Good First handgun?

[The Overfishin Condition]

I'm looking for suggestions about what I should look for in a first handgun. I want something relatively inexspensive, with realitively cheap ammo. Somthing that is managable, and pleasant to shoot, cause I'll probably do quite a bit of plinking. I'm thinking maybe .22 mag, because I know I want something at least a little larger than .22, although stopping power isn't a huge consideration, I'd like to be able to carry in the woods with the confidence that I could kill a coyote a deter a cat if I had to. The problem is from what I've seen .22 mag is not a super common caliber for a pistol. What's caliber would be just a little more powerful than a .22 or .22 mag? Open to suggestions and pros and cons about revolvers, or standard semi-auto pistol? Thanks a bunch. I'm not 21 yet, but am looking to get some experience in the next couple years so that I am competent and could feel comfortable getting a concealed carry card. Thanks for any and all help, TOC.

[RogueFishr]

For relatively cheap shooting, look towards a 9mm or 357. Ammo is fairly cheap and readily available. For a first handgun, it is hard to go wrong with a revolver if you don't have much handgun experience. You can usually find good deals on new and used 357 revolvers.

RF

Ruger Single Six with both a 22 mag and 22 rimfire cylinders.

[ 12-27-2003, 11:33 PM: Message edited by: Keta ]

[24 on/ 48 off]

cause I'll probably do quite a bit of plinking.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helv">Give me a better idea of what you mean by this, and then I'll throw my 2 cents in.

--spud-- :smile:

[The Overfishin Condition]

Perhaps plinking isn't the term I was looking for, or perhaps I'm the only one that uses that term. What I was getting at is that I'll probably do quite a bit of shooting, targets cans, just recreational stuff to become comfortable with pistols. That's why I'm leaning to a lighter caliber that won't make my wrists ache and days end. The single-six looks like a good option. By the time I was ready to get the concealed carry I'd look for something with a little more punch to it. Thanks.

[Small Fry]

38 / 357. 38 Ammo is cheap won't wrist hurt after shooting. Then when you want more punch step up to 357 ammo. All round good for doing what you want. I paid $150 for my first used Colt paece maker. just my 2 cents.

[KingFisher85]

When you find a good auto 22mag pistol, let me know :grin:
The Ruger 22 mark II pistols are real sweet 22lr auto pistols.
Ruger also makes a blackhawk convertible revolvers. 357 to 9mm or 45 long colt to 45ACP

[Killertraylor]

Pick up this month's issue of Shooting times. There are a few pistols chambered in .17hmr that might fit the bill for you, although both had really long barrels. .17hmr is a really good pistol round - much faster than a .22 mag, it's still a rimfire, has no recoil to speak of, is a perfect plinking round and will kill a coyote easily.

I had a Taurus .22mag revolver and it never shot very good, but it only had a 3 inch barrel. I'd stick with a ruger single six if you are set on .22 mag. Ruger probably makes the best .22 auto, but they don't make it in .22 mag to my knowledge.

My personal favorite for carrying in the woods is a J-frame Smith and Wesson Model 60 stainless target with 3 inch barrel and adjustable sights. It will run you about $350. You can shoot .38 specials for plinking and load up with .357 if you want a hotter round. It's light and easy to carry and they make Lasergrips for it that are really cool. Shoots great groups at 25 yards with the laser. I keep it next to the bed. When you hear a creak in the night, that laser really lights up the house. :shocked:

[billc_sbio]

Killertraylor has given you some really good advice IMHO.

I'll go a little further...what you really want is TWO (is 2 enough?! :grin: )!

"If" you could afford it, I'd recommend gettin one pistol/revolver in whatever "big" caliber you think you'd like, then a similar, or as close to similar as you can get pistol/revolver in .22LR.

The reason I say this is to get "good" it takes practice, practice, and more practice! With big bore centerfire ammo that runs up the tab pretty quickly. Additionally, there's that pesky loud bang and recoil! Those DON'T help you concentration when practicing. .22LR cartridges are so inexpensive and the noise and recoil aren't there...which allows you to get all that practice.

