What do you wish you'd known when buying your first handgun?

[MarkC]

I completely agree...
Back in the "day" when I started out as a LEO we all used .38's on the range and .357 in the field and given the hit rates of that era, vs todays among LEO's it did not hurt a bit. Now the .22upr vs the .45acp duty load may be a bit of a stretch but trigger time is trigger time. Dealing with the recoil is not the most difficult part of hitting with a handgun until you get to heavy hitters like .44mag and up in my opinion. Its all about front sight concentration, and trigger pull for the most part and you can learn that with anything that goes bang and shoots straight.

I had the same experience as an LEO; I didn't select my first handgun, it was selected for me, and we shot the crap out of .38 wadcutters before they let us use the oh so precious (read: expensive) .357's, and then it was only 18 of those precious rounds.

You hit the nail on the head as far as training: It's all about the basics.

 

[MarkC]

As someone who has only just recently a) bought my first pistol, b) started carrying said pistol here is what I found to be helpful.
1.) Go to the range and rent a few different pistols in a few different calibers.
2.) Find the gun that fits you and that you can shoot well
3.) Shortlist some choices and work out what sacrifices you can comfortably make. Full size v compact v subcompact. Striker v DA/SA v revolver. Safety v no safety. And so many others
4.) Do some research from credible sources - is the gun reliable, have other owners found issues with them, is there anything that the gun is missing that you might have to factor into your budget (trigger, sights, etc.)
5.) Budget. What does the pistol cost? How much is the ammo? How much is a good quality holster? How much are cleaning products?
6.) Storage. Where do you plan on keeping the gun if not on you? This is probably more important for those with younger families
7.) Take a training class. I found this really useful when I was still deciding on a pistol, and the class that I took had my primary choice (M&P9C) available to use during the class. This let me try out the pistol with a qualified instructor to help me decide if it was what I wanted.
8.) When you buy the pistol and if you decide to carry then get a good quality holster. Again after much research I settled on an AlienGear holster.
9.) Take the time to set up your holster so it is comfortable. I had to raise the clip on one side of mine to offset the cant and conceal it better. Also when wearing the holster I pulled the belt a notch tighter than I normally wear it because on my first carry I did not do this and the holster shifted a little.
10.) For semi automatics have at least one spare magazine. Murphy's Law means that it will fail when it is most inconvenient and the extra mag will help get it back into operation.


Before I settled on the M&P9C I shot the XDS9, Sig P938, FNX9, XD45, Shield, H&K VP9, Sig 1911, Glock 19, and the M&P9 full size. So there were a lot of range trips there, and I went with a pistol that fit my hand well and matched my criteria.

Wow... thought out, careful, and methodical. Good advice. Too bad today's millenials will go tl;dr!

 

[Bigtanker]

I wish I had spent money on training FIRST before I ever bought my first carry gun.

Reasons later.

Ok. Reasons.

Learning how to properly grip a pistol can make a huge difference, or keep you from making a mistake.

Case in point. Friend of mine had bought a semi auto as his first gun. Due to his incorrect grip (not sure how he was holding it) The slide kept biting him. He figured all semi autos would do this, so he sold it and bought a revolver.

Years later he wanted to up his capacity but was afraid of making the same mistake as before. He finally took some basic handgun course and realized that it was his grip causing the slide to bite him. This time he kept the revolver and bought Glock.


You don't know what you don't know until you learn it.

 

[ccomstock001]

I would agree on the impulse buy. I spent maybe a week looking at guns and I only looked in the $300 range. I decided to get an sd9ve and while I didn't completely dislike it I just wish I would have spent the little bit extra on an m&p that I now have.

 

[OakRiver]

Wow... thought out, careful, and methodical. Good advice. Too bad today's millenials will go tl;dr!

Thank you, I am boringly practical and don't have the budget to buy and trade in half a dozen guns before I find the right one for me

 

[Hohn]

Horses for courses. I bought a HD gun that I couldn't carry well-- I never really intended to carry.
A carry gun is better at HD than a dedicated HD gun may be for carry.

Nothing wrong with .40sw if the extra cost isn't a barrier to practice. I "downgraded" to 9mm because ammo cost is a factor for me.

So my learning could be summarized as : decide what role(s) the gun will fill, then assemble the system of projectile, cartridge, gun, , holster, and belt.

 

[Merk]

Comfort being critical to accuracy, I should have handled way more than I did.

 

[brogers261990]

I wish I would have had more experience in handling the 9mm and .40 S&W and the pro's/con's for each cartridge, as well as how different firearms would print on my clothes and how full sized, compact, and sub compact work with concealment. One situation where rampant enthusiasm did not pay off.

 

[DeadeyeChrista'sdad]

4 things.
A: Dont, for the love of John Browning, buy a .25. Buy a .32, a .38, .380, 9mm, whatever, but .25 is useless.
B: Save up and buy a quality gun from a known and trusted manufacturer. I love some of my "cheapies " but I'd never trust my life to them.
C: Take the time to at least fondle all of the better guns in your category of interest. Find the one or ones that fit your hand best, and seem to point themselves naturally for you. The middle of a violent confrontation is no time to work on getting over "awkward ".
D: The suggestions about a proper belt, good holster, and training are all 100% valid. Heed them.

 

[Smoker9000]

don't buy a Taurus , LOL . I guess you got to learn some how.

 

[Ddillard]

1. Learn to shoot correctly (safety, stance, target, accuracy, etc...)
2. The fit and feel the weapon in the hand.
3. The first is a lot like your first car, a learning experience in the making.
4. Don't get the gun because everyone else has it. It is a personal preference matter.
5. If you don't enjoy it now, what makes you think you will later.