[painted_klown]

Hello all. I am sure this question pops up quite frequently but I feel it's always best to "ask the experts".

I recently purchased a Hi-Point 9mm and have had the WORST luck with it....see my rant and full story in "Info for cheap pistols to purchase" thread found here. http://www.firearmstalk.com/forums/f14/info-cheap-pistols-purchase-7169/index5.html

I also bought a Ruger MKIII 22/45 .22lr and absolutely LOVE it! I did have some issues figuring out how to disassemble/reassemble it and I ended up scratching up the rear top of the pistol (right behind the rear sight, where the pin is that you have to remove) and breaking the rear sight the first day I had it. I am severely frustrated with myself because after 3 days of messing with it I finally figured it out and could have saved myself lots of frustration and damage to my pistol. Thankfully, I am pretty sure I can just replace the rear sight and the rest of the damage will just be merely cosmetic. It still sucks though.......essentially ruining my first nice pistol just because I am not very mechanically inclined and have a fascination with how firearms work.

Anyway...now to my question. I am looking at possibly making another pistol purchase in the near future. I am considering possibly a nice 9mm. You know, one that will actually shoot when I pull the trigger...or maybe getting yet another caliber altogether.

I am thinking if I go with another caliber I would like something that would be reasonably cheap to shoot. I shot .22lr all summer long and now it seems like it's almost killing me to pay 25 cents a round for 9mm. I am too poor....lol!!! Also in selecting another caliber I want to get something that will be practical to own. What I mean is a caliber that is very common and a pistol that is easy to find accessories, high capacity mags, and parts for. Of course, cost of ammo and pistol are a big factor for me.

One idea was of course to take the plunge and get a 1911. My local guy has a new one for $425.00. It's a cheaper, no frills model but it's a 1911 none the less. I believe its a Century arms...don't quote me on that....my only hesitations would be recoil (how bad is it for a 1911?) The cartridges (.45 acp) are HUGE and I expect quite a kick from it.....and the cost per shot......45 acp ammo isn't very economical.

I am NOT stuck on any certain caliber, or even on the idea of getting something other than a nice 9mm.

Any ideas, thoughts, suggestions?

Thanks for reading.

[freefall]

.45 ACP recoil really isn't that bad. The lovely Mrs. Freefall (5'6" 130 lb) loves it in her Officers ACP. My daughter shot my 1911 A1 well when she was 12. I suppose it's a bit stiffer than a 9, but not enough to whine about. 9mm ammo is cheaper, and high-cap 9s are certainly thicker on the ground than high-cap .45s. If high-cap is a big issue to you, go for the 9 by all means. I myself would probably buy that .45 for $400 or whatever. Trade him that hi-point pos.

[Mark F]

45 ACP is mild-mannered shooting. But my question is, why go with another autoloader? You said you were mechanically inept, so with that being said you should look at getting a good revolver. They are much simpler to take care of and they conserve ammo by comparison.

It's just a suggestion...

[Kevin Harvey]

I would suggest the Springfield Armory XD 40.

The ability to take it down to field strip does not need a person that is Mechanically inclined.

Easy, first make sure it is unloaded, rotate the lever, slide the slide forward and off. Very easy....

[CA357]

It sounds like you've learned of the Hi Point's limitations and you've learned some of your limitations. That will make you a better firearms owner.

The .45ACP is fine to shoot, don't sweat the recoil. It's really just kind of a strong push and no big deal.

[Bigcat_hunter]

A 1911 would be a great choice. If your looking for a cheap but good one check out Taurus. They make a nice 1911 for a real good price. I sell the bare bones ones for $530.00. They also have a $75.00 rebate through December.

[SGT-MILLER]

I will throw in my opinion of looking at the Rock Island Armory or Springfield Armory 1911 pistols before going with Taurus. Cheaper and you'll get a better quality deal.

[Flint Rock]

I suppose there is a way to measure recoil other than by shooting a gun and renendering an opinion, but I don't know how it is done. To me at least a 40 S&W has more recoil than a 45 ACP, but like I said, that's just me. Down at the local Wally World ammo for 40 and 45 is within a few cents of each other per box. So all that said, I chose a 45, a 1911 at that. I have a Wilson Combat 22 conversion that spends a good bit of time installed on my gun. The 22 is cheap to shoot and builds muscle memory for me (of course you can get 22 conversions for other guns,,,,,,,,, Glocks also.)

[Bigcat_hunter]

Originally Posted by SGT-MILLER

I will throw in my opinion of looking at the Rock Island Armory or Springfield Armory 1911 pistols before going with Taurus. Cheaper and you'll get a better quality deal.

If you can find a Springfield Armory 1911 for less than a Taurus than buy it. Springfield makes a very nice 1911 but they are not cheap, on par with Kimber. You can probably find a mil spec Springfield for under $700.00. Thats "Mil Spec",...The base model.

[painted_klown]

Thanks for the input everybody.

I am going to look around for a bit and see what all I can find in regards to getting a deal on something.

I will keep you all posted as to what I finally decide on.