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ripcord22
First Hand Gun
Hello All,
I'm in the market for a hand gun but have no idea what would be a good first. I need it to be show stopper if, god forbid, i needed it to be, so I'm not looking for something too small in caliber. Plus I would also like to feel several guns to know I'm not getting something I wont like.
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You raise several issues:
First hand gun
choosing a cartridge of sufficient power
choosing a gun that you will like
First hand gun
As has been suggested, consider a .22 rimfire. This relatively inexpensive round can let you shoot more for each dollar spent. It has the additional advantage of low power and report. These two factors can let you practice with less recoil and noise, which should let you develop the proper shooting habits; rather than bad habits of flinch or gripping too hard. This is assuming that you have little or no training or experience shooting hand guns.
choosing a cartridge of sufficient power
Volumes have been written on this issue. Some believe a .25acp or .380acp is fine for them; others feel that the minimum they will be their life on is the .45acp. There are so many variables in shooting incidents it is hard to analyze them and draw conclusions. That is one reason for the wide variation in opinion about what is a good defense round.
If you concede that the primary mechanism by which a hand gun bullet (not a rifle bullet) causes incapacitation (not knock-down) is by loss of blood pressure then; you have to consider not only shot placement but penetration. The desire is to find a bullet that will shoot accurately and hit where you aim, then proceed into the target and destroy as much tissue as possible to cause as much bleeding as possible, which in turn leads to loss of blood pressure and loss of function. Some have a minimum standard which they set for starting caliber (say .35) and for penetration in ballistic gelatin (say 12 inches). Depending on bullet design it takes a certain amount of energy to drive that bullet 12" in ballistic gelatin. (On the issue of "over penetration" consider that most bullets fired in a deadly force shooting miss the target and the ones that actually penetrate the threat are going to have much less power remaining than the ones that missed and it becomes a low priority consideration relative to hitting your target.)
Another indication of effectiveness is how people train with certain cartridges. Many police departments train to shoot center of mass three time with a 9mm, but only twice with a .40 S&W or .45acp. Additionally, I'm unaware of any department which arms its patrol officers with any round less powerful than the 9mm (not that I would abdicate my decision making to the bureaucracy of a government).
There have been failures to stop threats with every cartridge from the .44 magnum on down, as there have been stops by the .22 rimfire on up. So it will take some research on your part to gain enough info to decide.
Choosing a gun you will like
I believe this is a matter of personal taste; and there is no accounting for taste. You should handle and shoot as many hand guns as you can to gain personal experience with them for only you can decide this issue.
All of this is a process which can be enjoyable by someone who has an intrest in these subjects. So enjoy the process and welcome to the hand gun shooting world.