Advice Wanted: I'm going to buy a handgun.

In My Humble Opinion
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It’s something I’ve been considering for a few years now, and while I’ve been fortunate enough to never need one, I’ve decided it’s something I ought to own and know how to use.
My question: How does someone who knows virtually zip about guns get started? I just about know the difference between a revolver and a semiautomatic, and that’s it. I will of course take a full course on handgun usage and safety, but I’d like to also know:

  1. How do I find out what the various laws covering guns are in the area where I live? I live in a metropolitan area (Minneapolis/St.Paul) spanning five counties and nearly 20 incorporated suburbs. I would hate to break the law just by carrying my gun across a city limit.

  2. General knowledge of guns as hardware: Cleaning, repair, assembly and disassembly, maintainence, storage, et al.

  3. What type of handgun to get: pros and cons of small gun vs. large, revolver, semi, price range options, different types of ammo, etc.

So how does a gun newbie learn all this?

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      • Go to a local shooting range. Any good one will be able to tell you how to geet your FOID card, will have a selection of rental guns you can try out (for a fee) and will know where to point you as to gun laws. - MC
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From the National Rifle Association Website http://www.nra.org/, here’s the Minnesota Rifle and Revolver Association website http://www.mrra.org/. They would be place to start to find out about local gun laws.

I’d also recommend you check with them about basic or introductory shooting classes. In addition to basic gun safety (which is essential) they often include education on different types of guns and have a variety of guns available for you to try out.

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  1. Call the cops. Literally. Call your local police station and ask them. Tell them you will stop down and pick up copies of any rules or laws. Where do you have to carry your gun to and why? Ask them about those rules, particularly transporting your gun in a vehicle. Follow those laws strictly - there is not a judge in the world who will let you off on a concealed gun violation.

  2. Clean after each time you shoot. Buy a cleaning kit with your pistol. Cleaning is simple - put some stuff on a swab and run swabs up and down the barrel until the swab comes up clean. There’s more cleaning if you shoot alot, but that will be covered in your firearms class.

Buy a trigger lock and store the gun with the trigger lock on. If you have kids, EVER have kids over to your house, or live in a high-crime area, buy a small safe to keep the gun in. Hide your keys well - kids will find them in the obvious and unobvious places. If you have kids, get them trained about gun safety and shooting also.

Assembly and disassembly are only important to know if you want to or if you shoot a lot (more than 1000 rounds). Most gun owners never take their guns apart nor have to.

  1. Get your gun from a reputable gun shop. Don’t be afraid to tell them you are a newbie. Buy a brand name you’ve heard of (Smith and Wessen, Baretta, Ruger, Colt, etc.) Get a revolver (more reliable, fewer parts). I’d reccomend a .22 for your first gun - it’s just easier to shoot for a first-timer, plus shells are cheap.

The cost of shells can be a factor if you are going to shoot alot (and you should, at least to start with). There will be reccommendations for different calibers (“sizes” - 9mm, .45, .38, .357) but if you ask most people, they started out shooting .22’s. And again, the shells for a .22 are a lot cheaper ($2 for 100 bullets versus $15 for 50 .357 bullets).

Bravo for taking a gun course. Learn it, know it, do it. Owning a gun is a huge responsiblity, and it’s great that you are asking for help and advice.

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When I owned a handgun I always wanted one of these. Not only are they snifty, theyr’e effective. Also when I went to CA, I emailed the Dept. of justice for local laws,I didn’t email the ATF as the DOJ pretty much answered my quiery.

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The ATF website should help you get started on the laws.

Your best bet is to find a reputable gun store, like others suggested. They’ll help get you started. If you can, find one that has an indoor shooting range. Usually they have guns you can “test drive.”

Here’s a couple of recommendations on some good handguns:

-Pretty much anything made by Ruger. IMHO, these are the best “bang for the buck.” Take a look at the SP-101 in .357 Magnum caliber. It’s compact, shoots well, and when you practice, you can use the much cheaper and more forgiving .38 Special cartridge. There is also a full size revolver called the GP-100. And make sure to take a look at the Ruger P89. It is a semi-auto pistol in 9mm.

