Fired my first pistol and want to get one

Crazy.kayaker

Crazy.kayaker

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Got to shoot my first pistol at the HCGC range and loved it. It was an old WWII classic. An Enfield Tankers Revolver in .38 and got to fire off two full magazines (6x2=12 rounds) with no idea how I did for accuracy as I was aiming at a well ventilated target (was testing hand loads for my .308) anyways after the third round I decided I needed to get a pistol as I already have my R-PAL all I need to do is save and find a good gun to start with. I was thinking of getting a Ruger revolver in .22 that you could swap the cylinder for the .22 Magnum but I'm wondering if I should get something with a little more OOMPH but have no idea. I'm left handed so a semi is harder to handle then a revolver but not against getting one if I like it. So please let me know what type of pistol I should look at for my first starter gun.

Thanks
C.K
 
Canada Ammo just get new 1911 which has ambidextrous safety so it's better than other auto-pistol.

With 349$ (shipping included) it's a good starting point.
 
Look into a Ruger .22 pistol. Relatively inexpensive to buy and shoot. And it's accurate enough to learn on. Revolvers limit what you can do with it.
"...two full magazines..." Cylinders. Revolvers don't have magazines.
 
sarge said:
Pistols................. kiss your money goodbye, they are addictive.
Click to expand...

No ####, I have seven, plus a few revolvers.

As for a first handgun if you are looking at a revolver I would personally go for something a bit bigger, perhaps in .357Mag that way you can use .38spl to start off with.

I am also left handed and have never really had issues with any of my pistols. I only have an extended slide stop on my Kimber 1911, and I don't really miss the ambi safety on my Kimber when using my Colt.
 
I'm a lefty too. I find it easier to operate a semi than a revolver, I hit the lever with my index finger while pulling the slide back with my right hand, its a very natural movement. As already said, I've had lots of pistols, my favs are the almighty 1911, and my SW 586 .357. Course you cant go wrong with a Beretta 92fs either :)
 
If you liked the feel of his 38 then go for a classic S&W model 19 .357. A .357 can shoot both .38 Special for casual target shooting with a solid but not by any means painful kick or .357 Magnums to really light up your day. It'll be cheaper to go with the .38 Spl but keep a box or two of the Magnums around to run a few rounds through it at the end of the day just to finish up with a couple of Big Bangs and get yourself in the mood for red meat.... :D

To find one of the old classics you'll need to haunt the used listings and be patient and stand in line behind me as I get first dibs.... :D (I'll be looking seriously soon myself) The new ones are certainly available but I really don't care for the look of stainless steel guns and also the fully lugged barrels just look far too clunky to me. The extra mass almost certainly makes them easier to shoot closely spaced shots but I still need to hold the thing up and look at it and frankly to my eyes the magic just isn't there with the new styles.

If you're into a more casual pace there's the replica western revolvers. The only issue there is that they need to be loaded through that little flip out side gate that unloads and loads one at a time. But for casual range work that's hardly a gripe.

I've shot a couple of .22's now as well and some just have no real feedback other than the little pop and a hole appearing while others actually feel like you're shooting a gun. I'm in this for giggles so for me how the gun feels when it shoots is at least as important as the accuracy. I've read so much good stuff about the Ruger Single Six that I'm really looking forward to trying one at some point. It really does sound like a winner but I'd like to try one before commiting to buying. One .22 revolver I have tried is a prohibited S&W Model 34 "kit" gun. Now there is one sweet shooting gun for both feel and short range accuracy. I can only think that a 5 or 6 inch restricted only barrel on the same "J" frame along with oversized wooden grips would make for a totally great version to own.

I only shot my own first revolver a month back and it was a S&W Model19 with .38 Spl. I shocked myself at a)how nice a shooting feel it had and b)how accurate and tight a grouping it gave for very little effort and finally c) just how sweet it felt in the hand both for the overall grip and the lack of all the stuff sliding around compared to semi pistols. If you only get one handgun ever a nice older Model 19 would be a great option.
 
Desert20Eagle20Titanium.jpg


Desert Eagle .50 gold plated.
 
Start with a .22. It's cheap to shoot lots for learning, initially, and then cheap for practising later when you have more guns. Because you will. And also keep the .22 for getting curious friends into shooting.
 
I did forget to mention I do like the larger revolvers I've held. I've looked at every pistol I've seen since getting my R-PAL and love the feeling of the .357 and the .44 mag revolvers. Well the the .50 cal looks nice it's to big as I have trouble holding them I have small hands too which I forgot to mention which is why I had trouble with the semi auto's on top of the left hand issue the 9mm I took the test on my thumb couldn't reach the safety I could only reach the trigger the most important part ;) and that problems continued on every semi auto I've checked out. Though I've always loved the looks of the old 1911A in .45
 
That explains why you liked the K frame revolver. A lot of folks end up adding "filler" grips or other aftermarket grips to get the grip size out to where they are happy. In stock form the wrap is a bit tight for most bigger hands.

Search around on "smith wesson k frame" and I think you'll get back some hits on nice options. The 19 I suggested is a K frame in .38/.357.

Also if you still want to try a 9mm pistol search on YouTube for "grand power k100". It's a slightly smaller pistol sold by Marstar here in Canada and there's a bunch of vids on YT showing how it's got totally ambi controls. Dual magazine releases, dual slide releases and dual safeties/decockers. Totally left hand friendly. At worst you may need to have someone do up an extended magazine release so it's easier to get to.

It's a polymer frame with no add on side grips so there's no chance of "thinning" the grip size but if you can lay your hands on one you may find that it fits better with a couple of small changes like the magazine release lengthening. Worth a try at least. Marstar carries them at a pretty decent price.
 
I think you had it right in your original post. Go for the Ruger Single six, with the convertible mag cylinder. I love mine, nice thing about a revolver is ammo becomes much less of a concern, Floberts, cb's, stingers, I've put them all in at the same time. Find a semi that can do that! And the 22mag, gives a pretty good pop. It's still a rimfire, but it's a world of difference above 22lr. Once you've put about 3-4 bricks through that, get something bigger. Or do like I did and start with a Glock21sf in 45acp, glocks are fairly inexpensive. Whatever you do though........
BUY A HANDGUN!!
 
as far as the left safety thing goes, you have to remember to KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER TILL YOU ARE READY TO SHOOT- lots of pistols( the tok is one, in it's original form) HAVE NO SAFETY- and if you do want one, on a 1911, it's a drop in affair these days only like about 30 bucks or so- learning to shoot is another matter- 22 to begin then graduate to cf when and if you're ready
 
You might as well start off properly, buy BOTH 22 and CF pistols/revolvers :D That way you won't worry about purchacing one or the other.

Even if you only start with one, the other won't be far behind, :runaway: and so it begins...........
 
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