First Gun Question
Which Gun for Me?
By Kathy Jackson
Let me say, right up front, that I have biases here. We all do! There
is no such thing as completely unbiased advice.
I've got one huge blind spot which I'll admit right up front: I'm not
into guns purely for the fun of it. I'm primarily interested in self-defense,
especially portable self-defense. The first thing I ask about any gun
is, "How easily could I carry this gun and use it to save my life?"
Even within the relatively narrow field of defense handguns, I have biases.
My biases are toward the functional rather than the pretty (though I love
pretty things as much as the next woman). Only guns that work well and
shoot accurately are interesting to me. I like guns that are simple, easy
to run and not very finicky about ammunition. Generally speaking, I like
guns that are smaller rather than larger, but not so tiny that they're
difficult to shoot well. And I prefer weapons that are powerful enough
to do the job.
When I first started shooting, I really believed I wasn't a good enough
shooter to carry anything with fewer than ten rounds in it. That's no
longer the case, but I do still have a bias for carrying more ammunition
rather than less.
Every handgun -- every gun -- is a compromise. Guns that are easy
to shoot often aren't easy to carry. Large-caliber guns tend to be slower
on follow-up shots than smaller caliber guns. Bullets from small-caliber
guns don't make holes as big as those from larger calibers, and are less
likely to stop an attacker.
And then of course there are always budget concerns. It isn't necessarily
true that you always get what you pay for. But the truth about purchasing
firearms is, you will rarely or never get what you don't pay for.
Quality guns cost money. That's all there is to it. When it comes down
to it, you may find yourself trying to find an ideal compromise between
price and quality. I'm not hypocritical enough to say, as some do, "Well,
how much is your life worth ...?" There's a lot more to the story
than that, and I've been broke enough that we wondered how to finance
the next trip to the grocery store. If you are in such a situation, you
may have to make some hard choices -- but make them with your eyes wide
open, aware of exactly what you are trading away and what you are getting
in exchange. And don't be too quick to grab the first "bargain"
gun that comes along. That's nearly always a mistake. If you're broke,
you've got to spend twice as much time on research as someone who isn't
broke. They can afford to make a mistake or travel down a blind alley
in their quest for the perfect gun. When you're broke, you really can't
afford that kind of waste.
One more thing you need to know: there's no such thing as the One Perfect
Gun. There are only guns that work, or do not work, for a particular task.
With that said, let's get started.
Why are you looking for a handgun? You might want a gun you can use to
learn to shoot. Or for concealed carry or for home defense. Very likely,
you're looking for one which allows you do to some combination of these
things.
Quick Links to Sections Below
If you're simply looking for a learn-to-shoot handgun, you probably should
start with a .22LR caliber firearm.
Whether to start with a revolver or semi-automatic depends in part upon
why you are learning to shoot. If you plan to someday carry a snubby revolver,
it's worthwhile to begin your learning process with a revolver. On the
other hand, if you've always been most attracted to semi-automatics, there
is no reason you cannot learn to shoot with a semi-automatic.
The choice between semi-automatic and revolver can be a difficult one
to make. As with every other aspect of selecting a gun, each choice involves
trade-offs. See the article titled "Semi-Auto
or Revolver?" for more general information about that. Of
specific interest to you as a new shooter is the question of whether you
are prepared to master the more complicated operation of a semi-automatic
firearm. Truthfully, semi-autos are not that difficult to understand.
However, if you are already overwhelmed by the very idea of learning how
to shoot, the little bit of extra complexity may be more than you feel
like coping with. If this is the case, go with a revolver and don't look
back.
In either case, the best caliber for beginning shooters is probably the
.22LR. The chief advantage of the .22LR caliber is that it is comparatively
quiet and has little recoil. Because it has a light "kick,"
it is relatively easy to learn to control. That means that shooters who
learn on a .22LR are less likely to develop a bad
flinch.
One thing new shooters need above all else, and that is abundant practice.
Here's where the .22LR really shines. It is so inexpensive that it is
very easy to fire a lot of rounds without a lot of financial pain. It's
also very plentiful and easy to find in stores, making it one of the most
convenient rounds to pick up on your way to a weekend outing.
For a learning gun, you want something that
fits your hand and has controls you can reach. It can be very
tempting to settle for a gun that doesn't fit well. You might reason,
"After all, I'm only using it on the range." But what you're
using that gun for is to develop your shooting ability. The more
difficult the gun is for you to shoot, the more discouraged you will become
and the harder it will be for you to learn to shoot well.
Every job is harder if you don't have the right tools for it. The right
tool for learning to shoot is a light-kicking gun which has good sights
and a decent trigger, and which fits your hand well.
