Considering First Handgun (Colt M1911)

>>33708745

Please, please please please do not buy a Colt. They're a shit tier company that rests on their laurels and sells a name, not a product. Their quality is mediocre at best and is severely overpriced.

I recommend going to gun ranges and renting a .22lr pistol first to familiarize yourself with basic handgun use, operation, safety, and etiquette. After this, rent out a bunch of 9mm handguns and just shoot them until you find one you like. .45 ACP can come later when you've ironed out any kinks in your shooting and think you can handle something with marginally more kick. Repeat the trial process for .45 ACP handguns until you've found one you like and buy that. 1911 pattern guns are generally pretty nice, but you might find something you like more.

OP, you are going to have a lot of tactifags/ mall ninjas coming in here and telling you that your choice is bad and that you need to get a Glock 19/whatever Glock clone is popular at the moment because it is the best and most utilitarian handgun on the market. Don't listen to them; get a gun that you like and that appeals to you. So many people on /k/ and elsewhere allow others to salemen them into buying guns based on specifications and marketing claims, and they frequently end up regretting with buyer's remorse as a result. If you like the 1911, go for it and just make sure that you practice with it regularly.

Also

>is liking a gun based on a video game dumb?

It isn't. They will never admit it, but the majority of current /k/ probably got into guns through video games. You have only to look at what's popular around here to see it.

>upstate NY

If you live in upstate NY, the 1911 is an especially good choice anyway due to your draconian magazine limits.

>>33708745
There's nothing wrong with wanting a 1911. RIA makes decent entry-level 1911s for under $600. Look for USGI if you want the bare-bones military styling.

/k/ usually shit talks range officers, but they can be helpful for getting you started on the basics of pistol shooting, just ask one at the range.

>>33708842
My one concern here is that in another thread I saw a guy who started with a .22, and found he couldn't shoot anything stronger without fucking up because he was used to the lower caliber. With that said, the guy was working with a 5.42 or something caliber, which is obviously way higher than what I'm looking at here, so that concern may not apply here.

Already reading through some of the other /k/ threads about proper aiming/marksmanship, which sight to focus on etc, though I know some of the graphs are apparently bullshit so taking a grain of salt.

>>33708855
>draconian
Half the reason I'm even looking at a gun is because I found out it would be illegal for me to buy a cheap-ass stun gun for my girlfriend to put in her purse, and when I asked, "well what the FUCK can I get for her", the list was shit. They're even outlawing pepper spray now. I've got a metal bar from China in the back of the trunk that unscrews to turn into a nunchuk just so I have SOMETHING, but I know that shit's illegal too because apparently I'm supposed to defend us with the fucking Care Bear Stare.

>>33708927

That's to be expected, every time you move up to a more potent cartridge you will initially be shit with it, but less so than if you had practiced with a lighter one. Skills build on each other here and you have to learn to crawl before you can walk and eventually run or you're going to be miserable at running. Same applies to firearms. Take it slow and get good with what you're using before you move up, it's worth it.

>>33708986
Makes sense. I'm new enough to this that the concept of rental while learning being an option hadn't even occurred to me, thanks on that.

>>33709004

I'm going to give you a really bad suggestion that you should probably disregard, but if you're really looking for shear "fuck you" factor out of a pistol, Magnum Research's BFR line is worth looking at. Full power rifle rounds out of a big ass revolver are fun as shit and will definitely kill anything under the sun, but magnum revolvers are woefully impractical for combat or self defense. If you find yourself getting tired of .45 ACP but don't want something that retardedly overpowered, 10mm is roughly the same ballistically as .357 magnum but won't limit your capacity and there's a whole slew of 1911 models chambered in it.

>>33709128

As far as handguns go, in order of importance you want capacity, recoil low enough to make accurate/quick follow up shots, and lastly potency. 2 bullets of intermediate power have a better chance of hitting and stopping a target than 1 autistically high recoil shot that you can't follow up quickly on in the same time frame.

>>33709181
This is pretty much why I haven't done much with many revolvers, handcannon stopping power doesn't mean shit if you're already dead before the second shot is fired.

>>33709313
.357 Magnum isn't hard to handle, and it's also easy to train on because it handles .38 Special too. Standard pressure .38 Special out of a 4'' .357 Magnum revolver has about as much recoil as a .22 out of a target pistol. It's why .357 Magnum revolvers are popular--because they let you shoot anything from light wadcutter loads to hardcast lead bullets that can put down a bear.

>>33708745
>I've never had anything to do with guns before, but realizing it's about time I grew up and learned. Intending to be looking into handgun training within a few weeks; in a perfect world, would never need to use it outside a range, but shit, it's weird out there these days even in Upstate NY. Need to learn both proper respect for and proper handling for the things for the family's sake.

I think you're approaching this in an excellent fashion. Before you decide on a firearm purchase, though, I'd recommend renting a few at a range that has a good variety of rentals.

Autoloaders take far more practice, knowledge, and even a break-in period sometimes. Unless you're really into range time and shooting, a revolver might be a better choice.

Try out a few different guns before you decide.

>>33709402
>Autoloaders take far more practice, knowledge, and even a break-in period sometimes.
Why is that?

>>33709498
>>Autoloaders take far more practice, knowledge, and even a break-in period sometimes.
>Why is that?

Loading and firing a revolver is almost intuitive; if you can get the cylinder open, almost anyone can figure out the rest.

An autoloader requires more steps to load and fire, and there are (sometimes) additional controls to consider. Maintenance is far more important as well, and even field stripping can be a bitch for the novice without instructions and practice.