As a first time buyer you can't go wrong with a glock. Caveman simplicity. Load it, shoot it. That's it. No stoning or fitting parts, none of that. No addons needed, the glock comes out of the box perfect
You must work for Glock, but your description fits my firearm perfectly. Only mine isn't a Glock. It's a CZ, and its design predates the first Glock by a decade:
1936 - CZ Armory established. 1975 - CZ makes
CZ 75, one of the most oft-copied pistol. 1982 - Glock is formed in response to a requirement put out by the Austrian military. My "CZ 85B is an up to date version with a firing pin block safety, squared off trigger guard, a ring hammer, and tri-dot sights. It is available in 9mm and .40 S&W calibers." Don't know when it came out. I just know CZs have a reputation for long-term reliability.
I've fired many revolvers and pistols, and my advice is for you to do the same before you buy. Find some gun buddies and head to the range. The more you try, the more you'll know about what you want to buy, and most importantly, why. When I was young and ignorant, I couldn't wait to buy a Browning Hi-Power. Someone had recommended it to me, and I'd read an article on it in the NRA magazine, so I was sold. Fortunately, when I found one for sale by its owner, I had enough presence of mind to test the size and comfort of its grip. In so doing, I discovered it was not for me. Just not a good fit.
No amount of listening to other people or reading magazine articles will replace that hands-on feedback. Like anything you spend more than $50 on, your primary carry weapon should fit like a glove.
Other considerations:
1. Are you comfortable settling for a revolver's 6-shot limitation? Or would you prefer 16 in the magazine and 1 in the pipe, with the ability to reload a second 16 in about one second? Your six-shooter will have to be reloaded four times in order for it to crank out 32 rounds, while my CZ can do it with just one reload. Something to consider. Even if the liklihood of needing more than two to three shots is slim, it's nice to have.
2. Since most encounters happen in close quarters, reliability is more important than accuracy or drop. I'd much rather own a reliable handgun with an average 5" miss radius at 50 yrds than one with a tight 2" radius but prone to misfeeds and jams.
3. Finally, fit and operation is a must. Whatever you choose, its operation must feel as natural as breathing. I've owned a .357 magnum and a .44 magnum, and while the .357 had a much shorter barrel, reloading it rapidly was problematic, while the .44 was a piece of cake. That and the fact that I was just as fast and accurate with the more powerful .44 in close quarters made it my weapon of choice.
Keltec has a bad rap, but some folks here support them. The head gunsmith at the largest gun store in town has several of them and swears by them. He says they're one of the least likely firearms he'll see in his repair shop.
Anything with a manual/thumb safety will give you one more thing to worry about and forget to do when the pressure is on.
I agree that with modern firearms, it behooves you to pick one with a trigger interlock. This requires the trigger to be pulled to nearly the full extension before it will fire. Whether that's done via a firing pin lock or a hammer block matters little. What matters is that if you need to fire the weapon, it's as simply as squeezing the trigger, and if you're not trying to fire it, you can drop it all the way home and it'll never fire.
Go with a 9mm or 380 ACP. While people frequently suggest 40 S&W or 45 ACP for "stopping power", the 9 mm ammo is significantly less expensive, which will help you practice more. THEN you might consider something with a bigger bullet. I am comfortable carrying 9 or 380 because shot placement and proficiency trump a miss with a big bullet.
I agree. Many compact 9 mils can take the higher loads, but even with my full-size frame, I don't use them. It's more important to me to make my second and third rounds hit the same target as the first than to have the small advantage of increased firepower at the risk of missing the target, or worse, accidentally hitting an innocent bystander.
Since you'll need to conceal, consider a compact 9mm or a .380 ACP. Most importantly, find a model that fits you the best, one that operates most naturally for you.
