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Next Handgun Purchase

I already own a Glock 19/Gen 3 and absolutely love it. Feels like am extension of my hands. I am a huge fan of Glock, but open to other suggestions. I am attending a gun show tomorrow morning here in Winter Haven and plan of picking up another gun(or 2). I have my eye on either a .40 or a .22. I realize the issues with finding 22 ammo and where. I'm at .40 is more prevalent . This seems to be the case everywhere

I,have my conceal,and am comfortable with the 9mm that I have at this time.

i would prefer the 22 if. I could find a couple thousand rounds off the bat, them I'd feel ok.

I guess I'll scout out the gun show and see what's there. Will update thread tomorrow.

Any suggestions? I'm open to anything. I know I don't want another 9 at this time.

Also, I don't think I'd like a revolver at this juncture. Still too new for me and I haven't shot a revolver. I was comfortable with shooting m

I'd like to extend my armory to 3 handguns, an appropriate amount if mags, and at least 2500 rounds for,each.

Let me hear your thoughts. Thanks in advance.
 
A .22 is a must have, Ruger or Buckmark spring to mind as solid and reliable companions.

Don't discount a good revolver either. A S&W 357 is a delight to use and you don't have to chase brass either.
 
with ammunition going where ever it is going, I would get into ammunition reloading.
but a .22 is very nice.
 

Toothpick

Needs milk and a bidet!
Staff member
I don't know what the ammo supply is like in Florida but I can tell you with 100% certainty you will not go to a store in IL or TN and pick up a couple thousand rounds of .22 ammo. Even if you find it in stock, there is a limit.
I've had some luck buying online, but even there you've got a limit. and it's usually 1 brick.

That being said I still bought a .22 rifle. And I still want a .22 pistol. Ruger 22/45 is in my sights.

Back to the ammo, I've seen lots of .40, .45, and even some 9mm in the wild.
and all the shotgun ammo you want
 
This might help some. Ammo is starting to level out, 9mm is still trickling but it should be out there in a month or two. I would buy what I could afford as the price comes down and stock the max my budget could handle. Then when going to shoot buy the ammo you will use, leave the stockpile alone for panic buy times. Properly stored it is like buying gold (When gold is at a norm price, maybe $800), it will hold and increase in value.



http://ammoseek.com/
 
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9mm is in full stock in walmart here. .45acp is in OK stock. .22lr? NONE!

Right now, I would not buy a .22lr if you don't have ammo.
 
I have a Ruger Mark III .22lr pistol that I like pretty well. Great for plinking. I might suggest taking a look at the Berretta PX4. It's available in 9mm, .40 and .45. There are also compact and sub compact models. I have read some articles and reviews on it. The only negative I have seen is that some people don't like the trigger reset on it. The trigger reset is a little bit on the long side. I plan on buying one in 9mm when they are available.
As far as ammo goes... I live in the great liberal state of CA. Luckily I have a decent stock of ammo, otherwise I would be in a world of hurt. Good Luck on your purchase.
 
I have to agree with LittleLebowski about stockpiling some ammunition instead of expanding into another caliber. I recommend you figure out how much ammunition you would need to maintain your current level of shooting over the next year and lay in at least that amount of ammunition. By doing that you could basically sit out the next run on guns and ammo instead of winding up with two paper weights.

Have you considered getting another 9mm? Either another model of Glock or maybe something from another manufacturer? Maybe you could get something like the Ruger Blackhawk convertible which has one cylinder for .357 magnum & .38 special as well as a second cylinder for 9mm.

It used to be a given that EVERYBODY needed a .22 rifle and/or pistol, but it also used to be a given that you could buy a box of .22LR ammunition in any small town hardware store for pennies per round. That isn't the case anymore. I can't in good conscience recommend expanding into a caliber for which ammunition is both scarce and expensive. Yea, I'd consider buying a gun if I got a sweet deal on it, but I'm already part of the installed base of .22 shooters.

One Cut recommended getting into reloading. I like that idea, but as a reloader I'm more than a little biased. Reloading my own ammunition has really helped me to afford stockpiling rounds for the pistols I already have or anticipate buying in the near future. I can reload centerfire pistol rounds for less money than I can buy .22LR bullets, should I find some. That being said, it's not for everybody.
 
