BigN
Member
38/357 shoot the 38's until you're proficient enough to handle the big mags
Need help choosing first handgun
- Thread starter JanaGB
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JohnBiltz
Member
As a rule of thumb, the smaller lighter gun is going to recoil more than the the larger heavier gun if they both shoot the same caliber. Everything about a hand gun is a trade off for something else. If its bigger its not as easy to carry. Smaller harder to shoot. Its one of the reasons why everyone has different opinions on what to carry.
A lot of valid advice here.
I started my wife off with a .22.
Then when she became a pretty fair shooter I put a .357 in her hands. She can out shoot me with that gun!
After training her with a 9MM. 40SW and .45 ACP, autoloaders. She prefers a wheel gun. So she has a .38+P S&W wheelgun, w/ 1 7/8 bbl. I am considering getting her a snubbie in .327 Federal. w 3" bbl for kitchen defense. She ended up being partial to revolvers because for her they are INHERENTLY safer for her to handle. ( I read that has simpler to handle and faster for here to make sight aquisition.)
In summary, keep it simple if you are going to use for self defense. Smith makes a lot of Ladysmith handguns. Some of the Charter Arms model are usefull and Charter Arms is marketing heavlily to women who may not be expierienced shooters.
I started my wife off with a .22.
Then when she became a pretty fair shooter I put a .357 in her hands. She can out shoot me with that gun!
After training her with a 9MM. 40SW and .45 ACP, autoloaders. She prefers a wheel gun. So she has a .38+P S&W wheelgun, w/ 1 7/8 bbl. I am considering getting her a snubbie in .327 Federal. w 3" bbl for kitchen defense. She ended up being partial to revolvers because for her they are INHERENTLY safer for her to handle. ( I read that has simpler to handle and faster for here to make sight aquisition.)
In summary, keep it simple if you are going to use for self defense. Smith makes a lot of Ladysmith handguns. Some of the Charter Arms model are usefull and Charter Arms is marketing heavlily to women who may not be expierienced shooters.
forgetitohio
Member
Rem. 870 is hard to beat for home with kids.
I'd suggest a wheel gun for your first CC.
Less things to go wrong.
I'd suggest a wheel gun for your first CC.
Less things to go wrong.
Guns and more
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For my first Home Defense firearm, I selected a revolver, a S&W model 65. 4" barrel, shoots .38 or .357, not complicated, reliable as a crowbar.
I've moved on to sexier guns, but I still have the S&W, and I still think it is a good choice.
Carry? A bit large. Maybe a Ruger SP 101, then.
I've moved on to sexier guns, but I still have the S&W, and I still think it is a good choice.
Carry? A bit large. Maybe a Ruger SP 101, then.
Welcome to THR 
I am also relatively new to guns but have found you can learn *so much* by searching these and other forums as well as reading through sites like www.corneredcat.com. I think I have read through that site at least three times.
It's great that you have a class planned for thus weekend. I worked with an instructor who likes doing basic handgun teaching, and it was money very well spent. I suspect you will be encouraged in the class to try as many guns as possible as others have suggested here.
My additional recommendation is to go for a gun that catches your eye and you like the look of. I know it's totally irrational, and this seems to be more prevalent in gals than guys, but if you like the way a gun looks it makes a difference. I love the look of my first gun (.38 Colt Cobra revolver), love the look of the second gun (the .22 version of the first gun, bought online), but *hated* the third gun (another .38, also bought online) so much that I took possession of it on a Saturday and traded it on a Monday. I got a little Beretta Bobcat that caught my eye in the store, a gun that I had zero interest in previously. This is going to sound a bit off, but I have to have a certain level of affection and emotional attachment to a gun to want to use it.
With respect to home defense, the conclusion I came to is a bigger dog will be of more value to me than a bigger gun. I'm not sure if you and your son are "animal people", but if you are and a dog would work well for your lifestyle it might be something to consider.
I hope your class goes well and you can find a gun that you like. I practice shooting once or twice a week, and it's a new hobby I definitely enjoy.
