If this is the first gun, I too would suggest getting a good .22 to learn on. For about $10 you can get a brick of .22 ammo, and you and your dad can go out and shoot all day. Plus it will drop any soft drink can, clay target, or golf ball dead in its tracks. It can't be beat for pure shooting fun. I like revolvers because they can shoot any type of ammo without ever jamming, but a Browning Buckmark, or Ruger Mk. II or III is a great choice for learning to shoot. Then there is also small game hunting. A .22 is NOT my first choice for home defense, HOWEVER, this was our first handgun purchase when my wife and I were first starting out, and I knew I could empty a 12-round magazine into someone coming into our house or bedroom in just a matter of seconds, and with no recoil, they would be on target.
I also like revolvers for you first centerfire handgun. A new or used S&W or Ruger .357 is hard to beat. You can shoot cheap .38 Specials for practice, and then keep it loaded with .38+Ps or .357s for defense. Depending on what type gun you get, you can also use a .357 for hunting deer sized game, .38s for rabbits, *****, etc. Plus at the range you don't have to chase your brass like you do with an automatic. Alss, a revolver doesn't have a magazine running down the middle of your grip, so most revolver grips feel better in your hand, and point naturally.
Everybody had their favorite autos. I like Glocks. Simply because they have proven themselves in years of use and tons of torture tests. Nothing has beat it yet. Some folks don't like the way they feel. I think that's one of the most important things in picking a handgun. #1 is getting a reliable gun with a proven record, and #2 is getting a gun that feels really good in your hand. Sigs have terrific ergonomics, and if I were getting another automatic, a Sig 220 would rank very high. If it feels good in your hand and aims naturally you will shoot it better.
Also, regarding automatics, a 9mm is cheaper to shoot, but worry about .45 autos and recoil. My wife loves to shoot a .45 and recoil doesn't bother her at all, and she's just a medium sized 5'5" gal. It's all in your mind. If you think a .357, .45, or .44 mag is going to jump out of your hand when you shoot it, it probably will. If you concentrate on SHOOTING, then you will do fine. Most folks who are scared of a .45 have never actually fired one. In a life or death situation things will happen so fast and the juices will be pumping so hard you will not notice recoil, muzzle flash, sound, or even how many shots you fired most likely.
Hey, all this advise and $5 will get you a cup of coffee. It's just my humble opinion, and like rear ends, everybody had one. Good luck, and now I'll leave room for the next guy.
Let us know what you get, and welcome to the fun world of gun ownership and shootin'! (99.9% of us never stop with just one gun anyway! I'm up to 23 handguns, 10 long guns, and I ain't dead yet.)
I also like revolvers for you first centerfire handgun. A new or used S&W or Ruger .357 is hard to beat. You can shoot cheap .38 Specials for practice, and then keep it loaded with .38+Ps or .357s for defense. Depending on what type gun you get, you can also use a .357 for hunting deer sized game, .38s for rabbits, *****, etc. Plus at the range you don't have to chase your brass like you do with an automatic. Alss, a revolver doesn't have a magazine running down the middle of your grip, so most revolver grips feel better in your hand, and point naturally.
Everybody had their favorite autos. I like Glocks. Simply because they have proven themselves in years of use and tons of torture tests. Nothing has beat it yet. Some folks don't like the way they feel. I think that's one of the most important things in picking a handgun. #1 is getting a reliable gun with a proven record, and #2 is getting a gun that feels really good in your hand. Sigs have terrific ergonomics, and if I were getting another automatic, a Sig 220 would rank very high. If it feels good in your hand and aims naturally you will shoot it better.
Also, regarding automatics, a 9mm is cheaper to shoot, but worry about .45 autos and recoil. My wife loves to shoot a .45 and recoil doesn't bother her at all, and she's just a medium sized 5'5" gal. It's all in your mind. If you think a .357, .45, or .44 mag is going to jump out of your hand when you shoot it, it probably will. If you concentrate on SHOOTING, then you will do fine. Most folks who are scared of a .45 have never actually fired one. In a life or death situation things will happen so fast and the juices will be pumping so hard you will not notice recoil, muzzle flash, sound, or even how many shots you fired most likely.
Hey, all this advise and $5 will get you a cup of coffee. It's just my humble opinion, and like rear ends, everybody had one. Good luck, and now I'll leave room for the next guy.
Let us know what you get, and welcome to the fun world of gun ownership and shootin'! (99.9% of us never stop with just one gun anyway! I'm up to 23 handguns, 10 long guns, and I ain't dead yet.)
