Best first gun to own? Need advice!

[bonillamktg]

I am ashamed to say that I am 30 years old and do not own a gun. I grew up in a house without guns and never really thought about it until recently (as I started a drastic shift from being politically agnostic to a staunch conservative Constitutionalist) and now I am a new homeowner and new father and every day I think about needing to get multiple firearms. I need to start somewhere but, other than getting recommendations from a few friends I respect, I am a bit lost, having never fired a handgun before (I've shot several rifles and shotguns before).

My question is: What recommendation would you give me as the first gun I should own? I want this first gun to be easily carried concealed (I plan on getting my concealed carry permit ASAP), a good weapon for protection of my home, easily usable by my wife (who has never shot a gun in her life), and ideally, I'd like to get armed for $300-400.

[Red in Blue PA]

[Mount Athos]

I don’t know much, but I’d get a 12 gauge shotgun, it fits your budget and is multipurpose, good for hunting and home defense. You can even swap out barrels easily/cheaply. The wife can use low-recoil ammo. But you said concealable, so I guess I’m not fitting the requirements

[HiramQuick]

NO reason to be ashamed ... once you start shooting you are going to find out how much fun you have missed out.

Your restrictions are rather tight. For instance a CCW weap is not necessarily the best gun for prtection in the home. Nor is it going to be ideal for your wife as well, particularly if she has never shot either.

The price is somwhat limiting though not the biggest issue.

What is your body size? A larger individual can conceal certain weaps easier than others. More important than body size is hand size. Are they large or small? Some handguns just do not fit ... either tooo small or tooo large.

The subcompacts in autos are great for concealing, but I cannot carry one. My hands are too large. The other aspect is mass. The composit materials have done wonders for weight reduction, however there is a trade off. Mass also gives the shooter more control. I am deadly with a full frame 1911 45. Para’s compact 45 is a beautiful piece, but I cannot hit the broadside of the barn with it. size and weight.

I am unashamedly a 45 acp guy. I have a 9mm P250 Sig, which would be a great choice other than it falls out of your price range. (around 725) What makes the P250 attractive is it is modular. Modular in that you can change grip from sub compact to full size in 3 steps. The frame is also modular in that you can swap internal mechanism from 9mm, 357, 40sw, or 45 acp and the beauty is that the serial number does not change. Advantage is in 9mm you have 15 rounds and unsurpassed reliability. downside ... for me it has too much polymer (less mass) and accuracy suffers in my hands.

I now permanently carry a Sig P220 elite, 45, incredible trigger system and accuarcy is just as good as my accurized 1911. Limits 8 rounds, but I believe in 2 shots only. Knock down and insurance. It is why I live at the range .. other than it is fun. I could not carry the p250 until I lost weight. It has a prominent beavertail and with a roll of fat, and my carry choice is “smart carry” the beavertil was beyond uncomforatbl.. Loss of 30 lbs fixed that.

Taurus makes a nice 24/7 series in 40sw and 45acp. I have one in 45 and it has never jammed. And, it fits my wifes hand perfectly. Closer to you price range ... I bought mine dicounted at 425 several years ago.

40sw was a result of FBI wanting a better knock down round than 9mm. There is only one drawback to it is its weak case and high prssure. I am not knocking Glock, they make a fine weapon, but in their 40 models they opened up the ramp for better feeding but in turn it does not suppost the bottom casing of the 40. Having a casing blow a magazine out of the frame is a bit unnerving. I have witnessed it once, and just recently a poster here told me had experienced it twice.

Again .. remember my atttachment to 45.

Revolvers are the most reliable and simple of any handgun, and many within your price range. Downside is I am not a fan of 38 special or 357 mag. Not a pleasant experience with flash in a short barrel. 38 is fine and controllable, but then again I do not care for that small of calibre.

