First post, choosing a first handgun

Quick life lesson I learned....popular guns are popular because they are good guns for most people. So, a gun like the Sig, S&W 22 revolver, a Glock 19.....should all be considered for that reason alone.

Calibers: Well, for a first gun, self defense shouldn't be a primary driver. Cost of ammo is always important as is general power level. For these reasons, I like 22lr and 9mm. Both are comparatively cheap. 22 has the added advantage of being able to shoot a lot before becoming recoil sensitive....like forever. 9mm is moving up to working cartridge power level. It will give you enough recoil that you will have to train to handle it where 22 LR does not.

Barrel length: Generally barrel length relates to sight radius. Sight radius is critically related to how far you can hit things. I can hit the target with a 10.5" barreled revolver with relative ease. With the same gun in 5.5", it is a challenge to make hits at all at 75 yards. 4" revolvers and 5" autos are great to 25 yards.

Semi vs revolver: This is a challenge. I belive revolvers are simpler to use, but many would argue with that. I can say I have owned many handguns; ~50% of the semi's had a feed issues, none of the revolvers did. Also, S&W's have easy triggers to shoot DA or SA. That cannot be said about many semi's, especially the DA/SA type.

Last, something to remember about a first gun is it is not a do-it-all, one-n-only gun. It is a learning step to get you from newb to experienced with one gun. Most guns can do this well and the only possible real negative is getting a gun which goes in for warranty work several times or has a fundamental flaw like a grip too big for you to hold and pull the trigger efficiently.
 
The Browning Buckmark is an excellent .22 and there should be no disagreement about that.

To pay 700 CAD for a CZ when you could get a Buckmark for 300 CAD wouldn't (IMhO) be very smart.

A Ruger Mark III might even be cheaper and that too is an excellent .22. If you could save even more money getting the Ruger I'd do that.
 
My 2 cents

A lot of people recommend a .22 as a first handgun, even more say to try them out first, either by renting or using a friend's....

Let me play the devil's advocate.

I purchased my first handgun earlier this year- a Sig Sauer STX 1911 in .45 acp. I bought it NIB (new in box), without ever shooting a .45 before and I have ZERO regrets. However, I was intending home defense as a main use for the weapon as well as target practice so I wanted something that could punch a nice big hole. I had also fallen in love with the 1911 years before- you simply can't argue with a gun that has served in both LEO and Military applications for over a hundred years and can put out a 2 inch group at 50 yards... that, and having shot a .380 revolver and a .40 polymer frame pistol I wasn't too worried about the larger caliber.

All that just to say this- find something you like (you'll know) and run with it.
 
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A .22 semi-automatic may be the best first handgun for anyone with little or no prior experience with handguns. In my opinion Ruger offers the best values in such pistols. A Ruger 22/45 offers the grip angle of the Colt 1911, one of the greatest firearm designs of all time, the magazine capacity is 10 rounds, and the retail price should be under $400. The Ruger Mk III is another option. It has a more sharply angled grip and is available in models ranging from less than $400 to about $730. I have a Mk II Stainless Bull Barrel .22 and it is about the only firearm that my wife and two adult daughters like to shoot. It is accurate enough to hunt squirrels and rabbits, and is very nice to shoot. I have about 40 firearms, and I have probably shot more rounds with my Ruger Mk II than all of my other firearms combined. My experience with the Mk II is the foundation of my bias, but I sincerely believe you should at least consider the Ruger .22.
 
Thanks for the advice guys.

What I retain is that the CZ Kadet conversion kit is not worth ~$700 CAD, nor is it worth a couple hundred more than a decent .22LR semi-auto. That seems like sound advice. Since the Kadet kits seemed so rare in my area, I thought I should double check with some people more wise than I.

Browning Buckmark, Ruger MK(x) or 22/45. I'll give the Ruger 22/45 another try in-hand, but my first impression was that it was inferior, ergonomics-wise (for my hands), to the Browning Buckmark I had tried. Unfortunately, they didn't have the Ruger MK(x), nor did they have the Buckmark in the color I wanted. My next visit to a gun shop will be the range's gun shop, hopefully they have more .22s to choose from.

As this thread is getting long and some busier members don't appreciate reading through a longer thread, I think I'll refrain from posting additional questions here and I'll start a new thread in the future.

Very valuable information, much appreciated!!!
 
Lots of valid points in this thread. Ammo is also a huge consideration, as well as how soon you will "outgrow" it when making a purchase.

When I start somebody out in shooting, with MY guns, they either start with a 6" revolver which is the easiest thing to hit the paper with and build confidence, and very simple to understand how it works, how to use it, and where the rounds are located at a given time. I start with either the .22 or the GP100 with light loaded .38s, depending on how timid they are. Its much easier to work on sighting and trigger pull BEFORE introducing the flinch factor. Its a great confidence builder. Yes, eventually we on to the 39 S&W in 9mm, but I have yet to see a beginner who does not prefer the 6" revolver.

If its not a carry gun, and is for target shooting, and possibly later hunting I usally recommend a 6" DA .357 revolver as first gun if they are comfortable with it. Easy to understand, easy to sight, and very mild to and inexpensive to shoot with .38s, and the potential for future growth to full power .357 Mag rounds as a short range deer slayer. I do know you don't have the options in Canda that we have here, but if there is any way to actually fire some of your interests before purchasing, that is always a recommendation.
 
@TimSr

Instead of the 617, I might think of getting the .357 MAG S&W 686(P) once I have a bit of shooting experience. Seemed extra sexy when I put it in the hand.

I sent out the application for my firearms possession and acquisition license (PAL) today, it'll be at least a month before I hear from them.

Which reminds me, I went to another, more distant firearms dealer with a colleague (who was also going through the process for the PAL) and we fell upon a lightly used IWI Jericho 941, all steel, full sized (with 50 bullets shot). After trying many other firearms (they didn't have the CZ-75 SP-01 SHADOW I had picked out, but they had the CZ-75B), he put the Jericho 941 in his hand, loved it, paid it in full and that was that!

However, when I tried it in my hand, the IWI Jericho 941 was very slightly too big for my hand, just like the CZ-75B felt very slightly too big. It seems like the CZ-75 SP-01 SHADOW has a different, smaller grip, or the button/control placements are different; with the SHADOW, I don't have to shift my grip at all in order to reach the mag release, the slide release or the ambi-safety.

All in all, I'm extremely happy with my decision, and I'm extra eager to get the paperwork over with. I'll definitely make sure to make a (imaged text and/or video) review of the CZ-75 SP-01 SHADOW as soon as I get enough one-on-one time with it :)
 
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