I’ve been asked this a lot in the last several weeks
Several of my non-gunny friends in the real world say to me “hey, Uncle, I need a handgun before they’re banned. What do you suggest?” I note that they don’t currently own guns yet have a fear they will be banned so they want one. Which is weird because the press tells me they only want to ban those evil assault rifles, whatever those are.
My answer is always the same. Either a Glock 26, Glock 19, Glock 17, S&W M&P 9, or S&W M&P 9C. All the guns are 9mm. 9mm is a perfectly adequate cartridge. It’s also easier to find and less expensive, in general . . . but not this week. Guns that shoot 9mm hold more rounds and the quickest way to double the effectiveness of your carry ammo is a follow up shot, which they have lots of, compared to 45s. And I just don’t dig the .40, especially for new shooters. The second issue is that of size. This combination runs the gamut from borderline pocket pistol up to full size duty gun. That’s just preference based on attire and method of carry and so forth. Or if they’re going to carry at all. For a nightstand gun, there’s no reason not to have full sized pistol, other than small hands. And, lastly, grip angle. Some people just don’t dig the Glock’s grip angle and some people love it.
Then, I tell them to go try them out and see which one works best.
YMMV.
Flame on.
Update: Also, all these pistols are striker fired. That’s merely for consistency of trigger pull. When you’re a newbie, consistency is likely a good thing. And no manual safeties. Is gun, is not safe. And better to let them learn good habits instead of relying on a a false sense of security.
January 30th, 2013 at 7:45 pm
Not knowing much about the hypothetical friends we are discussing I would recommend a revolver.
I assume they are new to guns so there are two possibilities: they will take to guns or they won’t.
If they don’t take to guns the revolver will be their only gun. Thus, it should be adequate and simple to use and resistant to neglect. If they are in need of a carry piece where concealment is important I would recommend a snubbie, despite its limitations because they must find it convenient to conceal or they won’t carry at all.
If they do take to guns the revolver will be only their first and they can take their time settling on what else they want.
January 30th, 2013 at 7:46 pm
I think we’ve had more first-time prospective gun owners in the store lately than ever before (no real surprise) with about a 60/40 female/male mix (mild surprise).
Suggestion for First Firearm in the House: 12Ga pump gun. Ease of use and lack of complication. Even for the 60% of the askers that are female, the answer is the same. Yes. It kicks. No, he won’t keep coming at you after the first shot.
Suggestion for First Handgun in the House: Mid-frame .357Mag/.38Spl such as the Ruger SP101. Very straight-forward and very few finicky parts to break. I suggest practicing mostly with .38s, but finishing up each practice with a cylinder’s worth of .357 to make sure you know what it feels like.
Suggestion for Concealed Carry: The SA XDs (only available in .45ACP so far). Slim, light-ish, and easy to pocket carry if you want to. The recoil management is excellent. A good friend of the store’s is an ER physician. He pointedly observed that he has – and continues to see – handcuffed patients with multiple 9mm holes in them that are still pretty frisky. He says that patients – handcuffed or not – rarely arrive in the ER with more than one .45 caliber hole in them, and tend to not be frisky at all at that point.
January 30th, 2013 at 7:47 pm
Those are all decent choices, but I still end up back at the basics for a n00b. It has to be something they can comfortably handle and are willing to practice with, because if they won’t practice the utility of it is extremely diminished.
For many n00bs, especially small women, even a 9mm can be very intimidating. If getting used to it means starting with small caliber until they’re comfortable moving up, so be it. A .22 in the practiced hand is still 1000% better than a scary unpracticed 9mm in the closet.
Some might be tempted to go .380 on the assumption they’re easier to handle, but in the real world most .380’s tend to be just as much a “kicky” pain or more so for a novice shooter than a decent 9mm. Especially in smaller-framed pistols.
January 30th, 2013 at 7:50 pm
The most valuable gun is the one you have with you. That said, a J-frame Smith has to rank very high with most CCW holders. They’re light and fit in a pocket. They don’t require hand strength to manipulate the slide. They’re simple. They won’t be subject to magazine bans/restrictions.
I’d recommend an airweight J-frame in .38 Special for carry with a second K-frame 4″ .357 for practice, training, and home defense. The .357 will be perfectly happy shooting .38 Spcl. loads. The L-frame .357 Smiths and Gp100s are too heavy; though Security Sixes are about perfect.
I’ve got a few nines, including the G19. I’m pushing 70. Although I’m in good shape, slide manipulation is beginning to be a problem. It could be a show stopper for the elderly and women.
