I want to buy my first handgun – What should I get?

The subcompact category is split into two main groups: revolvers and semiautomatic pistols. We’ll get to the differences between the groups in a minute.
Both groups offer easy concealability. You can carry it in a holster in your front pocket, an ankle holster, or in a small handbag. For the ladies, there are special holsters that attach to your bra and can conceal a subcompact.
The downside of a subcompact is that being so small means people with large hands will struggle with getting a firm grip, and the short barrel makes the gun a bit snappy when shooting, which could deter a new shooter from practicing often with the gun.
Calibers: the sub compact category usually shoots calibers such as 380acp, 38spl, 32acp, and 22 lr.

Revolver or Semiautomatic?
Revolvers are great for reliability because of the simple design. You pull the trigger and it goes boom. Every time, 5-6 times. they’re weakness is two fold: in this size, the recoil is extra snappy and small frame shooters will not enjoy shooting them too much, and (in every size revolver) reloading is sssssllllloooooowwwww…
Are there solutions for quick reloads? Sure. Will a first time gun buyer take the time to master those? Probably not. So essentially you have those 5-6 rounds to defend yourself and that’s it.
Semiautomatic handguns on the other hand, have magazines so you can carry one in the gun and 1-2 more on you easily. They also allow you to “top” one more round than the magazine capacity by having one round in the chamber. Practicing changing a magazine is a lot(!) easier and every gun owner can pick that up in their first trip to the range.

Capacity
Revolves: 5-6 rounds total
Semiautomatic: 6-7 (+1 in the chamber)

Brands
Great: S&W, Glock, Berretta, Springfield Armory, Walther Arms
Good: Ruger, Kahr,
Decent: Taurus, RIA

Budget:
$200-$500

Our recommendation:
* Glock 42
* Ruger LCP380
* S&W 38sp
* Walther CCP 380

[Side Note: Beyond this point, we won’t mention revolvers. While many people swear by them, we feel a semiautomatic has a huge advantage in self-defense scenarios because, beyond the sub-compact concealability, there’s no other advantage to revolvers, only detractors. Please don’t send us hate mail…]