I have decided to purchase my first handgun and I was wondering if the group could give me some suggestions or advice. First off, I would like your opinions on the size and brand. 9mm? .40 or .45? I'm 6 foot, about 180. I'm also ambidextrous so the pistols I've held felt good in either hand. I don't want too much of a gun. I also don't want a pea shooter. I was planning on purchasing for home security, but I also wonder if size should matter since one day I might want to wear in public. I would also like to know of any "extras" you experienced pistol owners might suggest (i.e. sights, kind of ammo, size of magazine, etc.).
I recently held some Glocks and they felt good. I was also told about Sig's, but I believe they are more expensive. Rumor has it the Sig doesn't have a safety on it either. I would like to verify this as well.
I am a rookie when it comes to guns. Whatever pistol I end up buying I plan on taking some classes for it. I hope these questions don't sound too dumb for this forum. Thanks in advance for your replies and I look forward to reading them.
My very first pistol was a ruger single six which has both .22 & .22 mag clylinders. Never thought about carrying it. Because it was a single action and small caliber. However the other day I saw what a .22 mag did to a block of balistic gel on a U-tube video. VERY impressive! So maybe I should have considered it as a carry gun, especially since it was the only hand gun I owned at the time.Had you thought of starting off with a .22 pistol? That would be cheaper to shoot than centerfires. Though if self-defense is a more immediate consideration, there's a ton of good advice on this thread already when it comes to centerfire pistols.