January 30th, 2013 at 7:52 pm
#27 Bill wrote: “[The big city stores all] had .40 in multiple loadings and varying amounts…
…Soin todays market, 9mm, the good and old standby, isnt so good!”
My thoughts exactly. I noticed this in the last gun drought a few years back. That’s why I went with a .40. The Beretta Storm PX4 .40 is nice.
January 30th, 2013 at 7:55 pm
What?! No Berettas?
January 30th, 2013 at 8:04 pm
General consensus:
In normal times, 9mm Semiauto, Glock/M&P/XD, or one of the Sigs/HK’s if money permits.
These aren’t normal times, since no 9mm is available.
Thus…..38/.357 revolver if you have ammo available in your area.
Find ammo, then decide on firearm. Its backwards, but so are these times!
January 30th, 2013 at 8:11 pm
I am a very small woman who is not young. I got my first gun after the Virginia Tech shooting. I was 54. My NRA instructor and the wonderful people at the range let me try lots of handguns. The guiding principle was – and remains – being able to consistently hit your target. For me, at the time, it turned out to be an adorable S&W 38 revolver. It doesn’t help much if after an hour or so of practice your hands and wrists are sore enough that you don’t want to shoot anymore. And no weapon is of much use of you don’t train. So get something you WILL use with physical comfort. I’ve moved up in the world, so to speak – and will continue to do so – and now am quite comfortable w/my 12 ga. shotgun.
I hope this helps any women out there who think that their age or physical profile precludes them from learning weaponry. It does not. If I can do it, anybody can.
Besides, shooting is more fun than I ever imagined!
January 30th, 2013 at 8:12 pm
I’m for starting off newbies with a .22 LR or, as I have done a couple of times, take them shooting and let them use your handgun(s).
I’ve a fairly large assortment so I take pistols and revolvers in the common calibers and let them shoot all of them. Then they have an idea of the difference between a 32 ACP out of a 1-1/2″ Kel-Tec bbl and a .44 Spl out of a Charter Bulldog with a 2-1/2″ bbl and most of the calibers in between.
Ammo? I’ve been buying it mail-order and online about once a month since 1995 when I first got my C&R license. I’ve boatloads of it. Clinton scared me and I just never stopped buying on a regular basis until recently and that’s because it’s scarce and too pricey for the old Sarge.
There’s a lesson there. When the price comes down (and it will, eventually) start a regular ammo buy schedule and stock up. Or learn to reload.
January 30th, 2013 at 8:24 pm
I discovered not too long ago that several members of my family didn’t have very good grip strength. Thats said they were unable to pull a typical double action trigger of more than say 8 pounds. I was real surprised by this and tested most of the females in my family and not many passed.
The Semi autos are fine but they do require a tug on the slide to chamber a round and that takes some grip strength. The Ruger LCR revolver has a very nice easy trigger pull and more than enough power but is limited to 5 shots. For home defense I think it works for me since I think most of the shots will be well placed.
January 30th, 2013 at 8:29 pm
I’d add, if they can swing the extra cash for the accessory pack, Springfield Arms XD(m) line. Multiple calibers available, easy to use and clean with an easy slide and trigger pull. Plus each comes with 3 back straps and 3 magazines, a holster and mag holder. Everything a first shooter needs, and he/she can pick the right ammo for their needs.
January 30th, 2013 at 8:35 pm
TO: SayUncle, et al.
RE: First Gun?
If there’s going to be ANOTHER gun, for self-defense, a 9mm is okay. But pretty darned worthless for self-defense.
Look at that lady a few weeks ago. Hiding in the attic with her two daughters from a home invader. She had a 6-shooter of the .38 spl persuasion. The guy sticks his head up through the access hatch. She fires ALL SIX ROUNDS. HITS HIM IN THE HEAD AND NECK WITH FIVE ROUNDS. He manages to get out of the house and drive away.
What if there’d been more than one? Say, five, like that incident in Florida the other day?
She and her daughters would have been hors de combat.
As I said, if someone is getting more than one weapon, yeah the 9mm is okay.
But if they can only afford ONE, get something like the Springfield Armory .45 cal XDm. And get a Crimson Trace laser sight for it.
Regards,
Chuck(le)
[.45 cal ACP, because it’s just silly to have to shoot someone twice.]
January 30th, 2013 at 8:42 pm
If they want one just to have one…any of them will suffice.
If they want to carry, ats a different deal. Then you have to look at open or concealed carry which breaks it down further.
