Posted: 11/29/2004 1:35:40 PM EDT
| I am in the market for my first handgun. I have been thinking of going with a .357 mag, since it can fire .38 spec and .357 mag and it is a pretty small caliber. I dont want to start off with a large caliber so I can get used to firing a handgun. Is this a good choice? What else would be a good starter handgun? I eventually want to get a .45 ACP or a .44 mag, I just dont want to start off with firing such a huge gun. |
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A .357 revolver with a 4" barrel is a good first hand gun, as you mentioned you can load it from pop gun to flame thrower. Also a revolver is simple to operate, you don't have to be concerned with it not feeding or ejecting certain types of ammo. If it fails to fire you simply need to pull the trigger again. After you have had experience with a hand gun you can get something else and use the revolver as a night stand gun. Also many revolvers are very accurate, so you also have a nice accurate pistol for punching holes in paper. Also its not like the .357 mag is under powered, the 125 grain JHP is a well respected man stopper (depending on who you ask) My first hand gun was a S&W 686+, 4" barrel, a 7 shot revolver is just very cool. |
It's an awesome choice for a first handgun. Also, reccomend as above, getting a decent .22 for plinking and practice - but a nice used 4" S&W or Ruger in .357 is really hard to beat. You also won't be posting questions here about commom pistol malfunctions, I can tell you that much! |
+1 |
| I too would recommend a DA/SA 357Rem Mag/38Rem Spl revolver for the first gun. Look into the mdium frame Rugers(GP100s), Taraus', S&Ws(M66s, 586/686). Get a used gun if you really tight for money. Revolvers have been around for a long time, so just about any corner gunsmith can repair it if anything goes wrong. |
Something like this would be good: .357... shoots .38spl just fine. Very accurate with both from what I've observed. Recoil with full on .357 loads is not bad at all. The muzzle blast is pretty cool, tho! Just be sure to clean out the chambers after you shoot .38s, or chambering .357 can get a little difficult. A revolver is a great first gun... although my first handgun was a 1911. 
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1911 are great fun guns but you can't go wrong with a .357 like you are thinking. Don't be afraid of a used ruger or s&w,nobody ever wears them out. A small gun will cary easy but the smaller/lighter a gun is the harder it will recoil.Some of the snubbies don't have much for sights. Triggers are importaint,try bunches of used guns and ignore what they look like-the best trigger will shoot the best. (within reason,nobody wants a gun that has been abused) My alltime favorite revolver in .357 is hands down a S&W 686 or 586. The 686 is stainless and you should be able to find plenty of used ones in different lengths.The 586 is the same gun in blued steel and there are not as many around so they go generally for more money.Unless you intend to carry on your pearson the 6 inch 686 is about the easiest pistol to shoot well. I teach NRA basic pistol and many students have not touched a gun.Anyone with a hand that comes close to fitting the grips finds it a brease to shoot. Grips-another reason to get a S&W.I never liked the S&W factory grips much but everyone who makes grips makes them for S&W. I myself like the HOUGE brand grips for size and feel. I fully agree with your Idea of the .357. lots of good cheep target .38 ammo out there and a full house .357 load will do most and job that needs doing,this is where the longer 6 inch barrel comes into its own. .357 and .38 are the perfect way to get a start on reloading if you haven't thought about that . Once you get into handguns you will want other kinds but the .357 is a good starting place. The other way to go is a .22 pistol.Cheep to get lots of shooting in with but next to useless for protection.In a .22 as a first gun I would suggest a semi auto ruger or browning Buckmark. 22 revolvers can be a pain,seems like you spend more time trying to load them and get the brass out of them than you spend shooting them.I have a couple but stick with a semi when you go for your first .22 pistol |
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Springfield XD-9 was my first gun. Great gun, fantastic carry piece. Too bad I can't carry. Sold it for a Glock 19, wanted a shorter trigger reset and 33 rd mag capacity. I would recommend a 9mm auto, ammo is plentiful and cheap- a big consideration considering I'm in school. |