Some people don't like the trigger, but I love it.

How do you know so much? I'm starting to think I'm the only person on the planet who didn't grow up with guns all over the house.

Took some getting use to, but it works great.

Hehehe... I actually ended up getting away from shooting for about 18 years due to life's twists and turns. I still had my firearms, I just wasn't practicing and competing any longer. During that time, the only shots I fired were to kill a couple of rattlesnakes on the property after a hurricane had come through. I'm not completely up on all the latest and greatest models, etc., but I have been picking up on some of that again.

Plainsman, I did grow up with guns, [but they weren't quite all over the house ]. Don't take this as political, because it isn't meant that way... but things were different back then. My father and grandparents approach to the issue was, "It is better to gun-proof the child than to child-proof the guns". In other words, they educated me early on, and took the time to satisfy my curiosity so that I wasn't tempted to fool around with any firearms unsupervised. I'm not saying that can work for every child and for every era. I was born in 1956, and grew up in an era where TV pretty much consistently featured clearer moral messages. The good guys wore white hats, the bad guys wore black hats, and the good guys always won in the end. Childhood disputes got handled via verbal skills, humor, athleticism (ie. running away) or failing any of those...unarmed combat (ie. boxing, wrestling). Despite growing up in homes with guns available, none of us ever brought one to settle a dispute or deal with a bully. Something so extreme and permanent was viewed as wrong by all of us.

My dad actually started me out with a bolt action .22LR rifle across the hood of his car when I was just 3 years old. Obviously, he was right there keeping things under control but also making sure it was fun. My interest was piqued, to say the least. He capitalized upon that motivation for the next phase. When I was 4, he would test me when he got home from work. He had/has a Concealed Carry Permit, and he would hand me his .38 special snub nosed revolver. It would either be completely empty, or it it would be simulated to be loaded by having spent cartridges in it. My task was, while always keeping it pointed in a safe direction, to open the cylinder and check if it was 'loaded', and if it was, to unload it and hand it back to him. (and yes, I understood they were spent cartridges, but this was serious business!) Once I had that down pat for two straight weeks, I got to shoot it. He had somebody load up a batch of light loads, and it worked out just fine. It was light weight enough for me to manage and the grips he had on there worked OK for my small hands. I had to grow a bit more before moving up to shooting the Colt Python .357 magnum.

I wouldn't advise people that they should start their kids out that early. There needs to be a certain level of responsible behavior there, and an ability to stay focused long enough to learn it. I was really, really motivated. One rule of thumb I've heard that makes a lot of sense is if the child is responsible enough to take care of a pet, then they are old enough to start learning to shoot. These days, with all the confused messaging being provided by the mass media, I'd add in that parents better have a really good grasp of what is going on in their kid's mind.

The interest stayed with me, and I started buying a few firearms and shooting at an off base range when I was still in the Navy. After I had been out of the service for awhile, I got into practical shooting (USPSA/IPSC) and started up a local club. I served as club president [ nobody else wanted to do all that work ], and eventually served as Florida Section Coordinator for 3 years. By the end of that, I was getting a bit burned out on the adminstrative end of things, and it coincided with starting up a local ISP business. The business took up pretty much all of my time, and thus started the beginning of my 18 year hiatus from shooting. That recently ended with a great day at the range with our very own oldgrognard. Nothing ends a shooting hiatus like getting to shoot a Thompson submachine gun, and an Uzi full auto with a sound suppressor (in two out of his three calibers, no less)!!!

Plainsman, you are hardly alone in growing up without guns in the house. The proof is plain to see that our society has many people who are not firearms savvy. I think it is highly commendable that you are seeking to gain this knowledge now, and that you are making sensible choices in how you are going about it. I don't envy you the task of bringing your wife on board, but I can empathize a bit. My wife was not firearms savvy, and did not share my world view on a number of subjects... but pointing out various news items, and asking her some thought provoking questions brought her around eventually. It can be done.

Same here. I got a Glock 40 cal and a S&W 380 for my lady. My dad has the Taurus 24/7 9mm and he said he didn't like the trigger either it took some getting used to. I'm happy with the 40 cal but with only a trigger safety, and can fire without the clip in I don't keep one in the pipe. So wait a minute Mr burglar I have to rack my slide!

I'd say go to the gun shop and look at the different guns you like, hold them see if they fit your hand, or just feel right and not clunky, not too big but not small either. Then when you find the one you want go on line and find it at http://www.galleryofguns.com/ and it will show dealers close to you with a good price,no box store mark up.

