Purchasing that first Pistol

  Now you have your Pistol Permit. What's next? Finding a firearm that will best suit your needs can be a difficult choice. Some of the biggest factors in this choice become what caliber the gun should be, the physical size of the gun and how will it fit in my hands to give me a secure grip, and what type of sights should it have. This post is to help you make a better and more informed decision to aid you in the decision making process. 
   Before you run out and buy the largest hand cannon on the market because your best friend suggested it for you, there are many factors you need to look at before making that first gun purchase. Most of us who have never shot before running the risk of purchasing a gun that may look cool but does not make you happy and is cumbersome when you shoot it. What occurs in this situation is that you will shoot it for the first time only to find that you were not expecting the recoil, noise, and weight of a larger gun. That's why I always suggest to first-time shooters to buy a good .22 pistol for their first gun. The reasons are many, but most importantly is that they do not have a lot of recoil to control, they are low in the noise department when you shoot them, and the weight is not too heavy for the average person. One of the other factors in choosing a .22 is that they are cheap to feed, which translates to new shooters going to the range more often to shoot thereby improving their skill set a lot quicker than what you would with a larger caliber gun. If you purchase 50 rounds of .40 caliber ammunition, you will pay around $50.00.  Conversely, if you purchase 50 rounds of .22 caliber ammunition, you will pay between $6.00 to $9.00 a box. All of this translates to you putting more shots downrange making you a better shooter. The thing that most people don't realize is that if you start shooting with a larger handgun you will fight the recoil of the gun as well as the sound and weight of it. It is just a natural reaction to flinch when you experience a loud noise along with the recoil. When you start with a .22 you are mitigating those factors which will make your training at the range more productive. Some attractive options for a first .22 pistol come from a variety of well-known manufacturers with quality at the top of their lists. The following guns have been editor pics for ease of usage, amount of recoil, trigger pull, sights, and finally price point. Let's start with one of my favorites, the Smith & Wesson SW22 Victory. With a retail price tag of $416.00, this gun is a true bargain. While holding benchmark features like Removable Match Barrel, Ambidextrous Safety, Picatinny-style Rail, Fiber Optic Front Sight and Adjustable Rear Fiber Optic Sight. Other nice features include an Adjustable Trigger Stop, grips that are textured to help avoid slipping in your hands while shooting. The robust Stainless Steel Frame will also make this gun last a lifetime and then some and lastly two Ten Round Magazines which come standard with this option packed gun. This gun has all the features that will give you a gun that will be with you for a lifetime and backed by Smith & Wesson's Lifetime Guarantee. Our next gun has been a favorite of target shooters and newbies just entering the shooting game, the Ruger Mark IV. Ruger has done major renovations to this gun to make it easier for shooters to be able to clean their gun after a hard day at the range. Among them is its new Single Pin Takedown which allows this gun to be disassembled much easier than previous models. There have been other refinements like the Ambidextrous Safety making it a great gun for right and left-handed shooters alike. Removal of magazines is improved with an easy to access push-button release making loading and unloading effortless. The sights are the standard high-quality adjustable sights that shooters have counted on for years. There is also a Picatinny rail attachment available. Currently, Ruger offers this gun in eight different variants. Ruger has made the pricing of this gun not only affordable but a great deal as well at around $529.00, but there are sites out there selling them for under that. Next up in our top three guns to purchase is the venerable Browning Buckmark. Here is a gun that has a great price point of around $334.00 to $529.00 for their top of the line Buckmark. Browning has been in the gun business for 140 years now and one thing they do know is how to make a quality firearm and give it to the masses for an affordable price. Some of the noteworthy features of this gun include Contoured Grip Panels, Ambidextrous Magazine release, TruGlo/Marble Arms, and Front Fiber-Optic Sight making sight alignment a breeze. This gun is a little more no-frills than the above pics, but when it comes down to it you're going to get a great gun that will do everything you want it to do and more!!!
   Stay tuned to our Blog as we will keep bringing you relevant material that will help you become a more informed shooter. God Bless, Stay Safe and Shoot Straight.