Choosing a pistol can be a somewhat overwhelming task for someone that doesn’t quite understand all of the terminology, and the implications of the various design features on the market.
I always compare the purchase of a firearm to buying a car. The steps and mentality should be the same.
Step 1: Identify it’s Purpose
The first step to choosing any firearm is to identify it’s purpose. Common usage of handguns would involve one or more of the following:
- Competition
- Home Defense
- Concealed Carry
- Fun and Enjoyment
- Collectability
Competition is a very broad term due to the fact that there are so many forms of competition. For all intensive purposes, I’m going to ignore competition since it generally is for experienced shooters.
The far majority of handguns are going to be useful for home defense. I typically suggest a larger frame (overall size of the firearm) handgun due to the increased magazine capacity, reliability, and control (less recoil, more grip surface). An example would be a Glock 17 or Kimber Custom II, both of these are full size handguns. Since you are in your household, you do not need to concede these benefits for concealability like you would with the next purpose.
Concealed carry generally requires a compact sized handgun due to the fact that you are forced to conceal it. Common choices are short barrel revolvers (S&W Model 60 for example) and compact or sub-compact semi-autos such as a Glock 26. You are make a concession in magazine capacity and control for concealability. You will want to bear in mind your typical dress; is it loose or tight fitting? Tighter fitting clothing will require a more compact handgun in order to prevent “printing”, which is when the firearm makes an obvious bulge or outline that stands out.
Step 2: Put it in your Hands
Make a trip to the local gun store and handle every handgun that fits your above purpose. Even handguns that appear similar will have a different feel in your hands. Narrow down your choices into a group of pistols that fit your hand well. Feel is an important aspect of developing confidence, and is vital to choosing a handgun. In fact, your focus should be on how the gun feels in your hand, not the features or price.
There are a few aspects of feel. One is overall balance, and the other is ergonomics. Balance is exactly that, does it feel balanced in your hands? I personally would not put alot of emphasis on balance due to the fact that you are feeling the gun unladen. A fully loaded magazine can weigh upwards of a pound and will change the balance of a handgun considerably. Ergonomics on the other hand, can not be easily changed unless it is a feature of the gun. HK’s P30, as an example, features a completely adjustable grip contour and width. Pistols with removable grips, like a Sig P220 or a Taurus GP100, can be tailored with various thicknesses, and even added finger grooves to improve ergonomics.
Step 3: Caliber and Control
Forewarning: This is my opinion, others will vary.
This is a topic that gets alot of people into an array of confusion. Common misconceptions derive primarily from overall caliber. The overall size of the bullet, expressed in metric (eg. 9mm) or standard caliber (eg. .357), has only a moderate effect on the felt recoil of the handgun. This is because you can design a round that has a very lightweight bullet, but operates with alot of pressure. An obvious example of this is .357 Sig, which has considerably more felt recoil than a .45 ACP or 9mm.
Generally speaking, anything above a 9mm will be plenty effective for self-defense. This includes the following:
- 9mm Luger *
- 10mm Auto ***
- .40 S&W ***
- .45 ACP **
- .357 SIG ***
- .327 Magnum **
- .357 Magnum **
- .38 Special *
- .44 Special **
- .45 GAP *
- 5.7mm FN *
* – Denotes calibers that have soft recoil.
** – Denotes calibers that have modest recoil.
*** – Denotes calibers that have strong recoil.
Anything larger tends to be more in the fun category since it requires significant amounts of experience to control when firing rapidly. Calibers like:
- .480 Ruger
- .50 AE
- .454 Casull
- .44 Magnum
- .460 S&W
- .500 S&W
These produce alot of recoil, alot of muzzle flash, and alot of noise. Very fun calibers to shoot with a little training, and definitely fit the bill if you are looking for a unique fun gun.
Typically a handgun with more weight will have reduced felt recoil since the mass absorbs some of the punch. Likewise a semi-auto pistol will have less recoil since it’s action absorbs some of the force. A classic example of this is the Desert Eagle in .44 Magnum compared to a short barrel S&W revolver in the same caliber.
Step 4: Try Before you Buy
Some gun ranges offer the ability to rent guns. This offers you the chance to try out the pistol prior to buying it. If you can’t find the exact pistol you are looking for, then try something that is most similar to it, and be sure that it is the same caliber.
If you are unsure about a particular caliber, it is wise to try it out. A common example is 9mm and .40 S&W. Many people learn that .40 S&W is quite a bit different than 9mm by trial.
Step 5: Price Point
This step is in regards to self-defense choices.
I purposely left this last since most people put far too much emphasis on price. We commonly ask people a simple question: “How much is your life worth?”, because it really boils down to that. A self-defense handgun will be used to protect you from death or grevious injury. This really isn’t the time to quarrel over $100 or even $200 price difference. Obviously we all have our realistic limits, but also keep in mind that quality handguns maintain a large part of their value for years, some even increase in value.
Expect to spend roughly $400 and up for a new quality handgun. Revolvers tend to be on the cheaper end of the spectrum, and semi-autos on the higher end. Below that, and you are taking a bit of a risk in my opinion.
Some manufacturers that I would suggest are:
- Glock
- Ruger
- S&W (Smith and Wesson)
- HK (Heckler and Koch)
- Springfield
- Taurus
- Beretta
- Kimber
- Colt
- Walther
- Sig Sauer
- STI
