

 

Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using Tapatalk 2

 

 

[larrygeary 0]

If you want a P226 you can get the conversion slides from Sig and shoot .40 and 9mm and .22 out of the same gun. They work great.

 

Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using Tapatalk 2

That's a good option. I think I need to stick with .40 at the beginning so I can learn to control the gun with the more severe recoil/muzzle flip. Maybe switching to the 180 grain ammo from the 165 I got at the range would help at the start. I'll try that.

[kman 56]

In my experience starting out with a lesser recoiling round is better for developing marksmanship. Recoil makes it hard to develop an intuitive sense of whether a particular shot went well or went bad and why, and harder to get in the habit of a good follow through. Plus you can develop a flinch. This is why starting with .22 is such a good idea. Plus it is literally a numbers game. Shoot 10,000 rounds with good form and you are an expert. .22 is the only affordable way to do that. Shoot the same number of rounds with bad form and you are even worse off by the way because you will then have to un-learn the bad habits before learning the right way to do it. This is why a .22 slide is a good idea, you can shoot .22 and 9 or 40 in the same range session. That and having someone knowledgeable show you how and correct your form in the beginning whether it be training or a friend who knows what he is doing.

 

Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using Tapatalk 2

 

 

[varna 9]

If you want a P226 you can get the conversion slides from Sig and shoot .40 and 9mm and .22 out of the same gun. They work great.

 

Actually I was just going to post my choices for when my 2 permits get here and I already have a sig p226 classic 22lr and the 9mm X-Change kit on lay away. My theory is that I can plink all day gaining muscle memory, aiming, handling, and general operatrions of the gun in 22 form and just have to practice "some" in 9mm (for recoil) for much less money for ammo. This will be my basic HD gun. My wife will be getting a 9mm (something) for the obvious recoil reasons and what I was wondering is should I get the X-Change kit in 40 instead of 9mm? My original thought is same ammo makes it easier.....but...now with the way ammo is maybe having more choices is better. I know, I know, just get the X-Change kit in 9mm, 40, and 357sig........which I probably will do eventually. Pretty cool, one permit 4 different calibers, only one frame (with similar sights) to learn. Get this, it was cheaper to buy the 226 in 22lr AND the 9mm x-change kit than to buy the 226 in 9mm....go figure.

My other purchase I'm leaning towards is the Smith and Wesson Sheild in 9mm. Very hard to find, but once my permits get here I'll be scouring the state for one. I read that they have been having problems with the Sheild in 40 dropping mags while shooting. Anyone have experience with this?

Anyway, any comments, suggestions would be welcome.

I already have a Ruger Redhawk 44 mag and a Ruger LCR 38 special so it's time for some auto's.....

Oh, and hello...nice site!

[larrygeary 0]

BTW, does anyone know if the P226 comes with a speed loader for the mags?

[Wile E Coyote 0]

Actually I was just going to post my choices for when my 2 permits get here and I already have a sig p226 classic 22lr and the 9mm X-Change kit on lay away. My theory is that I can plink all day gaining muscle memory, aiming, handling, and general operatrions of the gun in 22 form and just have to practice "some" in 9mm (for recoil) for much less money for ammo. This will be my basic HD gun. My wife will be getting a 9mm (something) for the obvious recoil reasons and what I was wondering is should I get the X-Change kit in 40 instead of 9mm? My original thought is same ammo makes it easier.....but...now with the way ammo is maybe having more choices is better. I know, I know, just get the X-Change kit in 9mm, 40, and 357sig........which I probably will do eventually. Pretty cool, one permit 4 different calibers, only one frame (with similar sights) to learn. Get this, it was cheaper to buy the 226 in 22lr AND the 9mm x-change kit than to buy the 226 in 9mm....go figure.

My other purchase I'm leaning towards is the Smith and Wesson Sheild in 9mm. Very hard to find, but once my permits get here I'll be scouring the state for one. I read that they have been having problems with the Sheild in 40 dropping mags while shooting. Anyone have experience with this?

Anyway, any comments, suggestions would be welcome.

I already have a Ruger Redhawk 44 mag and a Ruger LCR 38 special so it's time for some auto's.....

Oh, and hello...nice site!

 

If you are going with a 226, I'd say definitely get it in .40 S&W. With a .40 you can buy a factory Sig barrel in .357 Sig and just drop it in. No new slide is necessary. If you want a 9mm you can order a conversion barrel from BarSto and drop that that in without an X-Change kit either. With a factory .40 the only thing you really need an X-Change kit would be for the .22LR.

[jdubsss 0]

BTW, does anyone know if the P226 comes with a speed loader for the mags?

 

I bought a 229 last year and it came with 2 mags and the hard case. That's it.

[Howard 538]

In this day and age of scarce ammo you are much better off having multiple calibers. Right now in many places it is almost impossible to find .22 cal or 9mm. So, what do you do if all you have are 9mm guns? I too am fairly new and I find that I can shoot just about equally bad with my .40 cal or 9mm