I don't really like glocks, got my eyes on a Sig P239 Enhanced Elite 9mm, but also kinda like the Berettas for not being a burgerland company, any other brands I should be looking at, whats the least chuddiest company, I looked at the HK site and my god, they have American flags everywhere and MAGA sales.
ETA: Im in 'Commiefornia' so any gun suggestions should be able to be sold here.
Get a compact Glock, 9mm. Probably the g21.
Then get an optic.
Then replace the trigger.
I don't like my Glock. It is the most common handgun in America. You will find after market parts. You will be able to get magazines. You will be able to get carbines that receive Glock magazines. If you were to ever be in a shit hits the fan situation and you need to find ammo in an unexpected situation, 9mm/.556 is the most common round. You will be more likely to find like minded people who use this weapon and were you to be in a situation, you could share ammo/magazines.
I recommend handguns for home defense. Most encounters with firearms are less than ten yards which is within effective handgun range. They are far easier to conceal than an AR build. You won't be sticking your barrel around corners with a handgun. You can conceal carry a handgun and keep the element of surprise. They can be fired one handed.
So for your first gun, I (and others I know) recommend the Glock. That being said the people I know have a perspective on why we own firearms and our concern is very much a shit hits the fan anticipation in which case finding parts, magazines and ammunition is of chief concern to keep the gun functioning.
Or get a good gun and avoid all those “upgrades” in the first place. The Glock patent has been public for decades now.
The CZ P-10 has everything Glock has to offer plus better triggers and sights out the box. But OP doesn’t like Glocks, so perhaps an M&P 2.0 which has a hinged trigger and a thumb safety (which is usually cheaper).
I say this a 2.0 owner: get the P-10C when it’s on sale. $290 + shipping + FFL transfer will probably be below $350 for an excellent gun. I’m on r/gundeals right now and and a Glock 21 Gen 5 is $620 + shipping + FFL. LMAO. And you gotta spend another couple hundred to get it to “perfection.” With the ~$300 you’d save with the CZ, you can buy 1000 rounds of ammo to practice with.
The only things Glock has to offer are wide usage by cops, soldiers, civilians, criminals which means:
Personally I don’t trust aftermarket internals for a defensive gun. Whatever the reasons, cops and soldiers aren’t usually permitted to modify their weapons so we don’t get to see the same reliability comparisons with OEM.
Having spare parts is nice, especially in a SHTF situation, but most of us aren’t in that situation so we shouldn’t be worried about scavenging for parts, especially for a newbie like OP.
Also, I trust CZ’s Glock clone to have the same reliability as the real Glock that’s been reported for decades. It might sound hypocritical to trust a clone of a gun over a clone of its parts, but CZ is a reputable company that has been making stuff for almost a century now. And again, the Glock patent is public and the P-10C doesn’t deviate too far from that whereas aftermarket parts do deviate from it.
I don't actually disagree with most of your analysis. A good gun is actually far better, imo, to having a generic shitty one. I hate my glock, I like my beretta much better, it fits better, the trigger is better, the iron sights are better etc. But my recommendation for a first gun is to get one that covers as many scenarios as possible while adequately serving the purpose of the user. And I bought my beretta first, I'm trying to give advice that I learned from not buying a glock first. As an example, I still cannot find standard magazines for my beretta px4 storm in a gun store (or at a gun show). I have to order them. So my recommendation for someone new is to not worry about being able to find parts/ammo/whatever for your first pistol.
People in vulnerable communities might be more concerned with SHTF situations. I'm not trying to dismiss your argument here. I'm trying to say that some people might think they may have to scavenge magazines from trucks with certain stickers on them in the very near future. I could give many examples. I don't think I have to, I've seen you posting.
I think if you're worried about using guns on a person, your first two should be a glock in 9mm and an AR in 556.
All this is my opinion but I do think its worth discussing. No animosity here.
Same here. I just dislike Glocks, not because it’s unreliable, but because it’s overpriced for what it offers. If they dropped the price down then I’d be recommending it to everyone as well
Word. It's silly to say about glocks but everything about glocks that isn't the actual function of the gun sucks.
I agree, but to be clear, I bought 3 handguns in California and all of them cost ~500 (back in the late 2010s). Including the glock.
Since then, as I've moved around to different states a bit, I have been able to easily find glock magazines that California disallows. I haven't been able to find magazines in any of 4 states 2 of which are very "2a friendly" for the other pistols. Not that I bought them. I am a law abiding citizen that respects the rule of law, officer. Did you know that there are crazy law breaking assholes who make 50 round drum magazines for glocks? I'd report them to the proper authorities but I only saw those shenanigans on a walmart table at a gun show, I don't think I even remember where the show was.
Standardization and interoperability is important for armies. When a soldier's gun gets broken it goes to an armorer and the armorer has to figure out what the grunt did to break their gun. If every single gun is the same that's a lot easier to do. It also helps with training, parts, whatever. If everyone trains on the same gun you can just throw a gun at them and they know what to do.
It's not really as much of a thing for individuals. You'll be doing your own repairs or taking it to a gunsmith who isn't under the same constraints as a military armorer. If you decide to go do sketchy militia stuff with your buddies then you should all agree to get ARs that use AR magazines in 5.56 (and maybe standardize what load of 5.56 you're using ie M193 or 885 or whatever).
All that said, I'm a CZ fan too, I just tell people to get a glock bc you really can't fuck up walking in and saying "gimme a glock".
This. Being able to throw a mag to your buddy is a greatly underestimated advantage of getting the most boring and common gun you can. I usually tell people AR - glock - any shotgun and after you've got those three start worrying about guns you like or whatever.