-Anything by Glock. I’d suggest the Glock 19. It’s a compact 9mm.

I’d like to go on, but I’m pressed for time. Honestly though, you won’t go wrong with a Ruger. They are a great value. Glocks can be a bit pricey.

Oh, make sure and stay away from anything made by Lorcin (I think they’re out of business) and Kel Tek. These guns are total junk and could potentially hurt the user. There are also a lot of other “junk guns” out there, but I have no idea of the brand names.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to email me.

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As to types of handguns for a beginner, I feel there are two really good options.

The first is a .22 LR revolver or autoloader. Some people say an autoloader is unsafe for a new shooter, but I will respect your intelligence and assume that you are a careful and observant person. The .22 is inexpensive to shoot, and has very little recoil or muzzle blast. These factors help to make a new shooter a better shot in a hurry.

The only real drawback to a .22 is a distinct lack of stopping power if the gun is needed to defend your life.

The second good choice is a .357 magnum revolver with a 3-4" barrel. These are often available used as a police department trade in for $150-250. Most were carried a bunch, shot little. All .357 mags will shoot .38 special ammunition for practice purposes. These loads, when shot out of a full size revolver, kick but little, and are fairly cheap. Anyone can learn to shoot well using these. When power is needed, .357 cartridges can be loaded. No lack of power here.

Have fun, and ALWAYS be safe and wear hearing protection.

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Hi again,I agree with Lazlo about the Ruger&Glock but just in case you want a higher-end gun as your first,here are a few: Para-Ordnance ,HK(Heckler-Kotch) ,SIG-Sauer. Remember these are the Cadillac’s of handguns,and they’re not inexpensive,Just dont make the mistake I did on my first handgun and go cheap.Also dont forget eye protection. I once had an unburnt/burning speck of powder hit me in the eyebrow,it didn’t feel so good, luckily it didn’t get my eye…
BTW these are auto’s keep in mind what Curdog said about auto’s vs revolver’s for the beginner.

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I’ll second the “try various rental guns at a range” suggestions. Also, no one else has mentioned this but as a beginner shooter, stay away from the titanium and polymer guns. Their light weight will significantly increase felt recoil. My first 3 guns were all steel, a Kahr 9mm (now they have polymer frames), a Kimber .45 ACP and a S&W model 629.
As long as you take care of the gun, they have good resale value and you can buy a lighter one later if you think you need it.

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Congratulations on geting ready to join the gun owner ranks, and welcome aboard.

My own $0.05 (inflation)

Absolutely positively take a course.

Absolutely positively go to a range and rent several different guns on several different occasions. Try a variety of styles and calibers. Find what feels best for you and let that be your deciding factor.

You will hear a lot of bull about .45 is the only way to go. It’s just that. While .45 does have the highest one stop shot rate, it’s only slightly higher than other calibers. It’s not the caliber of your weapon, but the placement of your shot that does the damage. Anything in the .30+ caliber family will do you just fine.

Practice practice practice

.22 is fine for plinking, but if you ever intend to use this weapon for self-defense and it’s to be your only gun for a while, avoid it.

If you have kids, INVOLVE them in learning about the gun. Teach them gun safety. If they want to see the gun, stop what you’re doing and show it to them under your supervision. Most gun accidents happen because kids are curious. Education and familiarization will instill respect and take away that curiousity/forbidden fruit factor.

Don’t waste your time and limit your defensive potential with trigger locks. They’re pretty useless as a safety device and will do nothing but slow you down if you need to get the weapon in play quickly. Trigger locks are “feel good” safety provisions. I personally keep my Beretta beside my bed when I sleep and on my thigh when I’m awake. Your mileage will probably vary, however.

While the Lorcin is indeed junk, Karr and Kel-Tek both make pretty fair weapons in my experience. Not great, but okay.

Be prepared to spend some money. With handguns, like anything else, you get what you pay for. Beretta, Glock, Kimber, Taurus and other weapons in that price range are all reliable out of the box weapons. Sigs and H&Ks are also good, although they tend to be far more expensive than their actual quality would warrant (I haven’t found them to be any better than a Beretta or Glock), and I have had problems getting Sigs to feed reliably.

