Thread: Seeking beginner's pistol recommendations

Hi,

I'm taking training classes to learn to shoot (first timer). I imagine selection of a pistol will a very personal decision, but would love to hear thoughts from those who have gone through the process, as to what they would consider, if doing it all over, having their current knowledge, but not having their current skills.

To provide some context, I'm looking initially for using the pistol for home protection and for recreational shooting (figuring range shooting will aid in practicing as well). As a longer term goal, I'd like to concealed carry, knowing that it'll take some time to get to that point. IOW, I don't need to get a CC capable pistol out of the gate.

So far, I've only shot about 50 rounds in my first class (with a Sig Sauer P229), so I'm a virgin practically. I have medium sized hands, and am a medium/small build (5'11" at 150 lbs). Very good lower body strength, but not upper body strength.

My plan is to continue to use loaner guns for classes, until I can make a reasonable informed decision, and am looking for some ideas of pistols to put on my short list. Not looking for religious wars, just opinions to consider.

So what would you consider the top 3 pistols to consider, and why?

Down here in FL the gun shops/indoor ranges rent a variety of guns. Everything from 22LR to 45ACP and even rifles. If you have friends to shoot alongside of who will let you try their weapons that would be good. I used to say a 22LR would be good for practice, and it still is, but the ammo can be scarce depending on location.

I would recommend a 9mm and the Glock G-43 would be my recommendation for small hands. It is a single stack with a thinner grip than the double stack 17 or 26. I have one and it is comparatively light but with enough heft to dampen the recoil. Good trigger right out of the box, and it is certainly a good CCW. Glock G-42 in 380 is also real good. I don't have a third to suggest based on your description but I imagine there will be plenty of answers coming up.

I would second the G-43 as a good choice. Typical Glock quality along with good size for concealability. I carry a Springfield XDS in .45 as my back-up/EDC sidearm. Very nice combination of small size (1 inch wide, fits in my pocket if needed) and a proven combat round, that and I have access to .45 at work. Either would be a sensible choice.

I would suggest to try as many as you can before you buy. With the modern ammo the 380 is a good conceal carry cal. and the small autos are easy to conceal. For me I have had both large cal. and small. Around home i carry a small 25 auto in my pocket every where but when i go on trips i carry a sig 229 or the 225 in 9 MM. It's all about what you like and can handle. The 45 is a great cal. but at close range the 9MM +P hollow point is also pretty good. a lot of folks carry the 40. Personal preference try them all.

Start with a Ruger Mark II with a bull barrel in .22 Cal. Inexpensive to shoot. Extremely accurate. Almost no recoil. Still can use for home defense. Well placed shots center of mass will work. And you don't have to worry about missed shots passing thru several walls like you would with a high power pistol.

The one that fits your hand the best, that comes on point naturally the best, and that you will actually carry with you...

Your training class should explain how to assesses the fit of the pistol to your hand...

How a weapon works for me might be bad for you

for instance

Glocks do not work well for me, nor do Ruger Auto's,, There is nothing wrong with either of these fine weapons they just do not fit my hand well and the natural point for me sux

Caliber choice depends on your needs also, there are many good ones, but they might not be for you ...

As you gain more experience this will make more sense

You definitely want to put your hands on as many as possible to see what fits best. Ideally, you can also shoot them to check recoil, aiming, etc. I personally carry a S&W Shield in 9mm. It's light, a single stack so it's thin, and it doesn't pattern on me if your concerned about concealing it. Plus it has plenty of power to be effective. I'm 6'3" and about 250, my wife and daughter are both around 5'2" and weigh considerably less. We all can shoot it effectively but we tried quite a few before deciding on it. Good luck!

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

So, you have to decide if you want a revolver or Semi Auto. If auto, single or double action. For self-defense, 9mm, .38 or .45 Auto calibers are acceptable.

All three are readily available and less expensive than other calibers and performance is about the same.

The key to mastering a pistol is practice, the cheaper the ammo the more you will practice. When the flag drops, and the ship hits the fan, you will never think, “Oh man I over practiced.”

95 percent of what you read in the gun rags is BS. It is all about shot placement and velocity.

I keep wanting to respond to this thread as I used to be a gunsmith and yet the country I live in prohibits any sort of carry.....<sigh>.

The words "Go big or go home" ring rather true in the self defence arena. If you pull a howitzer out of your pocket, you'll get very little pushback. Pull a slingshot out of the same pocket and the story will be entirely different.

Back in the day, we used to rebuild and re-chamber CZ-75 semi autos... probably the nicest semi I can think of, once the work was done. But.... for personal carry.... and I may be dating myself here, because I have not followed the gun scene since I quit smith'ing some 30+ years ago, it would be an S & W model L, 4.5" barrel and chambered for .41 Mag. Yes, it would be custom built, but it would be done in such a way that I would have full confidence in it. Oh wait.... I'm not allowed to carry it.....<sigh>.... never mind.

Regards

Kaptain "Thank god the politicians are willing to throw themselves in front of me, to protect me!" Zero

I'll echo what others have said. Put your hands on as many as you can. Its important to find what fits your hand the best.
People are going to tell you what their preferences are. That doesn't mean its right for you. I own lots of hand gun but carry only 2 or 3. In the warmer weather I carry a .380 its small and easy to hide. Colder weather I carry a 9mm or .38 as I have more clothes on.
Handguns are not a one size fits all thing. Some people want to carry a .45 or .357 that's fine bit not right for me.