Caliber Choice

[coyotewhisper]

I will be buying a fire arm, it will be my first gun. I'm curious in what caliber do you guys like the most for a handgun? In Arkansas you have a concealed gun permit.

Does a big caliber fire arm equal to more recoil? Do you prefer a revolver or a glock style hand gun?

 

[Mick]

The bigger the bang the harder the recoil so yes, a 44 magnum will have more recoil than a .22 automatic

My favorite caliber is .22 LR.

My favorite handgun to fire this round in is a Martini action Hammerli

 

[ksb63]

Whatever fits your hand and you can wear concealed easily. I would pick from. 9, 40, and 45.

 

[martym]

40 cal
Great stopping power
Glock or H & K

 

[Rockminer]

A good rule of thumb is to try to handle and shoot as many types of guns as possible. With todays prices to rent a gun, coupled with the price to buy ammo, it keeps a lot of people from being able to try a bunch of options. Personally I would shy away from a revolver only because there are plenty of options that don't limit you to six rounds. I would look and try to decide if you like the single or double stack semi auto's. Thickness of the gun is harder to conceal but offer more rounds. I would then recommend you buy a well known brand as opposed to a lesser known cheaper gun. A lot of people will tell you to buy the smallest gun and learn to shoot it. I would recommend you buy the biggest gun you can comfortably shoot and still be able to conceal it. You can always buy a small gun down the road if you need a pocket pistol.

As far as caliber? Chris Costa said it better than I could so I linked the vid. If you don't want to watch the whole video, skip to the 14:55 mark.

 

[Commander Quan]

Try to visit a range where you can rent a variety of handguns in various calibers If you go with a friend or 2 you can split boxes of ammo which can cut down on the cost as well as save your hands and thumbs. Shooting 200+ rounds yourself can start to seam like work.

Revolvers can sting more than a semi auto because a semi auto uses part of the energy to push the slide back to chamber the next round. If you shoot a revolver practice shooting it double action, (full trigger pull, full trigger weight) the way you would if you were in a bad situation.

Revolvers are all pretty much the same design wise. Semi autos have various features that can be advantageous or not for your preferred use. Such as an external safety, Single/Double action, Single action only, or safe action striker fired.

For CC I am currently carrying a snub nose 38 special revolver. It's not that much fun to shoot, but it easy to carry and comfortable, which is the point.
9mm can be small but most are designed to hold a double stack mag which will hold more rounds, but weigh more, and are thick, my Glock 26 is a doesn't get out much because of this, but the recoil is very manageable. A full sized 9mm is a blast to shoot, but not very concealable unless you dress around the gun. Occasionally my Sig gets to ride shotgun but only when I decide to take it out with the right pant and shirt combination.

 

[noahpictures]

I will be buying a fire arm, it will be my first gun. I'm curious in what caliber do you guys like the most for a handgun? In Arkansas you have a concealed gun permit.

Does a big caliber fire arm equal to more recoil? Do you prefer a revolver or a glock style hand gun?

Generally revolvers hold five to six cartridges. I prefer pistols because I am more comfortable with them and prefer larger capacity hand guns. The larger the caliber the more recoil. The lighter the gun the more recoil. I like .40 S&W because it's a great compromise between power and capacity.

In my opinion it's important to consider a first time gun owner's height, weight, grip when choosing a caliber.

 

[ysuboy]

A .40 is a great middle. You get near the capacity of the 9mm with almost the stopping power of the .45. None of these guns have substaintial kick. I bought a compact .45 for my first handgun.

Remember to get a case/holster/whatever that fits your wardrobe (if you plan on cc).

If for self-defense I would suggest against anything that has a mechanical safety (ie a switch). I do not care where it is located, that is one more thing you need to do to stop someone from coming after you. In the heat of the moment, are you going to remember or are you going to touch that safety just right with your thumb or wherever its located?

Another point is some people suggest you should not go smaller than a 9mm. If you want a 380 then get one. If you have a gun and the other guy doesn't... guess whos gun is bigger? I wouldnt want to get shot with a 380 and if you are worried about the knock down power, they make very hot loads for that caliber and those are pocket pistols.

 

[tider]

40 cal
Great stopping power
Glock or H & K

+1

 

[ylekot]

Hard to beat a .22 for sheer shooting enjoyment and repetition to build muscle memory and really learn to shoot.....

My everyday carry is a Ruger LCR in .357 but I would not recommend that for a new shooter...

A .357 revolver in a 4 inch barrel is a very nice thing to have......remember that .357 Magnums will also fire .38 Special....but the reverse is NOT true....

A .22 revolver with a 4 inch or larger barrel is a wonderful entry to the world of handguns......

As you can tell I am partial to revolvers....

