Hello! My name is Ryan and I have a few questions about a good first gun. I'm 18 and in my state I am able to legally possess and carry a gun if I choose; however, I am a college student and am not allowed to have a gun on campus. With the current state of the unhinged political scene of America, I want to go ahead and get a gun before anything catastrophic happens. I don't have much money, so it would have to be a very cheap gun! I have been looking at the SD9VE very hard lately, and have read some good reviews on them! I am very new to guns, and only have very limited experience shooting them! I was wondering if the SD9VE would be a good gun to purchase, or for the same price of $299 I can get a Walther P22. I plan to leave the gun at home with my mom for protection while I'm away at college. She has never shot a gun. Would the recoil of a 9mm be too much? That is the only reason I may consider a .22 is to learn on, but is it possible to learn easily on a 9mm? Thank you so much for your time and I can't wait to get into the sport of shooting and hearing about your experiences!
First Gun
- Thread starter Ryan98720
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bigwheelzip
Absent Comrade
Howdy from South Carolina, and welcome to the forum.
Since you mentioned carry, I assume you mean Concealed Carry.
Your size, body type, and willingness to modify your wardrobe, as well as your location and ability to wear a cover garment, will dictate if you can successfully conceal a full-sized handgun comfortably.
A compact-framed gun is able to be used for home-defense, but is more easily concealed for carry than the SD9VE. The subset of compact guns that features a magazine with a single row of cartridges is called "single-stack", and is the easiest to carry concealed. If you can carry your gun without too much trouble, there is a higher likelihood you will have it if you need it.
There's nothing wrong with the SD9VE, and it can be concealed, but it will take a fair bit of effort. You might find a single-stack compact framed gun like the 9mm S&W Shield, or since you mentioned Walther, the PPS, more usable. There's a good chance these guns are available for rent, at a range near you.
As for your mother being able to shoot these 9mm's, unless she's handicapped or very high-strung, the recoil won't bother her. There's a higher likelihood that your mom will have trouble racking the slide on whatever semi-auto pistol you choose.
I'm a grandma with grandchildren older than you, and I have no problem with 9mm recoil.
Good luck with your choice.
Since you mentioned carry, I assume you mean Concealed Carry.
Your size, body type, and willingness to modify your wardrobe, as well as your location and ability to wear a cover garment, will dictate if you can successfully conceal a full-sized handgun comfortably.
A compact-framed gun is able to be used for home-defense, but is more easily concealed for carry than the SD9VE. The subset of compact guns that features a magazine with a single row of cartridges is called "single-stack", and is the easiest to carry concealed. If you can carry your gun without too much trouble, there is a higher likelihood you will have it if you need it.
There's nothing wrong with the SD9VE, and it can be concealed, but it will take a fair bit of effort. You might find a single-stack compact framed gun like the 9mm S&W Shield, or since you mentioned Walther, the PPS, more usable. There's a good chance these guns are available for rent, at a range near you.
As for your mother being able to shoot these 9mm's, unless she's handicapped or very high-strung, the recoil won't bother her. There's a higher likelihood that your mom will have trouble racking the slide on whatever semi-auto pistol you choose.
I'm a grandma with grandchildren older than you, and I have no problem with 9mm recoil.
Good luck with your choice.
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Welcome from Tampa.
Welcome from Wisconsin, Ryan!
Although it's a lot better than no gun at all I'd skip the .22. 9mm is a good defensive round with minimal recoil. You & your mom will have to take anything you wind up with to a range & put at least a couple of hundred rounds out of it. If you can rent some guns at the range you could find out which guns fit you the best. A Shield is a fine handgun. I personally have a M&P40C & have no trouble concealing it as well as my full size M&P40 which is maybe a wee bit bigger than the SD9VE.
Although it's a lot better than no gun at all I'd skip the .22. 9mm is a good defensive round with minimal recoil. You & your mom will have to take anything you wind up with to a range & put at least a couple of hundred rounds out of it. If you can rent some guns at the range you could find out which guns fit you the best. A Shield is a fine handgun. I personally have a M&P40C & have no trouble concealing it as well as my full size M&P40 which is maybe a wee bit bigger than the SD9VE.
woolieworm
Member
Welcome from south Texas.
S&W Oldtimer
Absent Comrade
Welcome from Va.
