How did you choose your first handgun purchase?

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I needed a gun for self protection (business owner). I bought a Mod 37 S&W.
I joined a local gun to learn how to use it safely. From there I fired other members guns.....like what I fired and my collection grew.

New Gun Buyers....Understand how your pistol/revolver functions before you load it.
I know a Doctor that bought a 25cal Beretta ...carried it loaded/cocked...took it out of the holster to show it to someone and it discharged firing a round into the wall. He does not understand how it went off.
 
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When I bought my first handgun in 1979, I knew exactly what I wanted, a .45acp Colt Series 70 Mk IV. I carried that gun on the DMZ in Korea and as a pay officer.

I've still got that gun, although it's no longer a self-defense firearm. It's my bullseye wadcutter gun with a slide mounted dot sight.
 
How did you choose your first handgun purchase?
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i was in iraq, and about to turn 21, which this was on my first deployment. and i was reading the 20,000rd torture test that they did in one of the gun mags on the xd line a 9mm in the article, then i got to looking, learned that it earned some awards, and looked up the history ie. hs2000/xd all that stuff, and when i got home and my per diem check i went to the gun shop fell in love with the feel and overall gun and i bought it.
 
I went in a gun shop with the intention of buying a cheapish .22 revolver. I'd been raised on rifles and shotguns and wanted to get more trigger time on a handgun.

After looking at a couple I spotted one that appeared to be nicer. After handling it I decided that it was worth a few bucks extra. It was 1972 and the Single-Six Convertible cost me a little more than $50.

I suppose I'd handled enough guns since I was kneehgih to be able to tell a good one when I saw it.

Little did I know that all handguns didn't come with a 2-pound trigger like a good rifle. My Ruger did and spoiled me.

John
 
Early '70s ... I knew I wanted a .357 so that I could feed it .38spl also (at the time I had been reloading for ~5years) and I wanted 4" barrel as a balance between long range accuracy and "handiness". I got a blued Ruger Security Six because it cost much less than the S&W Model 19 that I really wanted.

The Ruger was a good choice for me ... accurate & reliable & durable.
 
A very looooong time ago, as a juvenile, and ALWAYS in trouble, with Mom, Dad, and the local Judge-----I somehow "talked" them into letting me get a 22 pistol, the reason being,I could go back in the woods and be by myself and "target practice".
Different time, different world,,,,,,back then.!!!!!!
Went to town, and the only place opened, was the local pool hall and BAR, but they SOLD guns!!!!
They had several 22 pistols,along with other "bigger" ones, but the one I choose was an H&R double action 9 shot revolver.
My only training came from my Dad-----" You better be God Damn sure you don't shoot nothing of mine!!!!"
Found a holster, probably from an old cap gun,,,,,wore/carried that H&R everywhere----got pretty darn good with it----finally did something that impressed Dad!!!
And NO I never shot anything of His!!!
Probably sold it for smokes-----can't remember.

UJ
 
I picked the Walther P22. I wanted to get used to shooting, so I decided on a 22. I also wanted to pick a gun that acted and felt the most like a higher caliber handgun, unlike most other 22s. The Walther has the look, feel and manual of arms most like most normal weapons. It was also inexpensive and looks cool as well.
 
She was a beautiful Chrome Colt Python .357 magnum with a trigger as smooth as warm butter. I was young and the world was my oyster - need I say more.
 
When I bought my P90, I basically bought it off the basis that:

1. My dad is a major Ruger fan, as am I. Thus, I felt you couldn't go wrong with a Ruger.

2. My platoon Sergeant in the USMC had a P89 and told me that he thought it was the best thing since sliced bread.

So, with those two things in mind, I marched in, looked at no other guns whatsoever, and bought my P90. 15 years later, I am still very happy with my decision, although I generally put more research into my purchases now.
 
hello mike,

i started off researching the reliabilty of all brands of pistols that were in my budget.

after i narrowed the field, i researched what manual of arms worked best for me.

finally, after i found a reputable brand with a suitable manual of arms (the more simple, the better for me) within the budget, i went and bought it.

went with a glock 23 by the way. caliber doesn't make much of a difference IMHO if you practice and learn to hit with it.
 
