I am a sixty year old male looking to buy my first handgun. What is a good first gun that is reliable and reasonably priced? My only experience with a handgun was fifty rounds through a Glock 19 at a range. Why am I considering buying a gun? The tin-foil hat part of me thinks, if I am going to become a gun owner, I should do this before the November election and I am beginning to think it would be a good idea to have one in the house. An LTC certificate could be in the works, but not necessarily for this gun.

So, what is the board's recommendation?

You need to ask yourself what the primary use for the handgun will be. Collector item? Home defense? Personal defense? What's your budget? Once you answer those we can throw out a few options. You could drop $1000 and get a nice 1911 that could fit the bill for all 3 of those categories but that maybe out of your budget. For first time gun owners usually the bigger and heavier gun the more pleasant the shooting experience will be. For home defense I like full size handguns in .45. For conceal carry I have a subcompact 9mm that I like but I wouldn't necessarily recommend that for a first time shooter. Probably the best thing is go spend the time at the range and see what you like and what caliber you like. The opinions offered up will have a wide range of things that mostly come from personal preference.

If you're near Bell county, you're welcome to shoot anything I own to help you decide what you'd like to buy.

Otherwise, find a range that offers beginner's classes and rental pistols. Take a class, try some pistols, buy what works for you.

If neither of those are an option, any full size 9mm by a reputable maker will serve you well.

Welcome, friend!

This is an entirely subjective decision (despite what you Glock boys say) and honestly, the best thing is for you to try to get as many hands on experiences you can with different stuff. Your own personal informed decision will trump all.

That being said......I prefer S&W's MP line. Decent price, ergonomics fit me perfectly and shoot them well. I have 4 of them now. If you are looking for the next step up price wise I love HKs as well. Get your hands on a P30L and you may never want to touch anything else again! Just my opinions of course.

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Otherwise, find a range that offers beginner's classes and rental pistols. Take a class, try some pistols, buy what works for you.

If neither of those are an option, any full size 9mm by a reputable maker will serve you well.

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Great advice, along with Seven's regarding your primary use. Gun discussions can quickly get into the Ford / Chevy type debate.

Shoot as many as you can and find one that fits, feels good, you can easily operate -- one you are comfortable with and you feel confident with.

If you're on the coast you're welcome to shoot any of mine as well. If you want to go the economic route Glock, Smith and Wesson, and Springfield all make excellent handguns that are reasonably priced. Personally Im a big S&W fan and don't care much for Glocks or Springfield but many others are the opposite. Get a full size version of whatever caliber you want and go try a few models. 9mm is cheap to shoot. .45 on a full size rig in my opinion is a pleasant shooting experience but it may have too much kick for you. Don't get hung up on caliber. 9mm or .45 are both excellent calibers that are effective and have lots of ammo available. Adjusting load size can also have a drastic effect on how a handgun handles.

The first one you pick will be easy. It's 2-10 that get harder to explain to the wife. Plenty of good advice already posted, shoot what feels good to you and is reliable. Avoid the sub $300 bargain bin throwaways and you will be good.

Thank you for the responses. I am in CS and for a first gun I am thinking inexpensive, under $500, and to get comfortable enough I could use it for self-defense. One friend suggested a good CO2 powered pellet gun to get use to shooting. Something about that seems wrong.

Yeah don't do that. You won't be defending anything with a pellet gun and 9mm is $0.17 per round online in bulk.

My recommendation based on what you've shared is to buy a used Glock 19 from an individual. There are no background checks for that in Texas. I'd also buy more factory Glock mags than you think you need. The Glock 19 is a very versatile gun, easy to maintain, lasts a several thousand rounds before needing replacement parts, and holds its resale value if you decide you want something different. In short, it's a great first pistol.

A Glock 19 should be everyone's first pistol

buy that Glock

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A Glock 19 should be everyone's first pistol

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I don't own any Glocks, but sadly, I agree with this statement.

You can rent a variety of pistols at Champion Firearms in College Station.. http://championfirearmsrange.com/

Not necessarily in your budget range, but if your chief motivation is the tin foil hat notion that you soon may not be able to buy a gun, then I'd recommend buying a gun that is likely to be the first on the list to get outlawed. Namely, something of the evil black rifle variety.

Like you, I recently decided to buy my first handgun.

A little for the same tinfoil hat purposes you described, but also to have something in the house in case someone starts banging on the door at 2am and things go bad from there, as well as to carry in my car on long road trips.

I bought a Springfield xdm 9mm.
I like the safety features it has. The price was good (sub $500 at Academy). A relative who shoots a LOT and teaches LTC classes owns several Springfields and if they are good enough for him, it works for me. And I like the way it shoots.

