I wouldn't worry about stepping up in caliber until you're proficient with the fundamentals using your Buckmark..... every time. Caliber doesn't count until you can put your shots on target. Too big a caliber, too quickly, might well cause you to begin to flinch, and that takes some doing to undo....

Be patient. Get very good with what you have, then step up...

I'm proficient with the Buckmark that's why I asked for a good 9mm. I could just jump to compact .45 and talk about how I want to CAC but at least I'm asking for advice. Not just some guy that shot a gun and thought I could save the world and buy the biggest baddest gun I can conceal. Ok, is there something wrong with not just jumping up to the big guys?

Nothing wrong with going to a larger caliber and the 9m/m is a good one to get. The 9m/m is about the cheapest centerfire ammunition on the market so the most practice ammunition for the money. Now I would avoid going right to a compact or micro compact pistol. The smaller the pistol the harder it is to use well. Go to your local gun shop and get your hand on several different 9's and if you have a range that rents try a few and see what you find the most comfortable in your hand. One that you can reach all the buttons and levers with out having to change your grip. Look at name brand like S&W, Ruger, Springfield Armory, colt, Glock and you will get a good quality handgun that will do well for you, when you are ready to CCW a full sized 9m/m really isn't hard to carry, Just get a good quality IWB holster and practice.

I'm sorry, I missed the proficiency part of your first post. Buy what feels "right" in your hands. As long as you're proficient n the fundamentals, you can shoot virtually any caliber.

Another suggestion would be to buy a .40 or .45 that also has conversion barrels available that allow you to practice with cheaper ammo as well ie: .22 or 9mm ...JJ

I too spent years shooting 22s before I bought my own 9mm. My only suggestion is to try a handful of firearms in 9mm and choose what feels best. It depends on everything from the size of your hands, upper body strength as to what might feel right. Most people here will say good things about Rugers, Berettas, S&Ws in particular. I now have an FNX-9 and a CZ-75 SP01 and am quite happy with them both, although some might consider them a tad pricey for a newbie. One gun that might be a good affordable next step into 9mm is the Armalite 24.

Might want to check out a Beretta 92....long sight radius...........

My first full sized 9 was an EAA Tangfoglio Witness. I LOVED that gun. No major recoil, no muzzle flip, easy to maintain. Felt good in hand(and I have small hands). Single/double. I mainly used it as a range/plinking gun and was very accurate with it. They are cheap and overall just fun. That's my opinion.

find a place to rent guns to get the feel of different makes
a 9mm is the best choice for a first gun above 22lr
if you want to get proficient before you get your CCW liscense then a full sized would be recommended
the one thing you have to ask yourself is if you want an exposed hammer (beretta 92fs, Sig 226 etc) or a striker fired (glock 17, 19, S&W M&P, Ruger, etc)

Just for general FYI....the first handgun my wife ever shot was a 9mm......she hit the paper from 25 yds. every time, with no flinch.....she now owns an SR40......unless you are a perfectionist, and expect to put shots within a half inch of each other, get what you want, practice, and you will become accustomed to it, and you will shoot just fine.........

Agree with you on the EAA Witness. Started with a 9m/m and have added the .45 acp and a 9m/m match, they are great guns at a price.

When I think 9mm target shooting, I always think CZ-75, because they are so accurate and easy to shoot well. The EAA Witness is a clone of the CZ-75, and apparently, a good one. I have fired a magazine through one, and it felt just like shooting the CZ, and was accurate.

If you are proficient w/ the buckmark you should be ready for a larger caliber pistol. Are you leaning toward striker fired or DA/SA or some other hammer fired varient? There are so many great options on the market today but what you will find is everyone's personnel preference, but in that personnel preference at least you get tested satisfactory approval. Walther PPQ, Glock 19, M&P compact, XDM 3.9 or XD, Beretta 92, PX4 Compact or full size, Compact CZ's, Ruger SR9C, H&K...... and the list goes on. Don't shy away from the larger compact pistols they shoot as well as any full size in my experience.

