City dweller, too much personal crime about, time to get a handgun. Was a hunter, gave it up ~20 years ago, just prefer to observe, am thankful for all hunters.
Have never handled a handgun. I am leaning towards getting a .22 revolver as an intro handgun, so I can get off many practice rounds cheaply and develop some muscle memory. Then would like to move to a medium caliber. Make sense? Any recommendations?
I appreciate any and all feedback.
If you are using it for personal protection a .22 isn’t what you want. They don’t have the stopping power. I’d step into a 9mm or a .40.
I don’t what gun and ammo availability is but 9mm is usually inexpensive and more available.
Go somewhere and get them in your hands. They need to feel comfortable. You could also go to a gun shop and test some or take a class if you don’t have any experience.
I went through this same process when I bought my handgun a few years ago. Ended up with a Springfield XD 9mm.
You’ll probably get a lot of different answers as there are lots of different experiences, preferences, etc. My background is as an NRA-certified firearms instructor for private security.
That’s an interesting path you mentioned. I could see where you could begin with fundamentals and work your way up. However, and this is just my personal opinion, that muscle memory you speak of will be completely different when you increase your caliber. Pulling the trigger will be different, the size will be different, plus the recoil will definitely be different, which will affect all of your fundamentals, especially grip.
Instead of purchasing one to begin the process, I’d recommend renting the handgun and the range time from an indoor firearms range. Now I’m not too experienced doing that because I’ve always had countryside space to shoot, but I hear guys talk all the time about doing it. You can rent the gun, rent space in a shooting bay, and buy the ammo right there for it.
You didn’t mention having a permit to carry so I will address it as if you don’t. You’ll have to go through that, which will involve classroom time and a brief range activity. That will get you some time. Then you’ll be submitting an application, as you’ll need the permit to buy your handgun. (If you wanted to purchase a handgun just to keep in your home, and you’d never take it outside your home, you could just get a permit to purchase. That’s just an application process with a background check done, no class or range training).
Anyway, I’d recommend the route of trying out different handguns at gun shops, ranges, and from people you know. You’ll see how the different guns operate and get a feel for what each caliber will do for your. If you’re able to form a decision then you can buy and train with what you’ll use. As an instructor no one ever wanted to hear me say this, but you can improve the meat and potatoes of your skills GREATLY without every firing a round. If you’re concerned with crime and will be carrying you’ll want to work on drawing from whatever holster you’ll be using. You can work on grip, stance, and sight picture all indoors without firing a round. Your aim with a pistol involves your eye, which is actually a muscle that can be trained to improve your shooting. You can work on your stance and grip and pulling the trigger all at home with a spot on the wall. Honestly in the same sense that people nowadays just want to be put right on fish without the grind of working for them, I think a lot of people want to get better at shooting by going to a range and putting bullets on paper. There is SO MUCH you can do at your own home to get A LOT better.
Let me know if there’s other things you have questions with or PM me, I’m sure others will chime in as well.
I’ve been looking at getting a .22 pistol. I want a cheap one for plinking and use around the chicken coop for critters. I cant believe the price of a .22 pistol.
For the price and if you plan on upgrading for defense, Matt’s suggestion of a 9mm is spot on.
I agree with your idea of buying a.22 to familiarize yourself and get some practice in without breaking the bank. I’m also an NRA instructor and recognize that the .22 and a the larger gun you end up with for self defense won’t be exactly the same but the practice will develop good fundamentals. Besides, they’re just plain fun to shoot.
You will get tons of different answers on self defense guns. The best advice is to to get your hands on as many as possible and get advice from several qualified people. Do some research on revolvers vs. semi automatic. Single action, double action, and striker fired automatics.
A good double action revolver is pretty hard to beat for simple and reliable. Another good option is a striker fired semi. I happen to like Sigs but size and feel vary greatly between them. See what feels good to you.
Ammo is non-existent right now. I could carry all the ammo that any Scheels store has in one box. It’s going to be a while before you get a chance to shoot anything.
They don’t have the stopping power.
I think a 22LR pistol would stop someone with a well placed shot at standard handgun range. I’ve never tried or been shot to prove it, however. I’ve got one that I shoot at the pistol range regularly and the advantage of a smaller caliber is the lack of recoil, which greatly increases accuracy.
the advantage of a smaller caliber is the lack of recoil, which greatly increases accuracy.