Today at the gun show I'm pleased to say I purchased a Smith & Wesson M&P .22 handgun. I really like the look and feel of this gun. I can't wait to take it out and fire off a few hundred rounds. I feel I got a reasonable price @ $325 with the one mag that came with it. I also picked up a 550 box of ammo @ $45 and also added 4 more boxes of 9mm ammo @ $14/box. It may not be the best deal out there, but I feel it was a reasonable price for the gun and the ammo. I wish I'd grabbed another 550 box @$45 as I realize that was a fairly decent deal and it was there for purchase as I know it is difficult to find ammo at thia time.

Thanks for the input I appreciate all the comments. This will be fun for me to shoot and I'm hoping my wife will start enjoying going shooting with me.

Cheers and happy shooting!

Dan
 
I wouldn't worry too much about the .22 ammo unavailability, it is coming back and I've seen almost pre shortage prices. I'm still working from my old limited stockpile, and personally will not pay crazy prices for it. In my case between reloading and my small stocks, I have been unaffected by the "2013 ammunition shortage" - but...lesson learned.
 

Rudy Vey

Shaving baby skin and turkey necks
Today at the gun show I'm pleased to say I purchased a Smith & Wesson M&P .22 handgun. I really like the look and feel of this gun. I can't wait to take it out and fire off a few hundred rounds. I feel I got a reasonable price @ $325 with the one mag that came with it. I also picked up a 550 box of ammo @ $45 and also added 4 more boxes of 9mm ammo @ $14/box. It may not be the best deal out there, but I feel it was a reasonable price for the gun and the ammo. I wish I'd grabbed another 550 box @$45 as I realize that was a fairly decent deal and it was there for purchase as I know it is difficult to find ammo at thia time.

Thanks for the input I appreciate all the comments. This will be fun for me to shoot and I'm hoping my wife will start enjoying going shooting with me.

Cheers and happy shooting!

Dan

That's a great .22 pistol, it was my first .22 as well. This gun is made by Walther in Germany for S&W. Seems also a good price on the ammo. Here in NJ it is again available in all size boxes and bricks.
 

Slash McCoy

I freehand dog rockets
.45 ACP. A 1911 type gun is a must have, IMHO. I would be tempted to recommend either a .22 rifle or a .22 pistol, or both, except the strong point of the .22 is being able to pop off a few hundred rounds in an afternoon of plinking or perforating targets, at minimal cost, but there are widespread shortages and limits in effect all over the place. Since the .22 for that reason is not as attractive at the moment as it has historically been, I would take a long look at a more meaningful caliber, and the .45 is it. Shoot bad guy with a .45, and he stays shot, generally. The 9mm is good but not that good. The .40 is, well, it is sort of a weak sister to the .45 without a true mission, and with somewhat limited choices in loads or aftermarket gun parts compared to the 1911/45ACP pairing. The .45 has a lot of historical cool factor, too. It is a great, fun gun to shoot, and doesn't cost any more to shoot than a .40, and only marginally more than a 9mm (Is someone humming here? LOL) No offense to the .40 fans, I know there are lots of them out there who see a need for something between a real gun and a barely there gun.

Of course the best gun is always the one you got in your hand, and little gun beats no gun, every time, at least almost every time.

I am not a big revolver fan, but I have owned a few that I miss to this day. You ought to get at least one wheelgun at some point in the future. A .44 magnum is a good choice because you have a choice of cartridges, either the powerful .44 Magnum, or the still serious but much cheaper and lower recoil .44 Special. Same with a .357/.38, but I am nowhere near as trusting in the knockdown power of the smaller gun as I am in the .44. .38 is pretty cheap to shoot, though, and usually has good availability. Not a glamorous round but it goes bang and makes a hole with unsurprising regularity without breaking your wallet. .357 tries to basically make a .38 pill perform like its bigger brothers through increased velocity, and sometimes that works, sometomes not so well. YMMV. I like something that goes kaboom or even ker-blammo, instead of just pop or pow or bang. That's me, I guess.
 
I like the .22, 9mm, and .45
each has its uses and place. I have never thought of one as better than the other.
Its like a small screw driver vs a bigger screw driver. Depends on what you are using it for.

The only thing I stay away from is exotic calibers like 10mm. The ammo is expensive and hard to find.
 
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