First Handgun

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There is no substitute for practice. The cheaper the ammo, the more practice you'll get. For that, the .22 is the hands-down winner.

FWIW, all but one of the accidental handgun discharges I've been around were semi autos. I don't think a semi auto is the perfect first handgun. IMHO a DA revolver is much better.
 
Let's think long term here. It may not seem important now, but a first gun will have tremendous sentimental value 20, 30, 40 years down the road. So for a first handgun, I'd go with something that will age with grace.

Don't get me wrong, I like shooting Glocks, XDs, and other poly guns as much as anyone. But I don't see much long-term sentimental value in a piece of plastic.

Take a look at a classic wheelgun (686, GP100), a 1911, a Browning High-Power, a SIG 226/228/229, Beretta 92, or any other timeless design. Something that, with proper maintenance, will be as nice 50 years from now as the day you bought it. Something your children and grandchildren will be proud to own someday.

I don't think you'll regret it.

:)
 
Well, I will recommend a .22LR as well. The first handgun I bought myself was a S&W 629 .44 Magnum with a 6" barrel. Not something I suggest for somebody without a lot of experience.

The .22LR is far, far easier to learn with, but less forgiving of mistakes. If you can shoot a .22 well, you can shoot anything well. Never let anybody tell you that a certain gun "shoots well for a .22". A good .22 will outshoot 95% (or more) of the folks shooting it. A Ruger 22/45 Mk III with the bull barrel and adjustable sights will shoot really well, cost <$300 and ammo is cheap, which encourages practice.

Shooting big guns is just like shooting the little guns, once you have the fundamentals drilled to become second-nature. It's all about front-sight and trigger squeeze.

Second choice would be a 4" .357 revolver of some sort, as .38s in a medium .357 are generally far from too much gun for anybody. Then maybe a 9mm in a Glock 19 or similarly-sized pistol. The 1911 is a good gun as well, but IMO not a beginner-friendly firearm. I've seen too many people miss the thumb safety at timed matches.
 
A good 22 or 4" 357 for a first gun. Also learn to shoot from a close distance like 15 feet and work your way out. Seen a lot of people get a first handgun and go to the 50yard target and not even hit the paper, hard to get them to shoot alot because they don't hit the target.
 
I don't get this fascination with the .22LR everyone is recommending. :confused:

I've never owned a .22 pistol in my life and never even fired one until I was at least 35 years old. A buddy of mine showed up one day with a Ruger Mk II. I tried it out and it was fun...for about 5 minutes. That was several years ago and I've never fired it again since. Another buddy bought one of the cheap SIG/Hammerli Trailsides from CDNN last summer. I fired maybe 40 rounds thru it one day and I've never touched it since. Boring!
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i too will turn 21 soon i will be getting a glock 23 but i do plan to carry and have been shooting handguns since i was about 7 and i started when my father bought me a H&R 999 in 22 Lr it was by far the perect handgun to begin shooting with very well made reliable and easy to shoot he carried it int he woods many times i shot my first groundhog with that gun as well as my first rabit
 
From what im seeing, a revolver chambered in 22LR would be good to start with followed by a 4inch 357 and then move on to others right?
 
Another .22 recommendation.........

The first gun I got was a Ruger 6" Standard auto-loader, .22lr.
I bought it new for $39.95, in 1962 or 63.
I still have it. I have fired untold 500 round blocks of shells, through it.
It's a little worn, from holster wear. It still shoots just fine.
I ain't as good as I once was. But I love that old .22 Ruger.
My boys argue over which one gets to shoot it first, every time they come out here to the farm.
It was a Great 1st Gun.
It still is.
 
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