We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn More \u203a<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Beginners might feel intimidated when it comes to selecting an appropriate handgun, but with a calculated approach, you can find one that fits your budget and fulfills your needs. There are two challenges a beginner faces when selecting their first pistol or revolver. First, you need to think about your intended purpose. Do you want a handgun for self protection, recreational shooting, or competition? Second, which style of handgun can you shoot most accurately? That last one isn\u2019t as easy to answer.\u00a0There are handguns of all types, styles, and sizes, and there\u2019s certainly one out there to fit your needs \u2014\u00a0but it can be tough to decide which one. To help you out, I picked what I think are some of the best handguns for beginners that satisfy a variety of purposes and tastes.\u00a0<\/p>\n When trying to pick out the best handguns for beginners, we want to consider qualities like reliability, quality, and features. We also need to weigh everything from the perspective of someone who\u2019s just getting started. For a beginner, the top-end performer isn\u2019t always going to be the best choice. When selecting some of the best handguns for beginners, I chose from handguns that I\u2019ve already tested or have experience with and based my choices primarily on the following criteria:<\/p>\n A beginning handgun shooter needs a reliable gun that will fulfill their needs, but the platform needs to be easy to shoot so they can learn the fundamentals of safety and marksmanship. No one should start with a handgun that recoils excessively or is hard to manage, so larger calibers and less-ideal designs are out. Though it might be your first handgun, you want to buy something that will continue to be useful as your skills improve. Finally, most beginners don\u2019t need to shell out for the most expensive guns. Look for a handgun that strikes a reasonable balance between quality and affordability.\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n \t\t\t\t\tSee It<\/a> The Ruger Mark IV<\/a> is one of the best .22 pistols<\/a> ever made, and the 22\/45<\/a> and 22\/45 Lite versions, which mimic the grip of heavier 1911 pistols, is one of the best handguns for beginners to start with. The Ruger Mark series of pistols was originally inspired by the World War II Japanese Nambu pistol, and has become one of the most popular .22 semi-auto designs ever.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Mark IV 22\/45 Lite is simple to learn and operate, but reliable, and fires the affordable .22 LR cartridge. A new shooter can learn and practice fundamentals with this handgun and not worry at all about recoil. It\u2019s fed from a 10-round single-stack magazine and the round bolt operates inside an aluminum receiver tube. The steel barrel on this Lite version is thin and housed inside the vented aluminum receiver tube\/sleeve. The 22\/45 is available in a variety of configurations, and beginners should pick one with the adjustable sights. It also has a Picatinny rail installed so you can use a red dot, but most red dot sights sit quite high on this pistol and can be difficult to master.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Mark IV pistols aren\u2019t cheap, but this is truly a gun that is great to learn on and will serve you well for a lifetime. This is a handgun that you\u2019ll never want to part with.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n \t\t\t\t\tSee It<\/a> For the beginner who is looking to get comfortable with a semi-auto pistol, the Sig P322 is an excellent option. The design mimics that of the larger P365 and P365 XL pistols, so both the feel, and controls are nearly identical. One thing I really like about the P322 is that it uses a double-stack magazine that holds 20 rounds of ammunition \u2014 when most .22 LR semi-autos only hold 10. The P322 comes with good iron sights, but can also easily be fitted with a Romeo Zero red dot sight. Considering the prevalence of red dot sights on pistols, it\u2019s a great training tool for the new shooter.\u00a0<\/p>\n I\u2019ve found the P322 to be quite reliable, but it doesn\u2019t have the same heft that some of the classic .22 pistols have. It might not be an heirloom pistol, but for the beginner, it makes a great plinker and trainer. The only reliability-related issue I\u2019ve encountered is that some types of ammunition can cause excessive lead buildup in the barrel after 50 to 100 rounds, causing bullets to tumble and veer wildly off course. This can be remedied by a little scrubbing with a cleaning brush, but it\u2019s something to be aware of.