I notice that high power, high capacity, auto pistols are waaaaayyyy over represented in this forum. They are fun and have there place, but are most of you really only planning to use your pistol in a combat type situation? The high power, high capacity, auto pistols are the "IT" gun at the moment. And if I'm carrying a gun under the seat of the car or concealed for defense then the auto's are my choice. If I'm buying a gun for fun, hunting or combat they are not my first choice. Guess is what I'm saying is I'm seeing a lot of opinions and not many facts..... I think some of the gun noobs are getting bad advice....
Some things to consider when buying a gun....
First, what are you going to use your gun for?
If you are serious about home defense you might want to consider a shotgun and not a pistol. A shotgun is a much better weapon in close quarter combat.
.22's are your biggest bang for the buck. If you want to have a fun time blasting cans and targets this might be the gun for you.
If you have a serious belief that one day you will have to use a weapon to defend yourself from some type of foreign or government invasion then you want a high powered deer rifle with a good scope. Dollar per effectiveness nothing is as lethal on the battlefield as a sniper. Assault rifles are effective when used in trained groups employing fire team tactics. But for a one or two man team nothing is as deadly as a scoped high powered rifle.
Revolvers are a blast to shot, particularly the big mags. Revolvers are also more accurate then a auto. They are probably also easier for a noob to operate and fire accurately.
If you plan to hunt with a pistol you will want one of the magnum revolvers or one of the big single shots (I love my Super T/C in .223). I've shot several deer with a S&W 44.
As for high power, high capacity, auto pistols I like the 9mm because you can buy ammo really cheap if you buy it by the case at the local gun shows. Now if I were a professional like a cop I might consider something else. But the 9mm has killed more people then all other calibers combined, so it must be pretty efficient. 9mm ammo is probably the easiest pistol cartiage to find. Any one horse town selling bullets will have 9mm on the shelf.
Anyhoo..... I just wanted to make sure some of the noobies didn't get sold on a firearm that was not going to meet their needs. YMMV.
Fire away..... :rifle: