subject: How to Buy Your First Handgun- A Series of Articles For Your Safety Part Three [print this page] How to Buy Your First Handgun- A Series of Articles For Your Safety Part Three
If you read my first or second articles then we can save the time and space of my credentials. If not then go read "How to Buy Your First Handgun Part One." A small disclaimer here for you is one thing I am not is an attorney. Anything I am suggesting or giving my opinion about how to purchase your first handgun is just that, my opinion based on years of experience of practical use and not to be construed as legal advise.
In the first and second articles we discussed mind set of owning your first handgun for self defense and what type of handgun to start off with. Revolver or Semi-Automatic Pistol. As noted a revolver is the wise choice for most beginners.
In this article I would like to dig deeper into how to determine what caliber and size frame to purchase. Ideally you want to have the largest caliber at your disposal. After all larger holes make for more stopping power. Ask the United States Army when they came to the realization that a .38 caliber round was not as affective as the .45 caliber which they brought into service way back in 1911 and is a caliber that is still used today by special forces and other branches of the armed services. Usually the larger the caliber the larger the frame of the revolver. Remember, a handgun does you no good if it's in your glove box of your vehicle. The weapon has to be on your person at all times in a proper holstering system. We'll touch on that later. So in choosing your first handgun that you will be carrying on your person you need to look at where do you go on a daily basis. You have to look at your wardrobe How do you dress? Are you in a suit and tie? Do you wear jeans and tennis shoes with a shirt tucked in or worn out? Do you were shorts and flip flops with a tee shirt? For women, do you wear professional attire to the office? Example being pants suits with jackets. Or do you own your own business and dress more casually? For men, if your going to carry the handgun inside the waistband do you wear size 32 waist? If so how snug are they now? You might need to purchase a size larger to account for the extra width of the revolver. One other of many considerations, is how does your wardrobe change through out the seasons. Or are you lucky like me living in Florida where I can have pretty much the same throughout the year.
All in all considered, having a smaller caliber, even as small as a .22 caliber handgun that you can have on your person at all times is the best of situations. If you can comfortably holster and carry a .357 magnum 3 inch barrel revolver then good. If all you can do because of the size of your hands, frame of your body and your dress style is carry a 2.5" barrel J frame Smith and Wesson .38 caliber then that's fine too. What I am showing you are the concepts and philosophy needed to make proper decisions.
