Find a range that rents various weapons. Check out several to help you decide.
Yep!
Go to a range and rent several.
What you think you want, is not what you usually end up getting.
I found out I hated Glock triggers.
Ms Kimber called to me
Absolutely this. Especially never having owned a handgun before.
Seconded. That’s what I recommend as well.
CC
I second what he said.
If you are going to carry, and I assume you are because you are asking about hand guns, you need to pick something that fits YOU.
I carry a Lady Smith. My husband carries a 1911. My brother, nieces, dad and mom all carry and what they carry is what suits them. Different people, different guns.
And as time goes on you might even change what you carry. But for your first gun, try out a whole bunch, narrow it down to three and then shoot them a number of times before deciding.
And then make it a habit of going to the range at least every quarter. Every month is better. Get to know your gun and it's quirks.
If you are going for home or business defense, 12-Gauge Pump Action Shotgun. Some brands are better then others but if you go for a name brand they all do the job.
I completely agree with this, but I would also add that you should take some training before you start handling firearms. I’m a huge believer in training (voluntary, never government mandated) and think everyone should do training before they touch a gun and continue ongoing training throughout their lives. It would prevent so many accidents.
The NRA offers a number of very good training options. There are also plenty of independent firearm trainers out there. Once you feel comfortable handling both a revolver and a semi-auto handgun, go to the local range and talk to the people there. They can give you a variety of options to try before you decide to make a purchase. This doesn’t have to take a long time, by the way. You can knock out a good amount of training and range time in a weekend, then just wait the stupid waiting period on the final purchase. Less than a week all-in.
In a country where there are 500 million firearms in private ownership, many of us don’t know a single person that owns gunz. For this the interweb chit-chat forums and youtubes were created. Best advice you can get is free, from total strangers.