The first handgun you purchased and why?

First pistol I bought was a Beretta 92 F/S in '93, because I had just spent the majority of the preceding four years carrying an M9, so was very well versed in it's handling and operation, even with the slide-mounted safety / decock lever (read: "hated" lol).

It was the first pistol I did lots of serious shooting with, and had no problems with my personally owned one, or the several I was issued. Shortly after getting that one, my next purchase was another Beretta, but this time a 96 D Centurion. Hated to get rid of them but, had a situation come up that was beyond my control (first divorce lol).

What advice would I give for a first handgun purchase? For the individual to handle and fire as many different makes and models as possible and to find what fits them best. What works best for me, isn't going to work best for the shooter next to me.
 
Mine was a Ruger P90 .45 in stainless, why Ruger quality was good at time and was a semi-auto and was a .45 man-stopper, used a .45 in the Corps but those well use pistols rattled a lot and the thing I wanted tight and shiny. Now I am way beyond shiny and name but reliable is key!! but as to the amount of pistols I have multiple in cals from 9mm to 44mag. I enjoy my 1911 in 10mm the best...
 
A 6" Ruger New Model Convertible Blackhawk, .357/9mm. The only handgun I'd ever shot was a Single Six, so it seems like a good choice. CCW was almost unheard of back then.

I still have it.
 
Thompson Center Contender, with .22, .38/357 and .44 mag barrels. I could only afford one gun, so I tried to cover all bases. The best part: used, with all 3 barrels, in a wood presentation case, for $200.00. Sadly, it was stolen a few years later.
 
A 6" stainless steel Ruger GP100 .357mag. I wish I still had it. Oh, and the why. Two reasons. Back then revolvers seemed to be less expensive than auto loaders but the main reason was, it looked and felt so damned cool.
 
Advice:
Buy something that fits you hand and that you will enjoy shooting in a caliber you can find and afford. Don't try to buy something to fit every use, instead, plan to supplement your first purchase with additional purchases.

First pistol: Colt Double Eagle Combat Commander SS in .45acp. Still happy with it.
 
A s&w model 10-6 bought new for a little over $100 w/tax. Believe a box of 38 special shells went for about $4 for wad cutters.
 
PatientWolf said:
Advice:
Buy something that fits you hand and that you will enjoy shooting in a caliber you can find and afford. Don't try to buy something to fit every use, instead, plan to supplement your first purchase with additional purchases.

First pistol: Colt Double Eagle Combat Commander SS in .45acp. Still happy with it.
Click to expand...

This was the advice I gave my son. I know he'll want something to conceal, but you don't want something geared for extreme deep concealment that you don't enjoy shooing it often. The good news is he has a few dozen choices to handle before doing his own choosing with his own money:D If restricted by your budget, that's a different story, but with several stories here, the memory of your very first handgun purchase will last a long time and that memory can be something tangible you can hand down. Excellent stories from all...

ROCK6
 
Beretta 92 FS italian--because my friend @my LGS(the owner)ordered it first. Bought 4 other guns once the permit arrived(2 glocks and 2 H+K p30)too
 
My first handgun was a 1954 CZ52, I was about 15 years old. I have always loved guns ever since I can remember. The reason I chose it as my first was because of the price and historical nostalgia and admiration of the cartridge it fired (7.62x25mm which launches a .30 85gr pill at about 1600fps). I miss that gun. Got rid of it to get something else. I am 22 now. For a first handgun I would have to say the most important factor of all would be feel in the hand. Go with your son to the gunshop and have him handle and aim every pistol that interests him (since you are his father the gun shops should allow this even though he is a minor). He needs to decide what style of guns he likes (striker or hammer, polymer or metal) but really the feel in the hand and the dry firing will tell you when you have found what you like. If possible have him shoot what he liked the feel of at the gun show/shop. This will rrrrreally determine what will be a good first pistol for him. If he can shoot a glock17 very well first couple mags and likes the feel of it and trigger that should be his first fun, but if he prefers the feel, recoil characteristics , and trigger of a 1911 or cz75, that should be his first gun. I made the mistake of getting a glock model 20 when I was about 16 or 17. Just handling it, it felt okay in my hands, but when it came time to shooting; after 400rds of $34 a box of 50 10mm rounds, I could never manage shooting better than a 1ft 10shot group at 10yds. The gripvwaa just too large for my hands, and combined with the decent recoil the gun would torque in my hand when shooting. I couldn't get good enough grip on the thing. Hates to see it go but I didn't want a gun i wasn't accurate with.
 