Lots of us shooters won’t buy Rugers or Smith and Wesson for political reasons. The owner of Ruger (Mr. Bill, as he’s known) testified before Congress and helped push through the high-capacity magazine ban. His thought was that he’d try to get a 15 round max put through, thereby cutting into the ass-kicking he was getting from Glock in the auto-loader market. Unfortunately, that backfired and we ended up with the 10 round cap in part because of him. Smith & Wesson, rolled over and spread its legs for the Clinton Administration and broke the line of defense against Clinton’s illegal and punitive lawsuits against the firearm industry.

Just a little background there, they both still make very good guns, particularly the revolvers. I don’t care for either of their autoloaders, but their wheelguns are excellent.

If you decide to go with a 1911 style pistol, do yourself a favor and go with a Kimber. It’s a little more expensive out of the box, but that’s because Kimber eliminates the problems you’ll get in any other 1911 from the get-go - things like crappy triggers, poorly slotted ejection ports, weak extractors and bad feed ramps. By the time you get a Para Ordinance or Colt to function as reliably as a Kimber, you will have voided the warranty and spent just as much money or more.

Other than reminding you to always use frangible ammunition like Federal Hyra-Shok when you might be shooting in the real world, I can’t think of anything else to lay on you.

Good luck, keep practicing and keep your powder dry.

FA

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What everybody else said and…

Consider the environment you might have to shoot in. Will there be people a room or two away that you don’t want the bullet to travel through OR will your target be hiding behind an engine block?

This too must be taken into consideration. Good luck & good health!

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I disagree. I test fired a Kimber 1911 (A1? don’t remember) and it was nice, but I thought the finish of the Colt 1991A1 that I ended up getting was better. Of course if you are comparing it to a Colt 1911, then you might be right, I didn’t see one, much less test fire it. Either way, the 1911 design is one of the best I’ve ever seen. Simple yet elegant and robust. Browning was one hell of a designer.

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TAKE A GUN SAFETY CLASS.

Do it. At all cost. You will learn not quite everything you need to know, but a good bit of it, there. There will also be people there who can recommend what you might want for a first gun and/or a self-defense gun. You will also learn little things like how to not shoot yourself in the chest whilst handling a gun. You know, peripheral stuff that isn’t really that important.

After you take a basic class, you might want to go back for a specialized class on self- or home-defense with a pistol. There’s a lot of legal issues you need to be aware of, and a class is the best way to get 'em.
Incidentally, I’m a fan of the Kimbers for 1911 style semi-auto pistols as well. I also own a Ruger Mk-II competition target pistol in .22, and it’s a joy to shoot.
My girlfriend loves hers too.
-Ben

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Wow, you learn something new everyday. I had no idea that happened. I knew about S&W, but not about Ruger.

So far everyone here has been giving great advice. I didn’t mention Sig Saur or HK because they are very expensive. I own a Sig P220, HK USP and HK VP70Z (long out of production) and love them all. However, none of those match the value of a Glock or Ruger. They’re just too expensive.

Another thing… I second the suggestion about using frangible rounds for home defense. I recommend Glaser Safety Slugs as they don’t ricochet and won’t go through your walls.

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As an outsider (from the UK) this post makes me feel sad. Why on earth to you want to own a gun?. Have you got to prove you are macho or something. You are not out in the Wild West now you know. Luckily here in the UK all handguns have been banned , the police are (mostly) unharmed and everybody feels just that much safer.

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If children and/or teenagers are visiting, treat it like you would a pet rattlesnake. Know where it is at all times and be unerringly diligent about keeping it away from curious eyes. In other words, if you keep it in your nightstand or under your pillow, MOVE IT. Don’t expect kids will respect your privacy.

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Don’t-do-it!!!

Handguns-are-either-for-people-who-are-unable-to-communicate-in-a-reasonable-and-intelligent-manner-or-men-who-need-to-prove-how-manly-they-are.You-don’t-strike-me-as-fitting-into-either-of-those-catagories.

It-would-be-better-to-invest-in-a-self-defense-course-instead.

