How to Choose a Handgun

When it comes to purchasing a handgun, there are no shortage of opinions out there. Some people are bargain driven, some are brand loyalists, and still more are going to get whatever the “gun guy” they know recommends. My intention today is less to steer you toward a certain brand or type of gun, and more to give you some parameters that I would recommend you consider when making your decision. 

What is the purpose of the gun? 

I think the first thing you need to decide is why you’re buying a gun. If you’re looking to simply keep a handgun in your bedroom for self-defense, you may shop differently than if you’re looking for a more concealable gun to carry on your person. 

Budget

How much do you intend to spend? In general, there’s nothing wrong with a good bargain. When it comes to concealed carry setups though, think about not only the gun, but the holster(s) you’ll need, the mounted light, maybe even a red dot. Have a plan for what you want ahead of time. I would much rather purchase a good quality gun and save up for the accessories later instead of buying the cheapest gun on the shelf so that I can trick it out immediately. You also want to make sure the gun you’re looking at is compatible with the tools you want. It stinks to find a great deal on a gun only to find out you can’t mount the light on it that you already purchased. Have a plan, and figure out how much it’s going to take to make it happen. 

Does your gun fit you?

This applies for both the actual size of the gun and the caliber. When it comes to size, how does the gun feel in your hand? When holding the gun correctly (place the gun grip in the pocket between your thumb and trigger finger and your hand slid fully to the top of the back strap), can you comfortably reach the trigger? 

There is a lot of discussion on caliber, and many people say to carry the biggest caliber you can for the most stopping power. However, you can carry a .50 cal Desert Eagle all you want, but if you can’t hit the broad side of a barn then all that stopping power is useless. Even a .22 is deadly if you can place your shots appropriately. For concealed carry, I recommend something middle of the road. I carry a 9mm. You can do a .40 cal, 9mm, .380, or other common calibers. You’ll want something that you can and will actually carry on your person and can make accurate shots with under both range and combat conditions. 

Method of carry

If your gun is a concealed carry gun, how you intend to carry it will influence what you should purchase. If you’re not sure, check out our blog post on methods of carry here. 

Bells and whistles

When it comes to the extras, it’s easy to go off on a tangent and talk about how nice certain features such as grip safeties, round-in-chamber indicators, and ambidextrous mag releases are. They all have their place, and there’s nothing wrong with making certain features important to you when you make your decision. The majority of the time though, the bells and whistles are just that - fancy add ons. They’re great to have, but don’t sacrifice reliability and a correctly sized firearm for something with cool features. (Cue joke about buying your wife the pink gun behind the counter at your local firearms dealer simply because it’s pink…)

Try before you buy

If you have the opportunity, take your prospective purchase to a gun range before making a purchase. Sometimes a friend or family member will have the gun you’re looking at and can let you borrow it. Many gun ranges will have a rental program that will allow you to rent a variety of handguns and put some rounds through them. 

If you get the opportunity to live fire the handgun you’re courting, consider doing a few basic drills:

• Check the size of the gun in your hand as described earlier

• Evaluate point of aim

  • Is it comfortable to get good sight alignment in a solid shooting stance?

• Cycle the slide

  • Can you rack a round into the gun with a good push-pull technique?

• Evaluate the recoil

  • When you fire live rounds, does the recoil feel manageable? 

• Is it reliable? 

  • How prone is it to malfunctions? 

  • Are you constantly experiencing failure to eject spent casings, slide not locking back when the gun is empty, etc. 

Almost none of these issues are dealbreakers, as many of them can be attributed to operator error and can be corrected with training. But these factors could help you make a decision if you’re trying to narrow down your options. 

New vs. used

In general, there’s nothing wrong with buying a used gun, as you are more likely to find a good deal. Similarly to buying a used car though, there are some thing you’ll want to know. 

• Who owns it now and how many owners has it had? 

• How many rounds have been put through it? 

• What problems is it prone to have (both the model and that gun specifically)

• What is the track record/reliability of the brand? 

• What is the sale price vs. what it would cost to buy it new? 

Conclusion 

Currently, I carry a Glock 19 with a Holosun red dot sight and a Streamlight TLR-7 mounted light. I made that decision based off of the factors that are important to me. My setup may not be what you need though. Consider the topics we’ve discussed as a way to filter down the factors that are important to you. 

I hope this post was helpful to you in your search for a firearm. Have questions or comments? Reach out to me at isaac@htlwarrior.com. 

Until next time, 

Be a warrior…

Stand in the breach…

Hold the line…

- Isaac C.