🚀 go-pugleaf

     I'm thinking of buying a handgun and  would  like  some
advice  from  those  of  you that have some experience.   My
preferences are for a semi auto larger than  a  22,  9mm  is
looking  good  right  now.   It  should  cost  $300 to $400,
although if I find something I like I can  go  higher.   The
barrel  should be at least 4", I'd rather hit what I aim for
than conceal it in a pocket.  I prefer double  actions  that
hold  as  many  bullets  in their magazines as possible, but
neither of these is a major criterion.  A little  background
info is in order.

     Right now I have a Ruger MKII 22, a friend of mine  has
a browning 22 semi and can sometimes borrow his brother's 38
revolver.  We go out to the desert and stand cans up so  far
away we can barely see them, then start plinking.  On a good
day we can each hit those silly cans about a  third  of  the
time  with  our 22s.  We do it like this because we're lazy,
neither of us likes to go set the cans up again.   We  don't
like  paper targets because they don't do anything when hit.
Obviously, neither of us is interested in competition shoot-
ing,  nor in going to a range where we can only shoot paper.
I usually don't keep loaded guns around the  house  so  home
defense isn't an issue.

     Now for  the  serious  questions.   What  is  a  'good'
caliber  to  get?   I mentioned 9mm is my current preference
but it's not set in concrete.  What do I look for in a  gun?
How about brands?  Taurus seems to make some cheap guns, are
these only cheap in price or are they  low  quality?   Ditto
for Llama.  When I was looking for my 22 lots of gun dealers
told me Browning made a very nice gun, but what they  showed
me  was  out of my price range.  What do you think of Brown-
ing?  Does anyone have any experience  with  the  Glock  17?
People  keep  talking  about  their  Colts  in this group, I
gather you can get one for $500, then spend  more  money  to
make it more accurate later on.  Is this true?  For those of
you in San Diego, what are you're experiences with local gun
dealers?  If I wanted a revolver I could buy a 357 and shoot
38s out of it.  What would this save me, and would  it  make
my accuracy with a 357 better or worse to practice with 38s?
Before I buy anything I plan to buy a book or two  and  read
up  on  what  I'm  doing,  so  whats  a good book for a rank
beginner?

     When we go out we shoot 1,000  to  1,500  22's  in  2-3
hours.   If we have the 38 we'll also take a box of 50 each.
Naturally, we can't afford to do this with a larger caliber.
What  would it cost me to buy a reloader, and then materials
to load my own bullets?  Whats a good reloader if I go  this
route?

     Whew, lots of questions here.  I plan to go out looking
the  weekend  of  2/13,  and  if  I buy it'll probably be in
March.  Maybe April if you figure  in  the  2  week  waiting
period.  Any advice would be much appreciated.


                                                Jim




Jim Harkins 
Loral Instrumentation, San Diego
{ucbvax, ittvax!dcdwest, akgua, decvax, ihnp4}!sdcsvax!sdcc6!loral!jlh