How to Choose a Pistol for a First-Time Buyer

It's important to do your homework before choosing your first pistol.

Your first pistol is the one you will remember forever. How you choose that first pistol depends mostly on what you plan to do with it. Also, you must consider your comfort level with the weapon and weigh that against the size of the pistol and its stopping power. In reality, budget should be the last consideration. A cheaper pistol that malfunctions when you need it is worse than having no pistol at all.

Instructions

1. Consider why you want a pistol. If this is for protection at home, you may need a different weapon than one meant for concealed carry in public. A .44 Magnum with a seven-inch barrel is not going to be a good concealed-carry weapon. On the other hand, a .22 five-shot pistol, unless you can hit a bad guy in the right spot, does not have a lot of stopping power.

2. Test the gun's feel in your hand. You must have a certain comfort level with where the grip is, where the hammer is and the size of the gun in your hand. If the barrel is too large and tilts downward when you hold it, you are probably going to want a smaller weapon. Conversely, if the barrel is too small and you can't see the peep sights well, you may want a larger gun.

3. Choose the right caliber of weapon. Understand that if you are a crack-shot marksman, a .22 will work well. If not, you essentially want as much force as possible. That way, even if you hit someone in the shoulder, he will be knocked over. Yet a .45 may have too much kickback, making accuracy difficult. A .38 or .40 is a good mid-range caliber to begin with.

4. Look for a bargain, but not a cheap pistol. As of June of 2011, a good pistol will cost you over $500. Some people sell their used quality pistols for a bargain price. Others may be brand new, but have several problems with jamming or firing pin issues that make them useless.

5. Look for a pistol with adjustable sights. There are two sights on most pistols. Line the back one up with the front one and the bullet is supposed to follow the trajectory you have given it using those sights. Sometimes it is necessary to adjust one or both sights to make sure the bullet is going where you intend it to. Without adjustable sights, you have to adjust your aim, which can be troublesome.

References

• Potter Firearms; So You Want To Start Pistol Shooting?
• Chuck Hawks; Handgun Teaching Beginner
• Chuck Hawks; First Handgun