Hello all, it's that time of the year again when I get grandma's Christmas check and have enough money to buy another piece. Since I turned 21 last month I have been looking at my next purchase being a handgun.
I am looking at four possibilities:

M1895 Nagant ($90, plus $70 for the .32ACP cylinder)--it's such a odd little weapon, and I have a soft spot for late-1800s things.

TT-33 Romanian ($210)--I have heard good things about reliability of this model, and the ammo is cheap.

Some model of S&W revolver, preferably in .38. My local gunshop doesn't carry any Smith wheelguns, so this would be at the next gunshow. Looking for something $250 or less.

M35 Browning HiPower--again, this would be looking at the next show. This would be moving towards out-of-my-price-range, since starting prices seems to be around $500, average around $700, sound right?


Right now I'm leaning towards the Tokarev. Opinions or suggestions?

What are you considering using your handgun for?

opinions? The only gun you listed that dosent suck is the S&W revolver.

(waits for the Browning lovers and xboxers to jump in)

The Browning has potential, and will need a lot more money to be an enjoyable shooter. They arent worth 500 unless youre a collector or Browning worshipper or something.

250 or less? Save up another 100 and get a Taurus 24/7 new in box, or a used Glock or XD. Or you can buy a crappy gun, then in a couple months wish you would have saved up to buy something better.

What are you considering using your handgun for?

For this first one, mostly just plinking/target, something to practice with that's not a .22, probably not selfdefense. Also might use it for the CCW course.

I personally like the BHP and the Smith and Wesson revolvers. Count out the Mosin Nagant revolver for any CCW courses. The Browning Hi Power would be cheaper to feed than the .38. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of the Tokarev. They have safety issues as the safeties were tacked on for importation. We've had members here accidentally have them go full auto when not cleaned... with the safety on.

I have done some more research and found that 9mm barrels are available to convert the Tokarev, about $100 from a vendor in Canada. Looked at several TT33 forums, it seems the supply of Romanians are drying up, and $210 is a pretty fair price. With the simple 9mm conversion, and good reviews I've read, I'm seriously considering picking one up in a few weeks.

Ask to fieldstrip and fire one first.

Get a 1911. They're everywhere.

I live in Canada. I got a pistol shortly after my 19th birthday, so that if (when?) the government bans them, I'm grandfathered.

LOL @ 1911

OP, if those two are the only choices you have, get the TT33.

Personally I'd look for a used GLOCK or XD in 9x19.

Or, and I can't believe I'm saying this, even a Sigma would be a decent choice.

M1895 Nagant ($90, plus $70 for the .32ACP cylinder)--it's such a odd little weapon, and I have a soft spot for late-1800s things.

I own one of those and it's kind of neat but after shooting it you can really tell why the soviets lost the cold war. It's a piece of crap with the most godawful trigger pull known to man and it's such a bitch having to load and clear each cylinder one at a time. It also prints some not-so-stellar groups.

On the other hand, it is rather cool and historical. It just happens to, well, suck. I think a lot of old soviet firearms are like that. You're drawn to them despite their intrinsic crappiness.

Don't let that discourage you. By all means, get one at some point. I'm just not so sure it'd be a good first handgun. It's not very fun to shoot and its design leaves a lot to be desired.

Nagant? Cold war? Lost? What?

Nagant? Cold war? Lost? What?

Any military that would keep that piece of crap revolver in service for over a century obviously has some serious problems.

Wasn't the nagant the standard sidearm only until '30 (35 yrs), when the TT series came out? Of course I'm sure it saw front-line service long after that, but it's not like it was the ONLY sidearm available, they at least saw the need to update and made the Tokarevs.

Your first handgun should be a Taurus, Glock, or S&W. Make your first handgun a good one.

Wait.

Taurus is considered "good"?

News to me :-/

Browning Hi Power. I mean it.

nice. i was going to say S&W .38 special hammerless regardless of what your options were but you already picked it. .38 all the way

LOL @ 1911

OP, if those two are the only choices you have, get the TT33.

Personally I'd look for a used GLOCK or XD in 9x19.

Or, and I can't believe I'm saying this, even a Sigma would be a decent choice.

XD XD XD, I would go with an xd, which is what I did.
ew sigma, *cringes* but it is better than those Tokarevs and mosins.


Your first handgun should be a Taurus, Glock, or S&W. Make your first handgun a good one.Springfield, sig, h&k,beretta, glock, s&w, colt(1911-1991), para-ordnance, kimber,kahr, ruger. i would say taurus is a tier below glock or s&w. dont get me wrong, tarus makes decent and reliable guns for their price, but it is not up there with glock or s&w. Just make sure you get something that feels good in the hand, is reliable,fair price, and ammo is availble.

