Amazon 7 #51 February 20, 2009 Quote Good choice for plinking is FMJ 9mm ........................................................................ Jean, That is usually what I use for practice. I recently bought some unjacketed 9mm cast bullets for reloading, and practice. They were really cheap. I've heard that they can foul your barrel bad, if you load them too hot. So, I've been reluctant to shoot many of them. EEEEK,, lose the cast bullets..especially the CHEAP ones ( you need to KNOW where the "lead" is coming from. I would only use cast ..pure lead cast for the old school guns... for black powder weapons, antique handguns and lever guns. Yeah... barrel fouling in a fine weapon... not something I want to do. In some ancient barrel where the rifleing is already shot to shit and corroded/worn down... go for it.... you have to have something to shoot from the antiques.Others I know... shoot lots of the old stuff. some of them even swage their own for their handguns.. I sold off all my 9mm, .357 and .44 swaging stuff to a guy down in Portland. I suppose if you REALLLLY want to go all survuval and roll your own... there is plenty of gear out there .. just stock up on good lead andcups if you want to do semi-jacketed Oh and I only have my grandfathers RCBS Rock Chucker... I don't load as much as I used to... but my time is just not worth loading 9mm. I do keep all my brass and have bullets, powder, primers and the dies for the 9mm... but shit..I can buy plenty fairly cheap that someone else blew a lot of time loading. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
piper17 1 #52 February 20, 2009 I've reloaded thousands of rounds of .45acp using lead semi wadcutter bullets. I shot IPSC competition and had to achieve a certain power factor so these were not wimp loads but they didn't have to be super hot, either. I experienced some barrel leading but nothing that couldn't be easily removed with a Hoppes tool designed for the purpose. My .38 special reloading is for Cowboy Action Shooting and I load at the bottom of the reloading data...the starting load. No problem with leading at all in either revolvers or rifle. Same thing when I used to compete with .45 Colt revolvers and rifle. No leading. Oregon Trails produces very good lead bullets that seem to reduce or eliminate most leading. I believe it is a harder lead alloy than many manufacturers use. I only rarely load jacketed bullets as they are considerably more expensive than lead and for plinking and competition, lead is fine. For personal protection/concealed carry purposes, I use store-bought defensive rounds for legal reasons... in case I ever had to use a firearm in self-defense. By the way, if you decide to buy a Glock (or certain other handguns), you are not supposed to fire lead bullets due to the type of rifling in the barrel. Use only jacketed rounds."A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition"...Rudyard Kipling Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
steve1 5 #53 February 20, 2009 I know very little about unjacketed lead bullets. The guy who sold them to me said they would not foul the barrel much at all as long as I used light loads... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
piper17 1 #54 February 20, 2009 You might want to check around your area to see if there are any IPSC, IDPA, or Cowboy Action Shooting groups. You can learn a lot about firearms, reloading, etc from such groups. You might also want to go to the Dillon Precison web site to learn about reloading equipment, etc. They have videos, DVDs, etc as well that can teach you about reloading, equipment, procedures, etc."A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition"...Rudyard Kipling Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nelyubin 0 #55 February 22, 2009 Take APS cheap but good. http://world.guns.ru/handguns/hg22-e.htm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k50k8C8TFJc Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfriverjoe 1,341 #56 February 23, 2009 Just got here, but read the whole thread. The best pistol for you is the one you like the best. The one that fits your hand the best. The one with the recoil you are comfortable with. If you like your S&W, then stick with it. The DA first shot SA subsequent shots is a little tough to get used to, but with practice, it can be mastered. As someone suggested, lots of dry-fire practice (with a snap cap) is a good idea. I would suggest try before you buy. I know very few shooters that wouldn't let you try their pistols out (if you supply/pay for ammo). There are also "gun rental" ranges. It might cost a bit, but well worth it to find your best choice. I love my Kimber compact 45. It kicks hard, but I've shot it enough that I can deal with it. Glocks are very good guns. Very light if you want to carry all day, reliable as anything out there. The trigger is a little different (not quite double action, not quite single). Not my choice, but that's a personal thing- I am a single action shooter - flip the safety off, nice short, light trigger pull - bang. DO NOT under any circumstances shoot lead in a Glock. The polygonal "rifiling" will clog, create over pressure and blow up the gun. Caliber is a whole different thread. What really matters is hitting the target. 