Really appreciate the advice from everyone.

So I went to the range today, I did not have too much time, but I did get to try the 92fs and the G17...I have to say, as it's been said before, I would go with the Beretta. The Glock17 had too much recoil for my liking, plus I didn't like the weight(too little) and the grip was uncomfortable. So I'm thinking about picking up an M9A1 in the coming days....HOWEVER, someone at the range has also suggest trying the Sig 1911...Any thoughts on that(in terms of reliability, durability, and ease of cleaning/disassembling-reassembling)? I wanted to try it, but I didn't have time today. Any and all opinions welcomed(and encouraged)! Thank you in advance!

Go with 15rds of 9mm for your first/everything gun. The 1911 platform is only 7-8rds of .45. The 1911's are nice but I wouldn't put them in the same category of reliability as the Glock 17 or Beretta 92. They are also more complex to break down and clean. Everyone needs a 1911, but that would be my second purchase.

If a Glock 17 has too much recoil for you, then you'll hate any 1911 because they will have even more recoil. Having said that, you probably have a heightened sensitivity to recoil right now only because you're a new shooter, and that will go away with practice. I'm assuming that you don't have some sort of physical ailment that makes you overly sensitive to recoil.

Thank you, knock on wood, no physical limitation. You're right, it was only my first time shooting, ever, so I was very sensitive to recoil. Also kept flinching the first few times when the gun would shoot, because of the noise, even with the ear mufflers. lol. Need to work on that, unfortunately only had 2 hours.

The M9 is a great starter gun. It would be heavy for daily carry, but for HD and the range it is a nice piece. 

 

Get an armorer's video for it somewhere and you will be able to break it all the way down to nuts and bolts.

I plan to dissect it, need to learn from the ground up. Btw, is there any difference between the M9A1 and the 92A1? I know is M is the military one, and 92 is civilian, but in terms of handling and round capacity is there any difference?

The M9 is a great starter gun. It would be heavy for daily carry, but for HD and the range it is a nice piece. 

 

Get an armorer's video for it somewhere and you will be able to break it all the way down to nuts and bolts.

I carried a Taurus PT 99 for 5-6 years concealed in plain clothes. Not hard if you use the right holster.

 

The only time to take any gun completely apart is when its broken. More so for anyone new to guns. You can easily do damage. Gunshots make regular money from people walking in with a bag of parts they can't get back together.

Btw, is there any difference between the M9A1 and the 92A1? I know is M is the military one, and 92 is civilian, but in terms of handling and round capacity is there any difference?

main practical differences are:

 

92A1 comes with:

 

- changeable front sight (dovetailed, in case you want to put a different front sight on it down the road, like Trijicons, etc)

- extra slot on the rail

- rounded trigger guard

- recoil buffer

- comes with (3) 17 round mags, which would have to be pinned to 15 anyway (unless you get the 10 round model)

- made in Italy

 

I, myself, and picking up a 92A1 tonight.  IMO, cant go wrong with either...I chose the 92A1 because of the replaceable front sight in case i want to swap it out down the road...

You might want to consider the Beretta PX4 Storm. Its a polymer frame pistol like the Glock 17 but with the same action, grip angle, and manual safety/decocker as the M9/92. It uses a rotating barrel. The recoil of the PX4 is comparable to the M9/92 in a lighter gun.

The PX4 Storm, that's a .45cal right? If so, I'd definitely want to give that a shot(pun intended!) at the range, since .45cal in a polymer gun would have quite a bit of recoil I would imagine. The Glock17 had too much recoil for my liking, keeping in mind it was only my first time shooting anything aside from a BB gun...ANyone have experience with PX4 Storm and it's recoil and reliability/ease of maintenance?

Px4 comes in 9mm, 40 and 45. I have one in 40 and I love it.

I really cannot emphasize enough the importance of getting some formal training right away, before you start ingraining bad habits into your shooting. Don't spend all you energy worrying about finding the "perfect" gun for your first one and push off training until after you've been shooting for months. After you get some training you'll realize the Glock 17 actually doesn't have much recoil and maybe after the training you'll want a completely different gun than you think is right for you now.

 

I also always recommend new shooters start with a .22 or get a 9mm and a .22 conversion kit.

Russell is correct. Getting some formal training will save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars in ammo you would have wasted trying to teach yourself.

If you haven't yet tried the CZ 75 you owe it to yourself to do so.  Ergonomically it fits like a glove, is inherently more accurate  than most shooters will ever be and is all steel so it eats up a great deal of recoil.  It is one the most widely copied designs in the world (prob as wide copied as the 1911 platform if not more so).  The Beretta is based on the CZ platform I believe.

 

I'm a fairly new gun owner as well and like you had never heard of CZ before.  I shot a friends and was very impressed.  I purchased mine last year, have but a lot of rounds through it in less than a year.  Never had one problem (failure to fire, failure to eject, etc).

 

Do yourself a favor and read up on CZ.  Very good value, very reliable, very accurate with a solid history and tested performance.  The CZ 75 SP01 is an updated version of the CZ 75.  It is a little more expensive ($600ish compared to $500ish) but is an incredible gun.

 

I shot out in Easton and if you want to met up to try it yourself feel free to PM me.

 

Check out this review of CZ 75B:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybT3wCzzB0M

 

And this review of the CZ 75 SP-01:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoGaMK9Mnng

I have both the Glock and the M9A1.  I like them both.  That said, the M9A1 is my favorite handgun, and it's also the one I shoot best with.  

Thank you for the all the advice and input! After reading through your contributions and suggestions, I've settled on the Beretta 92a1. I picked it up last week, and soon thereafter left for CA, I'll be back soon and look forward to getting to know my new friend at the range GW!

 

On a sidenote, I did look into the cz75, and it's definitely an impressive gun, but it's a bit more expensive, and I need to discipline myself financially at this point. Thanks again everyone!

 

 

 

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Did not see the last post

 

EDIT

Thank you for the all the advice and input! After reading through your contributions and suggestions, I've settled on the Beretta 92a1. I picked it up last week, and soon thereafter left for CA, I'll be back soon and look forward to getting to know my new friend at the range GW!

 

On a sidenote, I did look into the cz75, and it's definitely an impressive gun, but it's a bit more expensive, and I need to discipline myself financially at this point. Thanks again everyone!

 

 

 

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Good choice.  I got a 92FS as my first gun.  Easy to use, easy to clean.

^exactly my reasoning for buying it. Easy to use, easy to clean, and easy on the eyes! Plus they apparently last forever.

 

 

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