For a really nice carry gun, that little Model 60 "Target" with the 3" bull barrel and adjustable sights is a really handy little package. Additionally, a Model 63 4" Stainless "Kit Gun" would make a good companion revolver in .22.

[Fish Hawg]

Keta gave you some great advice . My Dad has a stainless ruger single six w/ both cylinders. That gun is a blast to shoot,and is accurate. A head shot on a lion would do the trick. :grin:

[Stratocaster]

Always buy bigger than you think you need (like boats) .500 S&W. :grin: Kidding. My first pistol was an f.i.e 22 mag/lr combo single action. Loved it, and still do.

[ICHTHYDEMON]

I agree with Keta.

[Dr Strangelove]

My first handgun choices would be:

Wheelguns:
SW 337 Kit Gun 3" 38 light Ti frame
63 Kit 22lr best all around camp/pot gun next to the Ruger Single Six Stainless
Ruger GP-100 38/357 a compact tank.
Autos:
Sig 228
Glock 19
both very safe auto's but I prefer any auto condition three with an empty chamber

[dla]

I would reverse the good Dr's list. 9mm ammo is actually cheaper than 22mag and much cheaper than .357Mag/.40S&W/.45acp, etc. Used to be that .38spl was super cheap, but it isn't any more.

The Glock 19 is pretty fun 9mm to blast away with. You can buy one used and I can guarantee you won't wear it out in your lifetime. Very, very simple pistol. Rustproof, runs wet or dry. Drop it in the mud? Just wash it off in a mud puddle :smile:

The used S&W wheelguns (M586 & 686) are very nice to shoot. But unless you reload you'll find .38spl/.357Mag a bit expensive. You can get a 1000rnds of 9mm delivered to your door for less than $100.

In my humble opinion, either get a .22lr or 9mm.

I reload and I'm partial to a good 1911-pattern .45acp. Every kid I've taught to shoot wants to shoot the Glock - it looks cool and they've seen it on TV. So they bang away with the Glock for awhile. Then I introduce them to a good full-size 1911 and they never look back. They like the shootability and the way the big fat .45acp slug splits wood. But I reload, so the last 20,000rnds hasn't been too hard on my wallet. My .45acp reloads cost me $3.50/50. My .357 reloads (cast) would run me a little under $3/50 - if I was still shooting that caliber.

I have an S&W626 .22lr which folks like to shoot.
Very accurate 6" barrel semi-auto, aluminum frame. Nice lightweight packing/plinking pistol.

When I turned 21, my first pistol purchase was a S&W27 - .357Mag. I would spend hours reloading maybe 200rnds on a single-stage press and then light them all off in one afternoon. Oh the memories :smile:

[billc_sbio]

Overfishin,

O.k., rereading your initial post, you said something that's a "little more powerful that the .22LR or .22Mag, something that's fun to shoot"

There's another caliber and cartridge that's never really "caught on" that fills that description perfectly. However in order for you to realize "reasonable" costs in shooting this, you'd probably have to reload or have a source of reloaded ammunition to be able to make it ecconomically viable.

That cartridge is the the .32 (H&R) Magnum. This cartridge IS exactly what you were asking about. It definitely performs above the .22 Magnum and would fall somewhere between that and the .357 Magnum. And like the .357 Magnum being able to shoot .38 Specials interchangeably, the .32 Magnum revolvers can use the shorter .32 S&W Long cartridges also.

Several folks here have advocated the Ruger Single Six and how nice, they're making that in .32 Mag (primarily in response to demand from Cowboy Action Shooters), and it's available in a couple of different variants. S&W have, off and on, produced various revolvers in .32 Mag. and I believe that currently Taurus makes their S&W clone revolvers in a .32 Mag version also.

So there you are. While you didn't mention ecconomics (something that some have addressed for you) or common availability. If those weren't limiting factors, the .32 Mag could also be a candidate for you.