OLDSTER
Member
Welcome from North Dakota 
Inusuit
Member
Welcome from Wyoming. Whatever you choose, I recommend you and your mom take an NRA basic pistol class. I don't recommend the "quicky" classes that may qualify you for a concealed carry permit but have no range time or actual shooting. You can find a class near you by Googling NRA Basic Pistol classes. BTW, I agree the S&W Shield is a good compromise between magazine capacity and concealability.
Targets Guy
US Veteran
Welcome to the forum. Good luck in your quest. If it were me I would look hard at a .380 semi-auto pistol for your Mom to use.
mustangman
Member
Welcome from La Grange!
If you want more info on the SD9VE, head on over to the SD/Sigma sub forum and ask away.
In my opinion, a very good pistol at a very good price.
http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-wesson-sd-sigma-pistols/
If you want more info on the SD9VE, head on over to the SD/Sigma sub forum and ask away.
In my opinion, a very good pistol at a very good price.
http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-wesson-sd-sigma-pistols/
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C Islander
Member
Welcome from Ohio!!
Bill In Texas
Member
Welcome to the Neighborhood!
Longhorn1986
Member
Howdy from Ft Bend County, Texas! The SD9VE is a very nice pistol. My wife (Bluebonnet) has one and has been very pleased with it. That said, let me reiterate what others have said here, please, please take a firearms course and have your mom take one as well. Firearms are our right, but as with any right comes great responsibility.
Good luck and welcome to the forum and to the world of shooting. You will find some wonderful people (and a few jerks) in this world!
Good luck and welcome to the forum and to the world of shooting. You will find some wonderful people (and a few jerks) in this world!
Welcome to the forum. The SD9VE is a great all around pistol for anyone on a budget. It's also simple to operate and 9mm has good stopping power. A .22 is great to learn on and cheap to shoot, but most folks don't use them for home defense due to less powerful ammunition.
However, you should keep reading and get some training with range time. As a college kid, I took riflery as a PE elective and it was very helpful. Since many schools still have rifle teams, it might be worth checking into.
However, you should keep reading and get some training with range time. As a college kid, I took riflery as a PE elective and it was very helpful. Since many schools still have rifle teams, it might be worth checking into.
Welcome from the eastern panhandle of West Virginia.
Don't forget revolvers, this little fella goes with me wherever I go either on my belt or in my pocket.
I got it used for $300.
Don't forget revolvers, this little fella goes with me wherever I go either on my belt or in my pocket.
I got it used for $300.
MCorps0311
US Veteran
Howdy from the Bluegrass KY.
welcome from South Florida
franzas
Member
Thanks!
Wow! I am blown away by the amount of people that took time out of their day to reply! That is just awesome and it speaks wonders about the character of the gun community! I know that I mentioned concealed carry, but I honestly don't want the responsibility of that just yet. I would mainly just keep it at home, and take it to the range every now and then! I think that I have pretty much made my decision and i believe that I will be getting the Smith and Wesson SD9VE. If I can only have one gun right now, i would rather have one that i can use to protect myself with if i have to! I will definitely look into handgun courses as I do agree that people need to really know what they're doing with such a potentially dangerous piece of equipment! Do you guys have any recommendations on how to find cheap courses/ where to go to sign up? We have an indoor shooting range near where I live, and they offer courses, but the prices seem pretty steep! However, I don't know much about what they should actually cost! Could you kind of help me with that? Thank you so much again for all the information!
Wow! I am blown away by the amount of people that took time out of their day to reply! That is just awesome and it speaks wonders about the character of the gun community! I know that I mentioned concealed carry, but I honestly don't want the responsibility of that just yet. I would mainly just keep it at home, and take it to the range every now and then! I think that I have pretty much made my decision and i believe that I will be getting the Smith and Wesson SD9VE. If I can only have one gun right now, i would rather have one that i can use to protect myself with if i have to! I will definitely look into handgun courses as I do agree that people need to really know what they're doing with such a potentially dangerous piece of equipment! Do you guys have any recommendations on how to find cheap courses/ where to go to sign up? We have an indoor shooting range near where I live, and they offer courses, but the prices seem pretty steep! However, I don't know much about what they should actually cost! Could you kind of help me with that? Thank you so much again for all the information!