Which in a intense, nerve shaking situation can prove valuable.
I’m also a city dweller. Don’t watch the news enough I guess, I’ll handle any intruders with my crazy ninja skills.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>gimruis wrote:</div>
the advantage of a smaller caliber is the lack of recoil, which greatly increases accuracy.Which in a intense, nerve shaking situation can prove valuable.
I’m also a city dweller. Don’t watch the news enough I guess, I’ll handle any intruders with my crazy ninja skills.
kung foo beads!! 
I like it. 
kung foo beads!! I like it.
I had 2 stripes on my white belt when I was 8, so yeah, I’m kinda of a big deal here.
I have a black and a brown belt.
It’s the only way I can keep my pants up.
Out of curiosity, are those belts heavy?
Are you wanting this for at home only or to carry as well? If it is for in home only don’t overlook a shotgun. Bird or buckshot is devastating at close range and more forgiving accuracy wise.
DT
City dweller, too much personal crime about, time to get a handgun.
Just to add first off that if the firearm is for home defense, the best handgun for home defense is a short-barreled shotgun.
If you’re looking at the possibility of eventually carrying, then I totally agree with your approach. Get a 22 and learn to shoot it and shoot it well.
Just a casual observation from watching many, many shooters at the gun club. The average handgun shooter can barely hit a bull in the ass with a handful of rice. How they expect that they’d be able to hit anything in a high-stress self-defense, life-on-the-line scenario is beyond me.
More practice is always going to be an advantage and if the .22 allows you to get a handgun AND practice a lot with it, then that’s the way to go in my opinion.
And as a bonus, having a .22 is a hell of a lot better than having to defeat a perp using only your razor sharp witts. I hear the “lack of stopping power” thing all the time. I have never met anyone who said it who has actually been shot by one, however.
Is a .22 ideal? Obviously not, but I can guarantee you this. Any perp that charges somebody and gets a couple of .22 rounds pumped into him is going to forget all about whatever he was trying to do and start worrying really fast about getting the heck out of there while he’s still alive. He isn’t going to know WHAT he’s been shot by, he’s only going to worry about not getting shot by it again.
I see no downside to your approach. Build up your skills and do so with minimal cost and recoil. Move up if/when you’re ready.
Grouse
Buy what caliber you want if you can find it. Then wait for the ammo to become available. Your too late to this game.
.22 is a great caliber to learn with and fun to punch holes in paper. But it has no place as a carry/self defense gun. So if you plan on buying two guns, I’d go ahead and get a .22.
If you plan on getting a permit to carry, you need a caliber with enough stopping power (with the correct ammo). The 9mm, in my opinion, is a great compromise of limited recoil and capacity, but enough stopping power to end a threat(s). Plus, it’s typically cheaper than .40 or .45 to target shoot.
Ask 50 people and you’ll get 50 different answers regarding guns and ammo.
If you want a .22 buy one. And if you did everyday carry it then it’s still better than what most people carry daily (nothing)
After you get comfortable with a .22 you can always upgrade to a bigger caliber. And I wouldn’t get a .22 auto gun as a first gun. There very finicky with ammo and some have a lot of problems with feeding/jamming
He’s not talking about using the 22 for self defense. He’s talking about using it as a low cost way to practice and learn.
I have a few of these around and a hoot to shoot with my 22 pistols. Makes practicing so much fun and really develops shooting targets at different ranges.
Most gun shops will not let you come in alone and shoot their guns unless you already have a gun, permit to carry or permit to purchase. So you may want to start with that process first. I ran into this issue a few months back. Never considered it until they explained it.
(Original poster here)
Sincere thanks to all of you for your replies. Great advice, info, encouragement.
To clarify, I plan on the .22 being my practice handgun, mostly. Gun #2 will likely be a 9MM, and that will be the home/personal defense piece that I pray will never be needed. I have a permit to purchase, will pursue a permit to carry after the holidays (I hope CCP courses are not in lockdown).
My biggest concern from all of your replies is the scarcity of ammo. I knew it had tightened up considerably, but I didn’t know the stores are actually bare. I guess I’ll figure that out as I go.