There are a host of revolvers that are excellent. Taurus again make an incredbile revolver(s) within your price range. Charter arms is adequate ad well within you price as well. many others. I would suggest a hammerless model

My advice is go to a gun shop that is a referral to you and find what fits in your hand comfortably. Take your wife as well. Also find what is comforatble to carry.

I carry with a “smart Carry” system .. see smartcarry.com ... not pushing them, but I carry 7 days a week, without being uncomfortable. If it is uncomfortable you will not carry .. that defeats the purpose.

I am 6'5”, 330 lbs at 7% body fat. Hand size to match .. I can carry a full size 1911 comfortably with Smart carry .. but againg the beavertail does give some problems.

Hope this gives some help .. biased without a doubt to an extent

[Doomonyou]

Love your choices......though I would probably go with a .50 BMG for #3.

We'll just add it to the list!

[TalonDJ]

Ignore all advice about specific models until you get some training and try out a few models.
Ignore all ‘wisdom’ about what caliber to get or not get. The gun that is best for you is the one that you can shoot, and shoot well. If you hate the way model XYZ feels or shoots it does not mater what some guy in the internet claimed. If you like model ABC better then it does not matter if some internet commando thinks it is too wimpy.

Take a hand gun specific class or find an instructor to give you some pointers. Check online forums if you want to find local classes or instructors. (FYI I am a certified instructor) Everything about handguns VERY subjective. Everyone’s hands are different. Even the way people perceive recoil is different.

If you are serious about all this I would recommend shopping around for a .22 pistol that fits your hand. Lots of models are out there for under 300. Take that out and practice a lot. But you and your wife will love it. From there you will build skills and knowledge to know what you really want. If you get a .22 you can use that in the shooting portion of a class.

Also find out if any of your friends or family are into handguns and see if you can try any of theirs.

My generic advice is this:
-Go to gun show. or store with large selection.
-Handle every gun in sight.
-Make a list of the top 3-5 that fit your hand well. If needed ask the clerk for advice for how to grip them properly, that can change the ‘feel’ a lot.
-DON'T BUY!
-Go home and research each of those models you identified. Find you what people say about them, but don't believe everything you read unless you read it in more than one place.
-If at all possible borrow/rent those models and shoot them.
-From this you should know what you want to buy.

Keep in mind the following.
+ Many guns have replaceable grips.
+ Many models are available and different calibers. They might look nearly alike at a glance but the difference in caliber can make one fit your hand and one not. Check carefully and try all the different ones.

[Red in Blue PA]

By all means, I would go with the Kimber and avoid the Para. The Para GI Expert is about $599 and you need to add in a grip safety and a few other things (to make it comparable with the Kimber Custom II), and once you do this, you get close in price to the Kimber Custom II. Add in the fact that the slide is cast and not forged, and IMO it is a no brainer which to choose. (I believe Para is the only company to use casting instead of forging).

Take it FWIW.

[Pessimist]

If you want absolute reliability plus ample power, I’d go with a S&W .357 magnum. I have a model 686 7 shot, and it’s awesome. Granted, it’s too big for conveinent carry, but you can get similar weapons in a medium frame with 5 - 6 shot capacity.

Revolvers are foolproof, whereas even the best semi-auto could jam when you need it most...

[Ben Mugged]

You are sounding more like the cop on this forum. Making such a big deal out of nothing indicates a fundamental problem. Get help.

[Red in Blue PA]

LOL!

That’s what you want when tyhe tanks roll down your street.

[Erik Latranyi]

I TOTALLY disagree with that. Depending on which study you look at, somewhere between 2/3rds and 3/4ths of all successful self-defense uses of a gun don't involve firing it.

Oh, yeah....just play the odds.

With your thinking, 95% of your life is without a perpetrator nearby, so why have a firearm at all?!

Brilliant!

[calex59]

The first suggestion was the best. Buy a .357 magnum. Shoot .38 special ammo in it until you become proficient with it. Carry .357 ammo or keep .357 ammo in it when it is in the home for self defense. Taurus makes about the cheapest(and very fine guns IMO).357 you can buy.

