I took my first gun safety course today, shooting a rented Ruger SR9, never ever having fired a gun in my life at 65 years of age. I was very nervous, sweating, hands shaking, anxious times 10. Whew, but I made it through and somehow was fun through all my preconceived anti gun safety fears. So now it's onward and upward with renting other guns at the range to decide what I want to buy for a first gun. So here are my first target results at a whopping 15 feet, guaranteed distance for success.
Your choice will depend on what you want it for, i.e., target, home defense, carry, hunting, etc. Rifle, pistol, shotgun? Nice shooting for the first time, by the way.
find something that fits you. you'll pick something up and it will immediately speak to you - that's what matters most. As far as pistols go, HK's, and 1911's fit me best
Not hunting, not carry, recreation yes, I'll keep it at home but probably will be some time before I'm proficient enough to defend the homestead. Truth be told, of course I realize I will never use it to defend my home. It will be stored at the lowest level of readiness until I have a fuck of an idea what I'm doing. I'm no cop want to be, Rambo, geezer prepper. My motorcycle background gives me a healthy respect for safety. Still I'd like to have a firearm with stopping power in the house if in the slim chance that it being there could save my bacon. It sure as hell can't if its not there.
Get a large frame revolver. Very easy to shoot! Or a 22 pistol of some kind. You can't go wrong with a 22lr. Also get a nice pellet pistol or rifle to practice at home. (and a bag of green plastic army men).
If you are looking for a handgun, I would recommend a 22 rimfire along the lines of a Browning Buckmark 22, a Ruger 22/45, or even a Ruger SR22. This way, you can shoot a bit cheaper, and hone your skills. If you find that you really enjoy it, then get a centerfire pistol.
If home defense is the primary "need" then a tactical shotgun is what I'd suggest. 870 rem or one of the like clones will do nicely and not break the bank.
Same boat here. Shot my first gun recently, because I too would like something. Mine will be for home defense. So I'm thinking a pistol type gun would be out. I want to take aiming out of the equation. I shot at a local range with my son. Tried three different guns, one of which was a 45?, I think. That had some kick. I would not want that in a panic situation. The gun I really took a liking to was a Sig 9mm? But the doods at the range said that is too small to do what I need. So what to believe? This thread will hopefully developed into some great education.
Well, the OP fired the SR9, a semi-auto pistol touted as compact enough to be a back-up gun for LEOs or a carry piece for civvies. I like Rugers (I own a .357 GP100) but based on what the OP's posted, I'd recommend a larger piece (say, a Sig) chambered in 9mm. Best balance in stopping power and controllable recoil for someone learning. Remember, a firearm is simply a tool. You control it 100%, the same way you'd control a knife, table saw, or back-hoe (obviously with different specific safety precautions). Don't be nervous, just remember to be precise and careful. Actually, gunfights can occur at much closer ranges. Don't diminish your accomplishment. For self defence training, consider being able to hit a target at 15 (or fewer) feet, with your heart pumping like you just won the Tour de France (fight or flight). Once you start to get proficient with whatever weapon you choose, look at doing some stress innoculation - suggestion: have the weapon safe on a shooting bench on a live range. (With RSO's permission) crank off a few squat-thrusts followed by some push-ups. Then pick up the weapon and try to engage the target.
guns are dangerous and should be avoided at all costs. btw try moving the pad of your finger over toward your right, you are consistently shooting left too much finger on the trigger
Samthg, there is nothing wrong with a Sig 9mm. With good ammo and practice it is a solid system. Most importantly, affordable practice ammo is usually readily available. The best gun is the one you practice with and are comfortable with. Do not overlook a full size .357 revolver as already mentioned above. It is easy to learn with, you can shoot light .38 loads and build up to full power .357 magnum defense loads. It is extremely versatile and great to learn on. I too really like the Ruger 4" barreled GP 100. Just like with bikes, try as many as you can and get what works best for you!
.22 of some sort. Autos are faster to reload and easier to shoot well than revolvers. Cheap, fun and no reloading involved. Ruger Mark 2 or 3 are pretty hard to beat. You can get something bigger later. Everyone has to own a .22.
