Does that presume the buyer is already familar/comfortable with shooting handguns?
Even though the thread has moved on... to answer the question, I would say "a little". But not much.
You need to have fired *something* yes, just so you know how to hold it in whatever comfortable stance you naturally assume, and sight with the sights, but it's kinda like asking if a brand new student likes a Tomahawk or a Cessna 150 better, which one they should fly. They don't know.
We know the answer is, the one they like, of course.
Only the gun you like, will keep you going back to the range to put the practice time in.
The only gotcha here would be a firearms dealer who was trying to dump off something on an unsuspecting noob. Rare.
The counter action for that is that there's no need to purchase on the spot... just aim a few and get a feel for how they handle in your firing hand, that are in your price range, and then check with someone trusted to make sure the shop didn't try to sell you some junk.
Most gun shops won't. They have a reputation to uphold and arent typically a large chain store that doesn't care.
Ken's right to ask other enthusiasts about it, but just like the Cessna vs Piper debates, enthusiasts can and will get caught up in debating the minor pros and cons of every possible weapon out there.
I'm a Browning fan myself, but I grew up in the non-plastic gun era.
The Glock stuff is just as good in the hands of someone who practices with theirs.
I also like fat frames 'cause I have big hands. I don't like fat grips added to small frames. So I've been tempted lately to get used to the Glocks.
The Hi-Power always feels "about right" for me. Some 1911s work well for me too, but not all.
If you're just plunking at stuff and not trying to up your accuracy, just about anything will work. Hell, get a cheap .22 and learn to shoot it first.
If you need it to fire every time you draw it... Then you're going to want to listen closely to what law enforcement shooters and instructors say, for example.
I hate weapons that misfire and jam. Drives me absolutely batty.
So I avoid stuff rumored to do that.
I'll also settle for a little less accuracy at 20+ yards over reliability.
You can do a lot of cheap shooting with the "not so perfect gun that you like" before investing in a higher quality one. You can also find buddies to go to the range with who'll let you try out their "babies" to see how they work for you.
) and with some tuning, it functioned flawlessly.
For those of you that may watch the Outdoor Channel, I had the good fortune of shooting with the Shooting USA crew - Jim and John Scoutten and Mike Irvine. I guess we were somewhat of the celebrity squad so every time I turned around, there was a camera in my face. It will probably air sometime in March or April.
