Recommendations for a first handgun…

Hello all,

I am not “into” guns so to speak and have never owned anything but air rifles (as a kid). I have fired a semi-automatic a couple of times, but overall guns haven’t been a part of me and my family’s lives.

Anyways, every day I am starting to think I should own a handgun more and more as the world is seemingly going to pieces. Something that I can keep tucked away, safe from my kids and family but handy in case something goes down.

I want something that I can take to the range just a few times a year to keep in practice, and something that would stop and intruder with the first hit. A gun that’s reliable as well.

What are your suggestions?

Only real live gun owners need apply, I am not interested in all the “speculation” from people who don’t actually shoot guns.

Try this one. I've been using one for years and have never had any problems. Great accuracy, easy to maintain and it looks impressive too.

OK, now that we have heard a very productive reply from the peanut gallery, anybody have any serious advice for me?

You probably dont want me to post as I am not a gun owner, but any revolver is a good choice. They are reliable as they dont have as many moving parts and easy to maintain. Simple to fire in a panic as well.

GLOCK.

It's the (handgun) weapon of choice for the US Navy.
I have a 9 mil.
My husband has a short 45.

They can fire underwater. GREAT in case of attack by
a giant squid! (seriously, they fire underwater).

Go to a gun range and fire some of the guns they have
in stock. Take notes as to what you like and don't like.

Originally posted by KhieuSamphan
Try this one. I've been using one for years and have never had any problems. Great accuracy, easy to maintain and it looks impressive too.

Tis a good weapon, true, though I do find reloading after every shot a bit of a chore, might cost mem something dear one day.

If you are looking for a purely defensive weapon, stay awat from the smaller caliber guns. But then again, don't go crazy a get a magnum sized revolver either. A .38 special or small 9mm would probably be a good choice.

Go to a gun shop and pick up a few pistols. See how they feel in your hand. Much of how well you will shoot will depend on if the gun is a good size for your hand. Never buy a gun that feels too heavy or too unwieldy in your hand. If you can, try to find a range that will let you rent a gun, and try a few models.

I would definately reccomend a revolver for home defense. They are easier to maintain, more reliable, and actually for amateur shooters, slightly more accurate at ranges beyond 15 yards. Plus it is much easier to visually see if they are loaded vs. unloaded. Smith and Wesson make a fine line of .38 special revolvers that would be good.

Remember, never just buy the gun. Invest in a gun lock and/or a safe or container to store your weapon and ammunition. It is the height of irresponsibility to leave loaded, unlocked weapons anywhere in your home.

If your looking for something for self defense/home security that is easy to conceal and that is light enough for your spouse to be able to handle, spend the extra money and buy a Beretta Px4 Storm, Type F. I bought one for myself and carry it everyday and my wife loved the way it fires so much we bought one for her to carry in her purse.

Px4 Storm, Type F

Thanks for the advice guys. Its my intent to do this when I am READY to, not just because I descided to. I have a small boy in my home and hopefully more kids to follow, so safety would be the #1 priority.

And yes, my #1 purpose would be home deffence.

Is 9mm enough to stop somebody with one shot? And is a 45 to much?

The Px4 Storm is a 9mm and I hope is strong enough considering they are being used by law enforcement and many in the military.

I'm going to have to agree with Pyros.


Something small and simple is the key here. A .38 will give you that sense of security I'm sure you're looking for, and the Glock 17 is always a trusty little 9mm.

Despite what the rappers all say, a Desert Eagle really isn't a practical choice...I mean honestly...an 8'' long piece of metal that fires bullets a half inch across. Subtlety? I think not.

I have a Beretta 92F(9MM), a Sig Sauer P220(.45), Ruger Red Hawk (.44 Mag) and a Smith & Wesson 686(.357 Mag). I also have a Walther PPK that my dad liberated from a German during WWII. I like all of them, but I LOVE my SIG. It's the most, out of the box, accurate handgun I've ever owned. It fit my hand like it was custom built for me. Caliber wise, unless you are a fairly large framed person, the .45 caliber will wear you out if you do a lot of range shooting with it. I try to run a box of ammo thru some of my weapons every week. But, if what you are looking for is home defence only then I would suggest a 20 gauge shotgun. I just noticed your new post. With a shotgun, you don't have the problem of rounds penetrating walls as much and it has a lot of authority when it goes off.

Glock 17... It's simple and used by the police...

Sound like you are looking for a home/self defense weapon, right? Stay away from a 9mm... PERIOD! The muzzle velocity is far too high for practical defense purposes. In most cases a 9 slug will pass right through your victim and then possibly through any walls or other people unfortunate enough to be behind the intruder. There's 2 negatives to this: 1.) you risk hitting additional persons unintentionally and 2.) the intruder will often have time to counter-attack before they even realize that they've been hit.

Think about this for a minute... most cases where you will need a handgun will be for pure stopping power, not muzzle velocity. Velocity is most important in rifles and other long-range firearms where accuracy over a great range is important. You will generally be in close proximity to your attacker, say within about 15 meters. Much further away than that and handguns aren't all that accurate.