In semi-automatics I wholeheartedly recommend Glock in any caliber..,,.
$.02 deposited and as always YMMV

 

[dogslife]

A .22 is great for learning to shoot on, and relatively cheap to feed. No recoil and not excessively loud. A .22 was my first firearm as a youngster, and I still have and enjoy shooting the caliber to this day in both rifles and handguns. I was into Government model 1911 .45's for awhile, but finally settled on .40 caliber Glock 23 for my semi-auto all around carry piece. For revolvers, I have a Ruger Super Blackhawk in .44 Magnum. It's a fun shooter, but not something I would even consider for a first handgun.

 

[dreadpirate]

Agree with DogsLife; 22lr to start with so you don't flinch or learn bad habits. 22lr was my first handgun (Ruger Mark I, 1981). Then maybe a 9mm or 38 as your main handgun. Very capable but with tame recoil. That being said I have a Glock 21 (45 ACP) that I can fire with one hand; If possible, try before you buy after becoming proficient with a 22lr. What I am saying here is that it is not just caliber, but also the particular pistol.

Finally, a handgun that will fire two calibers (357/38, 44 special/44 magnum, 22 lr/ 22 mag) is an attractive option as well. The 22lr/22mag is usually with a revolver with 2 cylinders. 44mag/44spl and 357/38spl are just a bonus you get with that caliber.

 

[73mountaineer]

I will be buying a fire arm, it will be my first gun. I'm curious in what caliber do you guys like the most for a handgun? In Arkansas you have a concealed gun permit.

Does a big caliber fire arm equal to more recoil? Do you prefer a revolver or a glock style hand gun?

I'm going to be brutally honest here. If you are asking these kinds of questions, please don't buy anything yet. Take a firearms education/safety course in your area and spend some time at a range. You will learn a lot more about specific types of pistols and revolvers and the appropriate uses for them. Learn to shoot and about the safe handling and use of handguns and you will be able to make a much more informed decision about what you should buy as your first firearm.

 

[Pattorashu]

.40 is my EDC, in a Glock 27

9mm is my nightstand go to, Sig Sauer P226

.22 is my favorite range round though, cheap, still fun, and revolver holds 10 rounds lol.

I do want to pick up a .38 special though, I've heard good things.

 

[Fixxx]

First pistol? Get a revolver. They are (excuse the pun) bullet proof. Easy to maintain, easy to shoot, reliable, generally fairly accurate to highly accurate and easily concealable.

I always advise newer shooters to step into revolvers first. That way you're worried less about the 27 springs, pins, hidden buttons and widgets to take the thing apart and clean it, or even to shoot it.

A revolver is simple. You don't disassemble to clean. You need minimal tooling to maintain. A cheap snake in the caliber, and maybe a cheap rod an patches with some hops number 9 and you have a firearm that can very easily be passed on to the next several generations. As far as operation, there's no guessing. There one button to open the cylinder, the bullets go in in the obvious and appropriate direction, then you point it at your target and pull the trigger until it clicks.

As far as caliber, I would shoot as many revolvers as you possibly can before clunking down the chunk of change for a new gun. I have my personal preferences, but I'll let you make your own. Remember, it doesn't matter how cool it is, how accurate or how much stopping power it has. The bottom line is, if you're not comfortable with shooting it, you won't practice with it often. And then you might as well just throw it if the situation requires.

There are many things to consider which is why I recommend renting to try. A smaller frame gun is easier to conceal but the reduced weight and muzzle length equates to more "snap" at the handle and a greater chance of discomfort. A heavier gun with a longer barrel is more accurate and has less kick, but may be difficult to hold and aim properly depending on your build. Rubberized grips may be comfortable, or they may be to bulky if you have smaller hands.

Hope this helps in some way

*steps off soap box*

 

[hawgsquatch]

Whatever fits your hand and you can wear concealed easily. I would pick from. 9, 40, and 45.

Yup, concealed means concealed. Cops get tired of going to the mall code three because someone's hog leg is sticking out of their pants. I carry a Taurus MP140T and a 605ss in .40 and .357 respectively, both work for me.

 

[MondoJ]

I would start with a 357 and feed it 38 to learn

 

[PugslyCat]

It doesn't strike me as the best idea to have your first handgun be a CCW piece. A more productive course of action may be to pick your first hand gun as a range gun to learn with.

Derrick & Steve have a point. Try to go shooting with friends who will let you try their hand guns or visit a range that will rent guns. Try to fire a variety of sizes and calibers of guns to see what is comfortable to hold and to fire.

Failing any of the above, start with .38 special or 9mm. These are neither particularly large nor small, so once you have a feel for them you can decide whether to make your next purchase a larger or smaller caliber.

Keep an eye out for opportunities to try multiple calibers through one gun. This could be a .357 magnum that you can feed .38 special cartridges through, or a revolver with both .22LR and .22 magnum cylinders. I haven't thoroughly researched the subject, but there are caliber conversion kits available for several guns that might work for you to test some caliber and .22LR.

 

[mrb7]

I'm going to be brutally honest here. If you are asking these kinds of questions, please don't buy anything yet. Take a firearms education/safety course in your area and spend some time at a range.

This is the best advice so far.

 

[LittleLebowski]

9mm. First take a class.