My state is concealed so I just picked up an S&W Airweight in a .38 (wanted the 357 for round versatility but they were unobtainium). It’s a ver simple/small/light weapon that is VERY easy to conceal without printing in a cheap pocket holster.
Next on deck is the Springfield XDs….whenever they become available around here again.
Ammo….good luck for anything. Everything is bought up as soon as it hits the shelf. 9mm, .38, .357, .44,.45…doesn’t matter, it’s hard to get.
January 30th, 2013 at 8:49 pm
As a left-hander, ambi mag release is key. Happy with my HK p2000.
January 30th, 2013 at 8:52 pm
I bought the S&W M&P 9C as my first pistol. It shoots well and the ammo’s cheap. My next gun will either be something easier to conceal or a .22LR for really cheap shooting. Although, I am getting tempted by those revolvers that can handle .357 rounds and 410 shells.
January 30th, 2013 at 8:59 pm
I have nothing against Glocks or S&W. But, personally, I prefer XDs or XDMs. Also, a few hundred rounds just isn’t enough. A few thousand rounds should be more like it. And practice, practice, practice. Just saying.
January 30th, 2013 at 9:03 pm
I’m a woman, and I love my Walther P99.
January 30th, 2013 at 9:08 pm
If someone is purchasing a firearm for personal defensive use almost any modern, major name handgun .380 or over will do the job.
These folks aren’t looking to dive out of the back of a C130 over some ‘stan. They aren’t going to stack up and kick down the door of anything.
They want something that will live on the nightstand, or AT THE MOST EXTREME on their belt for 99 percent of the time, and occasionally be fired for practice.
The advice I give is to go down to a range (or multiple ranges if possible) and rent as many guns as it takes to find one you like and shoot well.
Yes, a revolver requires a BIT more training to shoot straight than a pistol, but at the ranges that the sort of person who needs A gun for self defense usually shoots, well, they usually get the job done just fine across a bedroom.
Yes, this or that gun has this or that advantage or weakness.
But the most important thing above all others is that they can hit what they aim at, and they’re comfortable with the gun.
I watched an allegedly expert shooter flinch so bad she hit the ground 7 yards in front of her–because her lard ass idiot husband INSISTED they use 10mm glock hand blasters. She probably would have been fine with a Glock 17 or a CZ75, but no, the 10mm Glock was the most powerful–and therefore the BEST handgun on the market and that was the one they were going to shoot.
After they’ve shot a few pistols and made their choice have them come back to you and discuss it–just to make sure they’re not buying a used Tech-9 or a kel-tec (kel-tecs are often not quite right out of the box and have to make several trips back to the mother ship to be made right. This is a problem for a noob, especially one that needs a gun for self-defense).
Tell not to listen to the guys behind the counter, every single one of them are ex-seals who join the local SWAT team and got injured, which is why they’re working a minimum wage job at a gun store/range where they’re going to try to sell them whatever is slowest moving, most profitable, or what their pea brain has determined is the best guy in the world this month.
January 30th, 2013 at 9:10 pm
“What is wrong with a Taurus Judge?”
It’s a joke for anything other than snakes. It is an oversized, under-spun 45 Long Colt and it is a over-rifled joke of a short barreled shotgun whos full-size version is a squirrel gun at best. The Taurus Judge is a testament to PT Barnum.
Glock 19 with a good, quality holster and an Advantage Arms 22lr conversion kit. Stay away form 1911’s as a first gun. It is like recommend a Jaguar as a first car. Too much upkeep for a noob.
January 30th, 2013 at 9:16 pm
ruger sr9c 9mm, 17 round mag forms full size grip, 10 rd for carry. accurate shooter excellent craftsmanship. just purchased a case of 1000 rounds fmc fmj brass case reloadable for terget, but i’m not saying where
January 30th, 2013 at 9:23 pm
Uncle,
My father (73 years old) wanted 2 pistols for him and my mom (66) since “Obama wants to take them away!”. I rec’d a Glock 19. I took them out to shoot the Glock, XD, XDM, and M&P since I have friends who own them. They chose the Glock. I gave him mine and he bought one for Mom.
I now officially have no 9mm pistol in my household. I am a fan of Glocks for their reliability and ease. I, personally, don’t own one. I am a .45 shooter and shoot competitively. I LOVE my 1911’s and big bore XDs. I would NEVER rec’d one for a new shooter though.
