Suggestion for my first handgun

[EkManushya]

I am planning to buy my first handgun.

At present, everyone talks about only the following options :
1. iof .32 revolvers (around 1 lakh) - readily available
2. iof .32 pistol (around 1 lakh) - readily available

Also available is Webley .32 revolver (1.86 lakh) - available in 1-2 months after booking.

I checked few online places and was thinking of .357 / .4 / .45 pistols. Asked about it and was redirected to India Arms who said they are master dealer for Malhotrasons 1911 pistol. The expected price they said is around 4.5 lakhs for Guardian 1911 Classic and for Custom Series, it will be around 7.5Lakhs with a waiting period of some 4-6 months. This price is too much for me.
Also, they said there are many issues in first batch of 500 of Webley Revolver. Has anyone heard anything like that?
They offered iof .32 modified pistol with soft action for 1.4 lakhs with a return prince of around 10-15000 less. The regular iof pistol price according to them is around 1 lakh plus.

Master dealer of Webley said Webley pistol will take at least 6 months. He also said there is only 1 model of iof Pistol and the modified someone is offering is a modification by that gunsmith.

Glock looks like a gone case now. According to gun sellers here, they will take at least 2 more years to start selling.

The basic purpose is safety measure only as I am required to go to another state few times to sell some property which is in dispute. Suggestion please friend.

Thanks.

[HKASHYAP]

There is no .25 pistol made in India. Except imported old pistold. I have used RFI .32 pistol for shooting and found it is a good weapon for conceal carry and self protection. On the other hand Revolver is always reliable...

[Niteshkumar]

Go for webley revolver fire 30 rounds before purchasing...u will love it and happily take it

[Vineet]

Currently there is no good handgun available by private manufacturer in reasonable price so go for Rfi mk 2 pistol or Nishank .32 revolver.

You can change later (maybe after 4-5 years) when something better will be available.

[sumbriavikramaditya]

Go for IOF Revolver or Pistol. Private Arms manufacturers are not at satisfactory quality levels right now. Foreign manufacturers have no details about the time their products will be available in the market.
There is just one but important drawback here, your IOF handgun will not have a good resale value once Foreign manufacturers field their products.

Regards

[Woods]

The modified IOF pistol offered by the dealer may be a true value deal . Go into the details of the mods done . IOF pistol is going to cost you around 120 thousand INR anyways. Also , it's advisable to give a new IOF pistol to a renowned gunsmith to have him look into it and make essential corrections if needed . Not all IOF pistols are ready to be used right out of the box . Don't bother about " faren " handgun manufacturers, we aren't going to see anything from them in near future . Webley revolver , in honour to IOF revolver , has chosen to keep a low profile and cheap feel to it deliberately and there's some substance to be learnt from the rumours .

Sincerely evaluate the modified IOF pistol .

[timmy]

The modified IOF pistol offered by the dealer may be a true value deal . Go into the details of the mods done . IOF pistol is going to cost you around 120 thousand INR anyways. Also , it's advisable to give a new IOF pistol to a renowned gunsmith to have him look into it and make essential corrections if needed . Not all IOF pistols are ready to be used right out of the box . Don't bother about " faren " handgun manufacturers, we aren't going to see anything from them in near future . Webley revolver , in honour to IOF revolver , has chosen to keep a low profile and cheap feel to it deliberately and there's some substance to be learnt from the rumours .

Sincerely evaluate the modified IOF pistol .

I think that this is good advice, if the modifications of the IOF revolver have been carried out effectively -- if they have actually gotten the revolver to perform correctly. Remember that you cannot carry a round under the hammer. It is really a five shot gun.

As Woods says, you cannot protect yourself with all of the cheerleading. Let that wait until Santa Claus comes to town. If the gun in question has been tuned to work correctly, you would have to buy a new IOF and pay for gunsmith tune up to equal it. Maybe you can talk the dealer into throwing in some ammunition to seal the deal.

[EkManushya]

thanks for the suggestions friends.
some people having .32 revolver said there is a chance of misfire in pistols rendering it useless or even cause some harm which is not there in a revolver therefore it is more reliable.
I had a talk with business manager of Webley Scott India who was praising the .32 revolver a lot and said they are overwhelmed with the demand of it. naturally he highly recommended it. their .32 pistol is expected in later part of 2nd quarter 2022 and .45 by the end of 2022.
now again it is modified pistol on one hand and revolver on the other. what should a poor guy do?

