# Newbie with zero background in guns



## stevedaytona (Dec 13, 2011)

Having been born and bred in England, I grew up with close to zero exposure to guns. However, I am now a US citizen and resident of Florida and my wife (with the encouragement of a friend of ours) is now getting interested in having a gun.

She went to a range with our friend recently and shot a 22 revolver. They then went to a gun shop and she likes the look and feel of a Glock 26.

Would this be a good first gun for her? It seems like Glocks are a solid reliable make from all I've read. Price is $500 - which seems about right.

Opinions/Advice anyone?

I've tried to read as much as I can since I'm the type of person that likes to have as much info as possible - but it's hard to sort the facts from opinions  Is there any all encompassing book or website I should read (I already discovered corneredcat.com).

Thanks


----------



## chessail77 (Mar 15, 2011)

If you want her to continue to enjoy handguns and shooting, give her some more time to look at other choices as well, best recommendation would be a beginners safety handgun course as well as for yourself. After the course will be plenty of time to choose a handgun. Glocks are reliable and have quite a following, but personally I don't think they make a good first handgun and especially if you don't yet have any experience or training as the trigger is the safety on Glocks....some may say your brain is the safety well maybe so with proper training and education, its the best way to approach owning a firearm no matter what brand you or your wife choose.......JJ


----------



## Cat (Apr 12, 2011)

Welcome stevedaytona,From Jacksonville Florida..Nice your in Fla. G-26 is a great pistol for ccw as well. I carry my G-27 everywhere I go.For ankle holster, I carry my bodyguard 380 .My wife love here walther PK380,And my 8yr old.She love here walther P22Q.....:draw:


----------



## JerryMac (Dec 4, 2011)

Welcome, you did not say how you felt about the guns and if you went to the range also.... You should both go to the range a few times, before making a choice on a firearm, and also what is she wanting the gun for , to carry, home defense ? A lot of factors play into the purchase of a first firearm, and shooting and being familiar with what you choose should be one of them. good luck, n welcome aboard.


----------



## JerryMac (Dec 4, 2011)

Welcome, you did not say how you felt about the guns and if you went to the range also.... You should both go to the range a few times, before making a choice on a firearm, and also what is she wanting the gun for , to carry, home defense ? A lot of factors play into the purchase of a first firearm, and shooting and being familiar with that you buy is one of them.


----------



## stevedaytona (Dec 13, 2011)

Thanks for the input so far. Jerry - no I didn't go to the range but I am planning to next time. I certainly don't want to rush into making a rash choice. My wife intends using it as her concealed weapon when she gets her permit so size is obviously an issue.

Chessail - Yes, I was definitely thinking about taking a class sooner rather than later.


----------



## HK Dan (Dec 22, 2010)

I disagree, a GLOCK is a good first handgun. You have no bad habits to break, and learning to keep your finger off the trigger is easier with no baggage. If you touch the trigger, it will fire, period. Don't touch the trigger unless you want to fire the gun. Mind that simple rule and any gun, or a GLOCK, will be as safe as your morning newspaper.


----------



## kg333 (May 19, 2008)

As far as your wife goes, if she likes the look and feel of the Glock 26, that's a pretty good sign that it'd be a good fit for her. If possible, it is always best if you can rent a few guns at a range to try, but sometimes you can't find the weapon you're interested in.

As far as everything else, I tend to read up too, and I haven't found any all-encompassing book on CCW and handguns yet, so let me know if you find one.  corneredcat.com is definitely an excellent site for handgun info. This site also has a lot of good info if you lurk around for a bit. If you can find any articles by Massad Ayoob, he also puts out some very good, very to the point information on carrying handguns.

Best of luck to you both!

KG


----------



## jakeleinen1 (Jul 20, 2011)

HK Dan said:


> I disagree, a GLOCK is a good first handgun. You have no bad habits to break, and learning to keep your finger off the trigger is easier with no baggage. If you touch the trigger, it will fire, period. Don't touch the trigger unless you want to fire the gun. Mind that simple rule and any gun, or a GLOCK, will be as safe as your morning newspaper.


Agree 100%

My first gun Glock 17, best handgun ever


----------



## 500Benz (Dec 7, 2011)

You don't need a safety, in fact it just complicates things, especially with someone new to guns. 

How many times you hear "Oh it didnt fire" "Safety's on"

Not ideal for a self defense situation

Trigger Discipline is the only true safety


----------



## recoilguy (Apr 30, 2009)

The best first gun for your wife is one she likes. Both in her hand and while firing. I agree with HKDan that if you have no baggage learning a Glock is pretty easy. Guns donot get mad and shoot their owners. Someone has to pull the trigger. If you learn to draw with your finger away from the trigger you will always draw with your finger away from the trigger. The gun will not fire until you press the trigger. 

The 26 is a good gun one of the ones I own. My wife prefers a different one, and has access to the 26 anytime she wants to use it. She likes the Kahr CW9, when she carries a 9mm. Not saying your wife will like it but I bought one even though I had a 26 in the house, because thats what she liked. The 26 was thicker for her and she didn't think it hide well enough for her. 

Good reason if you ask me. Take her to the range some more and to a few stores that carry some variety of brands. I think real world touch and feel is way better then internet advise on which one to pick, because she will know what she likes. On the web you normally just get opinions and a lot of them are just plain messed up. Some are from people who only read things or heard things but talk like experts, after a while they are pretty transparent but can sound pretty good to untrained noobies.

RCG


----------

