Age old discussion

[Trapper Jim]

I will be glad to meet you at the range and demonstrate many different guns and options that you can try out. Just pm me to set it up and welcome to Ingo.

 

[Amishman44]

First...welcome aboard and hope you enjoy your time here!
In response to your Original Question...know what you want your pistol to do (example: home / personal defense) vs what you don't want it to have to do (example: hunting / hiking / target shooting)...it helps you decide which caliber and style of handgun you want first! Don't rule out a good revolver, depending on what it is you want your pistol to do.

I would visit a range that has a variety of handguns to rent and kind of get a feeling of each of them and see how they feel to shoot.
Holsters are another story. Many, many choices. Everyone has their go too company.

Ditto this...and start getting a feel for different manufacturers, calibers, etc.

Hopefully you have friends that shoot, and you can try out some pistols. You have to find what you love, or can at least be happy with. There is no standard answer to the question you ask. We pick wives, girlfriends, trucks , and yes even guns, and calibers, from what makes us happy. The journey is yours to enjoy.

Sometimes friends have guns that the range doesn't rent...and you can try out something different, nicer, etc.

 

[Mgderf]

The answer is a 1911. What was the question again?



Also, welcome to INGO!

There is no problem so complex that it cannot be resolved with the proper use of a 1911.

 

[bgcatty]

A Commander sized 1911 might just be the ticket for CC. Just get a proper belt and holster. The options are almost innumerable.

 

[walleyepw]

Well right now the pickens are scarce for ammo. Not much good to have a pistol if you can not have ammo to get acquainted with the pistol. I would recommend trying to get a pistol that you can also pick up a few hundred rounds of ammo for practice and familiarization with the firearm. And also to pick up a couple of boxes of self defense ammo, to allow you to run at least one box/ magazine of self defense ammo through the gun to make sure it feeds the self defense ammo reliably.