Best First Guns - Every doctor is used to getting medical questions at a party, and I'm sure mechanics ask questions about auto repair in social situations. When people find out I write about guns, they inevitably ask something like, "I'm thinking about getting a gun. What's the best first gun for me?"
My usual response is to finish my snack, take a sip of my drink, and say, "Well, that's like asking what makes a good first car. The transportation needs of a 16-year-old in the city are very different from those of a sixteen-year-old on a farm in the Midwest. For the most part, it's perfect. A good first gun for smashing cans on the porch is completely different from the best first gun for shooting skeet out of the sky. People buy guns for different Reasons The best first rifle for one type of shooting sport is probably very different from the best first gun for another.
Best First Guns
We can make an educated guess as to who buys guns and why they buy them. For example, a recent survey of new gun owners conducted by the National Shooting Sports Foundation found that target shooting and self-defense are important drivers for purchasing a gun. So, for the rest of this article, we'll assume you're looking for a rifle (preferably a handgun) for target practice, home defense, and personal protection.
Choosing Your First Handgun
This is where the first problem arises. The shopping experience in most gun shops is not nearly as enjoyable as in other types of shops. Instead of grouping guns by price, size, or intended use, most gun stores group guns by brand name. This can help the store when it needs to count its inventory, but it is very confusing for a customer looking for a first weapon.
In addition, there is a lot of brand-specific technical jargon thrown around. This makes the choice even more difficult. Panic and doubt begin to creep in, quickly followed by analysis paralysis, brought on by all the decisions you have to make.
Just relax. We are currently in a golden age of guns. Your chances of choosing a truly horrible weapon are slim. In fact, there are a number of rifles designed specifically for those looking for something that's easy to shoot, carry, and maintain, yet has enough firepower to protect their lives when it matters most.
If this is your situation, I recommend starting with a compact, poly-frame, striker-fired pistol chambered in 9mm. Good examples are the Glock 19, the Smith & Wesson M&P9c, the Sig Sauer P320 Carry, the Ruger SR9-C and the FNS-9 Compact. All these guns are very reliable, safe to handle and easy to use.
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Rather than focusing on one brand name over another, let's talk about the features these guns have in common.
The guns I mentioned are scaled-down versions of full-size service pistols, such as the Glock 17 (a common law enforcement pistol) and the Sig Sauer M7 pistol (a variant of the P320, the US Army's new service pistol). The larger full size versions of these weapons work well on the belt of military and law enforcement officers. Soon there was a call for smaller versions that are easier to hide from other applications. This led to the creation of compact pistols with a 9 mm polymer frame. Speak about…
All of these guns have a frame made of a very strong plastic-like material (polymer), which forms the base of the gun. The frame holds the trigger mechanism and magazine in place. It also provides a place to mount the slide, barrel, and the rest of what makes a rifle a rifle. Contrary to what you may have heard, polymer frame guns are not invisible to metal detectors or x-ray machines. The slide, barrel, magazine, internal workings and ammo all trigger a metal detector. The gun itself shows up quite clearly on an x-ray.
The advantages of a polymer frame are that it weighs less than metal and does not rust, yet holds the gun's components securely in place. Glock was the first company to popularize the polymer frame in handguns. Since then, almost every gunmaker has followed suit.
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Speaking of Glock innovations, they were also the first company to popularize the striker-fired action in handguns. I'm a fan of hammer-fired guns, but I recognize that striker-fired guns have distinct advantages for novice gun owners. For example, their safety is typically built into the firing mechanism itself. This means the gun will not "BANG!!" until you make the conscious decision to pull the trigger (you DO remember the four rules of gun safety, right?). This comes in handy when the weapon is needed to defend a life, as you don't have to think about shoving a safe when seconds can mean the difference between life and death.
Plus, a striker-fired action gives you consistent trigger pull with every shot. The trigger pull on a striker fired rifle is not as enjoyable as on a hammer fired rifle. However, less training is required to master a consistent pull on an impact rifle compared to other types of pistol mechanisms.
The 9mm cartridge is a good balance between magazine capacity, recoil and power. If you are new to guns you may hear people talking about how the police use handguns in .40S&W. Or maybe someone is increasing the "man-stopping" firepower of the .45 ACP round.
A Glock 19 can hold 15 9mm rounds. A 1911 .45ACP magazine holds 8. Is the .45ACP twice as effective as 9mm? Not really.
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However, the fact is that modern 9mm bullets do essentially the same damage as those from .40S&W or .45ACP. As a result, police departments are switching back to 9mm from .40, giving their officers more rounds and less recoil when they fire. The same goes for the .45 ACP round. Don't get me wrong, I love my 1911; this is one of my favorite weapons. However, only eight rounds fit in the magazine, compared to, say, fifteen rounds in a Glock 19.
The modern compact 9mm is as close to the sweet spot of accuracy, firepower and concealability as ever invented. All of these guns are small enough to carry around on a regular basis and have enough bullets to get the job done. Yet they are still easy to photograph. And because they shoot the inexpensive 9mm cartridge, they are ideal for practice and training. It not only helps you become a gun owner but an educated and skilled gun owner.
You might be tempted to think that a smaller, subcompact 9mm handgun like a Glock 48 or Sig P365 is the best first handgun for you. Resist that temptation. While it's smaller and lighter than the other guns I mentioned, the reduction in size comes at a price. The smaller size means there is less mass to absorb recoil. There's also less gun to hold when the gun recoils.
You'll need to learn to shoot well with a slightly larger 9mm first, then move on to a smaller, more comfortable rifle for concealed carry.
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Pocket pistols are a great idea for people who can carry a handgun to work, but some people work in an office environment that makes it difficult to conceal even a compact 9mm. However, everything I just talked about with a subcompact 9mm is even more true with a pocket pistol. Yes, they are an excellent choice for very discreet concealed wear. No, they are not the best choice for a first gun.
Plus, it's hard to argue against the power that a long gun like a shotgun or rifle brings in a home defense situation. However, what they give you in firepower comes at the cost of flexibility. They are not so easy to deal with when moving around your house. They also have limited (if any) use outside your home, as people tend to frown when slingshots are carried into a mall these days. If you think a long gun is right for you, that's fine, but you should also consider how owning a handgun in addition to your long gun gives you even more personal protection options.
Whichever weapon you choose, practice with it regularly and purposefully. A firearm is not a talisman of self-protection that repels evil. Rather, it is a tool that caters to the skill of the user. The more skilled the user, the better the results will be when it matters most. Find the best first gun for you and take it to the shooting range so you can be the best shooter possible.
Before joining the team at , Kevin Creighton led marketing for a number of companies in the firearms industry. Kevin has been writing about guns since 2006, writing articles about the new realities of gun ownership in the US for publications such as American Hunter, Shooting Illustrated, BearingArms.com, Beretta.com and also Downrange TV. He is an active competitor in
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