January 30th, 2013 at 9:23 pm
Jake (#13): I can pretty much ditto everything you said, except for the revolver bit. That said, I’ve always preferred revolvers, and probably have more comfort level with those than most new shooters will acquire. OTOH, semi-autos (and I do know that modern semis are far more reliable than semis used to be) can have problems that can take considerably more training to deal with than modern revolvers.
crastinator (#12): Idiots aside, you just don’t have enough patience. Friends who come late are still friends. I’ve been approached by several acquaintances lately who are new to shooting and want advice. Most of these work in professions that leave them little time to watch the news or read the blogs or have a life, not necessarily in that order. They are intelligent enough to read the signs they see in what little down-time they have, and they are serious about defending what they have. I’m honored they come to me, and always offer to take them shooting for a try before they buy. These folks — all of them, in my experience — are grateful and become at least part-time shooters and FULL-TIME 2A supporters. I’ve had good experiences with each and every one, and have earned better friends for my time.
Sorry you’re missing out.
Goatroper
January 30th, 2013 at 9:25 pm
The fill in the blank is a piece of sh*t! My fill in the blank had one and whenever he shot it it would fill in the blank and fill in the blank . I’d never have one of those.
Don’t forget that old saw about running into trouble: “A .22 in the pocket beats the hell out of the .45 in the gun safe at home.”
But then, there is this old joke: A lady asked the Texas Ranger why he carried that big ol’ .45 on his hip. The Ranger replied, “Because my 12 gauge won’t fit in the holster.”
There’s a lesson there. 🙂
January 30th, 2013 at 9:27 pm
Hmmm, it appears html is not used here. 🙁
That first para was for the fellow who poo-pooed the Judge
January 30th, 2013 at 9:39 pm
How ’bout some love for the revolver? Simple, intuitive, a bit more reliable.
January 30th, 2013 at 9:41 pm
@Bill re: Ammo.
Check Luckygunner.com. They’ve been great. They had hollowpoints this morning. Their system only shows what’s in stock.
January 30th, 2013 at 10:02 pm
@ post #71
“I LOVE my 1911′s and big bore XDs. I would NEVER recd one for a new shooter though.”
Sprinfield is about to or already has released the XDs in a 9mm. That’d make a fine weapon for a first timer though you can’t beat the simplicity of a revolver.
January 30th, 2013 at 10:07 pm
I intended to get a Glock for my first handgun, but when I test fired it, I had several misfeeds and one casing stuck in the ejection port. It may have been my fault for limp-wristing, or it may have been the ammo, which wasn’t powerful enough for the Glock, or it may have been a dirty rental, but I decided I no matter the reason, the last thing I wanted was a weapon for home defense that wouldn’t go bang when I pulled the trigger. I’m very happy with my SIG Sauer.
January 30th, 2013 at 10:08 pm
What if, at commenter #12, I am living hand to mouth trying to work a dead end retail job and sending job applications to everyone and now finally, after years upon years of using up my ‘Jusu’s first gun fund’ for new tires or emergency funds, I can finally get one?
That sort of attitude is what turns away new buyers, or people like me, who wanted to get a gun for the longest of times but never, ever, ever had a financial footing to do so.
January 30th, 2013 at 10:17 pm
My first gun is a 9mm PPQ.
January 30th, 2013 at 10:26 pm
I plan to take a friend who has never shot a gun in her life to the range and I’ll rent a .22 pistol with a nice comfortable grip, whatever that happens to be. I’m not going to put my 9mm in her hand until we’re done with the .22 and then only if she really wants to try it. I don’t want her to get in a cringy-flinchy habit before she even starts.
January 30th, 2013 at 10:27 pm
I am not crazy about the glock for a noobie conceal carry. I think its a good choice though for a nightstand or car console gun. The Glack has a nasty habit of the trigger getting hung up in clothing resulting in a nastycaase of Glockleg. Hammers and safety do make for a safer carry. A thumb on the hammer when holstering will assure the user that he isn’t cocking the gun while holstering. I like the Berretas such as the PX4 series or p92f. 9mm ammo is still available you just have to look for it. Test have proven Good 9mm defensive ammo is just as effective as 4o 0r 45.
January 30th, 2013 at 10:56 pm
Depends upon the sexes!
For a women look to Kahr 9mm, P380 or 40 cal. These are high quality, small pistols that a creative women can conceal.
For a dude, any high mag semi-auto from HK, Glock, Ruger, S&W, Springfeld or Sig will do. This ain’t rocket science folks!
January 30th, 2013 at 10:58 pm
THIS, from ez in comment 60: “I discovered not too long ago that several members of my family didnt have very good grip strength. Thats said they were unable to pull a typical double action trigger of more than say 8 pounds. I was real surprised by this and tested most of the females in my family and not many passed.”
