What advice do you give to newbies regarding handguns? I am not an expert but if someone asks, I will try and pass along any thing I have learned from my shooting experience. I know that my take on things will not be right for everyone but it is better than having someone go to a gunstore compleatly green.
When someone asks what handgun they should get for self defense, I often recommend the semi-auto pistol instead of the revolver because most newbies can shoot the semi-auto better. If it is for CCW, I will recommend the snubbie because it is reliable and simple but for all other uses, the mid to full-sized semi-auto seems better.
I assume that they are going to take the time to get to know how the gun works and train with it, if I don't think they will ever shoot it after the first day, then maybe a revolver is a better option. Most of the people I know that are/were newbies, were not the type to just buy a gun and throw it in the dresser until they needed it. They were just starting out in their shooting lives and wanted some advice.
9mm is my top choice because ammo is cheap and people can afford to shoot more of it. More shooting means more practice and more practice means better shot placement. 9mm also has less recoil than .40 or .45 and is not as hard to get over the recoil issue. The .40 is the worst, I still have issues with it and I never warmed up to it. 9mm is good because most guns have a 9mm chambering so there are lots of guns to choose from. There are also many 9mm loads to choose from also.
When it comes to actions, I recommend DA only or DA/SA with a decocker and no safety. Keep it as simple as possible. SA guns are not the best choice for most beginners IMO.
SIGs, the Ruger decocker pistols (esp. the P-95), Kahr, Glock and several others seem to make the most sense.
When someone asks what handgun they should get for self defense, I often recommend the semi-auto pistol instead of the revolver because most newbies can shoot the semi-auto better. If it is for CCW, I will recommend the snubbie because it is reliable and simple but for all other uses, the mid to full-sized semi-auto seems better.
I assume that they are going to take the time to get to know how the gun works and train with it, if I don't think they will ever shoot it after the first day, then maybe a revolver is a better option. Most of the people I know that are/were newbies, were not the type to just buy a gun and throw it in the dresser until they needed it. They were just starting out in their shooting lives and wanted some advice.
9mm is my top choice because ammo is cheap and people can afford to shoot more of it. More shooting means more practice and more practice means better shot placement. 9mm also has less recoil than .40 or .45 and is not as hard to get over the recoil issue. The .40 is the worst, I still have issues with it and I never warmed up to it. 9mm is good because most guns have a 9mm chambering so there are lots of guns to choose from. There are also many 9mm loads to choose from also.
When it comes to actions, I recommend DA only or DA/SA with a decocker and no safety. Keep it as simple as possible. SA guns are not the best choice for most beginners IMO.
SIGs, the Ruger decocker pistols (esp. the P-95), Kahr, Glock and several others seem to make the most sense.