Buying a firearm is not to be taken lightly. Firearms offer a variety of different features, and depending on your goals and skill level, you should make sure you’re informed before you purchase a gun.
Tips Before You Purchase a Firearm
There are several necessary steps you should take before you purchase a firearm.
- What are you using the firearm for. Know your main intention for the firearm: home defense, concealed carry, sport shooting etc. Each use relates to unique features you should look for when purchasing a firearm. You’ll find a large selection that fits each category.
- Do your research! know the pros and cons of each firearm: reliability, warranty, ease of use, assembly, disassembly, maintenance, availability of parts etc. Talk to others who own a firearms. Find out their pros and cons.
- What is your budget. When determining which firearm to purchase, consider the cost of the firearm and the equipment you need to go with it, such as holster(s), magazines, mag carriers etc. Also, consider the cost of ammunition for ongoing training and practice. Ammunition cost and availability can vary significantly.
- Take your time and test out before you buy. Most ranges have a good selection of firearms for rental. Just because you like the look of a certain firearm doesn’t mean you will like how it shoots for you. Trying before you buy saves buyer’s remorse.
How to Choose Your First Handgun
Choosing your first handgun may seem overwhelming at first with so many options to choose from, however, I put together some tips on how to make decision on size, ergonomic, safety, price, ammo, caliber, and size to help you make an informed decision.
Before you begin searching for “handguns near me,” check out our helpful tips on choosing your first handgun.
Finding the Right Fit This is the number 1 factor to consider when finding the right handgun. A full-size handgun is recommended for beginners, meaning a handgun with close to a 5” barrel. With a full-size handgun, it is easier for a beginner to handle while shooting because there is more mass to absorb the recoil, as well as a larger area to grip and a longer right radius from the front to the rear sight.
Safety: Manual External Safety Pros and Cons If you are purchasing the handgun for self-defense, it is recommended that you avoid a handgun that has a manual external safety. In the heat of the moment where you need to use your gun in defense, you could forget to disengage the safety.
Sights: Go for High Visibility When it comes to sights, you want to make sure you have the most visibility possible. In many cases, self-defense situations will occur in dimly lit conditions, so night sights are a great option to provide you with effective visibility.
Action For beginners and for home defense, a striker-fired handgun is a great option. When compared to a double-action handgun, a striker-fired handgun has a nearly identical trigger pull every time it is fired. To determine if a handgun is striker-fired, look at the back of the slide. If the back of the slide is flat and has no exposed hammer, it is a striker-fired handgun.
Bare in mind that a double-action handgun will have a heavy pull, more resistance, on the trigger, or the first shot since you are cocking back the hammer.
Caliber: 9mm is Great for New Gun Owners The 9mm caliber is easy to find and cheaper to purchase when compared to other calibers. One benefit for beginners when it comes to using a 9mm is that its smaller size provides a mild recoil and is also available in higher capacity magazines, typically up to 15+. This caliber is used by the majority of police forces due to its mild recoil. With a lower recoil, you can shooting more accurately and draw faster.
Choosing the Right Type of Ammo A jacketed hollow point or JHP is a bullet that features a lead core that expands and transfers energy, along with a copper jacket that controls the lead’s expansion to ensure deeper penetration. The nose of the bullet has a hollow lead tip that expands on impacts, with the copper jacket slowing the expansion, balancing the energy transfer, and the penetration.
Online Texas LTC Class
Our online course is so easy that we have a pass guarantee. We broke down everything in a way that is easy for anyone understand. The first step in getting your Texas license to carry is to take our online course. The course will walk you through the online application process so you can apply for your LTC as soon as you complete the course. Take it at your own pace on your own time. It even works on all devices including your smartphone.
