My dad and I want to get our licenses. What would be an inexpensive lightweight handgun for me to start with? I don't have a ton of money at the moment, I'm moving in a month or so. Preferably something made in the USA!
At the moment you won’t have much choice - if you go to local gun store you’ll have to settle for whatever they have available, which is sometimes nothing. Lockdowns and riots have this weird effect of making millions of people buy guns.
You really don't want a light weight pistol as your first handgun because the extra weight of a heavier weapon will help absorb recoil when you fire. If you can, pick up something like a used Gen 3 Glock 19. It will probably be the best handgun that you can buy for the money right now.
If you are looking for a home defense gun, consider a decent AR. I prefer an 10. 3" barrel, which would be a pistol at that length, for home protection, but 11.5" or longer provides better ballistic performance. Absolutely do not go shorter than 10". You may as well be shooting a spicy 22 long rifle at that point. The reason I'd chose an AR for home defense is that the 5.56/.223 round has less barrier overpenetration than a 9mm or 00 buckshot round.
Whatever you choose, don't just buy it and put it in a safe. Take yourself to a range and practice. Save up some money and take a few classes.
My dad and I want to get our licenses. What would be an inexpensive lightweight handgun for me to start with? I don't have a ton of money at the moment, I'm moving in a month or so. Preferably something made in the USA!
At the moment you won’t have much choice - if you go to local gun store you’ll have to settle for whatever they have available, which is sometimes nothing. Lockdowns and riots have this weird effect of making millions of people buy guns.
You can find AR-15s for about double what they should be, and it seems you can find .223 online still. Sold out in stores though...
People say it's worse now than 2008, but in 2008 you couldn't find ammo, and when it came up it was $1/round. AR-15s we largely gone too.
True, and the lesson learned is buy it now. You don’t want to be buying an umbrella after it’s already been raining on you for an hour.
If you want full sized, and relatively inexpensive, you can try to find a s&w SD series. Good luck finding 9mm ammo if you get a 9
https://palmettostatearmory.com/smith-wesson-m-p-shieldtm-9mm.html
You really don't want a light weight pistol as your first handgun because the extra weight of a heavier weapon will help absorb recoil when you fire. If you can, pick up something like a used Gen 3 Glock 19. It will probably be the best handgun that you can buy for the money right now.
If you are looking for a home defense gun, consider a decent AR. I prefer an 10. 3" barrel, which would be a pistol at that length, for home protection, but 11.5" or longer provides better ballistic performance. Absolutely do not go shorter than 10". You may as well be shooting a spicy 22 long rifle at that point. The reason I'd chose an AR for home defense is that the 5.56/.223 round has less barrier overpenetration than a 9mm or 00 buckshot round.
Whatever you choose, don't just buy it and put it in a safe. Take yourself to a range and practice. Save up some money and take a few classes.
God bless.