Which handgun is perfect for me?

I will take a tack on a different heading here.

If your goal in self defense and a CW permit down the road find some professional instruction in your area.

This "beginner's gun" stuff is nice... but unless you have a teacher who enforces good habits.. moving up from a 22 to a center fire gun could leave you with hours of work UNLEARNING a lot of bad stuff you may have learned.

We do some "new shooter" stuff.. typically if you tell me you want to go defensive... I will spend some time on a 22... just to get a student into the administrative stuff.. Safety.loading unloading. As far a shooting... sights and trigger.

Once I see some competency in that... I move right up to a 38 revolver or 9mm semi auto.

Most folks get the basics in about 3 hours. After that the trick is getting them back for the second class so they can build on that and learn to run the gun under stress.

handgun shooting is a perishable skill. Learn wrong..it's wrong. Learn right and practice right..you will shoot right when you have too.

We teach thousands of military and police officers to use a major caliber handgun every year in this country... and hundreds of civilians... most have never fired a gun before. 8 hours of quality training will turn a newbie into a green but adequate 45 ACP shooter.

If you want to shoot targets, do some fun shooting out in the countryside and have a reliable and accurate handgun you can play with, consider a .22 long rifle in an auto loading. An auto will be less expensive than a revolver and frankly, more fun. But there are safety precautions (with any gun) that you need to follow. Now if you want something for home defense, consider a shotgun. Trying to shoot a handgun accurately, particularly if shooting at night and in a state of stress, is extremely difficult. However if your have a shotgun in your hands you will be more likely to hit your target. But a lot depends on how much you practice and continue to practice. Going to the range once or twice a year is not practice. People who are really good with handguns usually practice monthly, if not weekly. This becomes expensive and calls for dedication. If you are willing to make such a commitment then consider a larger gun, a more powerful caliber than the .22. But it means a lot of practice.

1 - Fun plinker handgun: High Standard Victor (,22lr) fitted w/ a 7.5” fluted barrel and a UltraDot scope. I use this pistol for plinking and indoor bullseye. Extremely accurate. Fantastic trigger. 2 - Small game hunting handgun: Savage Striker (.17 HMR) 10” barrel w/ a Burris 2-7x scope. This is a wonderful small game gun because it shoots so flat, it is great for close and long distance shoots. 3 - Pocket/Concealment handgun: Smith & Wesson 457 (.45 ACP) 3.5” barrel. This is the most reliable automatic that I have ever owned. I have put every piece junk ammo you can imagine through this gun and it has never jammed. 4 - Service sized belt gun: Springfield Armory 1911A1 Gov. model (.45ACP) This like many other people is my favorite pistol. 5 - Big Game hunting handgun: Savage Striker chambered in 7mm-08. 15” bbl. Leupold VX-3 2.5-8x scope. There are several of us “Hand Cannon” guys at my gun club who go hunting annually for different big game. So far I have taken a White Tail and a Black Bear. I went Boar hunting one year, but “No Joy.” While I'm sure that there are better guns to do the job in a couple of the areas; I do actually own these and know that they do a great job! A bird in the hand...

You said "beginner", so I would have to say the best thing for you to learn or start with is a good double action revolver in .22 Long Rifle. Double action revolvers are much simpler to learn with, and more fool-proof than semiautos, particularly for a beginner... The rimfire .22 is not the best for home defense, but I was reading just the other day that Hornady, and some other companies, are making defensive rimfire .22 ammo now, because of the number of people who actually do use a rimfire .22 for defensive purposes..... As you learn and grow proficient with the .22, then, if you wish, you can move up to more powerful cartridges...and/or semi auto handguns.

For a new shooter I would recommend a .22 LR pistol (Ruger MKIII, Browning Buckmark, Ruger 22/45, Walter P22).

For home defense however, I would recommend a handgun chambered in .40 S&W, 9mm, or .45 ACP (Springfield XD would be my choice).

For a compromise between the two, I would recommend the Springfield XD9.

I would get a 357 Magnum and because your a beginner I would use 38 cal rounds in it

( note : the 357 shoots both the 357 cal. round and the 38 cal. round )

I would not use a 22 cal for home defense and a 45 cal is just to big for a beginner.

later on you might want a bigger gun then all you have to do is use the 357 cal round

Good luck

how about you rent a bunch at a local range and see what works best for you?

since I don't know you what works for me may not work for you.

I like Glocks, the M1911, S&W 642, Walther P38 and the Makarov.

all of these would be acceptable for home defense and target shooting.

Glock all the way. They're cheap reliable and accurate but are not compliant in every state.

That is something ONLY YOU can answer.The is no gun suited for everyone.

.45 Mag