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Take him to a range that rents guns and try out as many as he's willing. Stick to .38 Special and above for revolvers and .380 ACP and up for semi-autos. Personally I like 9mm and .45 ACP because I can get inexpensive milsurp ammo.

Sounds like a plan!

In revolovers, I'd go with Ruger and Taurus, or a USED Smith & Wesson.

Yep, my .357 mag is an S&W, purchased before they decided to sell out their principles for lawsuit protection that never materialized and became the government stooges that they are today. (Good gun, but I won't buy another one from them today!)

Figure to spend about $50, give or take, for such a session. I'd say to shoot at least two full cylinders through the revolvers and two magazines in the semi-autos. Narrow down the list of potential calibers before you head out.

I'd say .357 magnum (shooting .38 Spl's) would be top choice for the revolver (I really like Ruger's GP-100 with either a 4" or 6" barrel). I'll probably go with the 4" barrel because it's small enough for concealed carry.

Likewise, I'd stick with 9mm, .40 S&W, or .45 ACP for the autoloaders. Lots of guys like the .40 S&W because it gives .45 ACP performance coupled with 9mm capacilty. I'm still not sold on it personally, and the ammo is slightly more expensive than for the .45 ACP (and both are about twice what 9mm ammo costs).

Is he possibly interested in concealed carry? If so, would he likely want his first gun to serve that purpose as well as home defense?