The Reality of the First Handgun

By and large, the most frequently asked question I get from folks who are looking to buy their first handgun is, “What gun should I get?” This shouldn’t surprise anyone. I, like many others, have written at length attempting to answer this question. Yet, the frequency of this question doesn’t seem to decrease. In fact, I’ve seen it increase in proportion with the growth this blog has seen which is why I find myself, once again, writing on the topic.

When folks inquire about what they should get for their first handgun, they do so because they are looking for the best option. The thing is. There is no universal best option. The best option depends on one’s individual constraints, use case, and knowledge which are inputs used to assess, albeit subjectively, the value a handgun offers. There are also certainly better and worse options. But even then, better or worse will change over time as one’s constraints, use case, and knowledge evolve. As those variables change, so will the assessed value of a particular handgun.

There are no solutions, only trade offs.

Thomas Sowell

I can’t imagine anyone thinking to themselves, “I want to buy my first gun and I think a crappy one would be fantastic.” The problem is that the first handgun will be suboptimal at some point and perhaps right out of the gate. Chances are that others will perceive the value of that handgun differently along the continuum of bad to good based on their own constraints, use cases, and knowledge. The kicker is that all future handguns will also be suboptimal at some point as well. However, there is much more danger of fumbling the value assessment of the first handgun than future ones which may have impacts ranging from marginal, such as occasional ridicule from others, to catastrophic, like a failure to function when life and limb are on the line.

Why is the value assessment more likely to be botched?

To put it simply, one doesn’t know what one doesn’t know. That’s reality. In many ways, that makes the first gun a roll of the dice regardless of how much research one does. To make matters worse, we all have resource constraints that we have to work within. Those constraints will come as a combination of time, money, and jurisdictional limitations. As if things weren’t bad enough, we then have to contend with our own personal biases which subjectively increase or decrease the perceived value of handguns we have to pick from.

Before the Search

Before following the white rabbit down the rabbit hole, start by being honest about your budget and the primary driver behind the desire to own a handgun.

Budgetary constraints are a real thing that most of us have to deal with. If the budget is so tight that all one can afford right now is a pistol that costs between $100-$200, then I will urge you to consider if waiting to save enough to double that budget is doable. For a few, waiting additional time may present too much risk. If this is the case, then I would urge one to look at options to get that additional money from anywhere else. Perhaps it can be borrowed from a friend. As much as I don’t want to encourage anyone to take on any debt, this may be the time to reach for that emergency credit card and put a couple of hundred dollars on it. A lot of very good value priced handguns are available just north of the $300 mark.

If increasing the budget is truly not possible and time is of the essence, then an ultra budget option, like a Hi-Point, may have to make do for the time being. I will strongly urge you to treat it as a temporary fix that should only remain in place for the shortest duration possible as it will be a limiting factor in skill development that should be sought with the firearm. The biggest risk here is that the ultra budget options tend to have difficult to spot quality control issues that may negatively affect the pistols reliability. I will also suggest readers who are in this position to continue reading in order to identify one or more potential higher quality options that might, with a little luck, be available in the second hand market within budget prior to settling for an ultra budget option.

Chances are, if you are reading this, that the primary driver behind the search for the first handgun is self defense. Keep this in mind while conducting your search. Discard pistols marketed for competition which often include the word “match” in the model name as these tend to be more expensive and include features that make them less than ideal for self defense purposes.

Cutting Through the Noise

Forget everything you know or think you know about guns. Chances are that the knowledge base is filled with nonsense and myths picked up from Hollywood directly or indirectly. Nonsense and myths are also parroted frequently on social media and elsewhere on the internet.

Sorry to burst your bubble but, a shot from a .45 isn’t going to blow a bad guy away.

Contrary to popular belief, most of the good folks at the gun shop, active or retired law enforcement officers, members of the military, and veterans aren’t self defense experts. They may know several things and offer well intentioned advice that more often than not is out of date. As much as it pains me to admit it, some firearms instructors fall in the same boat. Knowing who is qualified and current in the arena of self defense for private citizens is a whole other problem which I’ve offered advice on previously. The point is the newcomer might be better off not seeking advice from assumed experts. Of course, that presents a dilemma to those reading this post right now since I suspect many are assuming I’m an expert. It may be worthwhile to double check my credentials and their recency which can be found here before reading on. Otherwise, I can only hope that reading this far means readers are invested enough to stick around for the remainder of the post.

Just because folks often say, “a little revolver in 38 special is perfect for a delicate lady” or “revolvers are immune to failures”, doesn’t make it true.

Also, avoid marketing. Even gun reviews and comparisons as it’s hard to tell which are honest and which are influenced by financial agreements. I do my very best to disclose when and where I have financial agreements in place, but I’m fallible like all other humans. Top “X” lists can also suffer from the same problems and are often lacking in sufficient detail to help make sound important decisions.

Instead go find out what pistols and ammo your local police department issues and allow officers to pick from. Those are probably the safest bets for a reliable defensive pistol. Take note of makes and models. Duty sized pistols may be too large when something more discrete is desired, but chances are that the manufacturer of choice probably makes something a little more compact that will be a pretty safe bet. Below is a brief listing of some of the most popular options among the largest police departments in the USA that I’m aware of with corresponding more discrete alternatives.

There are many more pistols issued and allowed by police departments in the USA and will include options from manufacturers like Beretta, Heckler & Koch, CZ, Springfield Armory, and more. Those who spend time and effort going down this path will see that the allowed and issued handguns are predominantly modern semi-automatic striker-fired pistols chambered for 9mm that will share the desirable qualities of defensive handguns which I’ve written about before. It’s also worth noting that some police departments also have a list of allowed handguns for off-duty carry which will likely include some of the discrete alternatives I’ve listed above. Keep in mind that smaller more discrete handguns have trade offs when compared to the larger duty sized counterparts. That additional concealability and comfort comes at a cost.

One caveat to this approach is that, unfortunately, police-issued options may not be legal for private citizens in some jurisdictions. For this reason, it is incumbent on you, the reader, to familiarize yourself with your local laws in order to avoid inadvertently ending up in hot legal waters. A fantastic resource that can be used for this is the Handgunlaw.us website. Additionally, I will suggest finding out what the process is to obtain a license to carry or a concealed handgun permit in your state.

The First Handgun and Beyond

For those with budgetary constraints, police trade-ins are an excellent secondary market source to acquire one of these options. Trade-ins are often available at well established gun stores who take steps to ensure the guns that leave their establishment are in proper working order. Private sales (which may require facilitation through a local FFL) and pawn shops might offer the same options with a lower barrier of entry. However, I will suggest factoring in the cost of having a competent gunsmith inspecting and making necessary repairs to ensure the pistol can be operated reliably and safely.

Again, the first handgun will be suboptimal at some point or even right out of the gate. It may end up being too big or too small. It may be near impossible to identify the things that work well and those that don’t at first. That will come with experience and time behind the gun. I strongly encourage the initial experiences to occur under the supervision and tutelage of a good firearms instructor to ensure getting a firm grasp on living safely with a firearm and how to operate it competently. Of course, I am available for private coaching on the use of handguns and would be happy to help those who inquire find quality local instruction.