Alphecca

Ok, Jeff, about the Glock Issue. I left a comment back at HellinaHandbasket, but your post was a little different, so my comment will be also. I think a .357 revolver is the best first gun, and any semi-auto is something that the beginner should graduate up to - that mirrors what your friend was told by another party; for many LEO's, this is, however, impractical. For me, a Glock was my first semi-auto (not my first, or even second handgun), and it was a good transition between my revolvers and the later semi-autos I purchased, including the 1911. As an instructor, I have found that students have more trouble with external safeties (the NRA Basic Pistol class involves both wheelguns and semi-autos), and the Glock eliminates those problems; they can graduate to other semi-autos later, and safeties can cause as many problems as they solve. I do like Taurus, and find both their revolvers and semi-autos good value. The issues brought up by James over at 'Handbasket seemed to center on holsters, and as I said over there, beginners and holsters do not mix, anyway. My 2 cents.

cheers,
Individ

I like Glocks a lot. Not a LOT, because Glocks are simply well designed and reliable handguns and evoke no kind of passionate partisanship, as does the 1911A1, without question the finest combat handgun ever designed, period. Is the Glock a better handgun that the 1911A1? One could make a strong case that it is, and I would not disagree.

But the fact remains - and it is an incontrovertible fact, not an opinion - that John Moses Browning was the best firearms designer ever, and his 1911A1 is the best tactical handgun ever. End of discussion, because there is nothing more to be said.

I've had a few discussions with law enforcement types about the Glock, and to those who dislike its trigger safety I ask "What kind of safety did your old wheelgun have (that's assuming they're old enough to have been issued a revolver)?" That usually generates some thought, and frequently a modification of their opinion.

A friend, whom I taught to shoot, bought a Glock chambered in .40 as his first gun because he liked the grip and the feel of the slide. He adapted to it right away and so far as I can tell (but I probably have my own biases) has no bad habits in handling. I had him practice clearing, loading, disassembling, and cleaning the weapon for several days before we practiced stance and grip, or even put bullets in the magazine, so he learned safe handling before we even started on marksmanship.

It's all about what you learn, in what order, and what habits you pick up beforehand.