Rookie question going to a range

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stogiegila

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Greetings all,

I'm new here and have been getting dizzy reading all the posts here to the point that I am now totally confused :banghead:

Anyway, I'm looking into purchasing my first handgun and from what I've been reading I feel that a revolver is the best bet, primarily for ease of use, durability and cleaning ease.

I'm not sure what size frame or caliber to get (the only handgun I ever shot was a .45 semiauto, but I don't know what make or model).

I plan on going to a range and testing various models over time so that I can come to an education conclusion as to what fits me best and what I can shoot accurately.

Anyway, is there a strategy or progression I should take in terms of what gun to start off with and how I should proceed moving up the line.

I've tried searching this info out but was unsuccessful. I'm looking for a good HD weapon (I already have a SG), and am looking for a compliment. Don't plan on CCW (at least not right away). Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
 
Welcome!
It does get a little overwhelming with opinions around here, but that is mainly because there are really a lot of very knowledgeable people!
I would ditto Velocity229 recommendation. Cheap ammo, fun to shoot, powerful and accurate enough for social work. Go up a notch and get a .357 which will also fire .38's. More bang for more bucks!
 
My first firearm was a .357 magnum revolver in 4".

I've never regretted that decision.

I don't shoot it much anymore, and for the most part I fired .38's through it.
 
A .22 revolver would be the cheapest to shoot.

I'm very fond of my Smith & Wesson M18. (It's out of production, unfortunately.) It's a six-shot, four-inch .22, and is almost identical to the Smith M15 .38 Special and very similar to the M19 .357. It would be easy to move from a M18 to an M15 or M19 later. Smith, Taurus and Ruger make .22 revolvers today. Charter Arms made one in the past, but I've never shot one of them.

The .38 Special is an easy round to shoot. It's very accurate with good loads and soft recoiling. Ammunition in .38 Special is more expensive than .22s, so I'd suggest a .22.

A .38 or .357 makes a good second revolver.
 
I'm looking for a good HD weapon (I already have a SG), and am looking for a compliment.
Click to expand...

First of all, you want a revolver. A Home Defense gun is often kept in a drawyer by the bedside or similar location, ready for use -- but not used often (usually, never.)

It must be ready for instant use if you DO need it, and must be simple -- no fumbling when the chips are down.

Given that, a .357 makes a lot of sense. As noted, you can shoot mild .38 Specials in it (more .38 Special is shot in .357s than actual .357 loads, by a long shot.) You can also stoke it with full power loads for serious defense needs.
 
I'll also recvommend a medium framed .357 revolver. This would be a Ruger GP-100, S&W 686, or similar. My first (and only) handgun is a Ruger GP100 with a 6" barrell. I started shooting 38 specials out of it and now reload my own .357 ammo. I am really happy with I got.

I think for a first gun, the medium frame .357 gives the most versatility. I can understand getting a .22 first, I actually really want one now, but it won't serve a HD role as well as a .357. With the medium frame guns, 38 specials have very little recoil.

The main advantage of the .22 is cost of ammunition. A box of 550 .22's is about ten bucks. You should be able to get a box of 50 38 specials, for 8-9 bucks.

I'm a revolver guy, I think it's really good you want a revolver. Just make sure it is indeed what you want. Regardless of what you buy, you will have to learn to properly maintain it, so ease of use, durability, and cleaning shouldn't make much difference if you take your time on the learning curve. Both revolvers and semi-autos require proper care.

Good luck with your decision. Good move on your part to test different guns out to see what you like. Don't get too worked up about your decision, as long as you get a mainstream manufacturer you can't make a bad choice. Whatever you end up with will be more than you got right now.

Have lots of fun with whatever you decide.

Dill
 
A 22 would be cheapest to shoot, so you might want to rent one of those (a revolver and semi) and see which one you like better. Shoot the revolver in both single and double action. You may also want to rent something in 9 mm. The range will probably have tons of options. 9 MM is pretty cheap to shoot and the recoil is manageable.
 
My first gun was a stainless Smith and Wesson model 66 chambered in .357 with a 4" barrel.

