What's a good first pistol

[Pietro Beretta]

Don't get a .22 lol. It quickly becomes old fast. It's great for teaching children or large volume plinking were larger calibres are unsuitable.

If you want a REAL handgun or caliber.....as a new shooter, get a 9mm. It's cheaper than most other calibres like .45Auto or .357 Mag or whatever, and it's still fun to shoot. Not too powerful, has light recoil, but still an adequate round.

If you like the feel of the Glock 17, I highly recommend it. Cheap pistol too...NIB $700 around, and will last a lifetime. Super accurate 9mm also. Probably the most accurate handgun I've ever owned, second to my HK MARK 23

Or whatever 9mm pistol floats your boat. Beretta 92FS/M9, a Sig P226, HK USP 9, whatever you like.

But for a new shooter... 9mm Luger is the ultimate choice. Cheap,, light recoil, fun to shoot, and still a REAL caliber. not some Mickey Mouse Two-Two lol no offense to the 22 fan club.


Glock 17 (3rd Gen) 9X19 NIB ......Get it

 

[luckey]

Congratulations first!

Don't waste time on .22. To build a good fundamental, Any handgun would do as long as you have a proper stance(which is easy to begin with standard isosceles) which will counter the recoil to nothing. then two-hand grip with "steady and slow" pull will take care of the trigger pull. I don't buy the .22 will be better for new guys theory because recoils are all different with different calibers and to different person as well due to strength and technique.

I am not a strong or big guy, but started with .45ACP(SR1911) and .40S&W(MP40)[because ammos are easier to get in these two calibers), with around 1000 rounds practice in 4 months(almost every weekend), I can get to where I want on target @ 7 meters and going to 10 meters now. Then, a couple days ago I got the chance to try others' 357 magnum and .44 magnum(never shot them before in my life), yes, the recoil was considerably much bigger, but still managable and I got most of my shots to the spots just like what I did with single-action.

I did buy some books for fundamentals and watch youtube channels from Jerry Miculek and a few others for the basics. That, I think it's more important than what caliber to choose. Having said all that, A gun with better trigger will make the learning easy, but people always say worse trigger makes better shooter. So, just set your budget and get anything you like where the ammo is easy and cheap to come by so that you can constantly practice and have fun. Then you are all set.

I finally took my restricted on the weekend. So now for the next 45 days I'll be ubsessing over what pistol(s) to buy.

I'd like to get good at shooting pistols. So I'm thinking a .22 would be good for getting me lots of trigger time. I've been looking into the Ruger 22/45. Is there any other .22 pistol I should consider?
I'd also like a get a 9mm as I already have a good supply of 9mm ammo.
I'm thinking either a P226 or HK P30. But I'm open to suggestions.

 

[Bigfoot 870]

 

[Mark-II]

22lr= used Ruger MKII target
9mm= CZ 75/85 or SP01
357= S&W 66 or TRR8/R8

Quoted for truth. Skip the Mk3 with its fugly chamber indicator, plastic, and mag safety. The 2 is excellent. There are doubtless better and more accurate pistols, but there are many more worse ones! For variety a Smith model 17, or similar can be added to the list.

CZ Shadow is hard to beat. I'm breaking mine in and I like it more than the 9mm 1911 already.

And a revolver in .357 is the quintessential and most essential wheel gun. it can shoot as soft as a .22 or as hard as you could want it. The versatility is unmatched.

 

[Import]

.22lr Gsg....lots of fun..
Shadow....just awesome..( maybe the only pistol you'll ever need....lol..gonna get flamed for this one )
Maybe a 45lc wheel gun...just for sh^%s & giggles...

 

[Madmardigan]

Geeze. No love for the .22. Lol.
I'll still probably get one, I know the wife will enjoy it. And if I do to, that's ok. But I'll get that after I get my main pistol.

I'm decided on 9mm, as I have close to 1000 rounds it in my safe and no gun to shoot it. Plus I'm quite fond of that caliber. I'm also hoping whatever 9 I choose it'll have a .40cal counterpart so I can use the .40 mags. Having (close to) normal capicaty mags would make me very happy.
I have shot handguns before. I've shot a Norinco and Kimber 1911's, and a 92fs. Believe it or not, I was most accurate with that Norinco. But I'm sure that has something to do with the fact it was a full size pistol and the others didn't fit my hand to good.
I would say I'm ok (maybe less) with pistols, but I'm determined to get good.
My budjet is +/- $1000, but if I find something cheaper that's ok too.

