general hand gun questions

[baylensman]

Well the kids are gone, thinking of rearming. I have my Mossberg Police issue 12 gauge. Been thinking of augmenting with a hand gun. Had wheel guns in the past, been thinking an auto would be nice. Want something inexpensive (relatively) reliable and cheap enough to operate that I can go to the range every once in a while with out breaking the bank and still be a back up home defense weapon so I think a 32 or 380 are too small so 9mm and up. I've got BIG hands. My last hand gun was a Ruger Super Black Hawk in 44 mag with a 7" barrel 4x scope and jay Scott custom oversized grips, I fired this one handed most of the time and could put all five in the black. Of course now I can't see as well (damn glasses) and don't have the upper body either(damn desk job) so something a little lighter but able to accomidate my hands?

[Squidley]

One of our members here purchased a 40 cal Smith and Wesson I believe. I have larger hands as well and this gun fit me well. It is a very nice weapon to shoot, and has a lot of ability for customization. Good stopping power with a nice size round 15 shot double stack clip. I would think very seriously of getting one if I were in the market.

[Ventureless]

You will get a lot of different opinions on this. Your best bet is to go to a range and rent a few and shoot them. Or borrow or go shoot with friends that own different pistols.

 

I got a lot of pressure from my best friend to buy a Sig. I shot his all the time and couldn't hit anything with them. I started shooting my dad's Glocks and loved them but the price kept me from buying it at the time. I ended up finding a deal on a new Springfield XDSC 9. It was like a Glock clone for $250 less. Shoots great. Never had any problems with it. Holds 16 or 17 rounds.

 

Some other guns I own that people down play all the time are Hi-Points. I own a Hi-Point .380, .40, and .45 now. As well as a Hi-Point carbine 9mm rifle. Never have any problems with any of them (unless I shoot TulAmmo). They are cheap, warrantied for life, and go bang every time. They aren't pretty. They are fairly heavy and blocky shaped, but for the price and the warranty, they are hard to beat for cheap guns. If you have a problem, you send it back and they either fix or just give you a new one. Made in Ohio I believe. I especially like them for camping. If I drop it, if it falls in the water or mud, or whatever, I really don't stress. Like I said, you will get a lot of people bad mouthing them, but in my experiences with them, I have never had any trouble and can't say anything bad at all.

[Squidley]

I was actually mistaken, it is a Springfield XDM 40

 

https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=A0LEVw1Qj_dSmhIA4p5XNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTB0Yjkwb3VoBHNlYwNzYwRjb2xvA2JmMQR2dGlkA1ZJUDM3MF8x?_adv_prop=image&fr=yfp-t-901&va=springfield+xdm+40

[Grolli]

I have larger hands as well.. I have a Taurus PT740 (.40) as CC, little small, but with the grip extension it fits fine, and I don't notice it when I carry it. I also shoot and sometimes carry a Springfield XD 40 (.40), and Taurus PT92AF (9mm).

 

Springfield is a great gun. Have over 1K rounds through it, no jams, very well balanced, fits my hand great, and accurate.

 

Taurus 92 is a bigger pistol, also over 1K rounds down range, 5 inch barrel, but its basically the same sidearm I carried for 20 years in the service. Knockoff Beretta. Also fits great, eats any brand of ammo I feed it, very accurate. (can hit a 1 foot plate at 75 yards 80-90% of the time).

 

Dad has hands like mine and swears by his Beretta PX Storm. The you can change out the spine of the grip to make the grip bigger. We also put a pachmyr (sp) rubber slide on grip over it, and he love it. Uses it as his CC.

 

Best opinion I can give.. go to the counter and see what fits your hand right. Do research on reliability.. and see if the gun counter has a "try before you buy" rule. Sometimes, they have a used model they will let you shoot before you buy new. Never hurts to ask.

Edited February 9, 2014 by Grolli

[dacheedah]

Can't miss with any of the well known manufacturers. As to what calibre I always ask would you rather be hit by a baseball going 100mph (9mm) or a bowling ball going 65mph (.45) ...

[MiCarl]

Get something that is comfortable and you can shoot well. Stopping power is meaningless if it isn't on target.

[bongobobny]

Eyesight issues?? sawed off 12 ga shotgun for close up, hand grenade for further away. For them close enough counts...

