Free: Contests & Raffles.
Lots of good ones depending on budget and price. There is a Kimber Raptor in the classifieds currently.Regardless of what anyone suggests....you gotta get out and shoot. Ask around to some buddies, see who has what and if you can get some trigger time. If you have access to a range go do a rental and shoot a few.
yeh it's cool for a beginning shooter to start off with a 45 auto and I like them. I always suggest someone with no experience or little experience carrying a sidearm should start off with a revolver. Same with a rifle or shotgun. Single shot or bolt action before an auto which takes IMO takes more awareness. With over 20 years as a firearms instructor teaching, running ranges I see people who start off with autos have more than their fair share of AD's and they can't clear a a malfunctioning weapon especially under pressure. I see a lot of finger phugging with beginners starting with autos too.A Ruger or SW revolver my suggestion in 357, 41 or 44. lUsed is fine. Learn basic shooting skills first, basic firearms safety, local state laws regarding your responsibilties while carrying and using a firearm. Then move up to your auto of choice as long as it is a Glock
yeh it's cool for a beginning shooter to start off with a 45 auto and I like them. I always suggest someone with no experience or little experience carrying a sidearm should start off with a revolver. Same with a rifle or shotgun. Single shot or bolt action before an auto which takes IMO takes more awareness. With over 20 years as a firearms instructor teaching, running ranges I see people who start off with autos have more than their fair share of AD's and they can't clear a a malfunctioning weapon especially under pressure. I see a lot of finger phugging with beginners starting with autos too.A Ruger or SW revolver my suggestion in 357, 41 or 44. Used is fine. Learn basic shooting skills first, basic firearms safety, local state laws regarding your responsibilities while carrying and using a firearm. Then move up to your auto of choice as long as it is a Glock
1911s are nice guns, I have a full size Kimber and a Commander size Colt.They are great shooting guns and are up in the $1'000 range. For a first handgun I'd reccommend a four inch stainless Ruger GP100 in 357 magnum. For plinking and target shooting use the 38 special ammo for less felt recoil, for carrying I'd reccommend Hornady Critical Defence loads. I just took my 4" GP100 out shooting yesterday, They are built like a tank and generally run a couple of hundred bucks less then a comparable Smith & Wesson. They are with in your buget of $500, Pawnfathers Pawn Shop up in Everett has two of them in stainless, The 4" model is $549 and the 6" modelis $599. They have the lay-away program 30% down and two months to pay. You can buy one and have them hold it until your birthday. The Ruger SP101s are nice and built to last a lifetime, But are smaller in design then the GP100 and you'll have more felt recoil from them. That's why I reccommend the GP100. I'm up in Arlington, If you want to take a trip up here I'll take you out shooting, I have a bunch of handguns that you can try out so you can actually feel the difference in how they feel in your hand and the actual recoil. If you want to do the Range Guns Norpoint Shooting rance is just two miles away from my place and then there is the shooting range up in Mount Vernon. They charge $25 for the use of thier handguns and you have to buy range ammo to use in thier guns. For the $25 you can shoot every gun in thier display case as long as you buy thier ammo. The shooting ranges have about 50 handguns for you to use. It's a good cheap way to try all kinds of handguns to see what you actually like.
Best thing to do is to find a shop or several shops with a selection of handguns in the chambering your looking for. The secret to this is to use your basic instincts to figure out if the guy behind the counter is a complete babbling monkey or not. Don't get me wrong babbling monkeys behind the gun counter can serve a purpose. As in handing you the handgun so you can get a basic feel for grip, control points and general all around feel. The counter monkeys can also. Take your money or run your credit card, they also can perform such mundane simple tasks. Such as finish basic paper work and make the call to the Feds for the back ground check. Best thing to do is not to engage in any in depth conversation with the guy behind the counter other than the basic "Can I look at that please". That's if your "Counter Monkey" warning radar is going off. Once you have a handgun that you like in general. Go do the research on it and ignore the monkey behind the counters sales pitch. If you can find friends that have the same handgun to shoot or post here to see if there are members with the handgun your interested in. Most of us would be more than willing to help a guy sort a firearm out for himself by letting him shoot one of ours. Rather than be violated three ways to Sunday by some clown trying to make points to get another gold star by his name on the break room wall.
Some good advise, some whining, and some good options in all the comments above. Also consider a defensive handgun class. Most are more then affordable, especially if you can narrow your decision before you lay out your hard earned cash on a new handgun. Most classes will have a variety of weapons to learn with. Classes of some sort are available in most areas through out the state. Plus, being new to handguns, you can acquire some good basic knowledge a lot easier and faster from a trained professional rather then on your own, foremost being basic safety in a safe training atmosphere. As for advice, listen to those that live it by experience, rather then vicariously behind a keyboard. The guys who shoot a lot of different guns, rather then one who has biases to 1 or 2 brand's only..there are many more than that! YOU need to decide what is best in your hand