I just sent away my papers this week, so I'll have lots of time to ponder and ubsess.
I'm sure I'll go back and forth. At the moment I'm really digging he looks of the CZ-75. Not that it matters, right? I'll probably go back and forth on what I want, but it'll probably come down to what fits my hands best, and whats available.
Whatever I get, it will be quality. I've learnd a while ago to, buy once cry once.

 

[luckey]

I am the opposite. got a P226 due to the amazing irungun sale, but no ammo to shoot it. Lol...

based on what you said, mainly the part "9mm with .40 counterpart) , even though cz75 and ppq m2 etc are good, the best option should be P226 with the x-change kit. While the main gun without promotion is like US$900 right now for .40 and US$1200 for 9mm, the x-change kit is like US$300. So, you will have two great guns for US$1500 which is definitely cheaper than buying cz75 and ppq m2 because you have to buy 9mm and 40 separately.

then if you want to save money to buy extra mags etc, MP40 and glock 22 are good choice with 9mm conversion barrel options avaliable. note that for these two, you can only convert 40 to 9mm, not the other way around like P226 kit because P226 kit changes the whole slide as well from SIG, while mp40 and g22 only changes barrel from 3rd party. I have all 3 guns and can say from my personal experience that they are all good in their ways, depending on what you goal is. mine is to pick up anything and shoot good. So, I don't limit myself to what gun I will or will not buy.

Geeze. No love for the .22. Lol.
I'll still probably get one, I know the wife will enjoy it. And if I do to, that's ok. But I'll get that after I get my main pistol.

I'm decided on 9mm, as I have close to 1000 rounds it in my safe and no gun to shoot it. Plus I'm quite fond of that caliber. I'm also hoping whatever 9 I choose it'll have a .40cal counterpart so I can use the .40 mags. Having (close to) normal capicaty mags would make me very happy.
I have shot handguns before. I've shot a Norinco and Kimber 1911's, and a 92fs. Believe it or not, I was most accurate with that Norinco. But I'm sure that has something to do with the fact it was a full size pistol and the others didn't fit my hand to good.
I would say I'm ok (maybe less) with pistols, but I'm determined to get good.
My budjet is +/- $1000, but if I find something cheaper that's ok too.

I just sent away my papers this week, so I'll have lots of time to ponder and ubsess.
I'm sure I'll go back and forth. At the moment I'm really digging he looks of the CZ-75. Not that it matters, right? I'll probably go back and forth on what I want, but it'll probably come down to what fits my hands best, and whats available.
Whatever I get, it will be quality. I've learnd a while ago to, buy once cry once.

 

[silverfoxdj]

.22lr Gsg....lots of fun..
Shadow....just awesome..( maybe the only pistol you'll ever need....lol..gonna get flamed for this one )
Maybe a 45lc wheel gun...just for sh^%s & giggles...

I'm in for really nice 22's that are acurate and then some 9mm's to round it out..

 

[Darky]

I bought a M&P 9mm for my first one I've never regretted that.

 

[nugunner]

I finally took my restricted on the weekend. So now for the next 45 days I'll be ubsessing over what pistol(s) to buy.

I'd like to get good at shooting pistols. So I'm thinking a .22 would be good for getting me lots of trigger time. I've been looking into the Ruger 22/45. Is there any other .22 pistol I should consider?
I'd also like a get a 9mm as I already have a good supply of 9mm ammo.
I'm thinking either a P226 or HK P30. But I'm open to suggestions.

My first two were Smith and Wesson M&P9 and M&P22. Very similar, though not quite identical. This is good for training as the controls and feel in your hand are very similar. I will upgrade the trigger of the 9mm and possibly do the sights on both. They do fit in the same holsters.

 

[VanMan]

It really does depend on the type of shooting you want to do. For bullseye and target shooting, it's tough to compete with a fixed barrel .22 as the design is inherently more accurate. Here's one of my better 25 meter scores with my trusty Ruger 22/45. I've also got Smith and Wesson Model 41's, High Standards, Buckmarks, Medalists, and a Walther GSP - but the limiting factor is my aging eyes, so the the Ruger with a red dot is the easiest for me to be accurate with.

Here's my best with a STI Targetmaster in 45acp. Probably do better with more trigger time on this Targetmaster. The stock STI trigger is a really nice 4-5lbs, but doesn't compare to the ~2lbs I've got my target .22's down to. In the end, paper doesn't really care what caliber is punching holes in it.

Now for a different kind of fun, it's 9mm all the way
View attachment 24592

Geeze. No love for the .22. Lol.
I'll still probably get one, I know the wife will enjoy it. And if I do to, that's ok. But I'll get that after I get my main pistol.

