Question for gun enthusiasts.

[PitOnTheProwl]

Comfort in your had is the first priority as most have stated.
I think almost everyone hase giving great information.
My wife carries a S&W Mod 60 LS and loves it, two speed loaders and she is good with 14 rounds
I bounce between a Ruger P89, S&W .40 Sigma or CZ Mod 83.
We are both thinking of getting our CHLs but the Castle Laws here are great and I chose to carry on me either way.

The biggest thing to remember is IF you pull your weapon you better be 100% clear that you are about to make someone stop breathing. If you cannot handle that though then you probably shouldnt carry a gun that will more that likely get taken from you and used on you.

[OctagonGecko729]

Everyone here has covered everything you need to know I'm pretty sure, I didn't read every post though so I'll throw out my 2 cents.

Comfort is a biggy, if your going to carry concealed then you need to maintain a high percentage of carry because you never know when something could happen. Merely carrying when you go into a bad neighborhood is not enough. Comfort comes in to play here because many times people will carry larger caliber handguns but then end up not carrying them as often as they should because its uncomfortable or they do not have confidence that they can conceal it in certain high human traffic situations, like walmart on black friday.

Caliber selection, caliber is going to be up to you, I would recommend nothing less then 9mm but the differences in terminal ballistics between calibers with modern ammunition is miniscule. 9mm gives you more shots which is very important when your under stress. With that being said though, the best caliber is the one that you will carry all the time. If .380 is all you feel comfortable with carrying 100% of the time then thats better then carrying a .45 which you carry 75% of the time.

Like everyone else has said, go in person and talk to folks, try out different weapons at the range. Remember though shooting at a range and concealed carry are two entirely seperate things. I'd encourage you to take several concealed carry courses which put you under stress. Also, the biggest part of this is the mentality you have to take on when you choose to carry. Can you fire on someone, are you ready for legal battle after, being aware of your surroundings, etc. Most of this mentality you should gleam from the new crowd of people you will be around.

[RedDragonMorphs]

Arizona is the best state to live in imo because its an open carry state. I do have my concealed weapons license and carry my HK Usp 45 compact everyday concealed its comfortable for me to wear and i can always trust it. No fte or ftf. As for the op get a handgun that fits you. Imo Da/Sa is the only way to go. I hate glock dont let anyone talk you into buying a piece of crap. Lol Xdm is reliable i have one and at least you can tell when a round is chambered. Get what fits you best.

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[aldebono]

Everything has probably been said already, but...

Find a friend who is knowledgeable and has a lot of guns or go to the range and try out different guns. This will give you experience and you will find that you will develop a preference to what you do and do not like.
If you are using it for concealment, bring along your holster you are going to use to find out if you can see it under concealment. They make a LOT of different holsters for different parts of your body.
For personal protection, I would get something larger than a 9mm OR plan on loading with hollow points. In my opinion, a .22mm or a 9mm is NOT going to be an adequate personal protection gun. You will want something with stopping power. If you are a large guy, you have more options for the gun and where to have it on your person. A woman who wears tight clothing is going to have less options. Ladies, DO NOT carry your gun in your purse!

Comfort with your gun is huge. I tried a Ruger LCR and liked it. I didn't realize I was trying it with reloads. I got it home and this thing is a HAND CANNON with regular ammo. I ended up selling it because I hated shooting it.

Get comfortable with your gun. Get comfortable with drawing from retention. Get comfortable with firing from prone. Get comfortable with reloading. Get comfortable with your gun.

The best thing I ever did was start competitive pistol shooting with International Defensive Pistol Association. You will get comfortable with everything about your gun, moving and shooting, shooting moving targets. It becomes muscle memory, which is what is needed in high stress situations.

Sorry, I am just very passionate about learning to be comfortable with your guns.

[Ridinandreptiles]

If you're new to varying get a revolver

[olstyn]

If you're a new shooter, the first thing I'd recommend is some instruction. (Yes, before buying ANYTHING.) Find a reputable instructor local to you and let them know you're a new shooter looking to get some basic knowledge and exposure to different types of guns. They will likely have a whole pile of them for you to try, and the cost of a few hours of one on one time is probably less than or equal to the rental fees for all the guns you'd like to try, and you'll get to try many of them while getting instruction on proper technique and safety. That experience will give you a good framework to make a choice when you make your purchase.

Depending on your needs, there may be a lot of guns that fit you or only a few, but a good place to start, in terms of getting something affordable and reliable, is by looking at Glock (17 or 19), S&W (M&P series, Shield if you really need small/thin), and Walther (PPQ, P99 series, or maybe PPS if you really need small/thin). All three make high quality, reliable pistols at a reasonable price ($450-600 or so). If you're willing to spend more, H&K makes pistols to a higher standard than just about anything short of custom guns, but a P30 or P2000 will likely run you more like $900+, and to my mind, the price difference is better spent on practice ammo and/or a holster and extra magazines.

As far as what caliber to get goes, proper hollow points (Speer Gold Dot, Federal HST, Remington Bonded Golden Saber, etc) make 9mm basically equal to .40 and .45 in terms of effectiveness, but 9mm guns hold more ammo, the ammo is cheaper, and the recoil is less sharp. There's really not much to recommend about the bigger calibers unless you live in a state where magazine capacity is limited by law or hollow points are illegal (rare).

Once you've gotten some instruction and bought a gun, buy a case of ammo and get some practice, preferably with a friend so you can motivate each other both to get better and to continue practicing regularly. After that, if you're so inclined, look into IDPA and/or USPSA competition; it's good fun and can serve as a more interesting and engaging test of your skills than just practicing by yourself on a square range.

[Freakie_frog]

Before you carry you'll need to watch this. He has good points.

[PitOnTheProwl]

In my opinion, a [I].22mm[/B] or a 9mm is NOT going to be an adequate personal protection gun.

I would never recommend a .22cal to anyone. 9mm will stop. Then again I dont mind buying quality ammo to carry either.
Range rounds are VERY different from what you want to protect yourself with.

[Freakie_frog]

I would never recommend a .22cal to anyone. 9mm will stop. Then again I dont mind buying quality ammo to carry either.
Range rounds are VERY different from what you want to protect yourself with.

And you should pratctice with what you carry..

[JohnNJ]

For women I like a .38 Colt Detective Special - snubnose and hammerless - with a light pull or a Smith & Wesson 642 .38 revolver - hammerless and stainless.

I hope you'll never have to pull it out.