start with what?

Find a range in your area that rents handguns. You can try several out before investing your hard earned money on something you may not like. I would begin with the 9mm round, it is most effective with modern loads, not for taking down a bear though. There are several good makers of 9mm handguns starting at $350 and up. The 40 s&w is a great round, a bit more recoil but a powerful round. Find a shooting buddy in your area and maybe see if they will let you try a couple of handguns before you buy.
 
lots of sound advice here. mine is find something simple, easy and cheap to start. heritage roughrider 22lr/wmr single action revolver. some good deals at big box or online gun dealers. practice with 22lr is easy. single action will slow down your manual of arms and focus your aim. 22wmr in handgun defense loads is credible for defense. $150 wont bust a budget or cause buyer's remorse. after you learn there are lots of choices as you expand your handgun horizon.
 
if I was recommended a pistol to a new shooter that had no preference on action and wanted it for range and HD use, I would suggest the EAA SAR Arms K2P. The barrel length is up to you, but I would get the 3.8". Its a polymer framed CZ/Witness type pistol, with enough heft to keep it tame but light enough to keep you shooting for longer. The size is a great, not so fat around the grip like a 75, more of a CZ P-09 slender grip. Has a capacity to take on the neighborhood and shoots fantastic. I recommend this from first-hand experience, and although I prefer my CZ-75 "compact" or Tri-Star T-100, most people I take out shoot better with the SAR(this includes my dad and step-dad, neither of which has shotten anything before, and several co-workers), they just shoot it straighter, it seems to fall into your hand with an optimal grip, whereas the CZ 75 sometimes requires changing grip left/right to get shooting in the middle, the 75 grip can be fat for some. It has all the features one could want, adjustable sights with easy to see dots, natural point, low axis with slide into frame, 16 rounds, the mag release can be flipped to other side if preferred, ambi manual paddle-safeties that is easy to reach and don't interfere with shooting and an accessory rail for lights/lasers etc. K2p is the K2 that is (p)olymer, the steel is also available as just the K2. The only EAA witness I have shot was a 10mm decked out thousand dollar scoped pistol, so I don't know much about them, but the SAR looks very similar to the Witness poly. All in all this pistol is a great fit for most people, is (by my account) reliable 100% past 5000 rounds and costs about half of what it should. great choice

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/...d/88389/EAA+400426+SAR+Arms+K2P+16+1+9mm+3.8"

I always show Bud's just as a general baseline for price, expect to pay 10% more at an LGS, I have never ordered a firearm from Bud's, but have ordered bullets and accessories with a good experience, but do not endorse them
 
If you're looking to drop $1000, you could pick up a cheap .22 AND a more serious self defense gun at the same time. .22s are heaploads of fun to shoot and the ammo is dirt cheap. This might end up being really important for someone that's pretty clueless on guns. You need to learn. You might have friends and family that want to learn as well. I've got a Ruger SR-22 and it shoots lots of stuff great. Ruger make a few other good .22s to check out. Bersa makes a good cheap and reliable .22 that looks like a James Bond PPK. I don't have one, but heard it prefers the high velocity ammo. Lots of folks really enjoy their .22 revolvers. It's a good cheap place to start with a .22.
After that...you need to rent a few guns and see what major direction you want to take.
 
I believe that Glocks make poor first-handgun choices. It's simply too easy to mess up with a Glock, or glock-a-like. Nothing against the gun itself, but with no external safeties and not a lot needed to pull that trigger, it's just not a good choice for a first-time pistol owner.

Contrary to popular belief, 1st-time gun owners MAY not have the self discipline and probably do not have the training to leave their gun holstered, refrain from playing with it, and keep their fingers off of the trigger. Sounds easy, right? Well, it wasn't so easy for me when I was young and had my first gun. Fortunately my first gun was a revolver with a heavy trigger pull. Admittedly, I liked to handle it and look at it, while it was loaded. I have no doubt that if I handled a loaded Glock the same way I handled my knock-off of a Chiefs special, I would have experienced a negligent discharge.

Guns are intriguing; they are fun to handle and fun to "play" with and figure out how they work. Most new shooters have no concept whatsoever just how powerful that little 9mm cartridge actually is and how destructive a negligent discharge can actually be. I don't care how many youtube gel-test videos someone has watched or how many times that person has gone shooting with one of his buddies, I can assure you that he/she still doesn't have any concept of the potential energy bottled up something the size and weight of some loose pocket change.

I'm not a Glock basher - have one myself. To me, it's questionable to even get a semi-auto if you've never owned a handgun before. But, if you are going to get a semi-auto as a first handgun, at least get something that is da/sa with an external safety.
 
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I think I'd start with a mid-sized Glock, Ruger, or Smith & Wesson (in no particular order) in 9 mm. Go to some gun shops and "feel" them. Pick the one that makes your hand say "Mmmmm!". :-)
 
I used to say to start with a .22 revolver,,,

I used to say to start with a .22 revolver,,,
But nowadays the ammo availability is too iffy.