There is a big difference between a 45 and a 9mm in how they shoot. You should shoot both before buying. They both have their pros and cons.

OP, I'm in CS and would be happy to let you shoot some of my pistols, even meet up at champion and try a few of their rentals out w you as well. Welcome!

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A Glock 19 should be everyone's first pistol

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I don't own any Glocks, but sadly, I agree with this statement.

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I don't LIKE Glocks (don't dislike either) and I agree with this. G19s are the go to "First handgun"

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A Glock 19 should be everyone's first pistol

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Disagree.

Try several and see what fits your hand.

I have glocks, but my M&P 9C is the most natural feeling pistol I've ever owned. For me shooting it is as easy as pointing your finger. And it's under $500.

I'd go one step further than see what fits your hand. Shoot them.

There have a been a few guns that I thought felt great, but I didn't shoot them well. Maybe the twisted in my hand, I don't know.

And as for the G19, I hated Glocks til my Brother handed me his and said, "Just shoot it." Been a fan ever since.

And the G19 was the gun my FIL recently purchased as his first gun.

Sig SP2022 is a great value for a really good gun, but as others have mentioned, it depends on how it feels for you.

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I have glocks, but my M&P 9C is the most natural feeling pistol I've ever owned. For me shooting it is as easy as pointing your finger. And it's under $500.

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For me, this is a 1911. My 1911 is so natural to point, I shoot it better than any other.

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An LTC certificate could be in the works, but not necessarily for this gun.

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I'll go against the grain and recommend a 357 revolver since you may not be using it to carry. Then buy another for your carry weapon. Shoot the crap out of 38 special rounds and you can load it with 357 for home defense if you want to.

Don't get me wrong, I like the suggestion of the G19 and have 2 in my gun safe. I just think learning to shoot with a revolver is a good way to go.

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I'd go one step further than see what fits your hand. Shoot them.

There have a been a few guns that I thought felt great, but I didn't shoot them well. Maybe the twisted in my hand, I don't know.

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Yep...how they feel in the store isn't a great guide to how they shoot, which is why I recommended a range that lets you rent pistols.

OP is in CS, so he's got one that has a lot for rent (or used to, haven't been to Champions in a while since I'm not in the area any more).

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I just think learning to shoot with a revolver is a good way to go.

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I spend more time correcting "revolver grip" with new-ish shooters than almost anything else. You pick up some bad grip habits as a recreational revolver shooter that tend to create problems when you transition over to semi auto.

I like revolvers, but have pretty much stopped recommending them completely for shooters interested in learning how to shoot a handgun well. The trigger control you can learn from a good DA revolver can also be learned on a semi auto, and you won't have to retrain your grip when you switch over.

YMMV.

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Sig SP2022 is a great value for a really good gun, but as others have mentioned, it depends on how it feels for you.

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Lots of good advice so far. Often times people skip over the 2022 when trying out different guns. I am a big fan.

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I just think learning to shoot with a revolver is a good way to go.

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I spend more time correcting "revolver grip" with new-ish shooters than almost anything else. You pick up some bad grip habits as a recreational revolver shooter that tend to create problems when you transition over to semi auto.

I like revolvers, but have pretty much stopped recommending them completely for shooters interested in learning how to shoot a handgun well. The trigger control you can learn from a good DA revolver can also be learned on a semi auto, and you won't have to retrain your grip when you switch over.

YMMV.

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Bender, comment on revolver grip? Also, when you moving back to the motherland?

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Sig SP2022 is a great value for a really good gun, but as others have mentioned, it depends on how it feels for you.

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Lots of good advice so far. Often times people skip over the 2022 when trying out different guns. I am a big fan.

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I will third this sentiment. Love this pistol

Thanks, I am tied up this weekend, but I may take you up on that offer, soon. I checked out Champions website and they seem to have a wide range of guns to rent so that is probably going to be the nest route for me.

It looks like I have gotten lots of good advice an I really appreciate it.

Sounds good, let me know if you want to shoot sometime.

Will do

For someone who hasnt shot much there is nothing wrong with a quality .22 for a first pistol. Ruger 22/45s are excellent guns for a reasonable price.

Last time we rented a gun from Champions it was falling apart.

We have all the M&P's in 9mm (shield, 9c, 9, 9 pro, 9 core) plus 22 pistol and would be happy to meet and play.

My dad was in the same boat and I talked him in to a CZ P-01. It fit his hand much better than the glocks. I like it so much I bought a CZ PCR. They are just great guns