Choosing a pistol for a newbie

[Sid]

Recently I took my middle aged nephew shooting for the first time and he enjoyed it. Now he would like to buy just one handgun for home defense and informal shooting at the range. He is not interested in serious target shooting or reloading. I recommended he buy a Glock 17. However, I would appreciate any other opinions and recommendations. TIA

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[Art]

I strongly recommend double action revolvers for people who are not "gun guys" and who want a pistol for what your nephew intends to use it for. The require little maintenance, the "manual of arms" is very simple and you have "six for sure." A .357 magnum mid frame revolver would be my pick. You can use the lightest .38's in in it or the hottest .357's and ammunition to practice with is relatively inexpensive.

Even a Glock, simple as it is to operate, requires more gun savy than a revolver.

[Dave_n]

Sid: I am a local (live in Wayne) and I would suggest a simple S&W 0.38 Special revolver. Great advantage is that the manual of arms is very simple. If you open the cylinder and see six unfired primers, close cylinder, point and pull. No safeties, no rack of slide and no problem as there is with the Glock, irrespective of calibre, of having to pull the trigger before stripping the gun. I would suggest an ex-police Model 10 or in stainless, the model 64 with a 4" barrel. Dave_n

[Sunray]

Yep. A .38 or .357 revolver using .38 ammo is the thing for a non-shooter. Mind you, if he's not going to practice and/or take some shooting lessons, he's better off with a bat.

[Kirk]

If your nephew is just casually interested in shooting, a revolver is probably better than an auto. Leave the choice up to him. I'd take him to s store with a good selection of revolvers & autos & let him see the different model, pick them up & try aiming, trigger pulls, etc. and compare guns side by side. Let him see what he likes best. I've found that a person who buys a gun that feels good & looks good to him will have more interest, practice more and in general have a better attitude about using it (esp. if he's buying it for self defense) vs. a gun someone else just picks out for him.

[John Sukey (Deceased)]

Agree with everyone. If he is just going to shoot it occasionaly A glock is the LAST gun I would suggest because of the possibility of accidents with that trigger mechanism. Yes I know there are plenty of folks who LOVE their glocks but then they are the same people who shoot them regularly and are familiar with them. A Double Action revolver is a lot safer for someone who isn't going to practice a lot with it. Suggest a 6 inch barrel if he is going to use it for occasional shooting at the range. For home defence, there is no problem with a longer barrel.
One other point, it's EASY to see if a revolver is unloaded. Forgetting there is one in the chamber after the magazine has been dropped has resulted in more than one unexpected BANG

[Mickey]

I agree with most of what has been stated, but I would also suggest maybe a 22 mag revolver. most of them now come with a 22lr cylinder and a 22mag. You can also buy the bird shot shells for them. As stated take him to the gun store and have him hold several in his hand and remind him "If is doesn't feel good in your hand you wont shoot as well, as you would if it does". If he is set on an automatic I would suggest looking at a S&W M&P in either 9mm or 40sw. Ruger is also marketing a 380 now that looks pretty nice, I haven't had a chance to really check one out though.

Mickey

[JohnMOhio]

Sid, I agree with the majority that a wheel gun might be the answer. If you have both wheel gun and automatic, take him to the range and let him fire both. If you can go to a gun dealer with a range, that would be a good place for him to try other handguns. I am sure they have loaners there. Highly suggest that he attend a least a basic firearms class. He might at that point consider attending other classes.

[Vern Humphrey]

A revolver is much safer for a novice, both from the inherent simplicity and from the "point-and-shoot" capability if he needs it in a life threatening situation. In my time in the Army, more NDs occurred because people didn't understand that the proper unloading sequence for .45 automatic is,

1. Drop the magazine.
2. Rack the slide.
3. Drop the hammer.

If you do 2 and 3 before 1, you'll get a big surprise. :-)

[Ozark Gary]

One more vote for the revolver.