I am looking into buying my first handgun, and I have a couple of requirements:

Caliber: 9mm or .40
Mag Size: 15+
Price: Below $600
Use- General Shooting and Carry. Self Defense.
Also must be new, not used.

I have plenty of weapons experience and have shot many handguns before, just never a S&W (yeah I know it's sad). I have had them highly recommended by many people, especially the M&P line. I have just recently become old enough to purchase my own handgun and since I am in school, I have don't have a lot of money to spend. I looked on the S&W website, but the format isn't that great and I'm not finding a lot of usable info. I also know that the prices are marked up $300+ in a lot of cases from what the gun actually costs from a local dealer. I am really interested in getting a S&W gun, but I am also considering Glock and Sig Sauer, and I will get what is most affordable and makes sense. Any suggestions are appreciated.

It's hard to beat a Glock for ease of use and reliability. I also like H&K very much. I have never fired a SMith .40 cal,but many 9mm, single column and double column both. SIG is very good, but pricey. I would take a very hard look at the Glock for starters.

S&W M&P 40. I have about 8000 rounds through mine and shoot IDPA with it. It's extremely reliable, accurate, and feels great in the hand. It's also my daily carry although I'm looking into getting a compact model for the summer time.

NewKid:
I think I would consider a 4006 CHP turn in. I know you said it must be new, but these can be a really nice find for a few dollars. I would also consider a 410, 411, 910, 915. All very well made and totally reliable. Buy two for the price af a SIG! You shouldn't disregard a gun just because it is used. You may also want to look at the Stoeger Cougar 9 and 40. Very well built weapon (Beretta Cougar - made in Turkey now). You can get a new one for under 400.00. At least around here you can. I'd have one in a heartbeat. Good luck with your quest.
Just my thoughts.

"You shouldn't disregard a gun just because it is used."

I agree completely. If one gun is all you will ever have, get it new. I bought an M&P9 new, like all my previous guns, and really like it, excellent choice for you to consider for a first auto. You can get into one here right now with the rebate for about $440 including tax.
But then I found out how that there are excellent preowned weapons that really need a good home, and you can literally get two(or three) for one. And not feel bad if you do not like the new one as well as another gun, if the new one's price drops, if you bang it up, etc, etc.
You can also feel good to be a part of your contribution to recycling.
Plus you will find, one is not enough.

New guns are nice, but you can buy a used gun that is just as good for a lot less money.

Below is a 4566TSW police trade-in. All-stainless 3rd generation S&W police trade-ins in 9mm (5906) and .40 (4006) are routinely available for $400 or less.

In 9mm, I'd look at Glock and the S&W M&P. IN .40 I'd go with the M&P as the Glocks are less reliable and durable in calibers other than 9mm. Either will be simple to operate, reliable, and will last a lifetime given proper care. S&W has a lifetime warranty and excellent customer service. You should be able to get into either for under $600 new.

I don't know of any dealer that makes $300 on new handguns. Although there is nothing wrong with a good used handgun, and they often represent excellent values, I would stay away from them unless I knew what to look for as some are problematic (from use and unqualifiied "gunsmiths").

My 2 cents:

If this is your first gun, I would recommend you go with the 9mm. 9's are easier to learn to shoot accurately due to lower recoil. ( Read: less likely to pick up bad habits) . 9mm is also cheaper to feed. Also, without getting into the whole ballistics and he said, she said argument, the 9mm is a very capable self defence round with modern ammo and good shot placement.

For the record, I certainly would not pass up a VG-Excellent condition used gun. Many of these are broken in nicely and may have accessories or accuracy enhancing features that someone else paid for. Besides, this being your first handgun, you will not likely find the "perfect gun" the first time. Save a few $ for the next!

Lastly, rather than ask for recommendations on specific models, you need to think about primary use. If your going to carry, size and weight are critical. A full sized steel duty gun stuck in your waist is likely to get old once the novelty wears off. On the other end, for Range work you want larger, longer and heavier to get best accuracy/ control. A mix of use always leaves a compromise in one direction or the other. Where the compromise takes place is an individual tolerance thing.

All that said, I'd say that a S&W M&P 9 Compact with external safety would be a very good choice for your first venture. Their attributes are well documented here.
hth



p.s. Hey GC70, SWEET piece!! I want one!

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Dave

Ive owned glocks, HK's Sigs all good weapons but the S&W pro series 40 is the one id keep.

+1 The 9mm is an excellent round. Low recoil, accurate, inexpensive and capable.

Based on your criteria I would also recommend the M&P 9mm. I have owned Sigs, Glocks, Berettas, H&Ks, etc., etc. and always seem to end up back with S&W in my holster.

Mandatory 3rd Gen recommendation: If you decide to consider used, you can't go wrong with a S&W 5903 (DA/SA) or S&W 5943 (DAO).

