Good beginner's home defense handgun for under $500?

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welleah

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Hi there. I've lurked on THR for quite a while (mostly on the activism board), but never got around to posting until now... Here's the situation:

I'm pretty new to guns - the men in my family hunt, so I've been exposed to guns all my life, but I have very little experience with handling them myself. I'm moving to a rather bad part of town, by myself, in the next few weeks, and since I've been interested in guns for quite a while, I figure now is a good time to get myself a gun for home defense. I won't be able to carry, since I work at a college and they don't allow guns on the premises, and money is tight, so I'd like to not spend more than five hundred or so. I like semi-autos, but mostly for aesthetic reasons, so I'm open to revolvers, too. The only handgun I've ever shot before was my exboyfriend's 9mm Glock (not sure what model), but it felt nice and was fun to shoot, so I'm partial to that sort of thing, but I don't think I can afford a Glock.

Additional info: I'm 22, female (small hands, y'know), and in central Pennsylvania. There's a decent (from what I hear) gun shop (with a range and beginner classes that I'd like to take) in the city I'm moving to, but I like to be informed in advance, so that's why I'm asking here.

Any information, advice, etc., would be very greatly appreciated. :)
 
You can find a Glock for under 500 if you look, shouldnt be too hard. Glocks are known to be very reliable, and thats important for a beginner. That was my most important criteria when searching for a defensive handgun. I wanted something I could trust, and trust always. Thats not to say some familiarization and practice isnt in order, but it sure is nice to have a gun you know for sure will work when you need it. So yea, check out the Glocks, Springfield XD series (very similar), and maybe the Smith and Wesson M&P series. All are very simple, beginner friendly guns.
 
Well, if you have small hands (like I do) and can't afford a Glock, then I'd suggest a Sig Sauer P6. I know, I know...I've been reccomending this to everyone, but they're just so nice. I have small hands too, and it fits me perfectly. They can be had for around $300. It's in 9mm, which is still relatively inexpensive. And despite what some say, modern hollowpoints in 9mm is plenty of gun for defensive purposes. If you can't find one in stock at your gun shop, they might be able to order one for you if you ask nicely.

Or, a .38 or .357 revolver would be good too. The grips on revolvers are very customizable. You can shoot any kind of .38 special ammo through a revolver chambered for .357, so you have the advantage of cheaper practice with less noise and recoil with the option of full magnum rounds for defense. Revolvers are also very user-friendly and simple to use. Rossi and Taurus both make revolvers in those calibers at very reasonable prices, around $300, maybe less if you shop around.
 
The best advice is to shoot as many handguns as possible and see what fits you best. THR members are thick in central PA and I can think of several offhand that would be delighted to allow some range time for you to try various handguns.

David
 
Nobody's linked Cornered Cat yet?

http://www.corneredcat.com/

From the linked site:
Choosing Firearms

Gun Store Miss Adventures - when women get guns
Trying On a Handgun (all about gun fit)
Semi-Auto or Revolver?
Semi-Auto or Revolver: Another View by Ryan McAndrews
Which Gun Should I Get?
Home Defense Choices: A Handgun for Home Defense?
Home Defense Choices: A Long Gun for Home Defense? by Larry Correia
Click to expand...
 
http://www.corneredcat.com/ is great.

I would recommend you if you get a chance to fire a number of guns. Both in the sense that you find out what you like and how much recoil you can stand. I would recommend trying to stay with "Name" brands if you can. Glock, Sig, Kel-tec and Ruger are all good choices. And don't underestimate the usefulness of a Revolver. And you may be able to find a revolver used that will be a great deal. However get whatever fits YOUR needs.
 
I think you would really be better off with a .38cal revolver. 2 1\2in barrel would be easy to handle and shoot without foul-ups. Taurus and Smith & Wesson make several appropiate models!!!:)
 
You said you like your ex's Glock. I bought mine NIB for $479+tax. If you liked shooting it that's a great one to get. I like mine.
 
Perhaps I would go differently if this is to be an exclusively home defense weapon. I would actually look at a shotgun. Get a youth stock for it, say a Remington 870.

Hard to argue with a 12 gauge as a superlative defensive gun and even with skeet loads, it would be something not too many people would like to face.

Classes whether for a handgun or a defensive shotgun are highly recommended.
 
Some questions for you:

Do you want a manual safety? This prevents the trigger from firing the weapon unless the safety is disengaged. However it works in the opposite way as well...accidentally engaging the safety may prevent the gun from firing when you really need it to.

Do you want one consistent trigger pull? Some guns have one trigger pull of the same weight and length. Others have one long and heavy trigger pull followed by short, lighter trigger pulls for subsequent shots. The idea is that the first pull is much less likely to occur unintentionally since it is longer and heavier.
 
I think the first thing here is to handle as many different handguns as you possibly can, then go from there. The handgun must fit your hand and work for you. That is always the first thing.

Also, without sounding arrogant, I would suggest not getting too hung up on the dollar amount. Afterall, this is a device with which you may have to save your own life.
 
Glock 19
Stoeger Cougar
Springfield XD
S&W 5900-series (used) (This might be too big for your hand)
S&W M&P
Ruger SR9
Sig 229 (Get a Certified Pre-owned)
CZ-75B or variant thereof (P-01, SP-01, PCR, Compact, etc.)
S&W Model 10, 19, or 686 (Revolvers)
Ruger SP-101, GP-100, Speed Six, or Security Six (Revolvers)
Colt Trooper or Lawman (Revolvers, used)

And by all means, take the NRA Basic Pistol Course. My sister took it in June and loved it. She had next to no experience with guns and it helped her immensely. She just purchased a Beretta Cougar for her first gun.
 
