whats the best handgun for an ordinary citizen to puchase?

Question

is it a 9mm, cal.32, .40,.45? what brand? glock, taurus, para-ordnance, smith and wesson?

Answer 1

If you are a first-time gun owner, and you are using it for personal defense at home, there are two choices: a revolver, or a shotgun. Though a semi-automatic usually carries a larger number of rounds (usually 10), a revolver is less likely to jam than a semi-automatic. Get a 4" or 6" barrel .357 magnum - generally agreed to be the round with the highest stopping power/most accurate/less kick.

People nowadays are crazy over big rounds: .44 or .45 calibers; 10 mm. But remember, guns kill people. You don't necessarily need a small car coming out of your gun barrel to kill someone - or even stop them. It is much more important that you are confident and accurate with whatever you choose. Two shots in the chest with a smaller bullet are much better than a miss or one in the arm or leg.


Also for home defense is a shotgun. Great stopping power, easy to aim. Go to a gun store, you'll get the whole story. Don't buy on the same day - think about it. A Semi-automatic is not that big a deal (especially if you have strong hands - it does take a little strength to work the slide to chamber a round or clear a jam). My first gun was a revolver, like everyone said, and I ended up buying a semi soon after. My ordinance is a .380. It has less kick, and is less likely to go through plasterboard walls than the higher calibers. I just need to hit what I'm shooting at twice, which with a semi is not hard to do.

One man's opinion.

Answer 2

In my opinion, one of the best and safest handguns on the market at the present time are the Glock semi-auto pistols. They have been put through torture tests and passed with flying colors. They are 99.99% impossible to discharge without pulling the trigger all the way rearwards. I have a full size Glock Model 22 in .40 S&W caliber. The gun is superb. I would highly recommend the Glock. The .40 S&W cal. is the choice of law enforcement agencies in the U.S. The 9mm is the most popular outside of the U.S. The .40 S&W recoils a little more than the 9mm.Because of the polymer frame and the grip angle, Glocks tend to recoil less than metal frame guns, even in the 10mm caliber, which had the highest recoil.

Answer 3

Depends on what you want to do with it.

For self defense you want to make sure you can stop an aggressor with one shot, since you may not get another chance and additional shots can be seen as "excessive" force and buy you some time in prison. A .45 semi-automatic (Springfield, Kimber, S&W, or SIG(.40)) would work nicely. A rail for mounting a light is also a nice option, since at night you might have to hold a flash light to check that suspect noise coming from the cellar. I'd steer you away from all the Glock dirivatives, harder to tell if you're ******.

For starters, you might want to first invest in a large can of pepper spray-- much less legal liability. Keep in mind that handguns are difficult to shoot (nothing like Hollywood) and require cleaning and maintanence.

For target shooting, a .22 is the way to go. A thousand rounds of .22 costs less than 50 rounds of larger calibers.

At any rate, I'd highly recommend a gun safe. There are smaller models and they are a great place to put a few other valuables. Parents are held responsible for accidents involving children.

Best of luck. Keep it safe.

Answer 4

I prefer a .45 mini firestorm, because it is small, and has a lot of built in locks, for safety, so you dont need to use big boxes or trigger locks, even with kids around. There are 3 built in safetys, so they are really safe, and one of the safetys has a hexkey lock, also, so that the gun cant be shot, by kids, esp.

It also comes in both double action or single action, but I would suggest the single action, because the magazine would only allow you 5 shots, if you do double action. (action means how many bullets are fired upon squeezing the trigger once, so double is 2, and single is 1.) However, according to the reviews, the double action is smoother than the single action is. The single action, however, is reportedly smoother than 9mms.

For protection, the mini also fits well in an ankle holster for men, or a purse or under a skirt in a thigh holster for women. This gun is reasonably small, and if you have a CWP (concealed weapons permit) and carry for self defense, it can come in quite handy.

A .45 is a good caliber to use, also, because, the way I see it- if youre going to shoot in self defense- please shoot to kill. I currently have a weeny gun- an old .22 revolver, and although it might help some, if I need it- its probably not going to stop them with one shot. A .45 will, though. My next gun purchase is going to be a .45 firestorm mini. =)

Answer 5

9mm Glock

I have a G17 and love it.

The 9mm caliber has enough knock down power without too much recoil. .40 and up can recoil enough to make it more difficult to stay on target. Anything less than 9mm doesn't have the stopping power and that is typically what you're looking for in a handgun.

The reason I say Glock is that they are shown to be one of the most reliable and accurate right out of the box. They also have the fewest number of parts and are easy to break down, clean and maintain.

Also, Glock's Service is phenominal. After owning my Glock for years, I contacted them with a question and they asked if I wanted to send in the gun for a free upgrade...I got it back in two weeks. They had engineered some improvements and modified my gun to bring it up to todays standards. Too bad computer manufacurers don't do that.

Answer 6

In today's world probably none. It does not matter what situation of danger or controversy you are faced with, and how right you may think you are. With the pro let let the aggressor run over you laws in force, you will most likely break the law in some way. Usually this will cause you more misery than the enjoyment you would have for standing up for your rights. Don't forget you are out numbered. It is truly a lost cause. Even if you win, it could and would cost you a fortune. Actually, we are victims of insanity. It is masked over as Justice. So just cool it and keep away from places that are potential trouble spots. If someone gives you the finger, driving down the highway, smile and blow them a kiss. I believe that causes them more mental anguish than anything. To the best of my knowledge there is now law against that (YET).

Answer 7

Depends on what you want it for. Just plinking a .22 because cheap ammo. Personal protection against people nothing under 9mm or .38 caliber. I carry a .45 caliber 1911.

Protection against preditors nothing under a .45 Long Colt. Larger animals (Grizzlies) the Smith and Wesson model 500

Answer 8

To the make: Glock is the only one which comes in my mind when it comes to handguns. Not without a reason over 70% of US American law enforcement agencies uses Glock guns. Have the best price/value relationship of all...

To the caliber:
Most reliable one is the G17 --> when tested by the FBI did not fail once in 100.000 rounds!!!

The G22 is very nice too, used by most of FBI and police officers...,

but I on my side like the G37 most (among others because of its power...)

Answer 9

I say a 40 Cal Walther P99 exellent handgun.

To all you Gun Grabbers who answered this question saying garbage like "No Handgun is the Best" or "Would You Really Want to kill someone?" shame on you. This gentleman was wanting technical info on what handgun is best for home defense not your political or moral commentary. I for one am tired of the Anti-Gun crowd acting as if they are morally superior to people that dont agree with them. Sorry I had to vent there. Nothing personal but if you dont choose to own a gun fine but dont harrass those of us who do

Answer 10

I vote for a taurus .44...because that's what I carry.

I like revolvers-semi automatics can be crotchety.

My husband has a Ruger 9mm. It's so light that when I went to fire it the first time, it kicked hard and I ended up bopping myself in the forehead with the butt of it-very funny, but then again...not funny. (I did hit my target, though BTW) I don't like guns made of composite-I like metal. That's just me.

And if you haven't already-take a gun safety course. Please be a responsible gun owner, otherwise you make us all look bad.

As an aside...if this will be your first gun, stick to a smaller calibur. You wouldn't start your first riding lesson on the black stallion, would you? No-you'd start out on Mr Ed.