380 is about minimum. If you want a really small gun, then 32auto is an option, but most who think they know what they are talking about consider it underpowered. Reloading, again a whole other thread. I have a Dillon 650 with the casefeed. It rocks. 500 rounds per hour is realisic. And the company's "No BS Lifetime Warranty" is just that. They aren't cheap, but worth every penny. Engineered well and built like a tank. Single stage and trickling powder for pistol is not really efficient. You don't need to be that precise for practice rounds. Lead can be just fine in a 9mm. You aren't pushing fast enough for leading to be an issue as long as you stay in the lower half of the load data. I use lead in my 45s and 38s and other guys at the range I shoot at use it in 9 and 40. (my 9mm Taurus doesn't like lead - the rifiling is a bit fast)."There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
moodyskydiver 0 #57 February 23, 2009 Ok, I'm going to toss in my .02 even though I'm late to the party. I have relatively small hands but I still really enjoy my Springfield 1911 Champion.The recoil isnt near what my old XD .40 or XD .45GAP had. I guess I'm just a fan of the .45 because thats what I like and thats all that really matters.As alot of others have said here, find what you like.Theres plenty of ways to rent or borrow different makes and models until you find out whats right for you.As far as caliber and reloading go, they could (and probably do) have their own threads LOL! As far as your trigger problem goes, it can probably be easily fixed by making a trip to your favorite gunsmith.My 1911 had ALOT of play in the trigger when I first got it and one trip to a gunsmith fixed it up.He said it was such an easy fix that he didnt even charge me for the work. I agree with those who have suggested finding your local shooting club affiliations and doing some hands on learning.Its all about what you're comfortable with and the more you practice the more comfortable you'll be.Good luck with your search. "...just an earthbound misfit, I." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
leroydb 0 #58 February 23, 2009 I like my xd 40 9mm pisses some people off.. especially if on drugs... 45mm is expensive... 40mm is inbetween and cheaper... that means I can shoot more for practice and still has great stopping power. misc stuff to think about..... reaction time, muscle memory, Mag changes.... known distance for usual targets... training as you would fight....Leroy ..I knew I was an unwanted baby when I saw my bath toys were a toaster and a radio... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
piper17 1 #59 February 23, 2009 Never heard of a 45mm and the 40mm is anti-aircraft gun dating back to at least WWII. 40mm is about 3/4" !!! I think you mean .45 ACP and .40S&W.....as in .45 or .40 caliber...measured in fractions of inches."A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition"...Rudyard Kipling Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
steve1 5 #60 February 23, 2009 That Kimber pistol sounds like a dandy. Is that the same company that makes Kimber custom rifles? Thanks all for your input. I didn't realize there were so many pistol shooters on here who really know their stuff.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mnealtx 0 #61 February 23, 2009 QuoteThat Kimber pistol sounds like a dandy. Is that the same company that makes Kimber custom rifles? Thanks all for your input. I didn't realize there were so many pistol shooters on here who really know their stuff.... Same company, yes.Mike I love you, Shannon and Jim. POPS 9708 , SCR 14706 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DrewEckhardt 0 #62 February 23, 2009 QuoteNever heard of a 45mm and the 40mm is anti-aircraft gun dating back to at least WWII. 40mm is about 3/4" !!! You have to get with the metric program. 20mm (like 20mm Lahti) is over 3/4". 40mm is over 1.5". Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
piper17 1 #63 February 23, 2009 You are right! I stand corrected...and the scale I was referencing is "cm", not mm. 20mm is larger in diameter than a .50 cal round and I wouldn't care to be holding a handgun that fired a round that large....not to mention 40mm."A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition"...Rudyard Kipling Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LongWayToFall 0 #64 February 24, 2009 Some people were talking about expensive ammo, I just ordered off of this website and they had some real nice deals. Hopefully this will help some out. http://www.ammunitiontogo.com/ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DrewEckhardt 0 #65 February 24, 2009 QuoteSome people were talking about expensive ammo, I just ordered off of this website and they had some real nice deals. Hopefully this will help some out. http://www.ammunitiontogo.com/ Eric the Ammo Man at http://www.ammoman.com for all your shopping needs. High demand _has_ depleted stocks. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