I am also relatively new to guns but have found you can learn *so much* by searching these and other forums as well as reading through sites like www.corneredcat.com. I think I have read through that site at least three times.
It's great that you have a class planned for thus weekend. I worked with an instructor who likes doing basic handgun teaching, and it was money very well spent. I suspect you will be encouraged in the class to try as many guns as possible as others have suggested here.
My additional recommendation is to go for a gun that catches your eye and you like the look of. I know it's totally irrational, and this seems to be more prevalent in gals than guys, but if you like the way a gun looks it makes a difference. I love the look of my first gun (.38 Colt Cobra revolver), love the look of the second gun (the .22 version of the first gun, bought online), but *hated* the third gun (another .38, also bought online) so much that I took possession of it on a Saturday and traded it on a Monday. I got a little Beretta Bobcat that caught my eye in the store, a gun that I had zero interest in previously. This is going to sound a bit off, but I have to have a certain level of affection and emotional attachment to a gun to want to use it.
With respect to home defense, the conclusion I came to is a bigger dog will be of more value to me than a bigger gun. I'm not sure if you and your son are "animal people", but if you are and a dog would work well for your lifestyle it might be something to consider.
I hope your class goes well and you can find a gun that you like. I practice shooting once or twice a week, and it's a new hobby I definitely enjoy.
NMGonzo
Member
My recommendation to anyone that needs to get one and only one gun that is going to be used for home defense, and first gun, is a 5 shot special revolver.
Easy to use, easy to learn on, and when you master it you might pick something else.
Easy to use, easy to learn on, and when you master it you might pick something else.
BCRider
Member
Lots of good advice so far on how to go about picking out a gun. And kudos on signing up for a course. You'll get lots of knowledge from the course and talking with the others afterwards.
One thing that has not been touched on that I strongly suggest you consider is your practicing once you have a gun. You need to shoot enough at first and then enough after to keep proficient. It IS a skill that you need to keep constantly honed or you loose it over time. Not just the shooting but also the drawing from concealment or whatever holster you will be using in such a way that you don't inadvertently shoot yourself by putting your finger on the trigger at the wrong time. I know this sounds unlikely but folks do the oddest things when they are pumped up on adrenaline. Only through frequent proper handling and constant practice to do things the right way does this become possible to avoid under stress.
Using a gun for defense also carries with it a huge responsibility to ensure that if and when you pull the trigger you're sure it's the right time and that the bullet goes where it was intended. There's no pulling back or easing up like with a baseball bat with spikes or a punch. Once that primer is hit then there's no time left to change your mind and it's too late to reach out and grab the bullet. As such you will want to be a good enough shot that you can raise the gun and hit somewhere in the Center Of Mass (COM) 10 times out of 10 from 5 yards from a quick draw and fire with the first and two follow up shots. You will also want to have considered all manner of possible scenarios and what you should do and what level of aggresion you will employ in any response situation.
One way to get such practice and learn to use your new handgun in an environment that has at least a little adrenaline is to take up IDPA shooting. It's superb fun but more importantly it's as valid a form of practice under some amount of pressure as you'll find short of an actual encounter.
Signing up and taking a course or two from recognized self defense shooting instructors will help you out in how to evaluate and move during a situation while under stress. And control and certainty is the second part of defending yourself without mistakenly injuring someone that was not actually part of the threat. They often also teach you about a lot of the legal issues for your state that pertain to using firearms for your own defense from what I've seen and read.
All of this is intended to suggest that your budget for buying and using a gun for self defense needs to expand more than what is merely needed to buy the gun in the first place. Without some training and regular practice you risk doing more harm or at least get into more trouble than you would unarmed. Part of it is to practice so you hit what needs to be hit to eliminate a threat. The other part is knowing when and how is best to use the gun and yourself to do this.
