Choosing a Beginner Handgun

[Todd.K]

I am looking specifically for a handgun that is better suited for a beginner.

I'm not looking for "buy a Glock and learn how to shoot it" advice. I have a Glock that I shoot well, but never felt it was an easy gun to start a beginner out on. Some discussion in the closed 320 vs thread by Grant really stood out to me, backing up my feeling on it.

...The truth is that the Glock is one of the hardest guns to shoot well...

...Glock's and new shooters should stay away from each other...

Insight especially from instructors on what they have/would choose to teach teens or a beginner with no gun experience is what I'm looking for.

[C4IGrant]

I am looking specifically for a handgun that is better suited for a beginner.

I'm not looking for "buy a Glock and learn how to shoot it" advice. I have a Glock that I shoot well, but never felt it was an easy gun to start a beginner out on. Some discussion in the closed 320 vs thread by Grant really stood out to me, backing up my feeling on it.



Insight especially from instructors on what they have/would choose to teach teens or a beginner with no gun experience is what I'm looking for.

Before I get the random drive by from the Glock fanboys telling me I am wrong, I will add "shooting fast." Lots of people shoot Glock's "well" (loose definition here), but when we put them on a 10/10/10 drill, they push rounds to the left (as a right handed shooters). I will also add an * to my above statement that Todd grabbed. Flat triggers seem address a lot of the issues with people pushing Glock triggers (instead of pulling them). Example, my 14yr old son shoots my G19 straight and true (at speed). He has small hands and really cannot reach any of the controls...

With that out of the way, the M&P 2.0 line (compact) would be a good choice Todd as would the VP9/P30. Customizable grip size is where its at and allows a young shooter to grow into the gun. There are of course others (PPQ, FN 509, APX, etc), but these two a my favorite.



C4

[MegademiC]

Do you want a gun that will help them become a good shooter, or something that is easy to be good with?

[Todd.K]

Looking for easy to shoot reasonably well, keeping it fun so they build confidence and interest in continuing shooting.

Grant, just the kind of details I needed, thank you. If I don't have to give up Glock are the Gen 4/5 without backstrap small enough for most women? I'm only up to Gen3.

I believe in the ease of learning a single trigger pull of a striker. Is anyone challenging that idea?

Any advances in DAO worth looking at?

Being a range gun with no expectation of carry, is a DA/SA just run SA worth considering?

[Coal Dragger]

DAO gun worth a look would be the HK P30 LEM trigger. It’s brilliant, almost like a long two stage trigger for a pistol. Long smooth (forgiving) takeup, comes to the point where the sere will break and gives a pretty clean break. Just happens that the long smooth takeup fully cocks the hammer on a preloaded mainspring. So DAO safety and forgiveness, with an SA like break for deliberate shooting. When you’re going fast you can just roll right through the trigger.

Of course you get all the other P30 benefits of grip configuration, quality etc.

[LDB]

Well, since it said handgun and not pistol I'll comment that a good K or L frame revolver is an extremely reliable and relatively easy shooting starting point.

[Kain]

What about a Beretta 92? I've taken a 92 out, a couple glocks, a few revolvers, and a 1911 out for new shooters before. The Beretta got a lot of trigger time, easy to shoot, low recoil, accurate. There is something there. Granted, a lot are going to slam the DA/SA trigger. But, if we are taking a new shooter and working with them on the basics, and getting comfortable, and not to be high speed face shooters out of the gate. A 92 isn't bad for that.

[CAVDOC]

I find people these days only think of a handgun as a purely defensive instrument and if it is not in a service caliber or capable of being used as a carry gun is not to be considered.
Widen horizons a bit !
Some will disagree I know but nothing is better at teaching the fundamentals of sights grip stance and trigger than a target grade .22. Picking up something like a ruger standard auto ( not my personal choice but probably the most common these days) cheap to buy accurate and reliable and cheap to feed.
Some will say the fundamentals won’t transfer to service weapons- hogwash. Find a club running steel challenge matches. Start with the .22 ( focusing on hitting first speed second) then graduate to a larger caliber when skills are attained and maintained.

[flenna]

Honestly I think any handgun can be mastered by anyone who puts forth the effort. I carried a G21 for years because it was what my department issued. On the surface you say wow, that gun is way too big for a general issue pistol. But very few had trouble qualifying with it, and those that did have trouble would have had problems with any handgun. Personally I shoot the G21 better than any other handgun I've owned or shot. But I think it is because I have so much trigger time on it.

[MegademiC]

Looking for easy to shoot reasonably well, keeping it fun so they build confidence and interest in continuing shooting.

Grant, just the kind of details I needed, thank you. If I don't have to give up Glock are the Gen 4/5 without backstrap small enough for most women? I'm only up to Gen3.

I believe in the ease of learning a single trigger pull of a striker. Is anyone challenging that idea?

Any advances in DAO worth looking at?

Being a range gun with no expectation of carry, is a DA/SA just run SA worth considering?

Money no object? A 9mm 1911.
If it is, id suggest a cz75 or m92 based on my limited pistol experience. They are both easy to shoot well.