Recommendations for first handgun

[defender14]

Well I bought my first handgun today, thanks to all for the recommendations.

I was rather undecided as to what to get at the beginning of today, but after handling quite a few options (Glock Gen4 G19, Glock Gen3 G26, Smith and Wesson M&P9C, Kahr CW-9, Springfield XD 4", and Springfield XD Subcompact) I ended up with the Springfield XD 4" with Trijicon sights and the XD gear pack (2 16rd mags, holster, mag loader, mag holster).

I took my wife with me to IndyGunSafety today and spent well over an hour going through the details of all of them. In the end the Springfield won because my wife really liked the grip safety.

I won't be able to apply for my LTCH until my next paycheck so a range report is a few weeks out but I am happy with my purchase, i think the Springfield will serve me well for home defense. My wife is already talking about or next handgun purchase

 

[Bunnykid68]

When you can afford it I would recommend a good target 22 and shooting it a lot. It is much cheaper to shoot a 22 a lot and any shooting you do will make you more comfortable. Also, it will give you a firearm that you can let others shoot cheaply to make them more comfortable around them.

 

[defender14]

When you can afford it I would recommend a good target 22 and shooting it a lot. It is much cheaper to shoot a 22 a lot and any shooting you do will make you more comfortable. Also, it will give you a firearm that you can let others shoot cheaply to make them more comfortable around them.

Great advice, that is something i fully plan to do once I can find it in the budget. In an ideal world I would have gotten both a 22 for practice/plinking as well as a HD handgun. My philosophy on owning a handgun is it is for home defense, the whole reason I learned to properly use one was so that I could safely defend my family. I didn't want any more time to go by where I was not prepared for the worst.

Thanks for the

 

[defender14]

Well I got my LTCH last weekend and today I was finally able to go to a range and shoot my own handgun

My XD9 worked out well. I shot 100 rounds of 115gr FMJ 9mm Federal and 10 rounds of 147gr Winchester PDX. No FTF or FTE, everything went well. The only problem I had is that I ran out of rounds