While some (who've probably never shot one) might pooh pooh this choice, I have and shoot a S&W Mod. 16-4, "K-32 Magnum", and it's one of my most enjoyable revolvers to shoot. It's death on jackrabbits and would do equally as well on Coyotes given the chance.

[24 on/ 48 off]

If you don't reload, the price of ammo should be the deciding factor if you plan on shooting quite a bit.

I agree that the Glock 19 (9mm) is the way to go.

--spud-- :smile:

[billc_sbio]

I still say a good REVOLVER (or 2 :smile: ) might be the way to go.

It really depends on WHAT you're planning on shooting or developing you pistol shooting skills for?

If you're planning on shooting at man-sized targets at 25' then by all means go for a Glock or SIG in 9mm (.40 S&W's better), and go for the auto!

If you're looking at shooting targets the size of something between a rabbit and a coyote at say 50 yards, then I'd say go for a revolver.

With the noteable exception of a GOOD (as in either custom or "worked on") 1911, most auto's triggers can't begin to compare to a good revolver. Also the ammunition choices, while fine for self-defense, in automatics just isn't that great in performance, especially at ranges greater than 25 yards.

A really good idea is to find someone or some group of friends who might have a variety of pistols and revolvers who can take you out and let you TRY the various different types and calibers out and let you get a better idea of what you might want.

Also realize that there's a big difference between the "best" guns, those either "custom" or "specially tuned", even by the factories and the standard pistols and revolvers you can buy over the counter.

Most shooter don't realize how much of a difference there is! I use as my baseline for automatics the S&W Model 41 Automatic for .22s and "worked on" 1911s for the larger calibers.

Likewise, good revolvers with "tuned" triggers. To my way of thinking, the Smith & Wessons get the nod here, although there are others.

I've yet to try a Glock or a SIG that can compare...doesn't mean they don't exist, just that I've never gotten to shoot one.

For a first handgun I would always suggest a single action revolver. Rugers aren't as nice as Smiths but the price is lower. The 32H&R mag would be a good idea if you reload.


My Colt 1911 is a National Match and it shoots REAL GOOD. I have never liked Glocks but I've never owned one either, just SIGs, Smiths, Colts, and Rugers, not counting my European military collection.

[Grip It-N-Rip It]

I'm with Keta. You would have to go a long way to beat the single six for a first hand gun especially since it comes with two cylinders virtually making it two guns. Others make the same type of set up but I think Ruger has done it best. It is kind of loud once you put in the 22 mag cylinder so make sure hearing protection is on hand. They are relativly inexpensive to shoot and a very durable gun I dont think you could go wrong with this one. Good gun to teach a kid on also. Just my two pennies worth

[StickFish]

I think enough others have said this as well, but start you pistol experience with a wheel gun or revolver. I'd stick with the 22lr till you got real good with it than look towards picking up an autoloader and get good with it. Than work into the big bore stuff. Too many bad habits can get started if you skip the skill building of shooting light cheap ammo. Once the mechanics are there, they will transfer to ANY pistol or handgun.

[dla]

I have no idea why people continue to advocate starting with a revolver. There's nothing you're going to learn with a revolver that you wouldn't learn with a semi-auto.

There's been such a glut of high-quality semi-autos over the last decade that it would be foolish to limit oneself to only looking at wheelguns.

There's no magic to shooting a handgun accurately - it's flat hard. You have to get basic technique and then practice, practice and practice some more.

I hate to burst the bubble of some, but the Ruger Single-Six is a very pedestrian revolver. Is it even cheaper than Ruger's semi-auto?

[ajfishfinder]

Im just wondering what a "pedestrian revolver" is???? I got my first Ruger Single Six for my 15th birthday. I have only put mags in it a couple times, way to expensive. It has served me well for over 25 years. I hope to give it to my son when he is about 12. Best all around beginers gun you can buy. Not the cheapest, but certainly good quality. I would no more hand an auto to a beginer than to my wife.

