Which firearm should I buy next?

**Wounded Ronin** · Posted On: 4/12/2009 10:54am

Well, demand for firearms is at an all time high and I figure I should think about buying my next one instead of just procrastinating for all this time. However, I'm not sure what I want so I figure I should ask the people here who seem pretty knowledgable.

The first question is, "For what purpose does WR want a new firearm?"

The answer is that I would like to keep progressing in my hobby of shooting paper targets. So, I'm not interested (at this time) in hunting, blowing away home invaders, or zombies. By shooting paper targets, I mean possibly competing in pistol competitions, or possibly using a scoped rifle to shoot distant paper targets, or possibly just being extremely anal retentive and challenging myself by trying to get a really precise grouping while firing unsupported or something like that.

Last year I participated in a stock pistol shooting competition for county employees and even though everyone else was running around with a Glock I managed to get third place in the amateur division using my Ruger P97 DC, complete with mushy trigger pull, sharp recoil due to metal slide plus polymer base, and grip that doesn't fit my hand 100% when I carefully squeeze the trigger in such a way to manage the mushy trigger pull.

I've also taken tactical pistol and carbine classes from a local instructor, which I enjoyed quite a lot, and in the future I am planning to take a long-range scoped rifle class with this local instructor.

The firearms I currently own are:
-Ruger P97DC
-Ruger Mini-14 (I bought a cheap scope for this rifle so that it could at least suffice for the purpose of the scoped rifle class; I also have a whole bunch of 20 round magazines so that in principle the Mini-14 could be used for home defense against home invaders.)
-Old Russian Mosin Nagant manufactured during World War II. (Not sure yet if it shoots straight...I have to go "zero" it under controlled conditions.)
-I can always borrow my mom's Mossberg 590; sometimes we go shoot clay pigeons for fun in an informal way. I feel very confident being able to do well against paper targets using rifled slugs from 50 feet away.

So, the question is, what firearms should I buy to continue developing as a firearms hobbyist? Here are my thoughts:

-I could go for a good bolt action rifle in .30-06 or 7.62 NATO. That way, I could get into long range riflelry with the proper tools. Maybe a Remington 700?

-I remember thinking that if only I had a pistol with a medium-length barrel in .380 ACP that I'd totally clean house in a stock pistol competition where .22s aren't allowed but .380 is, such as the county competition, because of how the recoil would be so minimal. However, does such a pistol exist? Does anyone have thoughts as to whether or not this would be good thing to get if I could get one? It seems to me like everything in .380 is designed for CCW and as such has a short barrel, tiny grip, and so on.

-What about a high-end 1911? That could sure be used for competitions and anal retentively trying to hit bullseyes.

-What about a HK Mk. 23? Isn't that supposed to be a match-grade .45 which is also super reliable and easy to maintain? Could I get one, and would it be a reasonable choice for me?

Any thoughts you might have would be greatly appreciated.

**moli** · Posted On: 4/12/2009 11:02am

Maybe a rimfire, or two (rifle & pistol) for cheap practice?

I had my Buckmark at the range Friday - nice to be able to put a couple hundred rounds downrange without breaking the bank. Also rented an XD in 9mm which will likely be my next purchase.

**Planktime** · Posted On: 4/14/2009 12:31pm

Well you need to narrow your focus.

First pick
1.) compition shooting with Rifle or hand gun.
2.) research what types of events are out there
-stock rifle? -stock handgun? -distances involved? -Targets? ect

A couple things to consider

1.) do you reload? If you dont, and you want to shoot some of these events its time to start. (primarily rifle)
2.) CMP if you want to shoot rifles competitively find a CMP club, then buy an M1 garande for $595.00 and start playing with it. I have plans to do this this summer.

Just to give you an idea of what I do I shoot small stock rifle conpitions through my gun club.

My gun is a savage model 12bvss with a 6x24 power scope. in 22-250.
I can shoot very tight 5/8" groups at 100 yds. On a good day with little wind I have shot prarie dogs (think rat if you are unfamiliar) at 350 yds.
Also it is cheap to reload for.

Hope that helps.