Thanks again, this is a great e-community!
WS
My biggest concern from all of your replies is the scarcity of ammo. I knew it had tightened up considerably, but I didn’t know the stores are actually bare. I guess I’ll figure that out as I go.
I could end up being completely wrong here, but if you build up a relationship, especially at a smaller gun shop, it may help the ammo problem. I’m not talking about Cabela’s or Scheels where they will work multiple shifts and have turnover, but a smaller place like Bill’s or Coyote Creek in Rochester, you may be able to see the same people if you come in, talk a little, come back and practice, then come back to purchase. You’re making anywhere from a $300-$700 or more purchase and they may be grateful and reward that with some ammo they could find or make available. I’m not talking a giveaway, but they may want to find a way to make a customer happy by ensuring he’s got ammo for that new gun. I had a buddy that bought two AR-15’s and the place found a way to get him some .223 when the rest of the store was out.
Training, classes, and range time ultimately will lead you to what works best for you. Internet questions will just give you a million different answers and devolve into 9mm vs .45 arguments. 
The ammo availability thing comes and goes. Buy it when its available so you don’t have to claw for it when its scarce.
These are the events that reduce supply:
1) mass shooting
2) democratic president
3) global pandemic
4) civil unrest
Right now, we have 1 of these items going. There will be another one in January and we had number 4 over the summer, so there’s no wonder ammo is rare right now.
I agree with a couple themes above.
Step one is to start with training, not buying. Competency in a defensive situation is very very different. There are often overlooked aspects like deterrence, legal, storage(yes this is critical).
Without a location in your profile it’s hard to recommend training. Two certified instructors have replied already. If your TC metro I strongly recommend https://defensivemindsettraining.com. You don’t need a firearm to book classes.
Without training and fundamentals there’s also no way to properly evaluate what “fits” you or what you like. Trust me, I started with buying something recommended and built very bad training scars first. The cost in time to retrain and dollars to fix the first mistakes are mine you can learn from.
Equipment – DT & Grouse as usual have a good point. The pistol is the hardest tool to use. Youth shotguns, ARs, etc can be better alternatives. If a pistol there’s a lot of value is starting with a .22 to build good habits. Those habits are more valuable than the “perfect” gun suggested by the internet.
Quick update from the original questioner:
Thanks again for all the great advice! I did a few sessions at the range this winter, and recently purchased my first handgun – a Springfield 9mm XD.
I would have preferred to start with a .22, but the ammo situation there looks grim now and into the future for it to be my primary handgun. And, I now know from my time at the range that shooting the 9mm is really fun! Now that I’m set with the 9mm, I feel like I still want to get a .22 as a bonus, and shoot that whenever I can find ammo.
Permit to Carry class is next, although, right now, the 9mm feels huge – I can’t imagine being able to conceal it. Hopefully, that will change as I get more used to it.
Best to all!
I feel like I still want to get a .22 as a bonus, and shoot that whenever I can find ammo.
Oh, you definitely will. I have a couple .22 pistols. They’re so fun.
Quick update from the original questioner:
Thanks again for all the great advice! I did a few sessions at the range this winter, and recently purchased my first handgun – a Springfield 9mm XD.
I would have preferred to start with a .22, but the ammo situation there looks grim now and into the future for it to be my primary handgun. And, I now know from my time at the range that shooting the 9mm is really fun! Now that I’m set with the 9mm, I feel like I still want to get a .22 as a bonus, and shoot that whenever I can find ammo.
Permit to Carry class is next, although, right now, the 9mm feels huge – I can’t imagine being able to conceal it. Hopefully, that will change as I get more used to it.
Best to all!
You’ll likely need to adjust how you dress if you plan on carrying a full size gun. You’ll also probably go through 5-6 different holsters before you find “the one” that feels comfortable while maintaining proper security and retention. One suggestion is buying jeans/dress pants with stretch waist vs. buying pants one size larger. Also, you may want to try some tall sizes vs going up a size in shirts. they add length to keep the shirt from uncovering the gun when bending/moving and don’t add additional bulk in the sides. At the end of the day, you might, like most, determine that a smaller gun hides on your body better, and then you’re back to the gun shop to get a new gun. 
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