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For people wanting to know what handgun they should get...It depends. If one has no experience with firearms, they should consider a revolver to start with because of safety and ease of use i.e. no safety, no slide release, no mag release, no de-cocker etc... There are however some autos that are double action only, in other words they have a long trigger pull like a revolver even after the first round is fired. Most autos have a hair trigger after the first round is fired because they are then cocked. Things like trigger pull, grip and sights can be adjusted and personalized so don't rule out a firearm just over that. Anyway, I'm just saying that a Glock or something similar may be a bit advanced for the newbie. Then again, if you have time, money and access to good training you could just start with an auto. My wife's first pistol was a .38 snub nose revolver, but she is now ready for that 9mm auto. Which leaves us (me) with a nice little boot gun (back-up). As far as calibers, if you can't consistently hit a target with a big .45 because of the size or recoil then you better hope the noise will scare them off and that you don't hit someone else! P.S. extra mags, extra mags, extra mags! Speaking of mags. The spring in mags will "set" and weaken if stored at full capacity for extended periods of time. Rotate loaded mags once in a while, leaving one empty. You can also leave a round or two out so the spring will have less tension and so less likely to "set". Most weapon jams (especially in m-16 & AR type guns) are a result of damaged or dirty magazines and weak springs. Take care of them! There are some quality AR type mags out there such as Brownell's and Mag-pull. Don't spare that expense! Charles/ Federal LEO
Hi Charles,
I mostly recommend Glock as well to new shooters because I’ve seen it’s the one people that have never fired a firearm before perform the best with in terms of accuracy.
Now for someone that isn’t going to do the minimum required training to be proficient with an auto pistol( that involves at least one defensive pistol class and around 500-1000 rounds fired) I’d recommend a revolver as well.
Glock 19 pic by Kattanapilot
(other than the minimum safety basics) I’d recommend a hammerless 2” barrel snubby revolver. Something that can be kept loaded and instinctively used when fine motor skills fail.
Preferably, the person would take some
defensive training and would know how to handle an auto well under pressure, taking advantage of more ammo capacity.
FerFAL
4 comments:
I took my wife to the range for the first time to shoot an old fashioned .38 S&W revolver with a 2 inch barrel and a Glock 19 at 7 meter silhouette targets.
She's kind of old fashioned and liked the way the .38 revolver looks and hated the way the "modern" plastic Glock looks.
I started her on the Glock 9mm and even though she had never fired any handgun before, she was hitting dead center immediately and didn't have any fear of the sound, recoil, etc.
Then I gave her the .38 S&W and she couldn't hit the side of a barn, and the sound and recoil caused her to stop firing after only a couple of rounds. Now she loves and shoots the Glock and doesn't even talk about the way it looks. :)
My .38 is now my vehicle gun. It is my backup weapon (New York reload), it doesn't leave any shell casings after shooting it (no evidence - just in case I want to take off), and since I carry my Glock in a hip holster the .38 is easier to get to in an emergency when I am seatbelted in.
I am rather leery of recommending a snubby for someone's first pistol. They're not easy to shoot. They've got a heavy trigger, lousy sights, a sharp recoil (particularly the lightweight ones) and low capacity. As Gabe Suarez said in a class last weekend, "A j-frame is only simple for the first five shots".
If I was going to recommend a revolver to a new shooter, I would recommend a full size gun, not a snubby. They still have a limited capacity (though normally six, rather than five), but they have better sights and a longer sight radius, less recoil. The trigger is still heavy, but a larger gun and grip make it easier to deal with.
Really, though, unless someone really can't work a semi-auto, I probably wouldn't recommend a revolver.
Can you shoot an auto with only one hand?
I'm thinking a revolver can be shot with only one hand.
Might be useful to know if you've only got one hand free, or if you've only got one arm.
For a long time a .38 snubby revolver was the only gun I kept loaded and accessible though I had other options. It was in the nightstand by the bed (and I carried it also). Sorta figured that at 2am in the dark if 5 shots didn't suffice I was out of luck anyway. When we lived in the RV I kept a full sized revolver in the same spot. I like that clearing a malfunction with revolvers is done by firing again.
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