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Why would anyone want to play golf? Same idea: you try to get a projectile onto the target. Of course the scoring is different. With shooting sports you get a limited number of shots and score for proximity. With golf you must get a “bullseye”, but you score on shots taken.

Personally, I can’t stand golf. I think it is utterly pointless and boring. But I do like to shoot. Golfers may think shooting is utterly pointless and boring. Guns are as necessary to the sport of shooting as golf clubs are to golf.

I don’t know if you play golf, but I’m sure you engage in an activity or hobby that others would find pointless and “sad”. People get fun out of all sorts of things. Not everyone will like the same thing.

Some people feel that a firearm is useful for self defense. Some people will attack an intruder with a golf club or a cricket bat. There is a difference in societies. Banning guns will not make them vanish into a void. Banning them will only allow criminals to have them and make it easier to prey on non-criminals. And over 99% of firearms are not used to commit crimes.

Of course not. There is nothing “macho” about shooting. Many women enjoy the shooting sports. And many women (and men) are safer against predators. IMO, the only ones who see guns as “macho” are those who have their own confidence or self esteem issues.

The “Wild West” was not as violent as it is portrayed in the movies. Neither is modern America as violent as it is portrayed in the movies.

You also live in a much smaller country with a different culture. Other countries beside the U.S. have large numbers of firearms in the hands of citizens. Switzerland seems peaceful enough.

And yet there are times even in the U.K. when a gun is the only solution. But of course the populace of England does not need to be armed. It’s not as if anyone would try to invade England, or anything like that.

I consider myself Pro-Choice. You want a baby? Fine. Have one and be responsible. You want a gun? Okay, be responsible with it. If you choose not to have a baby, own a gun, buy a Porsche, or anything else, then that’s your choice. Please respect the choices of others. Choice is one of the great things about living in a free society.

And now… the OP!

Good advice from everyone: Try several calibres and brands at a shooting range. Choose the one you like best. Be sure to learn how to shoot safely and responsibly. Take a safety course. If you have children, educate them as well.

Speaking of children, there are a couple of schools of thought on kids and guns. Some say, “If you have children, do not have a gun!” Others say that it’s okay as long as the gun is locked up. Still other people train their kids how to shoot, on the premise that if it’s not a mystery the kids won’t be overly curious. The National Rifle Association has a video that promotes “Stop! Don’t touch it! Get an adult!” There is no single answer to the question of how to teach children about guns. Definitely get advice from professionals; but in the end, if you have children, they’re your children. You will have to decide how best to educate them.

My current list of handguns are: Colt 1991-A1 .45ACP, Beretta 92FS 9mm, Ruger Mk. II .22LR, Ruger Single Six .22LR/.22mag, Ruger Blackhawk 7.5" .45LC, Smith & Wesson Model 10 2", round stock .38 special (I got that one for my U.S. Navy flight gear collection – now if only I could afford the radio, the collection would be complete!), and a pair of Uberti .36 blackpowder Colt 1851 Navy revolvers. I used to have a Walther PPK and a 1941 Luger P.08. Of all of them, I like the Beretta the best. It fits my hand well, and my groups are good with it. I recently tried a Heckler & Koch (“Coke”, BTW) USP .40, and the groups I got were better than the Beretta; but I like the Beretta’s trigger better.

Which gun should you get? It’s a matter of choice. Try several and buy the one you want. A revolver is pretty much “idiot proof”, but I like automatics. Ya pays yer money and takes yer picks.

Choose one, get training, and be responsible and safe.

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(Space key broken?) I disagree. I am a reasonable and intelligent person, and am able to communicate effectively. In spite of my collection, I am one of the most non-violent people I know. I am secure in my masculinity and don’t need to prove anything. I have no intention of ever using any of my firearms for “self defense”. It’s just a hobby.

I find your statement somewhat offensive. But prejudice can often be overcome by education, and that’s why The Straight Dope is here.

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The only fire-arms held by private citizens in Switzerland are those held by (trained) army reservists.
Perhaps it is a basic insecurity that makes people want to own guns. To quote a British passenger when asked why Americans have stopped flying while British and other European people are still happily using aircraft “that’s easy ,the Yanks get s…t scared very easily, they have no balls”.