Good medium framed gun. Easy to maintain. Simple to use. Highly versatile with a wide range of ammo from .38 special to full power .357. Reliable. Rugged. And pretty darn good looking.

It was a wonderful gun for me as a new shooter. I branched out to other shooting platforms over the years. But to this day (over a decade later) that .357 continues to be my first choice when something goes bump in the night.

Whatever you choose make sure it is a choice with which YOU are comfortable, makes YOU happy, and makes YOU want to practice practice practice.

Let us all know what you decide. And welcome to the forum.
 
The best thing to do is rent firearms at your local range. Everyone here has an opinion on the "best gun or caliber" but what it all comes down is: You're the one that must live with your decision. When I first started, everyone highly suggested (overall) that I get a 9mm. So I did--a Walther P99. Guess what, I hated it with a passion. I hate 9mm.

Good luck!
 
I went with the Ruger GP 100 4" SS and I am glad i did. Its the best gun I own and the most rock solid. Its also the most accurate too. It will last you a life time as well
 
Howdy Stogiegila! I'll cast another vote for the 4" revolver - .38 Special or .357 Magnum. If you get a .357 though, practice for a long while by shooting .38 Special ammo through it. Actually, there is .38 Special +P ammo available that would probably be a good choice for home or self defense when fired from a 4" revolver.
As others have mentioned, a .22 will allow you to practice cheap. Besides, they're fun and useful for a lot of small chores. I wouldn't want to be without one. But if I could only have one handgun, I guess it would have to be a 4" .357.
 
Start with a .38 spl. Try a couple of revolvers. They will probably be chambered for .357 magnum. S&W 686 and Ruger GP100 are a good pair for comparison. If you are comfortable with that, move either to .357 magnum or to a lighter revolver. Learn your comfort zone.

Try shooting correctly with each revolver. Try SA and DA. Keep your eyes on the front sight and let the target go fuzzy. Note which is easier to keep aligned, which fits your hand, which grips comfortably.

Move to other calibers and repeat until you find the one that just HAS to come home with you.
 
gp100. 4 ". would be a very good selection for a new revolver shooter. very rugged, ss is fairly easy to clean and maintain. Its weight is nice for handling .357's and .38's even eiasier. you cant beat it. My 1st was a 6". a litttle to muzzle heavy, I'd go with the 4 " . My favorite is the 3" but that would be better for a more experienced shooter.
 
Do like you said, see what works for you. Revolver is prob best for your first gun though. Get something with a 3-4" barrel, and get a .357 mag. Don't get one just rated for .38, unless you find a GREAT one at a GREAT price. Reason being you can shoot .38 spl out of the .357 mag, and as you progress you can shoot .38+P and then some .357 mag. It just gives you a lot of versatility, and if you sell it, most likely it will be worth more (& easier to sell). I'm partial to Smith & Wesson, but Ruger makes a great gun, and from what I hear (not 1st hand experience) Taurus is supposed to be fairly good now also. I wouldn't get a .22 either, yeah its cheaper, but resale won't be as easy, and its not much of self-defense caliber. I just ordered Remington 130 FMJ .38 spl from Natchez Shooters Supply for about $6.50 a box of 50, and thats pretty cheap.

Good luck & have fun!
 
I want to thank everyone for the great info. I went to the range (not to shoot as much as to look around and ask questions). Well I held several different types of guns and didn't really find any of the revolvers comfortable.

They instructor there suggested a 9mm and after handling several we agreed that a Sig P226 was one of the most comfortable.

I scheduled a training class with him for next week and told him that I'd like to shoot the 9mm as well as a revolver before making up my mind.

He did also state that a semi-auto (while more complicated to understand, is easier to shoot) versus a revolver being easier to understand but more difficult to shoot (with accuracy). Granted this is from a newbie's perspective.

I think one of my problems is that I have very small hands and fingers. I held a Glock (not sure of the model) and it just felt like it was too big for my hand to control comfortably. The Sig was much more my size and lighter than the revolvers (mostly looked at .357, 2" and 4" barrels).