This is the advice I gave my niece when she became a corrections officer and she took it and is very happy with the choice, this is 10 years after I gave her the advice.

[Mount Athos]

To follow up the post suggesting another look at a shotgun, here is an excellent resource for research and ideas.

http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/index.php

[Pessimist]

“It helps if you dress and act decently and don’t come across like a thug or oddball.”

LOL! Yeah, I guess that would “help”. :)

[Myrddin]

S&W 686+ w/4" barrel. A 7 shot .357 revolver in stainless steel. Practice with with lots of 38SPL. Shoot enough .357mag to shoot it well. Revolvers don't spit brass or have a potential for misfires from a "limp wrist". When you have that mastered, try a Glock 23/23C in 40S&W for a good semi-auto with good stopping power and enough rounds in the mag. Whatever your choice, practice often. Get some practical training if you have the time/money to spare.

[darkside321]

no way to big!!! if you want REAL CCW quality try this ;-) this baby gives you 6 shots with the incredible powerfull 2,34 mm caliber ;-)

[NavyCanDo]

A Beretta 3032 Tomcat is what followed me home from the gun store.

http://www.gundirectory.com/more.asp?gid=20162&gun=Pistol

The 357s, and and 45s are great, but to carry one around all the time is tiring. Eventually you leave them at home, and then what good are they? I like concealability. A very light gun that can be in a pocket of in a small holster. But yet not so light that it spanks your hand at the practice range. The Tomcat fits my purpose well. Nice safety features too, for those with small kids.

[Malsua]

>>S&W .38 Airweight with concealed hammer<<

I bought a SW 638 about a month ago. It’s got a shrouded hammer, not completely concealed hammer. Great gun. Nice and light, highly concealable.

http://thewellrats.com/malbor2/njgf/SW638-1.JPG

[fish hawk]

I would have stopped a long time ago but you keep coming back with inept responses and I haven’t anything else to do so I’m enjoying you with my coffee.

[dagogo redux]

Complete agreement: 1911. Smaller sizes make fine CCWs. You’ll never go back. Full size, “Government” models are too large for CCWs for most people, but are even better for everything else.

[Brouhaha]

First of all, don’t be ashamed of your lack of experience with firearms. Many of us have had to start later in life. You’re smart to seek advice and I congratulate you on taking responsibility for protecting yourself, your family and your property.

I recommend, as a next step, that you pursue this further by taking some kind of firearms training. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. An NRA first steps pistol course would be a great start.

Also, I see in the first few posts that someone has advised you to visit a local range that rents guns and to try a variety of firearms before you make an investment in any one. That is excellent advice! Had I followed it myself I would have saved myself, literally, thousands of dollars in firearms that I shot a few times, left in the safe for a few years and then sold at a loss.

To your question about which gun, I’m not sure that my answer will satisfy you because it sounds like you are looking for something in a caliber typically deployed for self defense and/or home defense. However, I think a new shooter can’t do much better than to equip himself with a version of his intended firearm chambered in .22 Long Rifle.

So, for example, if you determine after several visits to a range with rental offerings that you are most comfortable holding and shooting a .357 magnum revolver, go buy yourself a revolver chambered in .22 long rifle and then “shoot it ‘til the wheel falls out.” Plan on putting 5,000 to 10,000 rounds through it over the course of a year or two. That sounds daunting but, even at today’s prices, that’s pretty doable with .22 long rifle ammo. Then, when you’re completely comfortable with your weapon system, throw a traditional defensive caliber into the mix.

If you find that you like one of the popular semi-autmatics, there are .22 long rifle conversions for many of them on the market today. If you determine, for example, that you just love the Beretta 92, buy yourself one and then purchase a .22 conversion kit for it for preliminary training purposes. The only problem with this approach is that it might bust your $300 budget.

Good luck, have fun and be safe.