And to be honest the reason to shoot .22 is the cheap ammo cost,,,
But I finally understand not everyone is as miserly as I am.

I grew up dirt poor and was that way for most of my life,,,
I always made enough to afford the necessities,,,
But disposable cash was hard to come by.

So while my friends were happily blasting away with costly centerfire,,,
I was happily plinking away with my affordable rimfire guns.

Even now as I have a much nicer disposable allowance,,,
The ways of my youth still hang on in my mind.

A few weeks ago I was approached by a friend who wants to start shooting,,,
My first reaction was to recommend a good .22 pistol to start with,,,
But while we were out for a drink to talk about guns and such,,,
I observed something and came to an epiphany.

He drinks $6.50 beer without batting an eye,,,
He has all of his clothes laundered,,,
He pays to have his car washed,,,
He will afford practice ammo.

He has a place to practice that is very convenient,,,
His sister has a small farm right out of town,,,
So he says he will go shooting often.

I asked him if he would spend $25 or so for 100 rounds of practice,,,
He didn't hesitate even one instant before he said yes.

So I told him he should look at either a nice revolver in 38/357,,,
Or decide on a nice semi-auto in 9mm or above,,,
And order plinking ammo by the 1,000 lot.

In recent months I've seen 9mm averaging about $210 to $230,,,
And even as low as $189 plus $16.00 shipping,,,
.38 and .357 ammo for not much more.

So instead of steering him towards a .22 practice piece,,,
I made the suggestion we go to H&H range and rent some pistols.

I told him that my CZ-75B cost me an even $500.00 brand new,,,
He didn't even bat an eyelash at that expenditure,,,
So we are going to shop in a few weeks.

I still have the penny-pinching attitudes I've been ingrained with,,,
I will always shoot more .22 than all my others combined,,,
But I'm going to stop urging newbies to follow my lead.

If they have the cash to afford practicing with centerfire ammunition,,,
And if they want a gun for defense of home and family,,,
Buying a quality 9mm and bulk ammo is sensible.

My attitude has shifted in my old age. :rolleyes:

Aarond

.
 
On starting with a .22, I agree with what Aarond said and I'll add that hardly anyone wants their first handgun to be a .22. So, why waste time trying to convince people to buy something they really don't want?
 
Skans said:
I believe that Glocks make poor first-handgun choices. It's simply too easy to mess up with a Glock, or glock-a-like. Nothing against the gun itself, but with no external safeties and not a lot needed to pull that trigger, it's just not a good choice for a first-time pistol owner.

Contrary to popular belief, 1st-time gun owners MAY not have the self discipline and probably do not have the training to leave their gun holstered, refrain from playing with it, and keep their fingers off of the trigger. Sounds easy, right? Well, it wasn't so easy for me when I was young and had my first gun. Fortunately my first gun was a revolver with a heavy trigger pull. Admittedly, I liked to handle it and look at it, while it was loaded. I have no doubt that if I handled a loaded Glock the same way I handled my knock-off of a Chiefs special, I would have experienced a negligent discharge.

Guns are intriguing; they are fun to handle and fun to "play" with and figure out how they work. Most new shooters have no concept whatsoever just how powerful that little 9mm cartridge actually is and how destructive a negligent discharge can actually be. I don't care how many youtube gel-test videos someone has watched or how many times that person has gone shooting with one of his buddies, I can assure you that he/she still doesn't have any concept of the potential energy bottled up something the size and weight of some loose pocket change.

I'm not a Glock basher - have one myself. To me, it's questionable to even get a semi-auto if you've never owned a handgun before. But, if you are going to get a semi-auto as a first handgun, at least get something that is da/sa with an external safety.
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If the OP has taken steps to get training and has been through an initial safety training course I believe the groundwork for safe handling has been lain and the OP is most certainly taking this very seriously.

The only thing that's fair to say is that there is not simple finite answers to the OP's question. I do see where you are coming from, but it's a double edge sword.

The inclusion of a safety does "potentially" make handling of the firearm safer. If someone is foolish enough to be handling the firearm in such a way to discharge the weapon accidentally I don't know that the safety would be much help to an individual that is negligent.

On the flip side the extra motions required to deactivate said safety in a moment of heightened stress increases the likelihood of a user malfunction.

Semi Autos have the capacity to be more effective than revolvers, if one is "worried" about the safety of their firearm they should get a .357 revolver.
 
Seklem, the OP said "I am new to guns. Well, only just took a beginner class but besides safety he taught little else"

Basically, he has no training. And, even if he had a couple of training classes beyond the basic gun-safety class, and no other experience, I still don't think that's enough.

Let's ask the OP - do you intend on carrying your weapon (if it's a semi-auto) with a round chambered? If he says "no", then he's not ready to carry a semi-auto. If he says "yes", then I'd have a real concern about him carrying a Glock. Now, if he said "yes", and that he is completely comfortable carrying the gun everywhere, has been practicing this, in a good Glock holster, then maybe.
 
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