One thing that has not been touched on that I strongly suggest you consider is your practicing once you have a gun. You need to shoot enough at first and then enough after to keep proficient. It IS a skill that you need to keep constantly honed or you loose it over time. Not just the shooting but also the drawing from concealment or whatever holster you will be using in such a way that you don't inadvertently shoot yourself by putting your finger on the trigger at the wrong time. I know this sounds unlikely but folks do the oddest things when they are pumped up on adrenaline. Only through frequent proper handling and constant practice to do things the right way does this become possible to avoid under stress.
Using a gun for defense also carries with it a huge responsibility to ensure that if and when you pull the trigger you're sure it's the right time and that the bullet goes where it was intended. There's no pulling back or easing up like with a baseball bat with spikes or a punch. Once that primer is hit then there's no time left to change your mind and it's too late to reach out and grab the bullet. As such you will want to be a good enough shot that you can raise the gun and hit somewhere in the Center Of Mass (COM) 10 times out of 10 from 5 yards from a quick draw and fire with the first and two follow up shots. You will also want to have considered all manner of possible scenarios and what you should do and what level of aggresion you will employ in any response situation.
One way to get such practice and learn to use your new handgun in an environment that has at least a little adrenaline is to take up IDPA shooting. It's superb fun but more importantly it's as valid a form of practice under some amount of pressure as you'll find short of an actual encounter.
Signing up and taking a course or two from recognized self defense shooting instructors will help you out in how to evaluate and move during a situation while under stress. And control and certainty is the second part of defending yourself without mistakenly injuring someone that was not actually part of the threat. They often also teach you about a lot of the legal issues for your state that pertain to using firearms for your own defense from what I've seen and read.
All of this is intended to suggest that your budget for buying and using a gun for self defense needs to expand more than what is merely needed to buy the gun in the first place. Without some training and regular practice you risk doing more harm or at least get into more trouble than you would unarmed. Part of it is to practice so you hit what needs to be hit to eliminate a threat. The other part is knowing when and how is best to use the gun and yourself to do this.
Jana, some good advice here. While you describe yourself as inexperienced, it would be a good idea to seek professional training. The CCW course you describe may or may not provide that. The course I attended was very simple. I later attended another hand gun training course and learned proper technique. Much has been said about how the gun feels in your hand, but unless you understand proper grip, you could still potentially pick the wrong gun.
You are doing the right thing by asking on a forum such as this. There is a lot of information on line- other gun forums and youtube. I suggest you go a search online for limalife, she works in a gun store and has many very good instructional videos for weapon choice etc.
Good luck, I like that you are taking responsibility for you and your family's protection.
You are doing the right thing by asking on a forum such as this. There is a lot of information on line- other gun forums and youtube. I suggest you go a search online for limalife, she works in a gun store and has many very good instructional videos for weapon choice etc.
Good luck, I like that you are taking responsibility for you and your family's protection.
Zundfolge
Member
One thing to keep in mind about the LC9 is that its very new ... might be a good idea to wait a year or so to make sure that there are no kinks with the LC9. When the SR9 came out they were recalled to fix a safety problem (same thing happened with the LCP). Ruger makes good stuff and they were very good about fixing the problems but with any new design there's a chance they'll discover a problem with the first adopters. If really like the LC9 sized piece, KelTec makes a very similar pistol called the PF9 that has been around quite a while (its also less expensive than the Ruger).
A lot of folk have suggested you go with a larger (but still compact) pistol since it will do double duty (home and CCW) but frankly when you start out carrying you're going to be much more comfortable with a smaller gun ... and if you're more comfortable you're more likely to carry 24/7 and a smaller gun with you is much more useful than a larger gun back home in the safe.
And speaking of safe, since you have a munchkin, you might want to invest in a small quick-access safe like a Gunvault as well.
brnmuenchow
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I still learn new things everyday, it's all part of the journey, and anyone who thinks they new it all in the begining is just fooling themselves. I agree never be ashamed to ask questions. Some people are more knowledgeable than others, but they were not born that way, they asked questions and gained experience.---Good Luck.
