first gun

A good SA or DA .357 Mag revolver.

my prefrence is...

What ever works for you!! Go to your local shooting range (if there is one) and try a whole number of guns and decide which one works best for you. My prefrence leans towards 9mm because it works for me. Your situation and prefrence may vary. There are trade offs for any pistol you choose and what you choose will reflect what works for you. 9mm gives me less recoil and losts of rounds which I like, not that I'm a bad aim but if theres lots of bad guys I'd like to have a little parting gift for all of them. Decide what's best for you and buy new or properly used firearm and I'm sure YOU will be happy. Good luck!

Chris

Whereas you can't go wrong with either a 9mm or a .357/.38, do not overlook the .22 semi auto or DA revolver. Most would agree that as a self-defense weapon its marginal at best, but 10 rds. of .22 high velocity would make most bad guys rethink the need to do you harm.

And even tho' the self defense issue is there, plinking and practice, feeding it and gaining ability and confidence in your shooting skills will grow quickly.

Sides that, they're a lot of fun.

Adios

Try a Ruger gp100 or Sp101 in 357 Magnum. you can also shoot 38 special thru it for target practice.

S&W or Ruger .357.

Here's what works for me....

If you're leaning towards a revolver, get a .357 magnum. If you're leaning towards an autoloader, get a 9 mm. Why? versatility and availability of ammo for both these types.

Just about every gun manufacturer makes a good 9mm which is both an adequate self-defense round and a good target round.

The .357 magnum will fire both .357 mag or .38 spcl rounds.

Either would suit your purposes well.

Be careful......handguns are habit-forming!

Best Wishes................

I fall into the .357 4inch barrel group for a revolver and I think this is probably the best gun for a new pistol shooter to get on a budget. Used varieties of this beast can be had in this price range all over the net. I like Smith 686s or Ruger GP100s for all around good guns but a K Frame smith or SP101 with a longer barrel would be good too.

For a Semi-Auto I would have to say Ruger P95DC. Excellent gun for very few sheckles. Good for plinking with cheap ammo and an excellent defensive handgun that will stand up to abuse. There is alot of very very capable 9mm defensive ammunition on the market.

You could probably squeeze in a CZ75BD at this price also. I like the BD because it has a decocker and I really believe this or a double action only firearm is the way to go for a new shooter.

Chris

As a first handgun for target and self defense, I would recommend either a 357 magnum revolver or a 9 mm semi auto and would really push the revo. Good effective defensive ammo available for both & inexpensive practice ammo too so you can get in enough practice to get really proficient.

Chalk up one more vote for a double action .357mag in the 4 to 6 inch range. My personal preference is for older pinned and recessed Smith and Wessons, but I have a Ruger GP100 that I can't say a negative word about either.

GL

Jack,

Don't listen to these guys! Do yourself a favor and buy a .22. With a .22 you can put 500 rounds down range for the cost of .50 centerfire rounds. You'll be able to shoot a lot more rounds and really learn to shoot. There is no subsitute for practice and the world already has enough poor shots with ingrained flinches.

A .22 handgun is cheap, and ammo is even cheaper.

After you've put about 10,000 rounds down range you'll be a good shooter and THEN is the time to start wondering what kind of defense handgun to buy.


Keith

What do you want to do? How many do you see yourself owning in the next year? If you just want a place to start and plan on getting more in the near future I'd go with a good 22. If this is the only pistol you think you'll ever own I'd go with a Ruger or S&W 357. Either way you start I'd bet you end up with both.. and then some.

With your budget I'd say go here (www.CDNNinvestments.com) and get their catalog.

I'd recommend the HiPower ($269) but they also have a 4" model 66 .357 ($279) and other great deals.

These guys are great to deal with, unfortunately, they don't list their guns on the website. Give 'em a call.

First Handgun?

Agreed. Quality six-shot .357 magnum revolver!

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member

If you decide to go for a .57 Pplease please please do NOT start out with full house .357 mag loads. Go to a shooting range or gun store and get the lightest .38 special loads you can lay your hands on. I have seen too many people start out with a 3 inch .357 mag and wiz-bang knock-em-over-backwards mega-stomp wonder ammo and get so un-nerved by the blast from the first shot that they couldn't hit the side of a barn from inside after that.
Remember start with Very light .38 Spec wad cutter paper puncher rounds. Get really good with those, then start stepping up the power curve. Flinches are much easier to prevent than to cure.

My first gun was a 4.75 inch blue Vaquero .357 magnum. If offered a second chance, I would have bought the stainless version. Have been very pleased with the way the gun shoots.

A good first gun is one you have always wanted. For me it was a Glock 9mm. I have wanted one sense the big todo about them being able to get through metal detectors. I tried to talk my self out of it for about 2 months.

If you don't have a gun that you have wanted for a while then go with a 22, little recoil, and very cheap to shoot.

Used S&W model 10 or 15 in 4"

I recommend either of these 4" barrel, K-frame, 6-shot .38 special DA revolvers.

Reasons:

**They are absolutely, indisputably excellent handguns without peer.

**Because they are "only" .38 special, and not .357 magnum guns, they are available for anywhere in the $200s, rather than upwards of $300.

**Since you said self defense and target practice, you will be harming your hands, wrists, ears, and pocketbook if you shoot .357 magnum.

**Folks will tell you you can shoot .38 specials for practice in your .357 revolver, but there are yards of ink and bytes written on the subject of cleaning out the crud in the front of .357 cylinders from firing .38 specials. I would recommend you don't go for the "Swiss Army knife" solution.

**The .38 special isn't a weinie for self-defense either.

**Remember, target shooting will be what you use this gun for. I doubt many people, other than professional law enforcement agents, get into any self defense shooting more than once in their lives -- think about it!

I agree with the .22 suggestion, there are a lot of good quality .22 guns out there ,and the ammo is pretty cheap so you can do a lot shooting on a little money.
I also agree on the .38 , .357 combination , I shot a S&W mod. 19 for years in both .38 and .357 .

IMNSHO

The best first gun for a grown-up is still always without question the Ruger GP100 (pick your flavor) :banghead: :banghead:

my first gun was a Walther P22 followed by a GP100 4" .357 i like them both A LOT! Next will either be a SP101 or a .44 magnum. have to wait for some more cash though.