You can get a used Glock for less then $500. You'll need to shop around a bit, and maybe do a private sale instead of getting it from a gun shop, but they are out there.

If you already like the Glock, it would be a good choice.

As far as fit, each Glock model fits the hand just a little different. For the 9mm Glocks, see if the full size Glock 17 or the mid size Glock 19 fits you better. My bet would be the 19.

Read through Cornered Cat and ask more questions.

You should also consider taking the NRA Basic Pistol class or a similiar intro to handguns class. There is nothing like hands on instruction from a good instructor.
 
skimmed through this very slightly but I would echo butter. If you're not going to carry and are going to use it purely as home defense.......especially if you're going to be living in an (apartment?), then I would get a remington 870 in 20 gauge with the youth model stock (if that's your size; you made it sound like you're smaller) and a shorter barrel. Then load it with "00" buck. You won't have to worry about shooting your neighbor from penetration if your in an apartment complex and under stress as a new shooter you'll be more likely to hit what you want to with the shotgun vs. the handgun. The 870 won't set you back too much and if you still want a handgun then you can save up money over a period of time for that purpose and not short yourself out of the gun you want. But most importantly whatever you get you should take a class on how to handle home invasions and self defense. How you react is probably 10 times more important than what you're using.
 
For home defense I would recommend a Ruger, Taurus, or Smith and Wesson .357 magnum loaded with a good 38 special hollow point round. There are lots of grips so you can find something that fits your hands, the larger .357 frame soaks up the recoil of even +p (high-pressure) 38 special loads, and there's no safety to mess with when Joe Crackhead is kicking in your bedroom door. I have a fairly good gun collection, but what is in my wife's bedside table is my grandfather's 1951 S&W Combat Masterpiece service revolver with a 4" barrel. I think my grandfather would have liked that, too.

John
 
Good beginner's home defense handgun for under $500?
Click to expand...

Under $500? You have so many choices!

It's down to what fits you, and what can you handle, and is this strictly a home gun or will it also go with you (as in, concealed about your person).

Try some out, take the class.
 
You may have good luck with a used 4" .357 Magnum revolver. See what the gun shop has. Don't buy anything that has been beat up, but surface condition is not as important as functionality. Spend the other $200-$250 to buy a bunch of .38spl and .357 Mag ammo to practice with. Like with any firearm, you must practice regularly and be familiar with it. I personally am not familiar with a gun I cannot field strip with out thinking about it. Revolvers are so simple, it is easy to field strip (take apart for cleaning.)
 
my ex loved the FNP-9 I bought her. She was very picky as well. It cost me quite a bit in rental time to find a gun she liked, but it was worth it to see her smile when we went shooting.

For smaller hands, the FNP-9 and the Walther P99 would be my choices. A Sig P229 would be good too although you should handle one first. The newer CZ75 P-01 reportedly has a recontoured trigger so it doesn't suffer from the long reach of some of the other guns.
 
The Sig P6 as mentioned is still a very good option for you. You can get them for ~$300+FFL xfer fees, and it is a fine shooter in deed. I have pretty darned small hands too, and it fits mine just perfectly. You can then use the extra $200 for range fees, ammo, and training. Good luck!

However, the Glock is a little more neglect friendly. You can run those dry and dirty with no problems for quite a while, trust me I went almost 2k rounds without cleaning just to try and see when the Glock would start having some problems. It never did and I had to give in before it did. I just couldn't stand to see her so dirty!
 
A revolver would be simpler to operate my choice would be a Ruher SP101 357.You will be able to shoot 38 spl. in it and if you can hanle them 357 for home defence.

A auto would give you more shots but a little more complex.A good reliable auto is a Glock but I like the Springfield Xd-9 4" model just as reliable.A lot of auto's have wide grips and you need to handle and shoot some if you can.
 
Another thing I forgot to mention about the Sig Sauer P6 is that it is ridiculously easy to field strip, which, as another poster mentioned, simply means to take the gun apart for cleaning. It took me all of 5 minutes to master it.

The most important thing is what works for YOU what feels right to YOU. And, as others have mentioned, if you want a strictly home defense gun, you might be better suited by a shotgun. But if you want home defense and CCW at some point, get yourself a handgun.

Or just buy both :evil:
 
My girlfriend, who just started shooting this year, has trouble hitting the target with just about any handgun. She has no trouble keeping all her shots within an 8" spread at 50 yards with my Kel-Tec carbine.

You might want to look into a pistol-caliber carbine or 20 ga. shotgun. Either of these will greatly increase your hit probability (which is always a good thing) and offer more stopping power with more manageable recoil. Handguns are not the best choice for personal defense, as they are the least powerful and hardest to hit with.

Many shotguns and a few carbines are available in the price range you listed, including:

Mossberg Model 500
Remington 870
SAIGA

Kel-Tec Sub 2000 carbine

Also, it wouldn't be a bad idea to start out shooting with a .22. Ammo is inexpensive, and recoil is non-existant. Many scoff at this round, but I know that a.) I sure don't want to get hit with one and b.) I would pick this over a much more powerful weapon if I knew the recoil of it kept me from shooting it. If you can't hit what you're aiming for, then you are relying on the giant "BOOM" to scare off your attacker.
 
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