I own a variety of weapons that have a variety of uses. For home protection I recommend the Smith and Wesson 10mm with hollow-point rounds. It offers the feel of the 9mm but features the stopping power of a much bigger gun, plus it's affordable, will not pass through your attacker or walls and has IMMEDIATE stopping power! Another nice touch is the optional trigger-guard-mounted laser sight guaged for about 20 to 25 feet. Wherever you have that little red dot lined up will become a nice sized hole once you pull the trigger... and your attacker should be smart enough to realize it too. It also helps in sighting in your target in the dark.

Hope this helps and good luck.

I thought about a laser sight, more for the "message" is sends than anything else. I ultimate goal of course would not to actually have to shoot it.

I want to be able to point this thing at somebody who broke into my home and stop them in thier tracks as fast as possible.

I dont have any intentions of ever carrying a handgun, but I could see myself getting into firing at the range a bit.

What about gun safety? I.e keeping my sons mitts off it and keeping the gun from firing if he gets a hold of it?

should you lock up a gun for home safety? That practicle?

Originally posted by skippytjc
should you lock up a gun for home safety? That practicle?

u can lock it up in a box and have a key near with u at all times like in a key chain. make sure the gun is like in yer master bedroom and not like in a closet in the living room. so u can react fast if u believe there is an intruder in the house while sleeping. have a gun that is reliable and has stopping power. dont matter how many rounds (usually 7 or 10 good enough not like 15 or so). if its one or two intruders that should be enough for a handgun, just make sure u know this isnt a game where u can fire as many rounds as possible and reload. carry one or two clips.

You nailed it right on the head... a laser sight is definite deterrent to any intruder. They see that thing on their chest and you just know that they ain't gonna move a muscle!

As far as locking them up... You need to consider several things... Number 1, where are you going to keep the key, who will have access to it? Simply locking up a gun is not enough if your children know that you have one, where it is locked up and where the key is located. Number 2, the method by which you lock up your weapon may make it innefective in the event that you need quick access to it.

I keep my 10mm in a specially designed handgun safe that features a combination lock (No keys to keep track of!). It is loaded and ready to go. However, if I am leaving home for a long period of time I will unload the weapon, lock the ammo in a different gun safe that I have at home and put a trigger lock on ALL of my guns.

Here is a some good info on various security devices...

huntingsociety.org...

if your going to only shoot it a few times a year get a 45 polly gun 9 round clip get 2 extra clips can't remember the maker but its like only 157 bucks its cheep as hell but out of lets see 900 rounds I have had only 1 dud/missfire.

Some good advice and some total BS (e.g. don't get a 9mm they go straight through people, get a 10mm instead )

Forget about one shot stops, they are a myth. ALL handgun rounds are by their nature under-powered. There is an old saying about only using your handgun to fight your way to your long gun.

Revolvers are easy to use, and you could certainly do a lot worse than a good old Smith & Wesson Model 10 with a 4 inch barrel in .38 Special.

Based on volume of sales, Glocks are the most popular self defence handgun in the USA. They are simple and reliable, but in my opinion are not an ideal choice for a novice shooter because of their trigger configuration. Yes, I'm one of those people who thinks that Glocks go bang a little too easily.

Having said that, a Glock 17 would make a superb home defence weapon if you are prepared to spend some time becoming proficient (and safe) with it, but make sure you get the factory original FML (metal lined) drop free standard capacity magazines. The neutered 10 round magazines have all but disappeared, but there are some out there still being sold to unsuspecting buyers.

Personally, I would only look at 9mm automatics unless you feel strongly for a wheel gun (revolver). They have mild recoil and practice ammunition is cheap (buy the Winchester White Box 100 round packs from Walmart), double stack guns also offer high capacity, and with the right ammunition offer every bit as much in the way of terminal ballistics (ripping holes in people) as the more demanding .40S&W and .45ACP.

Personal recommendations - H&K USP compact, H&K P2000 full size (not the SK), SiG P226, SiG P228, SiG P239, Glock 17, Glock 19.

Next - ammunition, I've covered what you should use for practice, now let's consider personal defence. You should go with a high quality Jacketed Hollow Point (JHP) in a +P (higher pressure) loading. Arguably the best load out there right now is........the Winchester Ranger T 127 grain +P+ (check out my screen name), failing that the NYPD's standard load is also a superb performer (Speer Gold Dot 124gr +P) both are a little more difficult to find but can be had from on line resources. There are other good loadings, even in standard pressure, but if you can get one of these 2, you have the best out there based on actual shootings.

One final thought - I'm calling BS on the guy who claims to have not one but two Beretta PX4s, those guns are not currently available for civilian sale. If he can supply the name and address of a gun store that carries them, I'll apologize - otherwise I'm calling him a BS artist (I got one for the wife's purse )

The 9mm is a good choice. As far as safety goes, don't keep the clip of ammo with the gun and keep a trigger lock on the gun. As an added bonus, the sound of a clip being loaded and the slide being pulled back and released should scare the life out of anyone breaking into your house.

Use Glaser safety slugs if you are firing this in the house against an intruder. They won't penetrate 2 sheets of sheet rock so a person in the next room wont be hit by a missed shot.

Skip the laser pointer and get a mini mag light mount on your pistol so you can see what you are aiming at if you have to use it at night.