I'm decided on 9mm, as I have close to 1000 rounds it in my safe and no gun to shoot it. Plus I'm quite fond of that caliber. I'm also hoping whatever 9 I choose it'll have a .40cal counterpart so I can use the .40 mags. Having (close to) normal capicaty mags would make me very happy.
I have shot handguns before. I've shot a Norinco and Kimber 1911's, and a 92fs. Believe it or not, I was most accurate with that Norinco. But I'm sure that has something to do with the fact it was a full size pistol and the others didn't fit my hand to good.
I would say I'm ok (maybe less) with pistols, but I'm determined to get good.
My budjet is +/- $1000, but if I find something cheaper that's ok too.

I just sent away my papers this week, so I'll have lots of time to ponder and ubsess.
I'm sure I'll go back and forth. At the moment I'm really digging he looks of the CZ-75. Not that it matters, right? I'll probably go back and forth on what I want, but it'll probably come down to what fits my hands best, and whats available.
Whatever I get, it will be quality. I've learnd a while ago to, buy once cry once.

 

[animalamidon]

good plan on the ruger 22/45. excellent pistol.

 

[Matty308]

I'm another one who doesn't buy the 22 for first gun. The only thing a 22 has over other options is it's cheaper to shoot. Butit's nothing like shooting a center fire pistol so I don't believe it's worth it. Your much better off getting whatever caliber and gun you want and just dry firing instead, that will put you leaps and bounds ahead of buying a 22 and then having to learn to shoot 9mm after anyways because it's totally different.

 

[CV32]

Don't waste time on .22. To build a good fundamental, Any handgun would do as long as you have a proper stance(which is easy to begin with standard isosceles) which will counter the recoil to nothing. then two-hand grip with "steady and slow" pull will take care of the trigger pull. I don't buy the .22 will be better for new guys theory because recoils are all different with different calibers and to different person as well due to strength and technique.

You don't accept the .22 idea because you appear to be hung up on recoil. Buying a .22 has nothing to do with trying to avoid recoil.

 

[Cocked&Locked]

Buy the 22. You can learn 99% of everything you need to learn about shooting with a 22. Recoil managment only matters if your shooting IPSC or IDPA on the clock, and you can still learn the forms for it on the 22. Most people say "skip the 22 because it's boring". If all you want is bang and recoil, then it is, but if you want to learn to shoot accurately and well, it's the second best tool you will ever have. (the first is dry firing)

The main factors to shooting well will be your grip, stance, breathing, trigger control and follow thru. Those don't change no matter what you shoot. A 22 lets you focus on those with out being distracted by muzzle blast or recoil. Once you have those mastered, it's easy to learn to ignore the muzzle blast and recoil and you'll shoot better for it. I wish i had a dollar for every shooter who's first pistol was a 9 or 40 and they have the sights set 6 inches high and 2 inches left or right to compensate for their instinctive flinch or unconscious pull into the recoil....

Any Mk 3 ruger will be an excellent pistol, as with the Browning buckmark. The gsg will be fun because it looks and handles like a 45, but if you work at it, you will be able to out shoot it in 3 months. The buck mark or the Mk 3 with ammo they like will challenge you all your life, or until your ready for the Olympics (ok, maybe not quite that good, but better then 98% of shooters)

There are no dog's in the race for 9mm. But for range plinking and begining target practice, a 226 or a Beretta are good choices, or a CZ of some description.

It's hard to go wrong with a 686 or a 66 for that matter..but you save a bit with a GP 100 and still have a nice shooter.

Best of luck and have fun!

 

[CV32]

Buy the 22. You can learn 99% of everything you need to learn about shooting with a 22. Recoil managment only matters if your shooting IPSC or IDPA on the clock, and you can still learn the forms for it on the 22. Most people say "skip the 22 because it's boring". If all you want is bang and recoil, then it is, but if you want to learn to shoot accurately and well, it's the second best tool you will ever have. (the first is dry firing)

The main factors to shooting well will be your grip, stance, breathing, trigger control and follow thru. Those don't change no matter what you shoot. A 22 lets you focus on those with out being distracted by muzzle blast or recoil. Once you have those mastered, it's easy to learn to ignore the muzzle blast and recoil and you'll shoot better for it. I wish i had a dollar for every shooter who's first pistol was a 9 or 40 and they have the sights set 6 inches high and 2 inches left or right to compensate for their instinctive flinch or unconscious pull into the recoil....

Well put.

 

[JCMarin]

Same as many others, start with 9mm. Your options are excellent pistols. My favorite is pl30 h&k. It is expensive but reliable and accurate. I like the decocker for competition and it is very light. I own a CZ too and it is also a wonderful pistol. My recoomandation is to try them first and se the one that fits in your hand.