\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n \t\t\t\t\tSee It<\/a> One of the best handguns for beginners on a budget is the Ruger Wrangler. This .22-caliber six-shooter is a Peacemaker-style, single-action revolver that costs less than half the price of many other .22s. Where do those cost cuts come from? Much of it is in manufacturing and the use of aluminum rather than steel where it makes sense. Steel isn\u2019t necessary for many parts in a .22 revolver, and these aluminum-framed revolvers feature a variety of Cerakote finish options. The Wrangler features the classic blade-style front sight and non-adjustable notch rear sight that\u2019s integrated into the gun\u2019s frame and utilizes Ruger\u2019s transfer bar firing system that prevents unintentional discharge when the hammer is down.<\/p>\n Why is this a great handgun for beginners? Besides being affordable, a single-action revolver (the hammer must be cocked manually before each shot) is great to learn basic handgun safety and fundamentals because it is simple, and these are very fun to shoot and plink with. It\u2019s a great option to practice the basics of gun handling and marksmanship without any excess complexity. Even if you plan on switching to shooting semi-autos eventually, you\u2019ll find this little revolver to be well worth the small investment.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tSee It<\/a> The Glock G19 is one of the most prominent semi-automatic pistols in the world, and if you\u2019re looking to get started with a 9mm, it\u2019s a solid pick. Glocks<\/a> aren\u2019t flashy or fancy, but they are simple, durable, and ultra-reliable. The G19 is a compact pistol, slightly smaller than the full-sized G17, but it\u2019s an excellent do-all handgun. The standard magazine holds 15 rounds of 9mm ammo, and the short 4-inch barrel still allows it to be a good concealed-carry option. The current Gen 5 MOS model is the best yet, and features Glock\u2019s MOS optic mounting system so you can use one of the best pistol red dots<\/a>.<\/p>\n The G19 is a great handgun for a beginner because recoil is mild and everything about operating and maintaining a Glock is pretty simple. It\u2019s an excellent basic pistol, but it can also operate at a high level. It\u2019s used by many law enforcement agencies, and the aftermarket options for parts, upgrades, and holsters is nearly endless. The only significant drawbacks of the Glock G19 are that some shooters really don\u2019t like the grip angle and how the gun feels in the hand, and the factory sights could be much better. Any gun range that offers rentals will have one, so take one for a spin before you buy.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n \t\t\t\t\tSee It<\/a> If a good value, the Dagger from Palmetto State Armory is a great option. It\u2019s one of the best handguns for beginners looking for a budget-priced semi-auto. This is one of many Glock G19 clones on the market, and they piggyback off the simplicity and reliability of that platform. PSA offers their Dagger in a variety of configurations, but most are surprisingly affordable with great feature sets for their price. The PSA Daggers have polymer frames that are nicely contoured and textured, and durable Cerakote finishes on the slides. Another plus is that the slides are cut for an optic, but are only compatible with Trijicon RMR-pattern red dot sights.\u00a0<\/p>\n I\u2019ve put more than a thousand rounds through a Dagger and really didn\u2019t have any complaints besides the stiff trigger \u2014 which I was able to remedy with a couple of aftermarket springs. This isn\u2019t a best-in-class gun, but it\u2019s one of the best handguns for beginners. And like the Glock G19, it\u2019s easy to learn and can be used for many years to come.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n \t\t\t\t\tSee It<\/a> If you\u2019re a beginner who\u2019s in the market for a centerfire revolver, take a close look at the Taurus Tracker 627. It\u2019s chambered for .357 Magnum and you can shoot lighter .38 Special loads through it for training and practice. The tracker is a pretty reliable model from Taurus, and I had one for years. It\u2019s not nearly as smooth and refined as .357s like the Colt Python<\/a>, but it has what a beginner needs to learn and is practical for backcountry or off-body-carry.\u00a0<\/p>\n In addition to holding eight rounds in the cylinder, the Tracker 627 has a ported barrel with a gas expansion chamber to counteract muzzle flip from recoil. It makes this gun quite easy to shoot accurately, even with full-power .357 Magnum loads. That\u2019s an important thing to consider when starting out. Smaller-framed revolvers are more concealable, but not as easy or fun to shoot. The tracker is equipped with decent sights, is made from durable stainless steel, and offers the newbie revolver shooter a lot of flexibility and usefulness for the money. Someday you might want to upgrade to a high-end revolver, but then again, you might just want to keep using this one.