Growing up I always had an interest in firearms ever since I can remember. I was obsessed with drawing tanks, planes, soldiers, sci-fi guys and more. I had a deep fascination with Star Wars, Sci-Fi, WWII, Vietnam, The Civil War, etc. I played Counter Strike 1.6 and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Collectors Edition on the PC and studied every bit of information about firearms that I could. I read Tom Clancy books, Warhammer 40k, and all sorts of imaginary tales.
I had family and friends into firearms, but my family hadn’t really gotten into it. Finally my dad purchased a Smith 686-7 and we inherited an old Marlin 336C from my grandfather. The more I got into shooting at such a baseline, the more I thought I actually knew, without taking the time to really seek out GOOD instruction and insight. I had started my AR fascination, but I still wanted the right handgun. I had seen cool M9A1's, PX4’s, Hi-Power’s (I didn’t appreciate them until mid 20’s), and of course USP’s. I never wanted a Glock, since I personally wanted to avoid feeling fanboyish and buying because of it being a “trend” (we’ll touch on this later). I had a pocket burning deep to buy a 10mm Delta or a P226 Navy, not a standard 1911 or a standard P226, but something of a nicer trim.
The day came where I walked into my local gun shop and as I was browsing my jaw dropped when I finally saw what I thought was a Sig Sauer, New in Box, P226, Navy edition. I immediately asked for help and was about as excited as a child getting their ice cream from a truck when they handed it to me. I remember a little back and forth and also learning it was a MK25 (mark twenty-five NOT M-K-2-5) not a Navy edition. I was about to get slightly schooled on a firearm I thought I knew the most about. The grips felt perfect in my hand, maybe even a little big, the sights were great, and I remember asking to dry fire before I commenced testing the trigger. I knew enough to know it was right for me. I confirmed the price, and they must have thought I was crazy as I handed it back and said please don’t sell this, “I’ll be back in 15 minutes for it.” I raced to my dad’s office and told him what I had found and bartered to pay him back for my dream handgun the following week if he would spot me that day. With a grin ear to ear I ran back into the gunshop and said, “I’ll take it!” We were now going through the paperwork process which I always saw as intimidating because you’d see others race through it, but I didn’t want to mess up. I was personally lucky as my purchase was during a time when 15 round magazines were still the norm and we didn’t have to get 10 round substitutions or pinned magazines, so I got 3 in the box, and the lube wasn’t even Lucas, it was the white packet before they campaigned together.
Sadly though, this was the time when firearms and approvals were all over the place with no guarantee on time, and an average estimate of 14 days. My paperwork somehow got in this weird shuffle and I ended up waiting about 3 months before I finally got to go and pick up my MK25. The time made me annoyed, but I didn’t lose any satisfaction in knowing this was mine finally.
Fast forward to a couple of years later, I tried switching the grips out for the FDE standard grips with Talon Grips, I bought the Short Reset Trigger kit, Short Reach Trigger kit, and eventually the E2 grips as well as the first release of the Silencerco threaded barrel (which a storm delayed so I didn’t even have a chance at receiving mine first). My handgun had changed slightly over time, and I’ve only had to do minimal replacements of parts such as a fresh magazine release spring, recoil rod spring, extractor spring, and firing pin spring over the span of 30k+ rounds. I’ve also maintained my firearm with FireClean and Breakthrough Clean and polished my feed ramp. I thought it fit me at first, but then I was able to make it fit me even better.
I got lucky you might say. I thought I knew a lot about the firearm I wanted, which I had some baseline knowledge of. I knew Sig was a good brand, but I kept forgetting to push to the front one important factor. Feeling. We typically have wants for things that aren’t always necessarily what we “need.” My biggest take away and best suggestion to you is that you always handle as many firearms as you can. Just because this MK25 is perfect for me now, it may never be perfect for you and you’re just buying based on the name. This is the reason it took me so long to buy a Zev 19 Defender which is based on a Glock 19 Gen 3 frame. I finally bought one even though I had handled hundreds and hundreds of firearms, but this one felt best to me. Still if you asked me, most Sig’s are going to be my first choice and the USP will be my second choice. Mantis Defense is here to help you as best they can whether it’s buying, taking a lesson on cleaning or even training on how to shoot. We are huge advocates of trying before you buy, just like a car you take it for a test drive. Take advantage of the opportunity, talk to a staff member at ranges who can help share their personal experience on firearms you may be interested in purchasing. Buy the best products on the market that fit you, the end user, not what anyone presses on you.
If you’re about to buy, even if it's not your first time and you're going back into the shops, consider these tips that we regularly use during consulting. 1. Purpose - what is the firearm for?
2. Budget - not “there is no budget,” but what is your HONEST budget, and does that include fees and accessories, ammo, training etc.? (We recommend saving a little longer and buying in the $600-800 range for a first time gun, this typically will prevent you from going back into the store in 4 months to sell it or buy a new one because you don’t like your first). 3. Fit - does the firearm fit you from the factory, does it have different palm swells and grip panels to help fit your hand? 4. Controls - can you access and manipulate all of the controls available to you on the firearm as is?
5. Warranty - what type of warranty does the company X vs Y offer?
6. Aftermarket - what type of aftermarket support is there available for the firearm?
Are there any other major factors for you when purchasing a gun? What did we miss, leave a comment below. - Ryan
Was your first handgun the right one?
Yes, my first handgun was an excellent choice
No, I replaced it within a year or less
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