AS far as practicality goes,ive been thinking about a Smith model 60,3 ",adjustable sight,5 shot stainless steel .357,its built on the small(J) frame,with rubber grips,and it would be a great camping gun,low maintenance because of SS finish,quite small and light yet packing a good punch in the unlikely event that a punch is needed.

 

Iggy, Sounds like you might have a couple of extras laying around, why dont you gather up any unwanted handguns and UPS them up here. I will give you the adress, always ready to help you make room for your new arrivals!

 

If you buy that S/W mod 60, make sure you practice with .38spl. That things gonna be brutal with full .357 mag ammo! Reminds me of the S/W .44 mag mod 29 2 inch bbl snubnose my Dad has, OUCH!!.

 

You are a kind-hearted and generous guy to your buddies here,but im fortunate enough to still have more room in the safe,more space in several back sheds for more fishing tackle,and parking for at least 2 more trucks....Ive got a remarkably patient and even tempered Wife,and that helps a lot...........I fired the identical S&W model 60 last year w/.357's and it did kick pretty good,but it was manageable! I havent fired any of the Ultra light Scandium frame Smith's,but ive been told that one of the 12 or 13 ounce,1.88" barrel ones fired with full house .357's is brutal.......

 

I was really fortunate at the previous gun store that i worked at,the owner always had a large inventory,and when he decided to run a sale,he managed to beat almost all prices,so i learned to take advantage of his sales,when he had a gun on special that i wanted! If you have seen what quality pistols have been selling for,youve got a good idea of what prices have been like for the last 5-6 years or more. In a 4 month period,i bought a Beretta 96,a Heckler & Koch USP compact .40,both NIB,as well as a barely used Springfield "loaded" pkg. 1911,all for a grand total of $1200 before taxes and fees,and i can safely tell you that more often than not,you would have a hard time getting any two of those guns for a total of $1200,so i bought whenever i could afford to.

 

A little over a month ago I purchased a Ruger MarkIII Hunter as a starter into handguns. I have shot various calibers and decided to start with a 22. I love shooting it, it is very accurate, and it is cheap to shoot. Here in a couple of months I will look at getting something a bit bigger but for now I am going to stick with the 22.

 

I've shot close to 4500 rounds of standard ammo through it now since i've bought it...with not one jam .... It however doesn't like hollow points...i bought a box a few months back and it jammed once or twice on 50 rounds of hollows....although i don't have much need for hollows so i don't plan on shooting them anyway...



I thought about buying a 96....but I just want something different for the next one, which is what brings me to glock...

 

Nothing says you can only get 1 gun or you have to keep the 1st one you buy. You can trade up if you can only afford 1 at a time. You can put a lot of rounds thru a 22 to get proficient and not have to spend a small fortune on ammo. That would give you some time to determine what you might like next. Many of the indoor ranges rent guns that you can try. It's a great way to shoot a bunch of different guns without having to buy them on someone else's recommendation. Since it is not strictly intended for self defense I would check the prices of the ammo in the calibers you are considering. You'll have more fun with it the more frequently you are able to shoot. Good luck with your quest. I imagine you may wind up like the rest of us and own several by the time you are done.

 

On the Glock's 9mm and .40 are built on the same frame,and are dimensionally identical within the four sizes......
models 26/27 sub-compact
models 19/23 compact
models 17/22 full size
models 34/35 long slide,target oriented
If you jump up to .45acp,it shares frame sizes with 10mm,and many people find the grip frame to be bigger dimensionally than is comfortable.
Im assuming that you are looking for a full size pistol,so if you want a.45acp,you can choose between the model 21 or the newer modification thats called model 21SF,as in Short Frame,its still a full size pistol,but they have made the grip a little less bulky,and the reach to the trigger is shorter.
See if you can find a gun shop that has both model 21's,as well as the 22 .40 cal, and see how they fit your hand,better still shoot one or more...
One interesting thing to consider,comparing glock with beretta. When you hold either pistol as if gripping it to fire,take a look and see how far above your shooting hand the center of the bore sits....All else being equal,the higher the bores centerline is above your hand,the more upward snap you feel from recoil,while it being lower results in more of a straight back push into your hand. Typically the less muzzle jump,the faster you can align your sights,and get back on target. Just for laughs, i measured my Glock 22 and compared it with my Beretta 96,and in my hand holding the grip as i would to shoot them,the Glock's centerline of the barrel sat 3/4" above my hand,while the Beretta's sat 1-1/3" above,a big difference! Ive got no plans to get rid of either of my Beretta's,as i do enjoy shooting them,but when i shoot pistols, i shoot my Glocks more accurately, a little better at slow rates of fire,and quite a lot better at more rapid rates........Check with 00blue,who teaches marksmanship,and ask him for his thoughts on this...........

 

I've got a Mark II (older version of the Mark III) and it is without a doubt the most fun and easy pistol I have ever shot. Couldn't agree with you more.

 

I should probably get one of the Ruger .22 pistols,ive only got one .22 pistol, a Sig mosquito,and its a nice looking gun,with a more traditional style than the Rugers,but the Sig trigger isnt particularly conducive to really good accuracy,i suspect the Rugers would be a far better target choice,the Sig is really just a plinker....

 

iggy,
You're doing a FINE job. You are spot on.
Carry on!

 

That Ruger mk 2 is a great .22 pistol, wish I had one still. Have a S/W mod 422 which has proven to be a great .22 pistol, accurate and reliable......Bob, or anyone, What do you think of the Walther P22? Is it as good a quality as the rest of the Walther line?.....A good .22 auto pistol is a must have, you can really polish your skills and not break the bank doing so.... And if I had to choose between the .22lr and the .25acp for a last ditch defensive weapon, I would take the .22 hands down, no comparison.

 

The walther P22 feels more like a toy in my hands than a real gun,but i havent shot one! Another intriguing .22 pistol is the Beretta U22 neos,kinda futuristic and radical in looks,but it balances well in the hand.......

 

My Glock 23 is really great! Fits great! Feels great! Fires great! Finds its target great! Packs great! I tried several others but this one was the greatest! Did I mention that it's great?!