help selecting a concealble 9mm handgun

[MadJax]

I found a ruger p89dc locally and cheaply just under 300$ it appears to be in good condition though I'm always skeptical.
Does anyone have any thoughts on this gun or the ruger brand in general.

 

[Devilneck]

I found a ruger p89dc locally and cheaply just under 300$ it appears to be in good condition though I'm always skeptical.
Does anyone have any thoughts on this gun or the ruger brand in general.

I had the P91DC, the .40 version. It was great, until it started malfunctioning. I sent it back to Ruger, and they returned it to me with a new barrel. It still malfunctioned. They didn't even test fire it.

I'm sure many folks will tell you how great Ruger is. I won't be giving them my money again.

 

[LACamper]

I'm going to get flamed for this but...

have you thought about a 1911? Springfield and others make a mil spec model that is close to your price range. As you're not going to carry it daily weight and size are not really an issue. They're reliable and its hard to go wrong with the stopping power of a .45. Many new shooters find the 1911 is easier to shoot well. I guess its the grip angle... If you ever do have a problem every gunsmith in the country has a supply of parts handy, you won't have to ship it somewhere and wait weeks for a simple repair. Holsters and spare mags are plentiful and reasonable.
One word of advise: keep it as you purchased it. The 1911's reputation for unreliability largely comes from modifications made by anyone with a screwdriver that calls themselves a gunsmith. Shoot it as is and you shouldn't have a problem.

(now let the flaming begin...)

 

[Hattrick 22]

I'm going to get flamed for this but...

have you thought about a 1911? Springfield and others make a mil spec model that is close to your price range. As you're not going to carry it daily weight and size are not really an issue. They're reliable and its hard to go wrong with the stopping power of a .45. Many new shooters find the 1911 is easier to shoot well. I guess its the grip angle... If you ever do have a problem every gunsmith in the country has a supply of parts handy, you won't have to ship it somewhere and wait weeks for a simple repair. Holsters and spare mags are plentiful and reasonable.
One word of advise: keep it as you purchased it. The 1911's reputation for unreliability largely comes from modifications made by anyone with a screwdriver that calls themselves a gunsmith. Shoot it as is and you shouldn't have a problem.

(now let the flaming begin...)

Nah he likes ruger I say go get a ruger Mark III they are fun to shoot cheap on ammo and follow up shots are very easy to manage 10 round capacity too.

Shot placement for the win!

 

[CEHollier]

I'm not sure what the term "older" has to do with anything; but let me be clear on one thing. If all you have is a bolt action rifle as opposed to having a bat, then yes by all means. Further, if all you have is a bat as opposed to brick, and so on.

A person's situation is specific to the person. It's when a person says, I have a Sig P229 but it's too big to carry, so I'll get a .380 7 shot pocket pistol because it's easier to conceal/carry. Those considerations make no sense to me.

You are looking for a 1st pistol. It will be another defense gun whether you decide to get a CC permit or not. Get the most bang for your buck! In other words, get the best made pistol you can afford after you've made the physical considerations.

Remember, you said the things that were most important to you were: 1) Reliability, 2) price, 3) accuracy, and 4) capacity. If you get a tier 1 gun you have #'s 1 & 3 covered right off the bat. If you get a used one for the price you can meet, you have #2 whipped. If you find a high capacity, tier 1 gun that fits your admittedly small hands, for the price you can afford, you are golden!

And guess what? I'll bet you can!

Agree - I use a LCP because of it's comfort and conceal-ability. It would be wonderful if they made a .45 that held 15 +1 in the LCP frame. Unfortunately physics doesn't yet allow for this. That said many a person has been killed with a .380 bullet. Just watch the First 48 on TV. It happens more frequently than you would think. I believe situation awareness is even more important than the caliber you carry. If you can avoid the situation great. If not your best chance for survival is the element of surprise.

 

[bigtattoo79]

Nah he likes ruger I say go get a ruger Mark III they are fun to shoot cheap on ammo and follow up shots are very easy to manage 10 round capacity too.

Shot placement for the win!

This!


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[JBP55]

I am relatively new to guns.
Mainly I would use it for more practical self defense reasons and primarily keep it in my car and nightstand but might carry it though dangerous areas. I want a concealble 9mm because my hands are small, like that 9mm is affordable but still lethal enough, favor high capacity and would like the option to comfortably and discretely carry.

My primary criteria in order of importance is reliability, price, accuracy and capacity.
Also the gun must be able to handle any brand or grain of 9mm.
price is a strong limiting factor as I like everyone else am on a budget but my gun budget is probably smaller than most gun owners I have different priorities right now as such my maximum handgun budget is 500$ but I'd prefer to keep it in the 300 to 400$ range.,
Capacity is still important to me but not as much.
I'd prefer a capacity as high as 12 to 15 big but not to high to be cumbersome to conceal.
if the first three criteria are met I'm willing to sacrifice capacity.

You want a reliable high capacity 9mm pistol that you can easily conceal for $500 or less and you have small hands.
If the Glock 26/19 pistols are too big for you I would look at the S&W M&P 9c.
A smaller option would be a 9mm Shield but you will lose capacity.
If you do not have access to these pistols and want to see if they fit your hands let me know.