I wanted a semi-auto, with a safety, and a relatively small frame. Only thing that fit the bill was a Taurus Millennium Pro, and I was sure of my decision about 20 seconds after my palm hit the grip, perfect fit for me. I had made my mind up already, but holding it just made me want it more.

Was going to get a .40S&W but wasn't in stock at the only gun store in the area, but they did have a 9mm blued (not Stainless like I wanted) so I got it. Cheap to shoot, the 9mm isn't as bad as people say it is, and it's great for a double tap or quick follow up.
 
I didn't spend an excessive amount of time.

I casually looked at several guns, from a Japanese 9mm revolver to a "parts" Luger.

I finally settled on a Colt Series 70 M1911. They were good guns (1979), it was reasonably priced NIB, and since I was going to be an Army officer soon, I'd likely be able to get away with carrying it on duty (which I did on numerous occasions).

I've still got that gun, although now it's a bullseye wadcutter gun with a slide mounted dot sight.
 
I had never gone shooting before I bought my first handgun. Whatever I chose would be the gun I would learn on. So I bought a .22 because it was cheap, ammo was plentiful and affordable, and I would be able to practice with it often without developing a flinch.

I bought a Ruger 22/45 because I knew that my preferred platform was going to be the 1911. The 1911 is strong, good-looking, and a classic design. It fires a big bullet. The 22/45 approximates the 1911's controls, so I thought it would make a good trainer.
 
I wanted a stainless 1911, always had. If I was going to spend my money one something a SS kimber was it... Follow your heart!:neener:
 
I looked around a lot, did a lot of research and reading, then shopped around until I found a good deal. I knew the caliber, but no specific models at that point, but the price was good and the gun looked great to me. So I got it knowing I could always get another one later.
 
For my first handgun, I knew, KNEW I wanted a 1911 variant of some sort. I must have handled every new Springfield, S&W, Kimber and Para the local shop had before my birthday, trying to pick the right one. Let me add, I've been around firearms since I was about 7-8, and had been through a couple of pistols by my 21st birthday. So I KNEW a 1911 in .45 ACP was what I wanted and needed, just as God, J.M. Browning and Col. Cooper intended.

About 2 weeks before the day, the shop turned up a nice, likely unfired, used S&W 629-1 .44 Magnum with 6" barrel. I couldn't put it on layaway fast enough and lost sleep until I was able to pick it up and make it mine.

Do I still want a 1911? Yes. But in the last 3 years I've put over 3000 rounds on that S&W and still enjoy it as much as when I bought it. :cool:
 
How did I choose mine? Same way I've chosen cars. Dumb luck combined with basic logic.

Basic logic consisted of:

- I used to shoot a Colt Police Positive with my father.
- I liked it because it was easy to clean and easy to fire.
- I liked it because it was accurate (for me).
- There's a reason that Smith, Colt, and Ruger have been around so long.
- Longer barrel means less recoil.
- .357 Magnum is a flexible gun because it allows using .38 Spl and .38 Spl +P as well.

Dumb luck consisted of:

- Finding a S&W Model 19-4 in a local shop for a good price.
- I just like the way revolvers look.

8 cars and two guns so far and I haven't regretted a purchase yet. :)

I did, at least, research the model once I determined that I was serious about buying it. I didn't spend weeks researching. I didn't spend time in classrooms. I just grew up with guns and knew how to treat them with respect from watching others. When the time came that I wanted to buy one of my own, I decided what I wanted, spent a day looking up information on it as a sanity check, and when the information showed it was a pretty decent gun, I bought it.
 
The selection process should take quite a bit of thought and preparation. For my part...