Best pick? A Ruger Mark II or Mark III for semi-automatic fans, or a Taurus
Model 94 for revolver aficionados.
It can be difficult to shop for a concealed carry gun, because concealed
carry makes a lot of conflicting demands of the firearm. It must be small,
but powerful enough to stop an attacker. It must be lightweight, but comfortable
enough to shoot that you will practice a lot with it. It must be absolutely
reliable.
The basic equation to keep in mind is that the easier the gun is to shoot,
the harder it will be to carry. And vice versa, I'm afraid. Basic physics
teaches us that weight absorbs recoil. Heavy guns, therefore, are generally
easier to shoot. But the heavier the gun is, the less you will enjoy carrying
it around all day. Small guns are easier to hide than big ones, and less
onerous to carry. But the smaller the gun, the shorter the sight
radius will be. When the sight radius is very short, the gun becomes very
unforgiving of aiming errors.
It is very important to find a gun that is small enough and light enough
for concealed carry. In my experience, the single most common reason people
stop carrying is because they chose a gun that was too big.
However, the whole purpose of carrying is to have a tool with which
you can save your own life in a moment of extreme stress and acute danger.
There's no point in having the most carryable gun in the entire world,
if you cannot rely upon it to perform when urgently needed. No matter
how easy it is to carry that tiny little gun around, if it doesn't work
when you need it, you might as well have left it at home in the safe.
Furthermore, a carry gun needs to be something you will take to the range
often enough to get good at shooting it. If the gun is very uncomfortable
to fire, or if its ammunition is so expensive that you cannot afford to
shoot it regularly, you won't get in enough practice to get good with
it. This is absolutely a critical concern. The best and most reliable
carry gun in the entire world won't do you a bit of good if you can't
hit the broad side of a bad guy with it.
Now let's discuss caliber. Here's a quote from professional firearms trainer
Tom Givens which pretty well
sums up the situation.
"A very large percentage of people who carry a concealed handgun
do not carry it as a weapon. They carry it as a good luck charm. They
think of it as a magic talisman that wards off evil, or as a rabbit's
foot. In that context, a .25 or a .32 works just as well as a major caliber
sidearm. Personally, I carry a 1911 and 2 spare mags everywhere, all the
time. It does not interfere with my life at all."
-- Rangemaster Tom Givens
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Since you're a smart person, you're not going to carry a gun simply as
a magic talisman. If you carry one at all, you'll carry it as a weapon
which someday you might need to use.1
That being the case, you absolutely want to carry a gun in an effective
caliber. To my way of thinking, a minimal effective caliber for defense
is .380 ACP. Anything less hard-hitting than that may not do what you
need it to do in the gravest extreme. However, if given a choice between
defending myself with my bare hands or using a sharp stick, I'll take
a sharp stick. If given a choice between a sharp stick or a ballistically-challenged
firearm, I'll take even a wimpy firearm over the sharp stick. Even a minimally-effective
weapon beats no weapon, any day of the week.
If you have physical issues which prevent you from carrying or shooting
a larger-caliber weapon, even a lowly .22 can be used to defend your life.
If the choice is between carrying a .22, or not carrying at all -- take
the .22 by all means.2
But don't take that to mean that every case is exceptional. For most of
us, the choice boils down to whether we are willing to be slightly uncomfortable
in order to be well-armed. And given those two choices, I'll take
uncomfortable every time. What that means is that in looking for a defensive
firearm, you should select the most powerful caliber which you will be
able to shoot well.
Incidentally, if you are afraid of recoil, you should be aware that many
people find larger calibers more comfortable to shoot than smaller ones.
Don't be afraid to sample firearms in each caliber before settling on
the one that is right for you.
Every job is harder if you don't have the right tools for it. The right
tool for concealed carry is a gun which is light enough to carry all day
and small enough to conceal, but powerful enough and reliable enough to
stop an attacker when it's needed, and which is enjoyable enough to shoot
that you will practice with it faithfully.
Best picks? A Glock 26 or an XD-9 subcompact for semi-auto fans. An S&W
Model 65 or a Taurus model 650 for revolver aficionados.
It's easier to shop for home defense handguns than it is to shop for concealed
carry handguns. All you need to do is find a gun which is comfortable
enough to shoot that you'll practice a lot with it, and which is powerful
enough and reliable enough to stop an attacker when it's needed. That's
about half of what people demand from their concealed carry guns.
In considering your choices, do not rule out the idea of a 12-gauge or
20-gauge shotgun. A comprehensive discussion of this possibility is beyond
the scope of this article, but it is worth considering.