[bj66]

Around here 9mm and .40 s&w ammo can be found all over. Some of the others not so much. Keep the availability in mind......

 

I have a Beretta px4 storm in the .40, good gun and comfy.

 

I also have a CZ P-07 Duty in 9mm. Between that and the Beretta, I will pick up the CZ almost every time. It just plain fits me better.

 

Neither of these guns would be a good concealed carry gun though. Both are a little big for that. I have large hands as well. When I purchase gloves I wear XL......

 

I agree, find what fits YOU before you buy. Dont get stuck that it has to be a Glock, Sig, Beretta etc. There are lots of options out there.

[MiCarl]

Only thing on the shelves around here is .40S&W, .45ACP and a few shot shells. Which makes sense since I need .380ACP.

[RandyR]

Its hard to beat a .357mag revolver. Plenty of stopping power with .357, and you can fire inexpensive .38special target loads in it for practice.

[bj66]

.380 around here is slim and none. Cant remember when I have seen it, and when I did, it was a little spendy.......

[Mad Dog]

In my opinion, as always FWIW, I love my 9mm S&W M&P. Affordable, made here, good customer service, great on-line forum, affordable to shoot, easy to reload (if you get into reloading). Interesting for you is the adjustable backstrap. Bigger one for bigger hands, smaller for small.

 

Also that Mossberg... if its for close quarters check out the KSG by Kel-Tec.

 

Just my opinion... like all the others!

[TDunc]

MY 2 CENTS..

 

My two favorites...

 

Ruger LCP fits anywhere.. 380

 

SCCY 9MM a little larger. 250.00 just about anywhere. Made in Florida.

 

I have big hands too.

 

 

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

[bknsaddle]

The best weapon to have is the one that you WILL have with you when you need it.

[Daveand Barbie]

First and foremost, shoot what makes you comfortable both in the hand and in the wallet. Other than .22 for fun, I have limited myself to one calibre just to keep things easy. The local PD uses 9MM, so I figure it is good enough for me, and I have found it to be the most readily available and the least expensive of the centerfire rounds. 20 to 25 cents a round for factory ammo is really hard to beat.

 

I am not a brand loyalist and have a Ruger LC9 for CC, a Taurus PT111 MilPro, S&W M&P, and Ruger SR9. The LC9 goes with me on the bike whenever I am riding and the best fitting in my hand, The Ruger SR9 is on the night stand.

 

Considering the size of your hands, I would imagine you would be looking for a double stack that holds at least 15 in the magazine. I agree that the best test is to go to the range, try them out, buy what feels best, and practice, practice, practice.

[kantornado]

Have shot a variety of hand guns here in the desert. Hanging around a bunch of MARINES, one gets to try out a variety of weapons. My Favorite is my Glock22-40cal, Next is my Taurus PT908-9mm. Both are in my opinion excellent weapons.

 

Colt:1911 .45 caliber pistol nice,big and great stopping power and fits like the 9 and 40.

 

Browning 1911/22cal. is a great weapon and fun to shoot,shells are inexpensive and it has the feel of the 3 above.

 

380 is a nice small front pants pocket weapon, I can carry it and it is not visible at all.

 

Wheel guns different story 357/38 double action nice size and 38's are relatively cheap to go plink. Some what easy to C-C

 

44 magnum is just a fun cannon,454 even more of a fun cannon, but neither practical or tactical.

 

Hope this helps you and others in some way I too have large hands..

[cowpuc]

Get something that is comfortable and you can shoot well. Stopping power is meaningless if it isn't on target.

 

Many years ago I made a really strange discovery.. I had at the time a .22 ruger MK1, a Smith 29 .44 mag 6 inch, a 629 Smith 8 inch and a 1911 .45.. While screwing around "point shooting" (without using the sites) I was shocked at how much more accurate I was with my old beater 1911.. Just out of curiousity, I then pointed them at the target without looking down the sites and then looked down the sites to see where they were aimed. I was shocked at how far off the guns were in a natural point of aim (hope this makes sense)..

After I discovered this I started checking handguns everywhere I went to see if I could find out which breed came to the closest accuracy between point shooting and actually aiming.. Because it wasnt necessary to actually fire em to test this, just hold it - left it up and point it at a spot on the wall, look down the sites and see where it was aiming, I could check em anywhere anytime..