I'm leaning towards a Ruger SR9c. Good gun, good price. I liked the way it felt holding it (didn't shoot it) and I really think its a good looking gun to.

Originally Posted by Briguy350

I'm leaning towards a Ruger SR9c. Good gun, good price. I liked the way it felt holding it (didn't shoot it) and I really think its a good looking gun to.

Ruger SR9c - YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOmzcICIFpk


A very good choice in my opinion, evidently a very good trigger as well. Actually, using the SR9 magazines converts it to a fullsize w/ the benefit you will come to appreciate only in a compact.

Hi Briguy. There really is a plethora of extremely fine guns from a lot of manufactures in today's market. 9MM is a good choice as the ammo is cheaper ($10 a box on the internet, and maybe locally). The Ruger SR9C is an excellent gun, but so are many others. It just boils down to personal preference.

I have the SR40C ($419), which is almost identical to the SR9C, and just love it. Below are some video reviews on the SR9C. Before you buy anything, go to youtube and do a search on any gun you're interested in. You'll find a ton of gun review videos. I'm in Wisconsin so my SR40C came with a 9 & 15 round mag. The 9 makes it nice for concealed carry, and the 15 turns it in to a full size SR40. The SR9C comes with either two 10 round mags, or a 10 and a 17 round mag, depending on what state you live in. I reload, so that's why I chose the 40 S&W. But the 9MM is probably a better choice for you. The SR series is surprisingly accurate. It just takes lots of practice, as it would with any center fire hand gun. Besides being excellent self defense guns, they're really fun range and woods guns to. If you get the SR9C, you can remove the magazine disconnect. Takes about 5 minutes. Youtube vids show ya how. It's really easy. One really nice thing about the SR series is a fully adjustable rear sight. Most guns of this genre have either fixed or minimal rear sight adjustment.

Just as a side note, all modern, state-of-the-art, common self defense ammo performs about equally well. That because it's all loaded to FBI handgun protocols. There's not a whole lot of deference between 9MM, 357 Sig, 40 S&W, and 45 ACP common self defense ammo. We're not talking FMJ here, which shouldn't be used for self defense. To much energy/penetration is wasteful, inefficient, and dangerous to bystanders, and to little is ineffective. The 45 ACP is no longer king like it use to be. 12" minimum and 18" maximum penetration is what the FBI protocol requires. Most manufactures load to just over the minimum. I use Hornady Critical Defense for carry, but practice with my much, much cheaper (about $2.00 a box) hand loads.



Ain't pick'n out a new gun fun ! ! ! Let us know what you end up getting.

Semper Fi

Don <><

If you can't find cheap 9MM practice ammo locally, go here. They have good stuff and are nice to deal with.
http://www.ammoforsale.com/

Ruger SR9C Chapter 1
Ruger SR9c - YouTube

Ruger SR9C Chapter 2
SR9c (Chapter 2) - YouTube

Ruger SR9C Close Up
SR9c Close Up - YouTube

Buy a gun that fills the needs you have. In a NRA story a man was woken by a burglar in his bedroom in the early hours. The man fired a 22 cal pistol and the burglar asked "What was that ?" not realizing he had been shot. You don't want a potental killer asking what was that. I use a Ruger 44 magnum, they won't ask what was that. If you need stopping power don't rely on a low power gun to fill the need. In the Army 9MM guns were brought in because female soldiers could not pull the slide back on a 45 cal pistol. That got a lot of people killed with the lower the powered 9MM pistol.If you can operate a 45 cal 1911 ACP then get something along that line. Not wanting to be seen as hating females just realize, it's your butt on the line. Keep a large caliber weapon near where you sleep. A 22 cal just won't get the job done. Viet Vet.

I just purchased the Springfield XD-m compact 9mm. It has adjustable grips and two high yielding magazines plus some other gear. You should put this gun on the list of your considerations.