What Handgun Is Best For You?

We get a lot of questions about what handgun would be the best for someone to own. A lot of brand names get thrown out there such as Glock, Springfield, Kimber, Taurus and the list goes on. Since every shooter has different sized hands and purposes to use it for, we created a guideline to better help you choose what handgun to purchase.

Guideline to handgun purchase

1. GRIP- It should fit comfortably in your hands and you should be able to reach all of the functions. Such as the slide release, magazine release and the safety without difficulty or much adjustment in your grip.

2. SIZE- How big of a handgun are you wanting? A full size, compact, or sub compact? A full size will have a longer barrel which means better accuracy at further distaces. If you have smaller hands, a sub compact may allow you to shoot more accurately than a full size if you can't have as much control over the gun.

3. PURPOSE- Are you shooting competition? Home protection? Conceal or open carrying? If you are looking to enter pistol competitions, a handgun with a shorter barrel is not your best option. However, if you plan on carrying this pistol, you don't want something that is bulky, heavy and hard to conceal.

4. FUNCTION- There are a few different types of pistols out there. Are you more interested in the simplicity of a revolver, or are you wanting a semi automatic pistol? Revolvers are more "user friendly" in the aspect that cleaning, operation and shooting are easier for beginners. A semi automatic is generally chosen for it's rapid fire capabilities and the higher number of rounds it can hold.

5. TRIGGER PULL- How heavy of a trigger pull do you want? Lighter pull triggers are easier to shoot, but too light of a trigger can be frustrating for new shooters to fire a round when not intended.

6. SIGHTS- Do you want the night sights? What is easy for you to see while looking through them?

7. CALIBER- There are many factors to consider for which caliber to choose such as cost. In today's shooting and sporting world, it can be tricky to find certain types of ammunition versus others. 9mm Luger can be harder to find since the massive increase in people shooting that caliber. .40cal is a great alternative to a 9mm! I have never seen a shortage of ammunition for it, and it is a common caliber to find available in most handgun models. If you are going hunting in Alaska and need to fight off a potential grizzly bear, you may want to consider a .45cal.

8. PARTS & ACCESSORIES- I would STRONGLY suggest to do some research on what replacement parts, extra magazines and holsters are available to the model you are looking at. The last thing you want is to buy a nice handgun and not find a holster readily available for it. Any firearm will eventually wear parts out over extended usage. Make sure your local dealers are able to get these parts without waiting months to get your handgun back!

9. PRICE- This one is pretty easy. How much do you want to spend?

Published by:

Adam Link

Instructor at AIM Precision, LLC