This point is important. It must be a gun with a trigger you can pull when it’s not cocked.
ALSO, please don’t look down on an old lady who is a gun newbie, uncomfortable with the explosion occuring in her hands. Anything larger than a .22 can be scary. The instructors at my basic safety class tried to talk us out of choosing a .22, because it might not put a criminal down.
Yet, I’m pretty sure a .22 is better than what I had before: harsh language.
Remember, we want folks to convert to gun advocacy. An important part of recruitment is making sure the new gun owner is comfortable firing his/her weapon.
Cheers!
Lin
January 30th, 2013 at 10:59 pm
I’m not an expert by any means. But what I carry is a S&W Model 5906. It has been a very reliable gun for me. It carries 15+1 and yes, there is one in the chamber. Because a gun without a round in the chamber is just an ineffective hammer.
My wife has a Taurus P111…my S&W is too big for her and it is a reliable gun as long as you use the right ammo in it…strong enough to work the slide during recoil. She had problems with mis-feeds at first because the ammo was too weak for the gun.
January 30th, 2013 at 10:59 pm
At the rate we’re going any gun you can lay your hands on is a good choice.
January 30th, 2013 at 11:10 pm
To be safe against home invasion, move into the shed behind the house and mine the floors of the house.
Or buy a pistol, if you prefer.
January 30th, 2013 at 11:20 pm
@Mattsky: I have a Springfield XD9 with 4-inch barrel and an XD45 with 5-inch barrel and I love them both. I find them reliable and accurate, and they just seem to fit my hands nicely.
January 30th, 2013 at 11:24 pm
I just bought a 1000 rounds of 9mm online, had no problem finding it available…..cost me $550
January 30th, 2013 at 11:25 pm
Excellent choice synova! I love that gun.
January 30th, 2013 at 11:34 pm
I like your picks very well. And I have some recent experience as I just bought my wife and daughter their first handguns. I bought my wife a Glock 19 and my daughter a Ruger SR-22. We haven’t been to the range yet as both the wife and daughter want to get comfortable loading and unloading the magazine, inserting and changing the magazine, pulling the slide back to charge the weapon, aligning the sight, and dryfiring. Our concealed carry class is Feb. 23, so we better get popping.
January 30th, 2013 at 11:38 pm
LOVE my Glock 19. Bought it before the last “assault weapons” ban.
Easy to use, accurate right out of the box, comfortable in my hand, lightweight. I’ve *never* had a jam.
Hubby left his Sig P226 at home and used my Glock to go through the academy. He took top gun.
January 30th, 2013 at 11:41 pm
Jesus Christ, WHEN are they gonna make a high-capacity .38 Super?
January 30th, 2013 at 11:47 pm
I farm for a living, and I like the Judge for a couple of reasons:
a) It’s a no-bullshit revolver and I don’t have to worry about leaving my brass behind.
b) It’s a convenient carry gun on the farm, or in town, especially for Farmers’ Market where I end up with a fair bit of cash on board.
c) On the farm it *is* a great snake gun. You load all .410 with #8
d) In town I alternate .45 with .410 but the shotshell carries #4 buckshot. That gives me 8 slugs in the 6 mm range per shotshell. I could go up to 000 buck, which would give me three 9 mm in one pull of the trigger.
e) At home it’s accompanied by “modified” 20 ga pump carrying #3 buck, which slings about 20 pellets in the .25 cal range.
With the Judge go buckshot in the inguinal region (6″ above his junk) followed by .45 COM and the bad guy is probably not going to walk away. How often in real life are you going to have to deal with more than two?
I hope I never have to deal with *any*, but my practice is most commonly two at 20 ft, while moving laterally.
January 30th, 2013 at 11:48 pm
For a first-time shooter, the choices should be: 1) .22 pistol, 2) .22 pistol 3) .22 pistol. When they’ve mastered shooting it (i.e. after about 500 rounds), THEN graduate them to Uncle’s choices.
Me personally, I’m glad the first-timers are gpoing with 9mm, because that means a better supply of .45 ACP, .357 and .38 for the rest of us.
I should be perturbed about the shortage of 7.62×39, but I laid in a decent supply on National Ammo Day last year and the year before, so I’m set for a decade or so. (What: you forgot about Ammo Day? Silly rabbit.)
January 31st, 2013 at 12:01 am
Your first gun should be one that you are comfortable with and can operate in times of stress easily. I recommend a reliable revolver like a Colt, S&W, Taurus or Cz.
