Go to a range and fire several and pick one you like.

For a man stopper, I would start with a .357 revolver, like a S&W Model 66 with a 4' barrel. Its a stainless large frame revolver that will never jam and is as durable as the come. Not too much weight, but hefty enough to quell the recoil. Run a set of combat sights like guttersnipes, and pachmayr grips and you will have probably the best combat pistols there is. The only downside is reloading quickly requires speedloaders, which is slower than replacing clips on a semi auto.

You can also get the .41, and .44 mag variants. I presonally like the S&W Model 29 with a 5" barrel. Think Dirty Harry. Its a very well balanced gun.

You can also get the Dan Wesson wheelguns, which are chambered for the .357 and .445 supermag rounds. These are well made guns that will also take all the standard magnum rounds.

For an auto, I would start with a .45acp gun, and fall back onto the 10mm. The classic colt M1911 is a great gun. Especially when accurized. Its single column clip only lets it carry 7 rounds, but its a slim well balanced gun. Sig Sauer makes some very nice autos in both calibers and you can't really go wrong with any of them. The Smith & Wesson autoloaders and good if you get one with a steel frame. The aluminum frame versions have a tendancy to crack at the slide rails, especially with the 10mm. The .45 will drop someone as well as a .357. The 10mm is a real high velocity round for a pistol cartridge and has great penetration, but doesn't impart the energy to the target like a .45 or magnum round.

I have made a pair of revolvers for myself that use .45-70 rounds after seeing it in a Magnum research BFR. They are actually excellent when handloaded.

You can also look at the Ultra magnum revolvers that are around, like the .500 and .460 S&W. But they are really too heavy to be used for anything but bench shooting. They are around 5 lbs for the smallest versions! A .50 S&W with a 5" barrel looks like a cartoon gun however and has an intimidation value few other handguns can match.

If you want a short assult rifle that is really hard hitting, a AR-15 that is chambered for .50 Beowolf is a monster. Getting the ammo can be a problem though, so unless you have a chance to stock, up, its probably not a good choice.

However for shortrange stopping power, as said above, nothing really beats a 12g loaded with 00 shot.

If you're looking for a handgun with versatility, I'd recommend the Taurus 4510 Judge revolver. It takes both 45 Long Colt rounds, as well as 410 Gauge shotgun ammunition. It's decent sized, and has the versatility for varied ammo types. If you want a one gun, multi-option for everything to FMJ, hollow point, wad cutters, buckshot and more? That's a pick I recommend.

I'm firmly in the "go to a range and try some out" area.

First of all, you need to find a weapon that fits in your hand. Most of the boys out here are average sized, so it's like buying off the rack, (to continue someone else's fasion accesery comment earlier) But if you are a Big person or a small one, you need to find something that will actualy fit. too small a gun on a large hand and you can actualy catch yourself on the slide. Too big a gun on a small person and you don't get a good enough grip on it to keep recoil under control.

and anyone who says otherwise buys off the rack...

Second of all, you can listen to all of our expertise and take all of our advise, and once you get to a range, find that none of it is right.

For a beginner shooter though, for a pistol, start with a 9mm or lighter. You want to get used to the recoil before you take a .45 or bigger in your hands... and if you have the chance, don't start with a range but take someone who knows what they are doing out to the field out in the middle of nowhere, and shoot up some cans or something. Kill trees, bottles, squash, anything that will sit still. Make a day of it.

That being said, for a concealable weapon that can stop small charging rhinos of the undead persuasion, nothing beats a sawed off shotgun... just don't even think about trying one until you have some experience with the full sized ones, not unless you want to be mocked here by everyone for years to come.

Fi

finder_fee wrote:I'm firmly in the "go to a range and try some out" area.

First of all, you need to find a weapon that fits in your hand. Most of the boys out here are average sized, so it's like buying off the rack, (to continue someone else's fasion accesery comment earlier) But if you are a Big person or a small one, you need to find something that will actualy fit. too small a gun on a large hand and you can actualy catch yourself on the slide. Too big a gun on a small person and you don't get a good enough grip on it to keep recoil under control.

and anyone who says otherwise buys off the rack...

Second of all, you can listen to all of our expertise and take all of our advise, and once you get to a range, find that none of it is right.

For a beginner shooter though, for a pistol, start with a 9mm or lighter. You want to get used to the recoil before you take a .45 or bigger in your hands... and if you have the chance, don't start with a range but take someone who knows what they are doing out to the field out in the middle of nowhere, and shoot up some cans or something. Kill trees, bottles, squash, anything that will sit still. Make a day of it.

Fi

Yeah, I'm going to have to second this. Hand size is important. I don't use the same caliber my father used because I have smaller hands than he did. And learning from an expert is the way to go. Nothing wrong with shooting up some cans.

It sorta takes me back.

Army basic teaches you to fire automatic rifles, and pistols. It is somewhat limited in what weapons they train you in. Also, you don't really need to keep your hand in after basic. At least not if you are in a support position.

Still, it's never a bad idea to go out to the range and fire a few.

I got in a lot of practice with a desert eagle, and even for a good two handed grip, in a proper stance, it was a bit much for me. I never was a great shot with a rifle.

I admit, I like the smaller callibres for target shooting, but yeah, 9mm is probably my choice for any kind of life threatening situation. Lets not even go into ammunition choices though... this is supposed to be an advice column for someone starting out...

Fi

I am a licensed gunsmith, so I have a decent modern weapons collection at my place (a few hundred handguns at last count) and a private indoor range in the basement. Its pretty much soundproof and I live in an industrial area anyways.

Like I said above. Go to a range and try them out. Also try out different holsters. I have a bunch of them too.