Also, I have to admit that I do tend to prefer the look of the semis over a revolver, but I am more intimidated by them (in terms of how they work, safety and cleaning). However, the trainer said that when he is done with my, I will feel very comfortable in every aspect of the gun.

He was pushing a bit to make a sale, but told him I needed to try some models before making up my mind. Anyway the class should be very helpful.

I'll report back next week
 
stogiegila,

You're doing everything right! Good for you standing firm in your decision to make only educated informed decisions. Go with what feels best based on your personal experience.
 
Sounds like you learned a lot. Just DO NOT LET ANYONE PUSH YOU INTO ANYTHING. Very good of you to sign up for the lesson. You're going about this the right way. Nothing wrong with a semi-auto if that's what you choose and appeals to you. 9mm is a very good caliber. Not too much recoil, and very affordable. You can learn how one works and how to take it apart and clean it in about half an hour. So don't worry about that.

I wouldn't even worry about the advantages/disadvantages of revolver vs. semi-auto. There's very good arguments on both sides. One of them, though, is going to just appeal to you more than another for reasons you cannot explain. You'll just like one better. Go with that one. For me, it's revolvers. For my friend who took me shooting for the first time, it's semi-autos. We're both right (I'm just more right than he is, just kidding ;) )

One more thing, be sure to shop around for a good price. Prices can vary quite a bit from place to place.
 
I've seen a lot of good things in this thread. I'm a newbie too, and I've been through this very same thing. Like others have said, working with a qualified instructor is a VERY good move on your part ! I just took my second lesson this morning with my instructor and its amazing the differences its making with my shooting and overall understanding of technique. I bought my first handgun a couple of months ago and went with a S&W M60 .357 on a J frame with a 3 inch barrel. However, I was looking for something to double as a CCW as well as home defense....otherwise I would have selected one with a 4 inch barrel. Just recently I bought my first semi-auto (CZ P-01 9 mm)and I seem to do a little better with it , but that's just me. One important factor though, when I finally broke down and got some formal training with a good instructor, I learned that both my guns are good, quality, accurate guns....the things that are making a difference is MY trigger pull (not the guns)...er...excuse me...trigger "squeeze" :D ....my stance, head position, grip, etc.
As far as cleaning and maintainence, I too was a bit intimidated by the semis at first, but after a 45 minute session with a friend of mine, I have no problem field stripping my semi auto. In fact, I think it's easier to clean that my wheelgun (my humble opinion). By the way, shooting .38s out of a .357 will add a little more to the cleaning time to the cylinders, but I wouldn't let that deter you. The .357s are quite a handful compared to a .38.....especially in my little J frame :what: A larger frame will help with that though as well as a 4'' barrel. I believe for the most part, the revolver vs. semi-auto is much like the Ford vs. Chevy debate....when it comes right down to it, it's a matter of personal choice and preference. So, get what you are most comfortable with.....or do like I did and wind up with one of each :rolleyes: I think you already made the most important decision though....to get some instruction and develop a good shooting technique.
 
Since you are in Scottsdale, why don't you go to the Scottsdale Gun Club and try some of their rental guns?

I've owned, carried, and shot handguns for about 45 years. I started with revolvers, transitioned to autos, and, now that I'm retired, my "always" gun is a Smith 340SC. I would not recommend a Smith lightweight for a beginning shooter.

I would recommend a 4" .357 Smith in stainless steel. With the .357, you can practice with .38's.and work up to magnum rounds.

John
 
Thanks again.

JCM298, it was at the Scottsdale Gun Club, were I was talking to the instructor (Bill was his name). Its a really nice facility. I plan on having him show me various models and try some out prior to buying.

But definitely feel that his training will be invaluable.
 
FYI: A 357 SIG is not the same as a 357 mag. The 357 SIG is more like a 9mm with much fewer choices for that ammo. I'd go with 9mm over 357 SIG for practical reasons; but 357 mag over both for versitility. If I had very little experience with guns I'd go with the 22lr or mag first.

Come to think of it a 22 mag may be just the right fit here. I think Ruger has a revolver in that cal.
 
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