 

[luckey]

Well, I guess in a discussion, I do have to cover everything even though I don't want to type a full article about it. first, like 'Cocked&Locked' said, "A 22 lets you focus on those with out being distracted by muzzle blast or recoil.", it IS about recoil. you could say it help newbie by elimimate one "distracting" factor out of the learning equation which could be a good thing , then on the flip side, one can also argue that it you are taking one of the real factor that does affect the shooting which may cause issue later. for example, with much lighter recoil, one doesn't have to be in a perfect stance with wrist and elbow locked really tight. this actually masks a potential problem which the newbie has to correct later. With bigger "normal" recoil gun, this shows more obvious which forces the user to corret it right away. So, if one has to make sure of this anyway, why split it into two steps, hence the not 100% accurate(depnding on the learning approach one likes to take as mentioned above), but kind of true statement "don't waste time on .22". I don't discriminate caliber based on the recoil, but focus on the effectiveness and efficiency of the learning curve.
One exception is that if the shooter will only be focusing on olympic styple accuracy shooting, then .22 is all they need.

You don't accept the .22 idea because you appear to be hung up on recoil. Buying a .22 has nothing to do with trying to avoid recoil.

 

[luckey]

first, I will say I 100% agree with what you said on what are the important things about learning shooting.

Then, I think you comment below was misleading and contradicted with what you just said youself "The main factors to shooting well will be your grip, stance, breathing, trigger control and follow thru. Those don't change no matter what you shoot". If a shooter who started with a bigger caliber gun had the issues as you mentioned below, the root cause still lays on lacking of the proper fundamentals. bigger caliber will amply those flaws and force them to fix it. I am NOT an excellent shot in any way and still pretty green(just started learning 4 months ago with almost NO any gun experience, a few times with rifles and handguns 20 years ago at range, 10/20 rounds maybe). Then during the club safety shoot, with the RO's instructions on basics(along some of the books and youtube videos), I was able to get really tight grouping with .45 @ 7 meters as long as I am concentrated. I am not a big strong guy at all. So, while I agree what you said, by using .22 would help the shooter to learn, I don't think it's necessary and learning from bigger calibers would force you focus on basics and eventual shrink learning time.
Of course, as anything else, it depends on one's goal, accuracy target shooting, or IPSC/IDPA style etc., big and small calibers are not all exclusive to each other.

...........I wish i had a dollar for every shooter who's first pistol was a 9 or 40 and they have the sights set 6 inches high and 2 inches left or right to compensate for their instinctive flinch or unconscious pull into the recoil....

 

[CV32]

Well, I guess in a discussion, I do have to cover everything even though I don't want to type a full article about it. first, like 'Cocked&Locked' said, "A 22 lets you focus on those with out being distracted by muzzle blast or recoil.", it IS about recoil. you could say it help newbie by elimimate one "distracting" factor out of the learning equation which could be a good thing , then on the flip side, one can also argue that it you are taking one of the real factor that does affect the shooting which may cause issue later. for example, with much lighter recoil, one doesn't have to be in a perfect stance with wrist and elbow locked really tight. this actually masks a potential problem which the newbie has to correct later. With bigger "normal" recoil gun, this shows more obvious which forces the user to corret it right away. So, if one has to make sure of this anyway, why split it into two steps, hence the not 100% accurate(depnding on the learning approach one likes to take as mentioned above), but kind of true statement "don't waste time on .22". I don't discriminate caliber based on the recoil, but focus on the effectiveness and efficiency of the learning curve. One exception is that if the shooter will only be focusing on olympic styple accuracy shooting, then .22 is all they need.

Starting with a .22, especially if you are completely new to handguns, is hardly "a waste of time". I wouldn't steer anyone away from buying a centerfire handgun first, if that's what they really want, but there is good value in buying a .22 as a start.

They're relatively cheap, as compared to centerfires, as is the ammo. This is important, because you will only attain skill with practice, and practice (other than dry fire) doesn't come cheap. With a rimfire, you can begin to perfect the most important factors of shooting a handgun - things like stance, grip, sight picture, trigger finger - without busting your wallet.

If you're shooting a centerfire, and can only afford the time or money to shoot just a little, its very easy to practice mistakes and in the process do more damage than good.

As for recoil, if you're doing things correctly, it should be virtually a non-factor. Certainly its way down the list as compared to those factors previously mentioned. Watch a video of any top notch competitive shooter running their 9mm. You'd swear that their gun wasn't recoiling at all, just the slide moving straight back and forth.