Selecting my first pistol

marluc

Hi all,

i recently joined a good club and have been shooting club guns (9mm) over the last few weeks.

I am finding it difficult to decide which is the right pistol for me. My main interest at the moment is target shooting but would like to think that in 12 months i will be ready to try practical.

I like the Sig 226.
But there seems to be so many variations(X Five,ST,SL etc) of the 226, what are the main points i need to concentrate on and of course how much should i expect to pay?

Is it important that the pistol i buy is in the ISPC production division or does it really matter?

any advice is greatly appreciated.

bshev01

i'm in much the same postion, having just ordered my first pistol about a month ago. So i'm by no means an expert but i can pass on some of the advice i recieved.

i didn't enjoy the feel of shooting a glock which are reasonably common in our club. something about the safe action trigger i think but just an opinion. I also took a liking to a 226. I was shooting with a couple of lads who have represented ireland in pistol shooting in the past and asked them what they thought about them.
They said the usual stuff that i had read on the net: good all round reliable gun etc. Although they insisted that once i had one i'd want to change the sights, and adjust the trigger etc which was going to add extra cost. This would push the price up to X_five money.

MortgageMan

Hi Marluc

The club you have just joined should be able to provide you with a variety of guns to shoot, ask the other members if you can try a shot form theirs.

I would recommend that you don't buy a gun straight off, as every one is different, try many and finally you will find one that fits your hand.

Talk to other shooters in practical as production and standard guns are different. Try to get to a competition and see both divisions being shot.

If you are near Newtownmountkennedy in Wicklow call Pat at Hilltop he can give you some good advice.

Pat 086 2502201.

Hope this helps.

fishdog

To me there are two 9mm production pistols that stand out from the rest, the Glock and the CZ Shadow. They are both represent value for money and are very reliable. The Glock is easier to use but the CZ has a superior trigger.

The Glock is easier for a beginner to learn with, but the CZ is a far superior gun. Unlike the Glock the Shadow is an all metal pistol with a high fibre optic front sight. It is made specifically for IPSC shooting. If you go on to www.ipscireland.org there is a good link (I clicked on "links" on the IPSA homepage and found something there that directed me to it!) to a favourable test report by an experienced practical shooter from Kells carried out on the CZ.

The Sig 226 is a great gun, but in my opinion it is not worth the money. They are certainly not a popular IPSC gun. Normally someone spending that sort of money on a IPSC pistol is an experienced practical shooter buying something like an STI Edge or Tangfoglio. Even then they would still appreciate and enjoy the Shadow.

Gordon Newal in Hollow Farm, Co. Down is currently selling the Shadow brand new with 2 magazines for €825 phone 0044 2897528381. They are excellent to deal with, he generally has a good stock of new and second hand pistols. I have been told Duffys in Galway are doing a good deal on the Shadow also.

My understanding is that the Glock is in the same price range. If you buy either and keep them well they will hold their value.

Good luck!

packas

I've got the CZ 75 SP-01 shadow. It's a great gun. For me the ergonomics are just excellent. If you're flush with cash consider the Sphinx 3000. The internals are almost identical to the Cz 75 but the price is about 2500 euro. the only advantage with the Sphinx in my view is the material's it's made from. you've got many choices. Slide is always s/stee however the frame can be s/steel, Titanium or Aluminium. Other than that it's more or less the same gun as the CZ 75 Sp-01.

Whatever you go for though remember that it's your practice rather than the gun that will make you a better shooter.

As Mortgageman said. The best advice is to try as many different types as possible before you buy. Now that pistol shooting is well established I'm sure that'll be no problem.

As for where to buy. Shop around & compare prices before you lay out your cash.

Check out the link below regarding IPSC. Also there's a link to the approved guns for IPSC production division.

http://www.ipscireland.org/getting_started.html

marluc

thanks everybody for the solid advice. I think I will slow down and not rush in to a purchase just yet. I have a lot to learn!