Personally I would go for the Glock 19, easy to shoot, cheap ammo, good capacity, conceals nice. Here is my contribution to the thread though. Whatever pistol you buy get a QUALITY holster made for the pistol you choose and get a quality belt, I like double thick leather. I carry a 5" 1911 in a TT Gunleather IWB holster with a TheBeltman double bullhide belt. There are some great nylon belts out there with internal stiffeners made with CCW in mind. Shoot a lot, and shoot a lot some more.

I just realized I haven't posted here in a few years. PFunk I love the "don't bring a gun in the house without telling the wife" I smuggle guns into the house all the time

My off duty carry setup

So, Plainsman... It's been quite awhile now. How are you making out on your firearms education and acquisition(s)?

This is all you need and NO folks, before you start chastising me, it's not a Rifle, it's a Pistol and LEGAL too!

http://www.sigsauer.com/CatalogProductDetails/p556xi-10-ak-swat-psb.aspx

http://www.gandermountain.com/modperl/pr...un&i=913271

3 different calibers in one pistol.

5.56x45mm NATO, 300 Blackout, and 7.62x39mm NATO

His last post was on Nov.26th 2015. My 54th Birthday. Wonder if he is on another trip away.He travels a lot.

Maybe his wife sent him off for "reeducation."

I am surprised revolvers are never suggested as a first handgun. Keep it simple at first.

My first handgun was a Walther PPK/S.

I was 16 and Dad bought it for me for my birthday.

No. Not the ones made by S&W.

This was back then when it was still manufactured under license from Walther by Interarms.

Plainsman started out comparing various semi-automatic pistols, so that pretty much set the direction of this thread. As I posted earlier, my earliest experiences with handguns started at age 4 with a .38 Special revolver. I certainly agree that a revolver can be an excellent starting point for a new handgun shooter. Part of it comes down to what they are trying to accomplish, though.

If the overriding concern is to obtain a handgun for self-defense (especially if it is to be for concealed carry), it is hard to fault someone zeroing in on a semi-auto right from the start. Between generally having a higher ammunition capacity for comparable sized guns, and an easier reload under pressure, semi-autos offer some significant advantages for defensive work. These days, we have quite a few choices that offer simplified safety systems too (ie. Glocks and similar designs), such that even a semi-auto can be pretty much a point and shoot operation.

But yes, there are definitely scenarios (learning and otherwise) that I would say are well served by a revolver.

I think a big thing to a new concealed carry person with a semi-auto is, should you have one chambered at all times? A revolver takes that concern away.

Not really. A lot of people run with the hammer sitting on an empty cylinder. That way the hammer cant get caught on something and fire one off on you. But as soon as you go to fire the new round rotates into firing position.

With a semi auto you'd have to rack the slide to fire so most people keep one chambered.

AFAIK, any modern semi-auto design available has some safe method for carrying the handgun with a loaded chamber. It comes down to learning the particulars of the design being employed, and utilizing a proper holster and techniques. That, IMO, makes some semi-autos better, or poorer, candidates than others for a new shooter.

Short of some archaic semi-auto design that I'm not yet aware of, I would not teach anyone to carry a semi-auto for self defense with an empty chamber. If there is some archaic semi-auto design that dictates doing that in order to be safe, then the shooter has a handgun that is unsuitable for concealed carry / self defense purposes.

Likewise, other than some old single action revolver designs (that have generally been reworked to eliminate the problem in newer 'replica' versions), revolvers are designed to be safe to carry with all chambers loaded. Let alone the fact that a single action revolver (even of modern design) is a poor choice for concealed carry... an older single action that dictates keeping the hammer down on an empty chamber is particularly ill-suited for concealed carry. Any modern double action revolver that is suitable for concealed carry is safe to carry with all chambers loaded. Giving up a round on a handgun that is typically already limited in capacity versus a semi-auto of comparable size... and that is also slower to reload under stress (especially for newer shooters), is unwise, as well as unnecessary.

I don't have much experience with semi-auto's. That's why I go with my Ruger LCR with 38+P hollow points. I know one day I should upgrade to a better self defense weapon, but for now I go with what I know.

Glock 17 9mm.. do NOT get a compact or semi compact.. I feel it affects the performance of already weak things called pistol rounds for self defense. Use modern high performance ammo and itll be 98% of any other 'man stoppers' out there.. .357 mag is king of the streets for one shot stops but youll be in a revolver at that point (no pun) you dont need a .40 or .45

I use Federal 9BPLE which has like 93% one shot stop stats ... IL state police used to call that round the 'zapper'

There are better rounds than the hydra shocks (Speer Gold dots come to mind). They're very old technology; the reason police departments still issue them is because they're slow government entities.