Lurker, bucolic, marlene, cover me!
I've got a problem I'd like to pose to the community. When I started researching firearms, I quickly found the 1911, then even more quickly wrote it off as being a gun liked only by crazy old coots who yell at kids to get off their lawn (no offense, lurker, bucolic, and marlene!). Fast forward to this week, and I'm forced to acknowledge that I, too---by the transitive property--must be a crazy old coot.
As established in my New Member Intro, I'd never touched a gun before, have been on the fence about guns for a long time, and recent events have convinced me to get off that fence. I'm still actually on the fence (availability is low, ranges near me are all closed, had some unexpected expenses), but I've taken your advice and at least handled a few guns for the first time, so I'll be less of a chump when I make a purchase.
A friend recently showed me how to operate a 1911, P99 compact, and Glock 26. The aforementioned range restrictions and the fact that neither of us live in environments where it'd be safe or polite to shoot in our backyards meant that I really only practised loading, chambering, firing, and unloading snap caps, but still! According to my friend, releasing the slide lock on a semi-auto is an approximation of the felt recoil from firing a round. [1] Correction: according to my friend, releasing the slide lock on his particular 1911 an approximation of the felt recoil from firing a round through it.
I'll acknowledge fully that as someone who has yet to actually fire a single round, I have no idea what I'm talking about. But, if my friend's assertion holds true, 1911's are way less snappy than their polymer brethren. I was completely unprepared for that, despite all I've read, all of the friends with whom I've spoken, and all the guntubers I've watched. Seriously, the P99 and G26 felt like mouse traps compared to the silky smooth operation of a several-pound assembly of steel. [2]
The difference in "snappiness" alone was enough to convince me to put the breaks on getting a G19 or PPQ. My questions to community (provided I haven't been booted out by this sentence) are:
(1) Being small, the P99 compact and Glock 26 must be snappier than larger polymer guns (G19 and PPQ), but are they appreciably snappier?
(2) Is my friend correct: can releasing a slide lock adequately emulate the "snappiness" of a gun when it fires? Made irrelevant by correction above.
(3) From your experience with other novices, what other things tend to surprise new shooters as they orient themselves to different styles of handgun?
(4) If I like the weight, ergonomics, and snappiness of the 1911, but I wanted a heavier trigger pull, is something like the Beretta 92 a good option?
(5) Am I a crazy old coot?
Thanks,
darmok
[1] He emphasized several times that the accompanying loud BANG from firing a round plays a larger role taking you off target.
[2] All the more remarkable was the fact that, despite my having never held a gun, I found myself thinking that of the three, the 1911 felt most like a gun.
Just Held a Gun for the First Time -- Why don't we all have 1911's?
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Last edited by darmok on Sat Aug 08, 2020 1:35 am, edited 1 time in total.