 

[Judge Mental]

Who is this Goddess of Love and where can I find her?

 

[Emperor]

You want a reliable high capacity 9mm pistol that you can easily conceal for $500 or less and you have small hands.
If the Glock 26/19 pistols are too big for you I would look at the S&W M&P 9c.
A smaller option would be a 9mm Shield but you will lose capacity.
If you do not have access to these pistols and want to see if they fit your hands let me know.

MadJax, take this member up on his offer unless you live too far away from each other.

 

[RedNeckRuger]

 

[dwr461]

Redneck Ruger I have a Makarov and have put about 1k rounds through it over the years. Good gun for the price no doubt. I think it's a better gun than the Walther for reliability. That being said it's more of a range toy for me. It seems to crop up when I'm going to shoot Russian rifles.

Dave


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[oleheat]

Emperor- what's the nickname for this one? I'm going with the MakRib....

 

[Emperor]

Emperor- what's the nickname for this one? I'm going with the MakRib....

You sneaky devil!

 

[Dr Elliot]

I'll start by alienating almost everyone that has posted here. Don't buy a Glock! (I own several.) They are not the right gun for a novice handgunner. You can't tell if it's loaded or cocked, and it has no external safety. If you are a well trained soldier or LEO, who is often confronted with life and death situations, then the Glock is for you. Otherwise, you're more likely to hurt yourself with one of these or similar in your pants.

Consider a double-action revolver. Operation is not complicated. I'll take a safe long trigger pull over a short dangerous trigger anyday. Unless you keep it cocked, an accidental discharge is highly unlikely. The hammer is visible, except for a few varieties. You can get a concealed or bobbed hammer, if you're worried about snagging your clothes. There are a plethora of gun sizes and grip options available. It's easy to check if it's loaded. The 5-6-7 round capacity is more than enough in most civilian real-life emergencies. 357 Magnum is a great choice that is more than adequate as a defense round and you would have the option to practice with 38 Special. 45 Colt, 41 mag and 44 mag are probably more than you want to handle, especially in a concealable-sized gun.

If you're set on a semi-automatic pistol, I would recommend one that allows double action. You can load the mag, chamber a round, decock or VERY CAREFULLY bring an exposed hammer down to half cock, and release the safety. It is then ready to go bang by simply pulling the DA trigger. In an emergency, you don't want to count on your ability to load/insert a magazine, rack the slide to chamber a round, release a safety, and/or cock a hammer. I will admit that the DA pull will be a little longer and harder than a SA pull, but it is very unlikly that you will do so accidentilly. Again, there are many sizes and shapes available. My minimum caliber would be the 9mm Kurz (.380). I would prefer 9x19mm, .40 S&W, 10mm, or .45 ACP.

Additional points to consider: Buy a name brand gun, but it doesn't have to be a premium name. Buy the best gun you can afford, especially if this will be your one and only for a while. Larger guns and smaller calibers have less recoil and are easier to shoot accurately, but are less concealable. Larger calibers and smaller guns have more recoil and are harder to shoot accurately. Handle and shoot a variety, to figure out what you actually like. Shooters' Club has rental guns available for their range. Remember that any gun salesman, as most of the members here, will have considerably more experience than you and will make recommendations from THEIR EXPERIENCED perspective. They may not objectively consider your inexperience.

If you're interested, I could let you see and handle a variety of revolvers and autos.

 

[Jack]

I'll start by alienating almost everyone that has posted here. Don't buy a Glock! (I own several.) They are not the right gun for a novice handgunner. You can't tell if it's loaded or cocked, and it has no external safety. If you are a well trained soldier or LEO, who is often confronted with life and death situations, then the Glock is for you. Otherwise, you're more likely to hurt yourself with one of these or similar in your pants.

Isn't that why we treat all guns like they are loaded?

 

[Hattrick 22]

Humm how do you clear a jam if a revolver jams is it as easy as tap rack?

Also as someone new to handguns the simple way to avoid it going off is to keep your booger hook off the bang switch.

What about drop safe?

How about manipulation of a safety during a intense moment when your body is full of adrenaline?

7 rounds enough for multiple attackers?

 

[olivs260]

Isn't that why we treat all guns like they are loaded?

I think he means more to make sure that it is, than it isn't. Which you can easily do with a Glock and every other modern striker fired handgun I can think of, without doing a press check. And statistics easily defeat his argument that "you're more likely to hurt yourself with one of these or similar in your pants."

 

[dwr461]

I'm going to go on record with disagreeing with much of what Dr Elliot had to say. There was so just so much fail I don't know where to begin.

Dave


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[olivs260]

I'm going to go on record with disagreeing with much of what Dr Elliot had to say. There was so just so much fail I don't know where to begin.

Dave


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I'll second that!

 

[Hattrick 22]

I'm going to go on record with disagreeing with much of what Dr Elliot had to say. There was so just so much fail I don't know where to begin.

Dave


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I had to keep editing to add more questions because the full derp didn't hit me the first two times I read it...