Because you must practice with your home defense weapon, do not forget
to factor in the price of ammunition when you compare your options. Generally
speaking, 9mm ammunition is about the cheapest defense caliber ammunition
available, with .38 Special a close second. The most expensive depends
upon a lot of factors, but if you choose to go with a less-common caliber,
expect that your ammunition costs will go up and that it may be difficult
to locate a supplier who has a sufficient quantity of practice rounds.
If you choose a revolver, remember that you can select one chambered for
.357 Magnum to use in home defense, and load it with less-expensive .38
Special rounds during your regular practice. Just be certain to practice
enough with the .357 Magnum round that you remain familiar with it.
Generally speaking, a .380 ACP is about the smallest caliber recommended
for defense by most defensive firearms instructors. Does this mean it
is the best caliber for you if you are uncomfortable with recoil? Maybe.
Basic physics teaches us that weight absorbs recoil. Heavy guns, therefore,
are generally easier to shoot. But because most .380 ACP firearms are
designed for light weight and ease of carry, there are relatively few
.380-caliber guns which are truly comfortable to shoot. For this reason,
those who have difficulty dealing with recoil might consider moving one
caliber up, to 9mm, when shopping for a home defense gun.
By the way, if you are uncomfortable with sharp recoil, you should be
aware that many people find larger calibers more comfortable to shoot
than smaller ones. If you are able to rent or borrow a gun, it is worth
trying larger calibers, even if you don't think you'll like them. You
might surprise yourself.
Every job is harder if you don't have the right tools for it. the right
tool for home defense is a gun which is comfortable enough to shoot that
you will practice a lot with it and get really good, and powerful enough
and reliable enough to stop an attacker when it's needed.
Best picks? A Glock 19 or a Browning High-Power for semi-auto fans. A
Smith & Wesson 686 for revolver aficionados.
Here's where things start getting tricky. When you are purchasing a gun
with combined purposes, you have to look very carefully at which features
you need most, and which ones are available for compromise.
Learning to shoot requires a light-kicking gun with good sights and a
decent trigger. Concealed carry requires a small, light gun which is powerful
enough and reliable enough to stop an attacker when it's needed.
Which of these features can be traded away? Well, the more critical mission
is the one that takes priority. To my way of thinking, the save-your-life
mission is probably more important than the learn-to-shoot-easily mission,
so the concealed carry features probably should be given a bit more weight
than the learning to shoot features.
But that doesn't mean you disregard the learning to shoot features entirely.
You still need to take them into consideration. It is important to find
a gun that will be as easy as possible to shoot, even though its ability
to stop a deadly threat is the most important thing to consider.
While a .22LR might be the ideal caliber for learning to shoot, it is
far from being a good caliber for self defense. The reason for this is
simple: it's a deadly round, but it doesn't have a good track record at
stopping an immediate threat. So if you are serious about carrying a gun
to save your life, you will need to choose a more powerful caliber.
Barring unusual circumstances, the .380 ACP is the smallest acceptable
caliber for self-defense, according to most defensive firearms instructors.
Logically, the most appropriate handgun for someone learning to shoot
on a defense gun would therefore be a .380 ACP. Is this true for you?
Maybe.
At issue is the fact that very few .380 ACP caliber guns are designed
for shooting comfort. Most of them are designed solely for discreet carry
and are really intended for already accomplished shooters. Moving one
caliber up, to the 9mm Luger, provides a lot more choices in the number
and variety of defense guns -- many of which will be more comfortable
to shoot.
There's another reason to consider 9mm when purchasing a defensive handgun
upon which you will learn to shoot. That issue is the price of ammunition.
Because it is such a popular caliber, 9mm is probably the least expensive
of all defense rounds. This means that you'll be more likely to fire lots
and lots of rounds downrange. If your goal is to learn to shoot, you do
not want to be in the position of needing to skimp on your practice ammunition.
If you choose to go with a revolver, perhaps the ideal choice is a revolver
chambered in .357 Magnum. Remember that a gun which is chambered in .357
Magnum will also accept the much lighter-kicking .38 Special loads. What
this means is that when you are practicing, you can load the revolver
with .38 Special rounds designed for target shooting. Then when you leave
the range and load your revolver for self defense, you can load it with
hard-hitting .357 Magnum rounds.
The choice between semi-automatic and revolver can be a difficult one
to make. As with every other aspect of selecting a gun, each choice involves
trade-offs. See the article titled "Semi-Auto
or Revolver?" for more general information about that. Of
specific interest to you as a new shooter is the question of whether you
are prepared to master the more complicated operation of a semi-automatic
firearm. Truthfully, semi-autos are not that difficult to understand.