[timmy]

I am sorry, EkManushya; I have misread your post.

But still, if a pistol (or revolver) is available that has been attended to by a competent gunsmith, that is a better option than just buying a new or used gun, revolver or pistol. If you KNOW that an unmodified gun is reliable, then that's a different story.

It is true, what you've been told: pistols can be unreliable. The main cause for this is unreliable feeding, of which the main culprits are the magazine spring, the feed lips of the magazine, and the surfaces that guide the cartridge into the chamber. Still, revolvers can have problems, too.

Any machine can fail -- there's no way to get around that. But, a well-made and well-functioning gun is something in which one can have some confidence. A gunsmith's attention can get you close to a reliable gun if his work is competent, but of course, this introduces another variable to your considerations.

Revolver: you can't carry it with a loaded chamber under the hammer. This makes it a 5-shot.

Pistol: The Ashani cannot be carried safely with a round in the chamber, as the safety isn't safe enough for this. You have to rack the slide to load the gun before you bring it into action.

The pistol is more concealable than the revolver.

It is a hard choice you face, brother.

Regarding the salesman, you know many of them will say anything to get you to buy. I wouldn't put much stock in whatever he or others say. You need to do your best to understand the gun in front of you and make your choice, and perhaps rely on the advice of someone you know is knowledgeable and impartial.

[Vineet]

some people having .32 revolver said there is a chance of misfire in pistols rendering it useless or even cause some harm which is not there in a revolver therefore it is more reliable.

Pistol vs Revolver is a never ending debate. Yes revolvers doesn’t have to auto eject and auto chamber the next round but revolvers have their own set of problems like
1. Five rounds in revolver (as one chamber needs to be kept empty) vs eight rounds in pistol.
2. Pistols are easier to reload.
3. The cylinder in revolver makes it bulkier and therefore difficult to carry.
4. Gases in revolvers escapes from barrel/cylinder gap making the revolver ammo weaker. There are videos on YouTube in which IOF pistol ammo penetrates 4 wooden planks but revolver is able to penetrate two planks only.
5. IOF revolvers have super hard trigger pull except in Nishank (which has leaf spring instead of coil spring).

Go for RFI mk 2, even Nishank is not bad if you want a revolver. Both are priced around one lac. Indian Webley revolver at around 1.80 is expensive. Better to wait for 3-4 years till more private companies launch their products.

[HKASHYAP]

some people having .32 revolver said there is a chance of misfire in pistols rendering it useless or even cause some harm which is not there in a revolver therefore it is more reliable.

Pistol vs Revolver is a never ending debate. Yes revolvers doesn’t have to auto eject and auto chamber the next round but revolvers have their own set of problems like
1. Five rounds in revolver vs eight rounds in pistol.
2. Pistols are easier to reload.
3. The cylinder in revolver makes it bulkier and therefore difficult to carry.
4. Gases in revolvers escapes from barrel/cylinder gap making the revolver ammo weaker. There are videos on YouTube in which IOF pistol ammo penetrates 4 wooden planks but revolver is able to penetrate two planks only.
5. IOF revolvers have super hard trigger pull except in Nishank (which has leaf spring instead of coil spring).

Go for RFI mk 2, even Nishank is not bad if you want a revolver. Both are priced around one lac. Indian Webley revolver at around 1.80 is expensive. Better to wait for 3-4 years till more private companies launch their products.

Best analysis and explanation with proper comparison amongst pistol and revolver...

[EkManushya]

Thanks timmy and Vineet for the reply. Nothing is to sorry Timmy.
It appears RFI MK2, the modified one is the only choice at present. I will check that soon. thanks again.

[Vineet]

[asj_raj]

I have to ask, does the new Webley revolver justify its higher sticker price compared to IOF 32s?
The master dealer in Jaipur, Rajasthan, Shikar Store has it available for purchase on a week's notice at 1.86 lacs.

[rkittine]

Not sure about your firearm controls, but I love all my .22s and all my .32s.