I'd say a Browning Hi Power.

Failing that and if you're in Canada, you could get a budget Norinco handgun.

Link. (http://tinyurl.com/6jwqsc)

I personally like the BHP and the Smith and Wesson revolvers. Count out the Mosin Nagant revolver for any CCW courses. The Browning Hi Power would be cheaper to feed than the .38. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of the Tokarev. They have safety issues as the safeties were tacked on for importation. We've had members here accidentally have them go full auto when not cleaned... with the safety on.

Nagant revolver. No Mosin. Interesting weapon and ammunition and a bit more technologically advanced compared to current revolver models, I dare say, but still an outdated design.

I've had nothing bad to say with my Hi-Point 9mm. Absolutely no jams or problems at all, except a couple from a dodgy magazine not seating in the well and one doesn't want to feed the first bullet when the slide is held back from the empty catch. The original magazine is perfect. Cheap gun, cheap ammunition, great reliability in my opinion, and it's big enough of a caliber to be used for self defense. Now, the thing I am worried about is that I haven't tried hollowpoints which the gun is said to not feed correctly.

Of course it is quite heavy at 1.5 lbs empty, so it's not the best CCW gun.

As for your initial choices:

The Nagant is purely a collector's piece. It fails in most every way as a practical weapon. Expensive to feed, under-powered, awful trigger.

$200 for a Tokarev? You can still find CZ-52s cheaper than that, and they're vastly superior, so long as you don't use the decocker.

S&W wheelguns are great. Fantastic, even. Your budget may be better suited to a Ruger, however. Taurus isn't bad, either.

Hi-Powers kick ass, and any decent one will require nothing to be serviceable, and only a quick trigger job/ disconnect removal to be rather nice. However, being a HP snob, I'd be hesitant to settle for anything less than an FN/Browning or an Inglis. I seem to recall our XD fanboy having issues with his Charles Daly.

Now, on to other things:

Hi-Points are damn cheap. That's all I'll say.

Sigmas are just uglier Glocks. They still work well. Taurus PT92s and 24/7s are quite decent. All can be found new for less than $400.

Once you hit $400, you really have no excuse for not getting a used Glock. They're not pretty, not fancy, but they're one of the most practical and reliable handguns out there, and an excellent choice for a first pistol. If you have small hands or an aversion to plastic, you can get an RIA 1911 at this price point.

While it's probably a little out of the OP's original price range, why has no one suggested Sigs? I absolutely love Sig Sauer pistols.

While it's probably a little out of the OP's original price range, why has no one suggested Sigs? I absolutely love Sig Sauer pistols.

Oh, he wouldn't want one of those. He'd be better off leaving them for me.

I'd say don't buy a piece of crap just because it's cheap, I mean it's probably better to wait a little, save some more and buy something better.

If you have a tight budget why not a Walther p38? I bought one last year for 250 euros and I'm sure they're as cheap stateside, mine works flawlessy, it's accurate, it never jams, it has a nice trigger and it looks good(at least for me)

True it has low capacity but it's lightyears better than any of that Soviet junk you listed.

Hey OP, all of your gun choices are just fine for various reasons. Just remember that the best way to test a new gun is to load it, put the barrel in your mouth, and pull the trigger.

barrel

*muzzle

Nobody loves Beretta?

Nobody loves Beretta?

The M9 really isn't all that good in proportion to its price.

Theta, I contacted CD about my worn guide rod and they sent me a new one (and a recoil spring) for $12.

It works fine now.

But I really don't shoot that gun all the much and I plan on taking it and my CZ52 and trading them towards a used GLOCK, XD, or another AK, as the place near me has GP 10/63s for $399.

I'm no longer interested in range toys or off-caliber guns.

Nobody loves Beretta?

Expensive, bulky, heavy, extremely bad trigger, also lower capacity compared to other 9mm available on the market.

I wasn't really impressed by it, I didn't even like the newer one, the PX4, still too expensive, really heavy trigger release and the one I've tried shot low.

*muzzle

Honestly that does not matter. It is called a barrel also.
take that to here is you want to talk about your pet peeves.
www.totse.com/community/showthread.php?t=2173328

it is called a barrel also.
Take that to here is you want to talk about your pet peeves.


......................................

Berettas aren't bad, but I prefer my Taurus 92. Lot cheaper, still accurate, got the safety on the frame as god/JMB intended, and I can carry it cocked and locked [though that only applies to the original design].

Your first handgun should be a Taurus, Glock, or S&W. Make your first handgun a good one.

Ya one of those personally i like the Taurus.