However, if you are already overwhelmed by the very idea of learning how
to shoot, the little bit of extra complexity may be more than you feel
like coping with. If this is the case, go with a revolver and don't look
back.
In addition to the choices shown in the chart below, there's one more
option that is worth exploring. It is possible to purchase a semi-automatic
firearm in 9mm or .45 ACP, and equip it with a conversion kit enabling
it to fire .22LR ammunition. At first glance this looks like the ideal
solution, and it may well be the right solution for you. It allows you
to practice with the firearm you will be using, while using much less
expensive and much lower-recoiling .22 ammunition. It's fairly easy to
convert the gun back and forth between calibers (it's not a permanent
change). The biggest benefit is that the gun's controls remain the same,
so you practice with the exact firearm you would use to defend yourself.
There are two drawbacks. First, you can expect a certain number of misfeeds
and failures-to-fire to happen when shooting .22LR in a gun which is really
designed for heavier ammunition. As long as you are only using the conversion
kit on the range and not counting on it to save your life, you could just
consider this extra practice in clearing malfunctions. The second consideration
is the price. Although a conversion kit sounds like an inexpensive
solution, it's not as frugal as one would think. Depending on the cost,
it may be possible to purchase a used .22LR handgun which will fill the
same role for the same price or only a little more.
Best picks? A Glock 26 or XD-9 subcompact for semi-auto fans. A Smith
& Wesson Model 65 for revolver aficionados.
Home defense requires a gun that you'll practice with and which is powerful
and reliable.
Concealed carry requires a gun that does all those things, and which is
small enough and light enough to tote around all day.
When you are looking for a gun to perform more than one mission, the more
critical mission is the one that takes priority. Fortunately, the defense
mission remains the same whether you are at home or in public, so your
trade-offs are going to be fairly simple.
There's no really fundamental conflict to trip you up, but you will have
to resist the temptation to select a sidearm that is really too large
for concealed carry. In my experience, the single most common reason people
stop carrying is because they chose a gun that was too big or too heavy.
The other temptation you'll need to avoid is the equal-and-opposite temptation
to choose a caliber too small for effective defense. See discussion about
this factor in the "for concealed carry"
section above.
Best picks? Glock 19 or 26, or an XD-9 compact for semi-auto fans, or
a S&W Model 65 for revolver aficionados.
Learning to shoot requires a light-kicking gun with good sights and a
decent trigger, and which fits your hand
well.
Home defense requires a gun that you'll practice with and which is powerful
and reliable.
When you are looking for a gun to perform more than one mission, the more
critical mission is the one that takes priority. To my way of thinking,
the save-your-life mission is probably more important than the learn-to-shoot-easily
mission. This means that wherever there's a conflict between the two jobs,
the decision is weighted toward guns that are better for defense.
Fortunately, since you are looking for a gun for home defense, there is
no need to look for a lightweight gun. You can look for one heavy enough
to soak up recoil, and with a barrel long enough to make it easier to
shoot accurately. This means that your trade-offs will mostly be in the
arena of caliber.
While a .22LR might be the ideal caliber for learning to shoot, it is
far from being a good caliber for self defense. The reason for this is
simple: it's a deadly round, but it doesn't have a good track record at
stopping an immediate threat. So if you are serious about carrying a gun
to save your life, you will need to choose a more powerful caliber.
It is important to find a gun that will be as easy as possible to shoot,
even though its ability to stop a deadly threat is the most important
thing to consider.
Barring really unusual circumstances, the .380 ACP is the smallest acceptable
caliber for self-defense, according to most defensive firearms instructors.
Logically, the most appropriate handgun for someone learning to shoot
on a defense gun would therefore be a .380ACP. Is this true for you? Maybe.
At issue is the fact that very few .380 ACP caliber guns are designed
for shooting comfort. Most of them are designed solely for discreet carry.
A small, lightweight gun is often more uncomfortable to shoot, and more
difficult to shoot accurately, than a larger, heavier gun. But it is hard
to find large, heavy guns chambered in .380 ACP. There are exceptions,
and these are noted in the chart below. Moving one caliber up, to the
9mm, may make sense because there will be a larger number of appropriate
firearms from which to choose.
There's another reason to consider 9mm when purchasing a defensive handgun
upon which you will learn to shoot. That issue is the price of ammunition.
Because it is such a popular caliber, 9mm is probably the least expensive
of all defense rounds. This means that you'll be more likely to fire lots
and lots of rounds downrange. If your goal is to learn to shoot, you do
not want to be in the position of needing to skimp on your practice ammunition.
