BOTH!!!! [emoji3]
Don't worry about that limited budget thing, it doesn't mean you can't get what you want, it just means it takes longer, and requires a bit more self discipline saving money. [emoji6]
I say both, because I have a wide variety of handguns, that I bought to check out and learn, AND I have duplicates of my favorites, just in case.
You can read about, (or watch) guns you are interested in, but you cannot really know how they will fit, work, and feel for you, until you have one and use it. Not everything turns out to be as good as it looks from a distance.
And as I said, my favorite guns, I have "spares", not only for the "if one breaks I still have another" but also because, if you ever use your gun defensively, the police WILL take it. When everything is completely settled, you can get your gun back, but it could be weeks, or months, or maybe even longer. And our precious guns are just one more piece of "evidence" to the police, who have a reputation for not treating them in the same way we do....
My philosophy too...
I have many firearms that I shoot, some that I shoot a few times, and put away, and some that I have never shot, but simply wanted.
Then there are the few that are continual shooters. These are hunting/range/and SD firearms.
When I find a firearm that just fits, I will acquire another. Firearms are mechanical, they break. If I have a broken TRG, I want to be able to grab a replacement.
Funding is there, based on many things. If you are young and have kids, they take priority. They won’t always be young.
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