I have been giving this same advice for several decades. IMHO there is no better way for a 'beginner' to start his/her collection/addiction (unless they can afford to start with more than one firearm). Of course no beginner ever wants to listen, all they see on TV and in movies is automatics, revolvers are not 'cool' anymore. They are also more expensive to manufacture and that carries over to retail price (although for the price of a new Sig you should be able to find a .357 and a .22). Most revolvers (once you get past the really cheap crap) have better triggers, that won't matter when 'something goes bump in the night' but will when you are practicing and gaining confidence. It is far easier to clear a revolver and to double check that it really is clear. It is also much easier for someone who hasn't had lots of hours of training and practice to clear a revolver while keeping the muzzle in a safe direction. A .22 be it auto or revolver is a great learning tool, I doubt that I will ever be without a few but IF you are only going to have one handgun (at least for a while) the .38/.357 (the .357 is just a longer, more powerful version of the .38 so .38's will fit and function in a .357 but not the other way around) is far more versatile. It will cost more to feed (in theory) but finding .22 ammo has not been particularly easy this year so that may balance out. The myth that a shotgun is the best home defense gun because you don't have to aim ranks right up there with the one that says that the sound of racking a round into a pump shotgun will scare away any potential attacker. Try shooting a close (15', i.e. across a fairly large room) range target with your choice of any load and see how much that pattern covers, probably 2-4". Bruce
If your going to buy a gun that you want to shoot on a regular basis, get a .40 caliber as thats the only ammo thats readily available (in my area anyways). If your carrying for protection and arent comfortable with handguns, get the revolver. They are the most reliable and not a whole lot of thought process goes into using one. Thats what I bought my wife to carry. My only issues with revolvers are that they kind of stink as a range and plucking gun and they take longer to reload even with a speed loader. I always have the dilemma whether to carry the .45 (why shoot twice ) or the CZ 9mm (18 shots). Its a coin toss.
sure glad someone pointed out how small a pattern a shotgun throws out at close range with say OO buck. what ever type weapon you get .. practice, practice, practice.. someone already suggested an air pistol. practice with an air pistol transfers over to firearms. fire that air pistol a few thousand rounds .. you cannot help but get better. my fav is an old Benjamin .177 pump up. all brass with weight and feel of firearm. setup a simple box target say 15ft away from your desk. fire away all day long ... no one has asked .. what is your budget?
I always suggest that people start with a .22lr. One, they're cheap(-ish) to shoot and it's always a good idea to have one--even if it ends up being your only gun. If you end up with a room full of guns, there's always a place for a .22 in the line up. For rifles, I think it's hard to be the Ruger 10/22. For pistols, my preference is for Browning Buckmarks, then Ruger 22/45s. Shoot those until all the basics are dialed in. By then, you should have a better idea of what you want in a piece. Then look for something like that. IMHO, the Glock 19 (9mm) with a .22lr conversion kit is a really good next step--IF the pistol fits your hand and one can grasp keeping the finger off the trigger. But no matter what, get a .22lr first and go from there. *If* you need a self/home defense gun between now and getting something bigger/better later, at least you'll have something and the practice that the gun and ammo allows for makes it more likely that you'll be proficient in its use. Remember, hits with a .22 are better than misses with something else. Oh, here's a good picture (right hand, reverse for left) of how to "read" the grouping: http://www.adjunct.diodon349.com/at...or_analysis_and_correction_files/image002.gif
Another vote for .22lr. This isn't a brag........well, ok, maybe it's what the hipsters call a humblebrag, but I'm pretty damned good with a rifle a good with a handgun and I believe it is all because I spent thousands of hours behind .22lr chambered weapons. They're the cheapest to shoot and cheapest to buy so you can do it more often. Nothing, and I mean nothing, replaces repetitive practice at the range. For semi-auto's I think it's hard to go wrong with the Browning Buckmark or Ruger 22/45. As mentioned earlier, these are reliable, easy to operate, and offer a lot of shots between re-loads. But I'll also put in a big vote for a .22lr revolver. Simple to operate and the fact that you have to work a little harder in order to "spray and pray" means that you're concentrating more on things like aim, technique, and form. Taurus bashing seems to be popular, but their Tracker series in .22lr has been reliable for me and gives you a full size frame (great in preparation for that eventual .357 purchase) in .22lr without breaking the bank. With a revolver you'll spend more time re-loading, but that means more time thinking. That thinking part is THE MOST IMPORTANT part of learning to shoot, IMHO.