Posted on 06/01/2020 8:47:23 AM PDT by Sharkfish
Forgive the vanity post (my first ever) but I need advice from Freepers. I have never owned any firearm other than a shotgun for duck hunting. I feel a real need now to own a gun. I'm looking for insight into the type of handgun I should research and test. Remember, it's for a newbie. I intend on getting a Florida concealed carry permit and undergoing training.
Absolutely this. Especially never having owned a handgun before.
Asking for handgun advice on FR? I’m not sure you’ll get much of a response, but here’s my thoughts:
Male/female?
Height/weight?
Age?
Prior experience with handguns?
There are a lot of good choices, but the right answer for a new handgun will depend on details that you have not shared. How about some more information?
- I love my compact Kimber 1911 in .45, and it has serious stopping power.
- I love my Glocks, but the one guarantee is that a Glock is the wrong answer unless you have a lot of handgun experience (and even then if you’re asking for advice, that means a Glock is probably a dangerously wrong choice - people who shoot themselves by accident are usually holding a Glock and get careless for a fraction of a second).
- I love a good revolver, and the S&W 642 Airweight is very nice. I have one in my pocket right now (in a good pocket holster, of course).
- The S&W Shield .380 EZ and 9 EZ are great options as you get older and are easy to use.
- The Walther ppk in .380 is good enough for James Bond (and it is small, sturdy, shoots very well, and looks cool).
- The original Ruger LCP had a terrible trigger, but their LCP II is very nice. It’s small, light, and accurate enough if you give it a laser.
If you’re new (as I am), be wary of any double action pistols as they’re hair trigger after the first shot. Also, when you buy, especially at a gun show, be sure to take a phone pic of your 4437 so that it protects you from someone adding an illegal firearm to your purchase!
Good luck finding one to purchase. I was out just looking this weekend, if the shop wasn’t closed the shelves were bare.
On your to-do list should be a gun safety class. You should know how to hold a semi-auto so it doesn’t tear off any skin, how to clear a jam, etc.
Side story:
I was out at a gun range once with a friend and the friend’s 15 year old son. Well, the dad handed his semi-auto pistol to the kid, and the gun immediately went off. The kid was never taught anything about proper trigger finger position.
Fortunately the bullet went down range, and nobody was hurt.
Later
Seconded. That’s what I recommend as well.
CC
rktman has the perfect advice - find a local indoor range that rents firearms, and also enroll in some defensive shooting courses.
The instructors and range personnel can advise you in person, show you the pros and cons of different weapons, and let you try them for your personal preference.
At the end of the day, your carry weapon needs to be something you are comfortable shooting, and that you feel as an extension of your shooting hand. It will become reflexive, with practice.
Pollster1 I am a 54 year old male. 5 foot 8, 185 lbs. No experience.
Glock 19, with stock 15rnd mags, with extra 33 round mags. Great for home protection or urban warfare.
That’s why I always point to the .357
Light .38 wadcutter loads to practice and become familiar, a full load .357 hollow points when you actually carry it. I’ve never fired a weapon under duress yet (thank God) but from what I’ve been told first hand and everything I’ve read it could pretty much be an elephant round and you’re not going to notice the sound or the recoil of it when that instant of adrenaline hits before you squeeze the trigger anyways.
My first was a 9mm Glock. My second, a 45 cal Sig.
A 4” barreled S&W K frame would serve you well, esp for training and learning to shoot a handgun. These are known as the model 10, 15, 64, etc. 357 versions also available, and can shoot 38 sp, no problem.
They are very accurate. No need for 357, full 38 sp is plenty out of a handgun.
If you want to transition to a 2 inch or shorter barrel J frame later, you will have an easier time transitioning to it.
Forget all the advice you will get here.
*************
Then why bother to give any?
New Colt Cobra. All steel and +p rated. The best .357 loads are .125gr @ 1450fps. They are brutal to shoot in a mid frame revolver. If you got a small .357, you would end up shooting .38 spl or down loaded .357s anyway. The Cobra is the D frame which is nothing but a downsized Python action. The DA pull is far superior to any S&W or Ruger. Practice with .38s and carry hot +p loads with a bullet weight of .125 gr or less. Heavy bullets lose too much velocity with short barrels.
You’re gonna get a ton of bad advice here. Find a competent trainer in your area, and take his advice.
You’re gonna get a ton of bad advice here. Find a competent trainer in your area, and take his advice.
Dont buy anything right now. Get some rudimentary training first, like the NRA Personal protection class or whatever they’re calling it these days. This type of class discusses the options in detail plus much much more. A gun is simply a tool. It’s either being handled by a competent operator or not.
S&W 9mm. m&p shield, it’s small accurate, buying a holster for any gun you have.
Take some classes at different places with different people the scenario type of classes work great even one on one with an instructor fantastic.
I can’t remember the name right now but it’s a concealed carry book I got it on Amazon I’ll have to find it but it goes through the law real good to know protect yourself
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