BothellBob
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Ms. Jana,
I hope your class is/was helpful. 3 hours for safety and range time is a nice start, but I want to encourage you to take the NRA Basic Pistol class. Your local gun range should know where to locate a class in your area. The class is more like 6-8 hours, over 2 days (or more, depending on how it is scheduled) and you should get at least two hours of range time. You do not need to rush into getting your first hadgun. Do you have friends who shoot? (You almost surely do, but you might not know it.) After your training course you might want to invite yourself to shoot with some of them. We gun nuts are usually a friendly bunch who enjoy helping a newcomer into our sport. If, by chance, you live in the greater Seattle area send me a PM and I'll get you in touch with an inexpensive NRA course.
-Bothell Bob
I hope your class is/was helpful. 3 hours for safety and range time is a nice start, but I want to encourage you to take the NRA Basic Pistol class. Your local gun range should know where to locate a class in your area. The class is more like 6-8 hours, over 2 days (or more, depending on how it is scheduled) and you should get at least two hours of range time. You do not need to rush into getting your first hadgun. Do you have friends who shoot? (You almost surely do, but you might not know it.) After your training course you might want to invite yourself to shoot with some of them. We gun nuts are usually a friendly bunch who enjoy helping a newcomer into our sport. If, by chance, you live in the greater Seattle area send me a PM and I'll get you in touch with an inexpensive NRA course.
-Bothell Bob
JohnBiltz
Member
I don't get the revolver suggestions. She wants to carry it so you are looking at a snubbie and those are not beginners weapons and this is going to be her only weapon for possibly forever. She wants a gun to defend herself now. Not a couple of years down the road and she is not starting an eclectic collection and planning on buying a dozen guns as she move into three gun competition. She wants something to defend herself, and I will say it again, now. She may well have a reason for needing it right now.
Get an automatic. There are reasons they are so popular now. Its a lot easier to learn on than a small revolver. There will be less recoil for similar calibers and capacity will be better. I don't personally own a Ruger but an SR9C seems like a good gun from what I've heard. The LC9 is so new I don't think any opinion can really be formed at this point.
Get an automatic. There are reasons they are so popular now. Its a lot easier to learn on than a small revolver. There will be less recoil for similar calibers and capacity will be better. I don't personally own a Ruger but an SR9C seems like a good gun from what I've heard. The LC9 is so new I don't think any opinion can really be formed at this point.
brnmuenchow
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JohnBlitz: I personally learned how to shoot my first non-.22 cal. pistol on a .38 spl. snub nose revolver while still a young teenager, my "sister" does not like auto pistols all that much due to the way they operate and feel with the slide coming back. There is nothing wrong with suggesting a revolver snub nose since I have seen women and men with little or even no experience fire them with little difficulty, just so long as they are not shooting .357mag./ .44mag. for example. That I would never suggest to any beginner, but a .38spl. snub nose kicks about as much as a .9mm semi-auto pistol according to my sister without the slide action distracting her. It's all about a beginners personal prefrence, it is up to the new potential gun owner to decide which is best for them.
Zundfolge
Member
What always kills me is that people think of snub nose revolvers as "a beginner's pistol that's a good choice for women" but will poo-poo the idea of a beginner buying a 1911.
However to shoot a snub nose double action revolver well requires strong, large hands and some experience (plus the sights are between "suck" and "nonexistent"). And when you hand a 1911 to a newbie shooter they will end up shooting it better than the experienced shooter with the snubbie. Slim grips, short trigger reach, light single action trigger and long sight radius makes for easier shooting.
I understand the complexity angle, the 1911 is more complicated to operate than the revolver (there's that extra step of snapping off the safety ... which will obviously require years and years of practice and training to get the average shooter up to speed) But an automatic like a Glock or the Ruger the OP mentioned have a manual of arms very similar to a DA revolver (draw. point. fire.) so that problem is moot.
However to shoot a snub nose double action revolver well requires strong, large hands and some experience (plus the sights are between "suck" and "nonexistent"). And when you hand a 1911 to a newbie shooter they will end up shooting it better than the experienced shooter with the snubbie. Slim grips, short trigger reach, light single action trigger and long sight radius makes for easier shooting.