By going thru all that I discovered that the Beretta 92f was spot on for me..

 

Food for thought..

Edited February 9, 2014 by cowpuc

[Guest tx2sturgis]

Its hard to beat a .357mag revolver. Plenty of stopping power with .357, and you can fire inexpensive .38special target loads in it for practice.

 

 

+1

 

 

 

cheap enough to operate that I can go to the range every once in a while with out breaking the bank and still be a back up home defense weapon

 

Taurus makes some nice, large frame, 8-shot 357 mags. Not overly expensive. (about $550)

I have had my Taurus 357 mag for 25 years. Still shoots like new.

 

Wheel guns are very reliable if kept halfway clean, and dont lose spring tension in the clip (like a pistol) after sitting loaded for years, unused. With a semi-auto, you should rotate the clips to prevent spring weakening, which can cause jams on even the best pistol. You didnt mention carry duty, so 'light and compact' is not included!

 

Blowing thru a box or two of 38 wadcutters wont bust the bank, either.

 

Find a local pistol range that sells guns...many will let you try before you buy.

 

Range time will tell you what words cannot.

 

 

 

http://www.taurususa.com/product-details.cfm?id=249&category=Revolver&toggle=tr&breadcrumbseries=LF2

Edited February 9, 2014 by tx2sturgis

[Sylvester]

It has to fit you like a glove or you won't carry it. All my weapons were purchased on hand ergonomics. My C-C gun is a Charter Arms in .44 special. This is easy to hide in a hip holster and will stop a bear at close quarters.

 

That being said I would rather have my .45 ACP when needed, but it is large and heavy. Get what fits and is comfortable to carry all day and the rest is left up to you. That means lots of practice. About the only caliber scarce here in NC is .22LR.

 

[star4772]

Go onto EAA's web site and check out the SAR K2P a sweet 9mm and beats S&W. I have big hands and it fits well and a lot cheaper. My step son has a 9mm S&W and he shot mine and loved the He** out of it. Around $300 16 round clip.

 

[Barrycuda]

You will get a lot of different opinions on this. Your best bet is to go to a range and rent a few and shoot them. Or borrow or go shoot with friends that own different pistols.

 

+1 on renting. Lots of firearms look good but don't feel right. My brother in law is a LEO so I get to shoot his arsenal. From the LOOKS, I thought I would enjoy the S&W compact MP model. didn't like it.

I have, shoot and carry a S&W MP, .40 cal. I love that gun. Shoots rounds all day long. But the shorter compact I didn't care for

 

I have to politely disagree with bumble bee on Springfield being a glock clone. Springfield armory make fantastic firearms and have been battle tested. I own an XD and that fires flawlessly, no matter how much or little I fire it. It has an extra safe guard that fits in the webbing of your index and thumb ( the snuff box). It also has notches for tactical light. I have a streamlight on mine that I like. Yet the XDS, the subcompact model, did not feel good. I do not have large hands.

 

I also have a kimber ultra carry, that's a smooth and creamy firearm, and my least favorite based on me not using it/ practicing with it is a Sig p229. It's a different cat altogether. Now my SIG AR-15, that's a awesome weapon.

 

Bottom line, try different firearms at the range if you can. I see you're also not too far from me. If you're interested you can try mine if you would like. PM me or call. Number in profile.

 

PS: That Tul-ammo is not brass casing, and can be "dirty". Heard from more than a few people that they have trouble firing that ammo. IDK first hand.

 

 

B

[Brake Pad]

My front gun S&W Model 64 State troopers .38 & and my Back up, Walthers P22,

Never leave home without them:thumbsup2:

[Barrycuda]

My front gun S&W Model 64 State troopers .38 & and my Back up, Walthers P22,

Never leave home without them:thumbsup2:

 

The Walthers is a sweeeeeeet gun

[KICKSHOT]

To answer your question and not get too far off track. Smith and Wesson Sigma 9mm or 40 cal. Inexpensive, reliable and will fit your hand. But what ever you get, practice your point and shoot. Also get a good flash light to keep with it. I prefer my Sigma or my 1911 45 but I have many to choose from.

kickshot