[ORoutdoorsman]

DLA, one advantage to a single action revolver is it forces one to take shooting one shot at a time. It does not allow you to become too trigger happy, and eliminates one common problem of people just blazing away and not learning how to shoot. I think a revolver, or atleast a single action semi are a better gun to learn on than a glock. It is difficult to learn to steady a hand gun and not move your wrist. The stroke of a double action trigger adds keeping your wrist straight while pulling the trigger, rather than holding the gun and squeezing. So now you have two obsticles to overcome, rather than starting with one and working your way up. In addition, the recoil on a semi is different to that of a revolver, you get the jerk of the action as well as the recoil, and if the person has not learned to steady a gun properly, limp wrist causes to frequent jams. The reason a 22 is so great is it help to teach someone to shoot with almost no recoil, and avoids developing a flinch, which is very very common thing for people to develop while learning to shoot hand guns. I advocate a revolver to begin with all the way, especially if you are teaching yourself.

[Fish Hawg]

I have a Beretta 96g 40cal in an Elite II. Is thier any thing i can do to make it shoot were The sites are aiming( it shoots low and to the left)Or can i convert it to a 357 sig? Thanks....Ross

[ 01-02-2004, 03:47 PM: Message edited by: Quick Fisher ]

[dla]

ORoutdoorsman : You forget that lots of us shoot to have fun :smile:

Blasting away is, well, a blast! A single action .22lr is about as exciting as watching the paint dry.

I agree completely that mastering the Glock trigger takes some doing, but if I can do it - anybody can. I can remember when I was a trigger-masher.

I don't buy the idea of "fondling and worshiping each bullet so that you appreciate each shot". I believe you buy a ton of ammo and go out and do some shooting. By the way, all that old Western movie bunk about shooting a few times and becoming a gunslinger is just that - bunk. All the good shooters burned a zillion rounds getting to their level of proficiency.

[dla]

Quick Fisher: The problem you're having isn't the pistol - it's you and the trigger. Low & left is where a right-handed trigger-masher shoots :smile:

I'm not going to post a book about technique, mainly because I'm not some award winning pistolero. But I've gotten past this and you can too.

I strongly suggest that you do a lot of dry firing while trying to balance a dime/nickel/quarte on the front blade or muzzle end of the slide. When you get to the point where you can press the trigger and not make change - your getting started.

There's a lot of info online on Isosceles versus Weaver. Start with one of those two positions and pay particular attention to the hand holds. Forget about the old Bullseye, one-handed hold - at least for the first couple of years.

Order yourself a case of ammo from ammoman.com, find yourself a convienent place to shoot, and get to it.

[shawn2010]

DLA, I am surprised that you didn’t recommend the Magnum Research BFR 45-70, he then would have the world’s greatest caliber in a revolver, J/k. I would say get a 357 SW then you can shoot 38 sp thats what I would do. I feel I am more accurate with a my Model 19 S&W 357 than I am with my sig p226 40.

[crabbait]

I'm thinking the first handgun should be a .22. I have a Ruger semi-auto Government Model with the 6 7/8" bull barrel. The 5 1/2" bull barrel actually balances better but either is remarkably accurate and a joy to shoot. Cheap too, both in purchase price and ammo.

Second gun would be .45 auto. Colt or clone (Kimber!) depending on what your pocket book will bear.

Wheel gun or single shot for hunting. Semi-autos for protection and fun plinking.

[ORoutdoorsman]

DLA, there are more people in this world that shoot both rifles and handguns poorly, then there are ones who shoot them proficiently. While I also shoot for fun, I know too many people who shoots very poorly, and that is mainly due to the fact that they developed bad habits to begin, and that applies double to hand guns. I think it is better to start with a single action revolver to lessen the chance of developing these bad habits. Then, once you can actually shoot that accurately, you can move on to blazing thousands of rounds at a time. If you don't believe me, just go to a public sight in day at any given shooting range, and you will see what I mean by many people having bad shooting habits and not being able to shoot in a monor I would consider good. And thats just with a rifle, handguns are far more to handle when it comes to accuracy. And in addition to enjoying blasting away, I get far more enjoyment knowing I can confidently handle a firearm, and use it in a manor that exceeds the average Joe.