Bought this Single Six new in 1959 when I was 15. It's had thousands of rounds through the pipe and still locks up tight:

4c3359b74b70df2715d9bc0f0836822379d3219.jpg
 
taurus model 85, 38sp, steel

bought in mid 1980s, in south florida, gently used with box, $200, added pachmayr grips. i was assigned to haiti. i kept it under the car seat or in my briefcase loaded, with two speedloaders. i had to display it when some angry folks came at me with bricks as i stopped by a roadblock. i still have it, and its one of my favorites.
 
Inherited a Colt Series 70 Government from my father at age 12. Family friend kept the gun and a couple other rifles and shotguns for me till I turned 21 (Illinois). Had a bunch of custom work done to it in the late 80's early 90's to try to get it to run. Still have the Colt:

4891720727_b4a49f52fd_b.jpg


First handgun I bought was a Glock 21 in 1996. Paid too much for it 2nd hand during college. I wanted one since reading about them in my teens. Traded it a couple times. Once with a friend for a S&W 686. Later with a shop for a S&W 629 to a H&K USP 45 and then back for the exact same G21.

Finally sold the G21 after being laid off after 9/11.
Probably going to get another one some day...


Advice to new handgun owners - pay cash or layaway guns at a gun shop and pay cash over time. If you can find a range that rents handguns, shoot a variety of different brands and styles a calibers.

Growing up shooting a 45 acp - I'd recommend new shooters start with a 9mm &/or a 22LR. Factory 9mm is significantly less expensive than 45acp.
 
Ruger old model Super Blackhawk. Around 1972 or so. Wanting "the most powerful handgun in the world" after seeing Dirty Harry. But not being able to afford a S&W 29. Paid $114.95 + tax for my Ruger. Still have it, still carry it hunting at times. Have enjoyed a few great venison back strap meals to it's credit.:D
 
My first handgun was a terrible mistake, a jamomatic Stoeger Luger .22LR bought in 1971 and long gone today. My second handgun, a Ruger Mark I, is great and I still have it. My next few handguns in the early to mid-'70s also were keepers: a Colt Series '70 Government Model, a S&W Model 19 - and a mixed numbers P.08 Luger that shamed the POS Stoeger Luger.

I think the first time buyer needs to handle many guns and shoot them too. Research is your friend. After my initial mistake all those years ago I rarely buy a bad gun.
 
Mine Was a Glock 19. Followed after 2 weeks by a Glock 26. The 26 is officially the carry gin of my wife but sometimes I carry the 26 too.
 
For me it was a Ruger Security Six with the additional .22 Win mag Cyllinder.

I had been given my great grandfathers H&R top break .22 but he had used it in town with bird shot killing squirrels for so many years that the bore was shot. Being the first born grandchild my mother had picked it up for me when she went and helped settle the estate and since I was the only grandchild that was a gun person why not. Her little brother who knows nothing about guns threw a tizzy fit so to shut him up it went to him with the strong warning to put it in a shadow box cuz with his firearm skills the damage that he could do with it might wind up being very expensive. I wound up with some fishing poles and Mitchell and Damn Quick reels that were worth ten times as much as the worn out H&R.
 
OK, here come the guffaws: My first was an FN/ Browning 1922 for $30.00 because my father had brought one home from Europe, but traded it off to another G.I. for something or other. I was 15 at the time, my mother discovered its hiding place, there was a HUGE row, my father took it back to the dealer, got back 2/3 of what I paid for it, and I was told in no uncertain terms to not do it again. About 4 months later, I bought a nickeled Colt 1903 .32 auto at a local hardware store.

You may well ask how did I accomplish these purchases? I paid a guy I knew that was 21 $5.00 to get them for me. Of course, this was long before the GCA of '68.
 
Although I have owned guns since 1986 the 1st gun I bought with my own money was my FNS-40. I bought it for a carry gun December 2015.
 
Not sure if this counts, but it was called a Western Haig in 1959 mail order. I was 6 at the time. Wow was I excited :) It was plastic, full size revolver, but it had a metal tube that ran down center of barrel to hammer. It came with steel shot that just fit that tube. A Mattel like cap was placed & when hammer came down.. Bang! Hard to tell where that little steel shot went, but it came out fast. They just don't make toys like that anymore.
I still have it 55 yrs later.
Next was a rough rider with 22/22mag cylinders that looks almost just like it. I've had it probably 40 yrs.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top