| There are almost as many opinions as there are handguns, so here's mine, FWIW. Given the trade-off between size, feel, safety, reliability, power, recoil and capacity, for someone not used to shooting, I believe the FN Browning Hi-Power (P-35) is the ticket. Stored cocked and locked, when needed, flick off the safety and pull, no long double action first pull. Recoil not bad, great reliability (FN only, no knock offs!), good capacity, and great feel. A .45 auto is a bit much for a novice, and has limited capacity, unless a double stack, which then loses a lot in the size and feel department. A .357 wheel gun is a bit safer and easier to operate for a newbie, but full house .357 loads are harsh, .38 Specials are about the same as 9mm, and capacity is limited, plus reloading is slow. I don't shoot much any more, but used to love my .45 auto and .44 Magnum wheelgun, and so am not particularly recoil shy. Still, with modern expanding bullets, a Hi-Power is the best combination of size, power and capacity (especially compared to most all other 9mm autos, which are way too large for the round). JMHO. |
