🚀 go-pugleaf

Jim, I would like to respond to a few things for you.
>
>     I'm thinking of buying a handgun and  would  like  some
>advice  from  those  of  you that have some experience.   

 I have owned 2 9mm auto's.  One S&W model 39, and one Heckler & Koch
P9S.  I highly recommend both.

>hold  as  many  bullets  in their magazines as possible, but

 Be carefull with this one, some pistols will have jamming problems.

>     Right now I have a Ruger MKII 22, ..
> ...We go out to the desert and stand cans up so  far
>away we can barely see them, then start plinking....

 Good choice for 22 auto.  I use mine for the same thing :-)

>I usually don't keep loaded guns around the  house  so  home
>defense isn't an issue.

Good Idea, the only thing I consider usefull for home defense is 
 a 12 ga shotgun with a 19 and 1/4 inch barrel.  It not only has good
psychological value (to the 'bad guy'), you don't have to worry about
missing if you were in a situation.  Pistols are great, but under the 
kind of stress that situation makes, do you really want to try and hit
something?  If you have to point a gun a another person, you better be 
ready to use it, and if you're ready to use it you better be ready to 
kill said person should you have to.

[ All good points, however, I couldn't help but put my two cents in.
  Shotguns *DO NOT* spread shot out appreciably at ranges one would
  be most likely to encounter a intruding felon. You had better damn
  well "worry about missing" with a shotgun or any other piece. I'll shut
  up now.. Sorry. -jh ]

>     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
>...  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

 A good caliber is hard to define.  It depends upon your preferances.
 I happen to like 9mm and .357mag.  I might suggest looking around your 
 area for both gun collector shows, and people who reload as a business.
 Try looking in the add section of you local paper for 'gun shows' or
check around sporting goods stores.  You not only will find the best deal
on a firearm, but you will have fun drooling on all the neat stuff :-)
As for the re-loading, I would not recommend this for the causual shooter.
Re-loading takes a lot of time and skill.  You would be better off looking
for the guy who does it in his basement, and sells reloads on the side
to finance his hobbys.  I have a guy around here who sells .357 reloads
for around $7/100 with my brass (you take in 100 spent rnds).  Prices will
vary.

One last thing.  Beware of any 'cheap' gun.  Especially if you plan to shoot
it as heavy as you your mk2.  Things you want to look for are an all steel
weapon. (I know that sounds strange but many autos have alloy frames and
will wear faster than a steel frame) If in doubt, buy the more expensive
firearm.  S&W wheel guns for example one of the best you can buy.  A good
way to tell if a gun is 'good' is to check its resale value.  It the value
stays high, it is more that likely of a good make.

I hope my rambelings help a little,
enjoy,

Dan

Oh yea, one last thing, please ignore all spelling/grammer errors,
 I went to school in the US. :-)
---

  Dan Sweet  ...!{ucbvax|ihnp4|seismo}!tektronix!reed!percival!sweet 

  "If I want your opinion, I'll beat it out of ya!" -- C. Norris