Almost foolproof and do not require jhours of practise. I’d suggest 38 at a minimum with six shots.
But the best gun is the one you have. A gun is like a parachute, you don’t have to have one till you require one, and if it doesn’t work, you’ll never need one again.
January 31st, 2013 at 12:32 am
As someone who bought their first pistol fairly recently, I actually gave this a lot of thought. I wound up buying a Glock 22 (.40 caliber).
The choice of a Glock was a no-brainer. It has the best trigger feel short of of a 1911 and for that reason, shooting a .40 is not the horror show some people have been telling you it is. It’s extremely reliable and very simple to shoot–point it and pull the trigger.
The choice of caliber isn’t simply a prejudice–law enforcement has standardized on the .40 after the FBI’s extensive testing showed it to be superior to the 9MM rounds they’d used previously. Shoot someone with a .40 and they go down and stay there.
The ammunition is about 30-50% more expensive off the shelf, but you can get a Lee progressive loader for under 200 bucks and make rounds for about what you’d pay for 9MM.
I’m about 6′ with smallish hands, I could shoot a reasonably tight group the first time I was at the range. The trick is to grip it tight–the rest is like shooting any other pistol.
January 31st, 2013 at 1:42 am
Went through this recently with my wife. She did almost *all* the research. We went to a number of shops where she could handle the various guns, and then rented some at a local range. She has very short fingers, and found the Springfield Armory XD-9 to be about the best for her. KCSteve (#21) really hit it on the head.
January 31st, 2013 at 2:10 am
No words on here about Kimber? I’m a woman with a specific eminent threat from a very large strong crazy man. Buying a gun in my case was a matter of life or death, not merely an exercise in “maybe someday”. So my first gun was a Kimber Custom .45. I practiced constantly, as well as professional instruction. Once I obtained my CCW here in CA, I bought the Kimber Ultra Carry .45. When not practicing I keep my guns loaded with hollow points. It is extremely important to me to know that my target will be stopped as soon as possible, because if he gets his hands on me, I’m dead. There is no room for messing around. Is this gun “too big for me”? I couldn’t entertain that. I simply had to practice enough to where the issue became moot…which it did very quickly.
January 31st, 2013 at 3:50 am
thanks goatroper! if that is your real name 🙂 …and to everyone, I have enjoyed the many fine points made on here…
thinking about many of the thoughtful comments in this posting, I have to say I’ve changed my mind a little; a revolver probably is a fine choice for a first time gun. long story short, there’s someone I know (tangentially) who discharged her revolver at her workplace rooting around in her purse looking for something and (i would presume) not looking. at what level this was stupid or poor gun safety practice or a new owner or a freak occurence or some combination of these, I’m not really sure. all i could say is that I could see it happening. she lost her job and someone was injured (only slightly thankfully). i suppose this is where my initial negative opinion as a revolver as a first time gun came from, imagining somone putting it in there purse and forgetting about it. when I heard this story, I had a flashback to watching gun counter guys (not to sound apocryphal, but more than one) stearing first time female buyers towards revolvers. there are some solid points to made for them, especially the absence of a FTF or FTE jam.
at the risk of being possibly hypocritical, my first purchased (hand)gun was a revolver (jframe S&W), and it was a good gun to start off with, i still have it, i don’t carry it though, opting instead for my workhorse LCP usually. did i say in my post “pretty reliable”? i would say very reliable, though it was not without a failure or two here and there when first owning it. it fires flawlessly these days. i attribute this to proper form when firing and choice of ammo, and potentially some break in period.
all this to say, i find I tend to like semi-auto, but i see this would likely be a more personal choice. i wonder if once operational concerns are out of the way, semi autos would be a more appealing option to a first time buyer. They do have lower recoil, high functionality and capacity, and are just plain fun to shoot. plus semis look really cool. mostly fun to shoot I should say. I wouldn’t want to spend the whole afternoon shooting the LCP for fun, and the polish p64 I mentioned hurts like a bitch in the web of my hand every time i fire it, but with no-holds-barred-hulkomania reliability and being so small and compact, it gets a pass.
I like the sig sauer’s for a first time gun because they are very easy to rack the slide, severe and unapologetic reliability, and easy to aim and shoot accurately with a little practice… plus they look super super cool. I was thinking (later of course, and only after someone else made the point) the ding against them is their cost, which would be a hindrance to a first time buyer. so many great guns out there… i like the idea of giving people a run through of different options and letting them choose.
thanks everyone!