My First Hand Gun

R

RuggedRadios

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Hey Eveyone! My name is Andy and I'm new to the gun community. I am currently looking for a hand gun i can just take to the range on the weekends that a nooob could handle. Thanks and hope to meet some great new people!
 
Smith & Wesson or Ruger .357 magnum revolver with a 4" barrel. You can shoot .38 specials or .357 magnums through it. Every new gunner should own a .357 magnum revolver. ;)
 
Beretta PX4 9mm
its ~$500 so its not a bank breaker
looks good
it has a rotating barrel, AND it shoots 9mm, so its got a very soft recoil
it has a hammer, a safety and a decocker, so its a good entry level gun for novices
17 round mags
its a beretta
9mm is currently the cheapest and most available of non .22lr ammo
its 9mm so you can get 9mm +p hollow points and use it for HD/SD/CC


PX4_L1.jpg
 
If it is your first gun I would say .357/.38 revolver or 9mm auto.Both shoot the lowest cost ammo on the market(exept for .22)and both will work well for defense.Get a .22 for your 2nd gun once you have a protection gun,which is first priority.
 
For a FIRST gun, get a .22 revolver - great to learn on, cheap to shoot, simple to operate. When you get more proficient, move up to something else
 
Any preference towards revolvers or semi-auto pistols? Would you like to use the gun for home defence as well as range time?

If its just a plinker then a .22lr is the way to go. But if you want it for home defense then perhaps a revolver chambered in .38special, or a pistol chambered in 9mm.

By the way, welcome here!:D
 
Dude rent everything and try it. I found that I really liked 45's and my first gun is still my p345. Never know. I shot lots of options before I picked though. 9's, 45's, 40's, 357's, 38's of all shapes and sizes. Find a gun that you can pick up and say "wow this feels really good in my hand" and then shoot it.
If you can shoot it comfortably(relatively if you never shot a gun before) and confidently(hella important!) then make a note of that.
I can tell you what I learned from searching myself.
40's have more recoil than 45's. The smaller the gun, the more recoil its gonna have. 357's hurt when they are fired from a small gun. If you pick up a revolver that shooters 38's or 357's make sure it can do both. some can only do 38's and thats no fun.
take your time. go slow, and really see what you say to yourself in your head before and after you shoot the gun. pretty much do your own reviews. Hell take a paper and pencil and make criteria for yourself.
Suggestions are as follows
weight, size, comfort, reliability(not really in a range gun, they are rarely cleaned), capacity, after market availability, aesthetics. some of these might rank higher or lower. its all up to you.
good luck and welcome
 
I also suggest a .22LR revolver such as the Ruger Single Six. It's a great way to learn without the complication sometimes perceived by newbies when shooting semiautos as a first handgun. Then graduate up to a Ruger Mark II/III .22 LR semiauto. From there, you'll know where you want to go next.
 
Assuming you are in good medical shape there are very few guns you can't "handle". A few you should avoid, as they are demanding for any shooter, are anything in 44 magnum, 50 caliber, or 10mm. Also avoid really small handguns like Kel-tecs and Ruger LCP's. The small guns are not bad they are just punishing to your hand when you shoot them due to their smallness causing too much recoil.

I agree with those who recommend either 9mm or 38special/.357 magnum, but again, don't buy one of these in a gun that is really small or really light weight. Buy one of these calibers in an average size handgun to keep the recoil down. Lastly, you are new to the sport now but you will be surprised how fast you acclimate to shooting.
 
It varies from person to person.

Some people are comfortable with bigger cartridges as beginners; my first handgun was a 45.

If you've never shot a gun before, and just want to buy something right away, I would suggest a Glock in 9mm or 40 ( I am partial to the Glock 34 and 35).

Just remember to test fire whatever you want to buy before you actually make the purchase.

Good luck and have fun!
 
It's obvious. You need to buy one of 2 guns. Of course, these are based on my own personal experience since that's the only experience I ever had. You need to buy either a Freedom Arms in 454 Casull or a Dan Wesson SuperMag. It's simple really. Once you buy a handgun you will be tempted to buy another one just a little more powerful or maybe a little bit better quality. You will keep doing that until you finally get to the point of owning everything except the 2 that I mention. Just save yourself some time and a bunch of money and go for the ultimate
 
No argument regarding stopping power with the 500 S&W. And no rocks to throw at S&W regarding quality either. I was just kind of going in the direction of "exclusivity" with the Dan Wesson and Freedom Arms in addition to fairly decent power. I don't own either one of those fine revolvers so to me, they are like the Holy Grail, something which I will probably never find. Well, unless I dump half the handguns I own already. Not a bad plan actually. Just trying to show the new guy the big shortcut. But yeah a 500 mag is a fine choice for a starter's gun if he wants to take a couple extra steps. ;)
 
first pistol

+1 on the .22. You can shoot it on the cheap and have lots of fun.
While I agree .38/.357 revolver is a good beginner pistol my recent experience is that it is harder to find this ammo than 9mm
Don't buy a Glock as first purchase. If you want a semi go less expensive and use the $ you save for ammo and range fees.

Ignore the posts for specific brands. Try different kinds: rent, beg or borrow and see what feels right for you.

And don't let anyone look down their nose at what you eventually buy. If you like it then it is the right one.

Happy and safe shooting
 
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