Frankly...who cares what one starts out with? I mean, is a $500 80's model civic necessary in order to learn how to drive? Nope.
Now sure, buying a $1,000+ handgun will not make a beginner a great shooter out of the gate. Obviously, skills take time to develop regardless of how nice the weapon is; the fundamentals of shooting have no real bias. But, frankly, I think that starting out with the best think mhandgun you can afford is a good idea as a beginner might be less likely to become frustrated with poor performance and/or quality...thus, reducing the possibility of giving up before he/she truly gets started. After all, having a high quality weapon in your hand sort of takes away any excuses, in terms of blaming the weapon for poor shooting and/or mechanical issues.
However, the beginner does need to keep in mind that a high-end handgun does not make for great shooting...just as a high-end car does not make for great driving.
Needless to say, to suggest that one should start out with a crappy weapon and move up to a very nice one (or even a respectable one), after so much experience, is nonsense.
More appropriately, I think that it would be much more tiresome to hear of any beginners complaining about accuracy/ability while shooting a high-end weapon vs. merely admitting to "software errors" pertaining to unfamiliarity/lack of experience.
So, in essence, the whole "rags to riches" thing does not necessarily apply to handguns...ya' know?
Besides, weapon appreciation comes from durability, reliability, accuracy, shootability and so forth. Can this be had from a crap weapon? Why start low when you can start high? To do otherwise (unless unavoidable) would make no real sense.
Personally, I started out with a Sig P220 (well, at least in the semi-auto world). Why? Because after quite a bit of research I found that it was the best gun for my needs. Could I have started out with a sub-$400 weapon? Sure. But...why? I didnt need to. I wanted the best and I went out and bought it. To this day, even though I sold it (much to my regret), I still remember appreciating the hell out of that gun.
Frankly, I buy guns based on what I want and what I feel I could use. Whether its a $500 XD or a $1000 Sig makes no difference to me as I really do not concern myself with a weapons resale value. I buy guns to shoot. I dont buy guns to sit behind glass. I also dont buy guns simply because they are cheap.
Oh...my wife "started out" with a Sig P239. Would she appreciate it more if she had started out with a lesser weapon? Perhaps. But, then again, had she started out with a lesser weapon she may not still be shooting.
Just some food for thought.
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