I understand the complexity angle, the 1911 is more complicated to operate than the revolver (there's that extra step of snapping off the safety ... which will obviously require years and years of practice and training to get the average shooter up to speed) But an automatic like a Glock or the Ruger the OP mentioned have a manual of arms very similar to a DA revolver (draw. point. fire.) so that problem is moot.
brnmuenchow
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Actually to be fair and for the record at no time did I ever suggest to the origional poster individual to get a snubnose revolver, I simply suggested a revolver in .38spl. As for my reference to my last post to JohnBlitz posting he mentioned "snubbie" and that he didn't get the revolver suggestions so I simply stated that I learned on a snub .38spl. as a teenager and that not everyone likes semi-auto's (and that includes 1911 type pistol's for Zundfolge) . I however do have semi-auto's and revolvers and love them both equally. There is another issue to face: for ex. my father for his CHL pistol really wanted to carry a 1911, however due to the size of most 1911 models he felt that it was difficult to conceal and awkward to carry (I know I carried a 6" Python & a P226"Navy" for a time). I suggested he get something like the Colt "Defender" in .45ACP he tried one and to my supprise didn't like it (that also included Kimber's compact's). I finally got him into the Sig Sauer P220 "Compact" .45ACP and he loves it and carries it. Same problem with a full size revolver, they can be awkward and uncomfortable to carry. So smaller handgun's are becoming more popular for conceal carry that means either get a small frame revolver or a small frame semi-auto, as far as a snubbie being a "beginner's women's gun" that is crap. Every gun for a beginner takes practice not every revolver is best, not every semi-auto is best, it is as I said before up to the individual to decide what is best. My question to anyone is why do the anti- revolver people question our suggestion to try one, and vice-versa (I am not bias). Personally I really don't care what anyone carries just so long as they are comfortable with it and knows how it operates. p.s.- As for size reference, I am a 6' man that played football with decent size hands and snub nose revolver's are not my first choice even though I do have one, it fit's my sister & my girlfriend's hand's just fine when they shoot for fun and they are not experts or seasoned shooters.
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JohnBiltz
Member
No, people are not saying a snubbie. But when a women asks for a gun she wants "to carry" a snub nose is implied, or are you suggesting she tries to conceal a four inch S&W?
Zundfolge
Member
Most of the time the revolver suggestion is made thusly: "Here, little lady, this one says 'Lady Smith' on the side so obviously its for you womenfolk (who can't handle the complexities of an automatic)." Might as well say "You girls are not capable of carrying a manly auto on those rare occasions you leave the kitchen."
Nothing wrong with a revolver for home defense or range work, but the OP said she wanted to carry.
Carry means snub.
And mastering a snub nose revolver is advanced hand-gunnery (regardless of gender).
brnmuenchow
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I also am not saying she should carry one (a snub nose), I simply don't think it's wise to simply dismiss that alternative and not give her that as an option. It all boiles down to the individual. I know "men" & "women" that carry, and they carry small semi-auto's and small revolvers(Snubbies) and when we talk about their reasons they are all different in one way or another. My whole point to anyone who asks me "why" I suggest something is simply because I feel compelled to give them any and all options that are available to them, & not be bias about one type of firearm from another. If I see several suggestions telling someone to get a semi-auto, I will most likely not jump on a band wagon, I will give another suggestion. Anyway, it's good that people have contrasting ideas that is what makes this forum a good place for having fun, or getting info. like the ever debating which is better the .30-06spfld. or a .270win., or revolver vs. semi-auto, talk about many arguments over a campfire! You get the picture though.
Sam1911
Moderator Emeritus
Oooh! Good choice! Have fun with it!
doc2rn
Member
Sounds like a CZ 75 or an FNP-9 would be a good starting point for you, XD 9s would be my third pick.
Sam1911
Moderator Emeritus
Heads Up! She made her choice. So, as none of us want to go second-guessing her choice, which was undoubtedly the right one for her, let's close this and perhaps Jana would like to start a range report threa after she's had a chance to get some experience with her new pistol.
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