There are many things to consider when you are purchasing your first firearm. The most important thing is to get every action and military movie out of your head. Those kinds of visuals can give you a distorted mind set. I don't think anyone wants a novice walking around with a M60. To avoid this diversion, there are some standard guidelines to consider.
- Would this purchase be the first time you've held and or shot a firearm?
This is important because firearms come in all shapes, sizes and weight. You really should make a trip to your local outdoors store and physically get a grip of some guns. You need to really be comfortable with holding your firearm. It should feel like an extension of your arm while aiming.
- If you are not a complete novice, what is the max caliber you have shot and how long ago have you shot?
You always have that someone who says "I've been shooting guns all my life". That statement in many cases doesn't usually mean that a person has shot many types of rounds all of their life. I've been shooting for over 10 years now. Within that time I have only shot .380, 9mm, 357 Sig, 40 S&W (40 Cal) and 45 acp. That means that maybe I shouldn't go to the gun store looking for a 357 or 44 magnum to tote around. I'm not saying that I'm scared to tackle those rounds at the range one day. The fact is simply this...I haven't had enough experience with them.
- Have you chosen a round that you would like your firearm to be in?
Like I said before, you need to understand what you are getting yourself into before you go and purchase just any caliber firearm. The main question is, can you handle your choice caliber? My favorite firearm to shoot was my Glock 23. This is a mid size semi-automatic handgun that shoots a 40 caliber bullet. With me getting so used to the recoil of the 40 cal, once I switched back to a 9mm it felt like a .380 acp. Visit a gun range and get use to some rounds. Start off with some small calibers and then work your way up. If your asking me, I'd tell you to carry a 9mm or 40 cal. Here are some calibers to consider from light recoil or heavier ones.
.22 magnum - .380 acp - 9 mm - .357 Sig - 40 Cal. - 45 acp
- Will your first firearm be for home defense or carry?
This is an extremely important question to ask yourself. Knowing the answer can be the difference from choosing a heavy or light weapon. It's also a factor in considering magazine capacity (your choice of caliber can also be calculated in this factor). Most concealed carry 9 mm handguns have a magazine capacity of 10 rounds. Full size frame handguns can carry up to 19 rounds of 9 mm in their magazines.
Answering this question also brings up what safety features the particular firearms may have. Lets see, there is your average safety which can be a push button or switch. These are the simplest forms of safety for a firearm. They are activated by just pushing and flicking the button/lever.
You can also have a magazine safety. This is activated when the magazine is removed from the firearm. Even if you have a bullet in the chamber, your gun will not fire. Many concealed carry gun owners look down on this safety. I guess some people would just like their gun to shoot in any situation.
Another form of safety is a decocker. These are only featured on semi-auto handguns. The action of racking a round into the chamber, causes the hammer to stay back and cause your trigger to be in single action mode. This just means that your trigger is held back, and it may only take a light press to fire the gun. Lets just say you racked a round in your gun and now you're ready to holster it. You slide it into the holster than BANG!. I'm not saying this happens all the time, but it has happened enough times for it to be considered a factor. What the decocker does is it brings the hammer forward without hitting the firing pin. This brings both your hammer and trigger to rest in double action mode, allowing your trigger to need a full pull in order to fire.
*As a note, make sure you get to know all the safety features of the firearm you choose. They are there to protect both you and your family. All firearms come with some sort of key lock. In case you ever decide on a firearm with limited safety you can always just lock it up.
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