As you come across some gun reviews, you will learn that the pistols are one of the mostchosen weapons of many men and women for self defense or for concealed carry. Butwhether you are using it for hunting, or you would like to use it to compete in sports shootingevents or any other specialty sport or competition, when it comes to choosing your first pistolthere are many things you have to consider.

First, know your budget. Pistols comes in different prices, you can pick a good decent qualitysmall caliber pistols for under $200 but if money doesn’t matter, you can spend thousands ofdollars for a specialty model or a collector's version.Second, know whether you want to buy a revolver or a semi-automatic pistol. As beginner,revolvers are much advisable. It features rotating cylinders holding six rounds usually. Theyare a lot easier to use and more accurate without the need for tweaking, and are more reliableas they contain fewer moving parts. On the other hand, semi- automatic pistol are easier toconceal so more preferable when it comes to concealed carry. This weapon usually holdgreater numbers of rounds in their magazines (ten is typical), and can be reloaded much morequickly.Third, determine what pistol action you are interested to use. If you choose a single actionpistol, you, the user, will actually have to perform two separate actions, one to cock thehammer and another one to release it as you pull the trigger. On the other hand, if you pick touse the double action model or the DA pistol models, it means that your weapon will performboth actions for you with just a single trigger pull, but may require a great deal of force forthat pull. Usually, a double action models can function into a single action mode, except forthe newer models now which are called double action only (DOA)

To know which type of pistol action model you prefer most, it is ideal to arrange to fire a fewtest rounds prior purchasing. Usually, this can be done when buying from a firearms dealerthat is attached to an indoor or outdoor firing range. In addition, this firing range operationoffer a rental of different pistols so you text which one will best suit you. It would also bebest if you will read different gun reviews, forums and testimonials of gun owner from theinternet. Thus, you will have an idea of which are good and not good to buy.

Next, determine the pistol’ size you like to purchase. For better accuracy and performanceyou may consider buying a longer barrel however this may be hard to conceal. If you arelooking for a pistol to carry with you, consider the on which way you will carry it, such as ashoulder holster, a belt holster, an ankle holster? There are even a variety of purses, fanny

packs, backpacks and briefcases that double as holsters. Be sure to choose a gun that you willbe able to carry (or store) in whatever method you prefer.

Lastly, pick the right caliber. Larger calibers have greater stopping power, but may lead togreater amounts of recoil, thus making the pistol more difficult to fire, especially for someoneunused to weapons.