[QUOTE=newkidintown;135440654]I am looking into buying my first handgun, and I have a couple of requirements:

Caliber: 9mm or .40
Mag Size: 15+
Price: Below $600
Use- General Shooting and Carry. Self Defense.
Also must be new, not used.

In 9mm or .40 S&W get a Glock. In every respect they are outstanding. You might want to add night sights as SD often involves low-light situations. The 9mm will be cheaper to shoot. Get an Accurate Arms top unit in .22 LR and you can practice for pennies a shot.

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<><

For a first handgun, I would go with 9mm. I have an M&P40, and I love it-it is great fun to shoot, but .40 does kick more, and is more expensive to shoot. If you are looking for a SD gun, there is plenty of good ammo out there which will work with either one. Get the one you can practice with more. If you decide to get the M&P, get a new one- the used ones are priced more than the new ones now (I bought mine 5 months ago at a great price, and I can routinely find them new at over $100 cheaper now).
As far as which "brand"-lots of good opinions out there, but I would do some research and buy what feels comfortable to you in your hand. (FWIW: you can't go wrong with the M&P-made in America from a company with a great warranty. )

I really like my Beretta 92 FS. Its one of the most accurate 9mm pistols on the market.

For my first gun I picked up a new M&P 9mm FS. Ive been shooting it for over a year with all different brands of ammo and have not had one failure of any kind. This gun is all I could have asked for! And the warranty/customer service is awesome!! Good luck on your decision, be safe and have fun!!

Glock 19 in 9mm.

S&W 5906, 5903, 915.

Beretta 92F/FS.

Can't go wrong with either!

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S&WCA # 2045

Smith 5906
Ruger P95

....however, I also like my Glock 30 if you want to step up to .45 ACP...

You could get a Sigma in either 9mm or .40, albeit that the .40 would be one round down from what you want with the most commonly encountered mags.

A really nice option that is a sleeper would be one of the FN pistols in 9mm or .40. All come with three mags. They're well made guns, made here in the States, and worth looking into.

The best option in my opinion though? Save up a bit more and get a Sig P229 with both the .40 and .357 Sig barrels. Then add an aftermarket conversion barrel that you'll have to have fit a bit perhaps in order to use 9mm for practice if you insist. 9mm and .40 aren't costing much different lately, even at Walmart, just a couple dollars. You can use the .40s for practice and familiarization whilst you learn the magical goodness that is the .357 Sig...

New, I would buy an M&P 9mm. I own one and enjoy shooting it. You can resize the grip to fit you. The actual fit of the pistol in your hand is very important. I would tell you to look around the used market as there are many good deals to be found. When I was old enough to purchase Pistols, most of mine were used. I was able to aquire some very nice pistols for very little money.

I would buy a FS M&P 40, do an Apex trigger job on it, then order a 9L slide for it. Two guns with a sweet trigger for slightly more than you wanted to spend, but the 40 with trigger parts is under your budget...

As a second choice, get someone who knows guns to help with a used 3rd gen auto. They are hard to beat. NOS versions come up in your price range as well.

Good luck in your search and try a few at the range before deciding...

Hi,
I would go with the 9 mm. You can't go wrong with a 3rd generation S&W. Here is mine 5903.

Good luck,
roaddog28

In my neck of the woods, any shop with a $300 mark up on the common handguns you're looking at would not remain in business long.

You already know the makes/models of current manufacture that fall under $600. Here's my experience, for what it's worth: Glocks, M&Ps & XDs are excellent in quality. The Sig Pro (2022) is the only new 9mm or .40 Sig I know of that can be had for 6 Ben Franklins. Sig Pros are highly rated & would seem to fit your budget. As an earlier poster said, don't discount the Stoeger Cougar which new runs $430 to $450 in my area.

However, like others before me in this thread, I choose used over new, provided the item is in good shape. Over many years of trading, I've only purchased 5 guns that were lemons, & 4 of those were brand new.

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Southern Conservative

Glocks seem to have a rail problem and from what I've gathered (though not ever having owned one) from the LEO community, is that "Glock" refuses to make public the number sequences that have those problems. They seem to take it as a separate fail by fail case before they repair or replace the "wounded" or "dead" weapon. Google "Glock failure" for more info. For that reason alone, I would never own one.

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Marv
Ret. LEO

In my humble opinion there is no better gun for the .40 caliber than the Sig P229. The gun was designed specifically to handle that round. Mine is a DA/SA model which I purchased as a CPO from my local shop and paid $525 for it. Although a CPO, it looks brand new both inside and out. It is a tack driver and a pleasure to shoot with minimal recoil. Although it's heavy with a loaded magazine, it still conceals well with a good belt and holster. Oh almost forgto to add, you can also get a stock .357 and a 9mm conversion barrel and shoot 3 different calibers from the same gun. No changes to springs or mags needed.
I would suggest to give the different models you are considering a test drive at the range and see which one you feel most comfortable with holding and shooting.