**Wounded Ronin** · Posted On: 4/14/2009 7:02pm

So far the only pistol competition I've participated in has had a strict stock pistol rule, with no aftermarket sights, and nothing smaller than .380 ACP. At an outdoor range near where I live on the weekends there are sometimes IPSC competitions, so that is one possibility for competition I've been thinking of.

Along those lines, I've been considering a HK Mk. 23, aka SOCOM. Any thoughts on that?

**mrm1775** · Posted On: 4/15/2009 1:02am

Originally Posted by Wounded Ronin

So far the only pistol competition I've participated in has had a strict stock pistol rule, with no aftermarket sights, and nothing smaller than .380 ACP. At an outdoor range near where I live on the weekends there are sometimes IPSC competitions, so that is one possibility for competition I've been thinking of.

Along those lines, I've been considering a HK Mk. 23, aka SOCOM. Any thoughts on that?

I would recommend against, unless you have a chance to hold it and you really like it. I have never met a SOCOM guy who actually uses one. They advertise that it won the selection trials, but in reality its just too damn big to be practical. Seriously, it gives the deagle a run for its money. You would probably be better served with a USP 45 or the newer HK 45, which is the only one without H&K's proprietary light rail that only accepts their accessories.

Keep in mind too that much of what you pay for an H&K weapon is for the name.

**Wounded Ronin** · Posted On: 4/15/2009 7:12pm

Originally Posted by mrm1775

I would recommend against, unless you have a chance to hold it and you really like it. I have never met a SOCOM guy who actually uses one. They advertise that it won the selection trials, but in reality its just too damn big to be practical. Seriously, it gives the deagle a run for its money. You would probably be better served with a USP 45 or the newer HK 45, which is the only one without H&K's proprietary light rail that only accepts their accessories.

Keep in mind too that much of what you pay for an H&K weapon is for the name.

Maybe I'll go rent a USP at a local range and see how I like that. I'm not sure that any of the ranges have a mk. 23 for rent, though.

**vigilus** · Posted On: 4/15/2009 11:08pm

Originally Posted by mrm1775

I would recommend against, unless you have a chance to hold it and you really like it. I have never met a SOCOM guy who actually uses one. They advertise that it won the selection trials, but in reality its just too damn big to be practical. Seriously, it gives the deagle a run for its money. You would probably be better served with a USP 45 or the newer HK 45, which is the only one without H&K's proprietary light rail that only accepts their accessories.

Keep in mind too that much of what you pay for an H&K weapon is for the name.

I don't know much about HKs

In Lay mans terms what's the difference between an
HK USP
HK Mark 23
HK Mark 45

in terms of intended use.

**IMightBeWrong** · Posted On: 4/18/2009 4:58am

The Mk23 is a beastly handgun with 13 rounds of .45 and a decocker separate from the safety. The HK USP .45 was based off of this design, made significantly smaller with only 1 less round in the mag, and has a decocker built into the safety. The HK45 is a newer model, based on the USP but with a thinner grip and slightly new ergonomics. The thinner grip brings the round count down to 10 instead of 12 or 13. They're all good pistols, but just good. I'd take a Glock over any of them. I shoot them just as well and pay half the price.

Any collection without a Glock and a 1911 is incomplete. All other handguns are just for fun, but a 1911 should be your showpiece and a Glock should be your carry. At least that's where I'd put my money.

**Wounded Ronin** · Posted On: 4/18/2009 1:58pm

Well, I haven't chosen to go out and get a CCW, but if I did, it would probably be for my trusty Ruger P97DC. It's inexpensive and rugged, so I wouldn't have to worry about day to day wear and tear on it. Also, the operation is very simple, just like a revolver, if I had to draw and fire in a freak-out situation, in that it has a decocker but no safety.

***Cassius*** · Posted On: 4/18/2009 2:15pm

Originally Posted by mrm1775

I would recommend against, unless you have a chance to hold it and you really like it. I have never met a SOCOM guy who actually uses one. They advertise that it won the selection trials, but in reality its just too damn big to be practical. Seriously, it gives the deagle a run for its money. You would probably be better served with a USP 45 or the newer HK 45, which is the only one without H&K's proprietary light rail that only accepts their accessories.

Keep in mind too that much of what you pay for an H&K weapon is for the name.

I don't think the 23 was ever very popular. Especially because H&K decided to imprint "USSOCOM" the first batch they sent over, apparently.