Posted: 9/29/2012 11:27:18 AM EDT
| I'm thinking of getting myself a handgun. I've never owned one before. What should my first handgun be? |
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I'd say with that budget try for a used Glock 19. If not save a few pennies and get a new one. 9mm round is great for getting well acquainted with handguns, the G19 is the every mans gun. Its big enough to be comfortable with in all situations, such as target shooting. Just small enough to conceal carry.
That's probably the best and most practical option for your needs, a Springfield XD in .45 is also in that range, but its a little bit bigger and isn't likely the best first pistol. My first handgun was a Beretta 92A1, but I've also had experience shooting lots of other pistols. I picked it based on a list of different factors, but its about $700 and too big to conceal in anything other than a shoulder holster with a jacket. |
| If I could do it all over again, I would go with a revolver as my first handgun. It is easy to use and clean. A small frame revolver would be nice for CCW and personal protection. I just got a S&W Model 638 which feels much more lighter than the Glock 26 I used to own. If you are considering a semi-auto pistol, go with a Glock 19. Not too hard to operate and field strip and accurate. |
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I am an avid shooter for well over three decades. I have competed in International pistol accuracy games and and action games. I got my kids involved early in my hobby and they rapidly became good shots.
When we had moved to Florida and frequented a public gun range, my oldest son - then merely a young teenager was surprised at the lack of skills that the other patrons of the range displayed. He gave it some thought and summed it up that none of the guys at the range were shooting a rimfire pistol. My sons have tortured our S&W 22A beyond the 100,000 round limit. There are better quality rimfire pistols around but if you want to learn to shoot, learn it with a rimfire gun. |
| most people today think of handguns in strictly defensive terms. But a first handgun has to be a teaching tool to ground you in basic pistol marksmanship , which the current crop of combat handguns are NOT the place to start. a good quality 22 wil have a good trigger be inexpensive to buy and supply with ammo. AFTER you get skill with the 22 moving on to a combat type handgun is probably ok. I have several glocks and if you need a combat handgun they are a good choice, but the triggers can be hard to master for a beginner. |
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Mid size, polymer frame, 9mm from any of the big names. This ought to take care of you just fine. + another one. You would also be doing yourself a favor by getting a .22 pistol at the same time. My family is really enjoying the S&W 22a as well. The standard factory rail on top made it easy to mount a Primary Arms green dot reflex. Talk about a fun and inexpensive toy !!! |
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Get the one that you shoot the best. Great advice! ... just how will he find out 
Go to an indoor range that rents pistols, and start trying different ones out. I wouldn't write off a good wheel gun either as a possible first choice. A good .357 is still a great gun. And I think it can fit into a "Do all" type category IMHO> |
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okay so, a couple of things. everyone who said start on a rimfire i applaud you. that being the fanboys are out in force, so i'm going to go about this differently. first off i will not tell you what handgun i own or even the brand that i bought (i own two but one is an heirloom and a gift). congrats you have decided to buy a handgun. now there are several steps you need to take. 1. learn to shoot handguns in general, either by official class or someone you trust and is safe about it. this is not to become a proficient shooter but a safe shooter. rim-fire handguns are nice for this but they are not necessary (my first shooting experience was an old beretta m9 and i was 12) 2. decide what you want your handgun to do, how much money you are willing to spend, and what caliber you want it to be in. all of these are subjective, and should be researched/well thought out. There are many gun ranges that allow you to rent for a relatively cheap price considering the alternative is buying a 500+ firearm blindly. go to one of these and rent multiple calibers as well as multiple sizes. the size of the firearm will be dictated by the "what you want your handgun to do". this is why deciding its purpose is the most important. depending on your size and physique you may not be able to handle a snubnoze sw500 (exaggerating but you get my point). 3. once you have decided on your handguns purpose, and found a cartridge you like IN THE SIZE THAT BEST FITS YOUR POU (philosophy of use), now its time to go to the biggest gun-store you can find, or go to several that have different selections. you have one job and one job only, find guns that fit both the size that you want and the caliber that you want and hold them. you are a unique individual and your hands are equally unique. in my experience 75% of being proficient with a weapon is the weapons compatibility with your hand. this is where i'm going to piss off the glock/sig/Hk/Springfield fan-boys... IGNORE BRAND FOR THIS PART OF THE PROCESS. all of the handguns made by the top manufacturers are almost identical in reliability, accuracy, weight, and round count. you are not looking for tacticool, you are looking for the "fits like a glove" gun. there is enough variety out there that there is a gun in the size and caliber that will fit your hand better than all the rest in that same weight class. your gun needs to fit your hand. not be the brand currently getting the most votes on an arfcom poll, or getting screamed the most in one-line knee-jerk posts by thread-stalkers. 4. once you find the gun that fits your purposes and fits your hands, that is the gun you should buy. now comes the EASY part. go train with it. now that you have a foundation of safety and physical comfort. the rest can be ironed out with training and practice. a handgun that is uncomfortable to hold WILL be a pain in the ass to shoot, but a gun that is comfortable to hold will provide more control, more accuracy and be more fun to shoot. so train train train. watch your round count to up and your group size go down and enjoy your 2nd amendment ownership. |