0. Understanding [basic recreational handgun course & buying certificate]

1. Caliber [.40]

2. Action [SA/DA]

3. Reputation [SIG SAUER]

4. Isolation [basic P229 [w/ night sights & tac rail :eek:]]

5. Opinions [review columns & message boards]

6. Handling [display gun & shooting range]

7. Price [used, certified, or bran-new]

8. Pause [you might not feel so strongly if you give yourself some time to reflect ... or the feeling might be reaffirmed]
 
The department in which I was first introduced to law enforcement used Sig P226's as duty weapons in 1992; as such, I learned how to shoot a semi auto on it and being new to guns, figured I should stick with a pistol on the Sig platform.

While enamored with and hoping to find a P226, I came across a guy who was selling a Sig P220 with 7 magazines, a holster, 100 rounds of ammunition and a spare set of Pachmyer grips in a large steel carrying case designed for camera equipment - all for $525! The guy was having a baby, and his wife wasn't too keen on him having all his guns around so he had to sell them. He chose the Glock 22, and I wound up buying his P220 as my first pistol. In my mind, one heckuva deal back then, and I still have it. Have no plans to get rid of it, even though it never sees much range time anymore.

Oh, how far I've come, but I still love that Sig like it was my firstborn. There was no internet back then to read and study from; I talked with Deputies who carried them and had to rely on a few gun magazines to tell me I had found a good first gun.
 
I was raised on rifles and shotguns too. I shot a couple of pistols/revolvers as a kid at times but not very often. I shot a .45 1911 once when I was 10. I shot the .38 in the AF. First firearm after 20 years was a Ruger GP100 .357mag mainly a house SD revolver. Original point and click interface, no worries about forgetting to drop the safety in a SHTF situation etc.
 
i may have told this story before; here it goes again:

when i went to buy my first handgun, i knew very little of them. i went to gander mountain (which i strongly advise against now that i know better), with $800 in my pocket and as many questions.

i asked one of the salesmen, an older gentleman with U.S.M.C. tattoos, what semi auto would be good for a first time owner. i have shot guns and rifles before, so i had no real fear of them, but all i knew of ballistics for guns were 9mm, .45 ACP, .38 sp., .357, and .380 ACP. he went on to show me a whole bunch of different rounds, including ones i didn't know existed, like .40, .32, .25, and others. he asked me what brand i liked, and i told him i honestly didn't care, i just wanted one that would work. after deciding to go with 9mm, for practical reasons, i asked him to show me what he had for $800. he began to pull out various brands, and pointed out there pros and cons. he let me handle each one for a few minutes, showed me how to take them apart for cleaning, explained SA, SA/DA, and DAO, and told me their respective histories and reputations as reliable firearms.

during our Q&A, one of the younger guys walked on over. "first time gun?" he asked. the older man said yes. "just get him a glock! can't go wrong with a glock." the older one said, "why don't you shut up and go on break or something? i'm working!"

the younger guy left, and we continued. after looking at about 16 different guns, i settled on a springfield XD subcompact, a glocks 19 & 26, a S&W sigma and M&P, a taurus mil-pro, a sig 229, and kahr. after picking each one up and sighting them in repeatedly, i finally narrowed it down to the M&P, the sig, and the sigma. i finally asked how much each cost.

sig: $799

M&P: $499

sigma 9: $350

winner! winner!

i took the sigma home 30 minutes later. that was 2 years ago, and over 2,000 rounds later, i'm still a happy man.
 
I was all wound up about the triangular barrels on the Desert Eagle pistols, back in the day. I went shopping for one until some middle aged ratchet jaw customer started yacking about the 16 inch barrel on his that he hunted and killed elk with and blah, blah, blah...
so I left without a Deagle.
A year later, I'm standing on the ground in Honduras and get an old Ruger security six cosmically gifted to me. I carried that with me for quite a while, then sold it when I left.
 
My first pistol was a revolver, a 586 6".

I selected it based on the fact that it shot .38spl and .357 so that I could practice with low power wadcutters and still shoot high power.

Additionally, the 586 is a medium size frame - not too big, not too small.

Hogue finger grips fit me well, so that is what I put on the handle.

Like others have said, think about fit and costs, how does it fit your hand, what does the ammo cost?

Take a safety course. Unlike other things, mistakes with a pistol are unacceptable - no room for errors.
 
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