picking the right handgun

[sc1185]

I never owned a gun before and was thinking of getting one but don't know what to look for it would be for target practice and home defense any advice and tips would be great

[yeager484]

Your best bet is to rent/try out a variety of different guns and see what you like the most.

Determine some key features you're interested in..such as capacity and size.

I find my G19 to be a great open or concealed carry as well as a viable home defense. It's still the only firearm that I own, and while I'm interested in getting some others when my finances allow, it's fulfilling the duties that I bought it for.

ETA: Practice, practice, practice...and know the law.

[raxar]

Your best bet is to rent/try out a variety of different guns and see what you like the most.

Determine some key features you're interested in..such as capacity and size.

I find my G19 to be a great open or concealed carry as well as a viable home defense. It's still the only firearm that I own, and while I'm interested in getting some others when my finances allow, it's fulfilling the duties that I bought it for.

ETA: Practice, practice, practice...and know the law.

This. No matter what fanboys of any brand tell you all the current "name brand" handguns out there these days perform about the same. The best bet is handle as many guns as you can and see which one you like the most.

I would caution you though, stay away from hi-points and the other super cheap makes. While they do shoot and work pretty well in my experience (I have 4) I'd never recommend one for a primary defensive handgun.

[sprrdhawk44]

A Glock 19 sized firearm in 9mm is ideal. You have the capacity for home defense, an inexpensive round to shoot at the range, and the option to carry it eventually.

[nrodgers]

i just got my first gun and what i did was visited like 4 different shops and talked to all the guys behind the counter. Then held a variety of guns in my hand to see what felt most comfortable and went from there.

[sc1185]

But is cheap a bad thing or should I just save up and another thing have anyone heard of a website called cheaper than dirt if so is it a good website to buy from thank you all

[harold63]

But is cheap a bad thing or should I just save up and another thing have anyone heard of a website called cheaper than dirt if so is it a good website to buy from thank you all

There is cheap and there is inexpensive. If you find something you like that you consider cheap, just ask and someone will let you know if it's 'cheap' or 'inexpensive'.

With some of the prices they have, they could change the name to 'Cheaper than the Space Shuttle' and it would be fairly accurate. What are you looking for, there?

[*Klutch*]

Keep an open eye at your local gun shop for used items in excellent condition you can usually save a good amount of money and find something that hasn't been used much...
Also hold several different ones and find one that feels right and points good for you.
I prefer Glock 9mm and M&P 9mm but a 1911 is oso sweet...
Don't forget about revolvers they are great guns too and very effective for what you're looking for..
Good luck keep us posted.

[raxar]

But is cheap a bad thing or should I just save up and another thing have anyone heard of a website called cheaper than dirt if so is it a good website to buy from thank you all

As I said I have 4 hi-points as well as a couple of "hi-points before they were called hi-points" they've all been good shooters and worked fairly well, but for me I certainly wouldn't want to have one as my only gun, I just don't like carrying one loaded due to the design.

"Cheap" isn't a bad thing, you just have to know what you're looking at. The ruger p-95 can be had for $275 (or a good bit less if you look hard enough) and is one of the toughest designs on the market, very reliable and they can be very accurate. The S&W sigma series can be had for around the same price (or less) but I wouldn't rate them much better then mediocre.

There are tons of lesser known guns which can be had for under $300, some are great, some are crap, if you find one that you like you should research the model before jumping in.

My rule of thumb is that if a handgun is intended for a house or car gun then you should go with a "full size" gun, as oppose to "compact" or "sub compact" in a full size defensive cartridge (.38spl/.357 mag, 9mm luger, .40s&w, .45acp, .44spl ETC). The benefits are that most people shoot a full size gun better then something smaller, they hold more shots, and you get a marginal increase in power.

If you're going to carry it a smaller gun is better, because if a gun isn't comfortable to carry then you're not going to carry it. The downside is that a little .380 or .32 is not a good combat handgun, but any gun is better then no gun.

[jthrelf]

But is cheap a bad thing or should I just save up and another thing have anyone heard of a website called cheaper than dirt if so is it a good website to buy from thank you all

Most of us would not recommend cheaper than dirt to buy anything from for a few reasons.

I also echo the comments to rent a few and handle a few at a shop.