If you choose to go with a revolver, perhaps the ideal choice for this
combination of needs is a heavy revolver chambered in .357 Magnum. Remember
that a gun which is chambered in .357 Magnum will also accept the much
lighter-kicking .38 Special loads. When fired out of a heavy revolver,
.38 Special target rounds produce really minimal recoil. What this
means is that when you are practicing, you can load the revolver with
this easily controlled caliber. As you become accustomed to shooting,
you may eventually work your way up to practicing with full powered loads,
or you may continue to practice with the more comfortable target rounds
even after you are an experienced shooter. When you leave the range and
load the gun for home defense, you can load it with harder-hitting .38
Special +P rounds, or with powerful .357 Magnum rounds.
The choice between semi-automatic and revolver can be a difficult one
to make. As with every other aspect of selecting a gun, each choice involves
trade-offs. See the article titled "Semi-Auto
or Revolver?" for more general information about that. Of
specific interest to you as a new shooter is the question of whether you
are prepared to master the more complicated operation of a semi-automatic
firearm. Truthfully, semi-autos are not that difficult to understand.
However, if you are already overwhelmed by the very idea of learning how
to shoot, the little bit of extra complexity may be more than you feel
like coping with. If this is the case, go with a revolver and don't look
back.
Best picks? A Glock 19 or an XD-9 for semi-auto fans. A Smith & Wesson
686 for revolver aficionados.
For a combination of all three
Home defense requires a gun that you'll practice with and which is powerful
and reliable.
Concealed carry requires a gun that does all those things, plus is small
and light enough to tote around.
Learning to shoot requires a light-kicking gun with good sights and a
decent trigger.
When you are looking for a gun to perform more than one mission, the more
critical mission is the one that takes priority. Finding a balance
between the three will require you to figure out which of the three missions
is most critical for you. It is important to note here that there is no
such thing as a gun which is perfect for every possible situation.
There are going to be trade-offs and you're going to have to be realistic
about these trade-offs.
As an example, you can always use a penny as a flathead screwdriver in
a pinch, but that doesn't make a penny the ideal tool for turning a screw.
It only means that the penny will work for that task, if it must.
Similarly, you can use a hard-kicking gun to learn to shoot, if you must.
Even though you understand that it is not the ideal tool for the learn-to-shoot
job, you may have decided that your need to have a defense gun is more
urgently important than your need to have an easy gun to learn on.
As discussed above, one option for combination-use guns that is well worth
considering is getting an adaptation kit which will allow you to fire
both .22LR and a defense caliber out of the same gun. These kits include
a replacement slide and a .22LR magazine for your semi-automatic handgun,
and are quite simple to use. Such a kit will not save you any significant
amount of money, but it does have the advantage of allowing you to use
a friendly caliber while becoming familiar with the exact gun you would
be using to defend yourself.
Now let's discuss caliber, gun weight, and recoil. The relationship between
these three factors is an important one. Here's what you need to keep
in mind:
A heavy gun = less recoil in the same caliber.
A smaller caliber = less recoil in the same weight gun.
What this means is that a smaller caliber may not always be the lightest-recoiling
firearm on the shelf. A super lightweight gun in a minor caliber often
has more, and more unpleasant, recoil than a heavier gun in a larger caliber.
If you have never tried shooting anything larger than a .380 ACP, you
just might be pleasantly surprised.
On the other end of the scale, since concealed carry is part of the mission
you will demand from this gun, you will probably want the lightest gun
you can handle on the range. As you shop, remember that lightweight guns
always seem considerably more attractive in the gunstore than they feel
on the firing line. Nevertheless, if you are planning to carry this chunk
of metal, you'll carry it more often and more comfortably if it doesn't
have much mass.
Often, manufacturers will produce the same gun in different materials,
so consumers would be able to choose which weight suits their purposes.
For instance, many of the revolvers listed on the recommendation chart
below are produced in stainless steel (heavy) and in titanium (light)
versions. And some semi-autos are produced in polymer and in all-metal
variants, for the same reason.
Finding the proper balance between "heavy enough to shoot comfortably"
and "light enough to carry" is entirely a matter of personal
taste.
Best picks? A Glock 19 or an XD-9 for semi-auto fans, or a S&W Model
65 for revolver aficionados.
Conclusion
So which gun is perfect for you? I don't know, and neither does anyone
else who doesn't wear your skin. You're the one who will need to decide
which features are most important to you, and what you are willing to
sacrifice in order to get those features.
Happy shopping!