\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n \t\t\t\t\tSee It<\/a> The Sig P365<\/a> is one of the first pistols that started the micro-compact 9mm<\/a> craze by cramming 10 rounds of 9mm into a tiny pistol with great ergonomics when similar-sized guns only held six or seven rounds. The P365 is one of the best concealed-carry guns<\/a> on the market, and it\u2019s also one of the best handguns for beginners who want a dependable carry gun. The standard-sized P365 comes with 10-round magazines, but 12- and even 17-round magazines are available. There are also a number of different P365 models, including the P365 XL and P365 X-Macro<\/a> that have larger grips and higher capacity \u2014 those are good options too.<\/p>\n Though there are some differences, the P365 models all have simple controls, feature the same fire control unit, and most of them are optic-compatible. They\u2019re reliable and, for the size, have great ergonomics and grip texture that helps the shooter manage recoil. The standard P365 isn\u2019t the easiest 9mm pistol to shoot or learn on, but it\u2019s not bad at all. Like the Glock G19, the Sig P365 is supported by a massive array of aftermarket parts and upgrades. It\u2019s a gun that you won\u2019t outgrow as your skills improve.\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n \t\t\t\t\tSee It<\/a> Another dominant handgun in the micro-compact market is the Springfield Hellcat. I\u2019ve reviewed other models of it like the RDP<\/a>, but the Hellcat Pro is a slightly up-sized version that fits more in the sub-compact category. Don\u2019t let that fool you though, the Hellcat Pro and this model, the Hellcat Pro Comp OSP<\/a> pack a lot of punch. The pistols are smaller than a standard compact like the Glock G19, but come with 15- and 17-round magazines, making them a potent option for concealed carry.<\/p>\n The grip on the Hellcat Pro is good-sized for a beginner, especially those with smaller hands, but it\u2019s not too small for those with gorilla mitts. The grip is covered in an ultra-grippy texture that isn\u2019t too abrasive when carried against the body in a holster. This Pro Comp model has a built-in muzzle compensator that reduces muzzle flip and recoil greatly. Generally the Hellcat pistols have sharp, snappy recoil and this does a lot to mitigate that. The gun comes with great iron sights, but also has an optic cut that caters to micro-sized red dot sights. LIke the P365, this is one of the best handguns for beginners and experts alike.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n \t\t\t\t\tSee It<\/a> One of the best handguns<\/a> we have tested this year is the Military Armament Corporation MAC 9 1911 DS<\/a>. It\u2019s a Turkish imported 2011-style pistol that is similar to the Springfield Armory Prodigy<\/a> and Staccato P<\/a>. That basically means that it\u2019s a double-stack 1911 that has a removable grip module rather than a full-length frame and grip scales. It\u2019s not as refined as the higher-end pistols, but at $950, it\u2019s less than half the price of many of them. I put well over 2,000 rounds through two of these pistols and both proved reliable, accurate, and easy to shoot well.\u00a0<\/p>\nHow I Chose the Best Handguns for Beginners <\/h2>\n
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Best Handguns for Beginners: Reviews and Recommendations<\/h2>\n
Best Overall: <\/strong>Ruger Mark IV 22\/45 Lite<\/a><\/h3>\n
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Best .22 Trainer: <\/strong>Sig Sauer P322<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<\/h3>\n
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Best Budget Revolver: <\/strong>Ruger Wrangler<\/a><\/h3>\n
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Best All-Around 9mm: <\/strong>Glock G19 Gen 5 MOS<\/a><\/h3>\n
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Best Budget 9mm: <\/strong>Palmetto State Armory Dagger<\/a>\u00a0<\/h3>\n
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Best Revolver for Beginners: <\/strong>Taurus Tracker 627 4-inch<\/a>\u00a0<\/h3>\n
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Best for Concealed Carry: <\/strong>Sig Sauer P365<\/a>\u00a0<\/h3>\n
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![\"P365](\"https:\/\/www.outdoorlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/P365-tacops-and-p365.jpeg?w=4032\")
Best Sub-Compact: <\/strong>Springfield Armory Hellcat Pro Comp<\/a><\/h3>\n
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Best 2011-Style Pistol for Beginners: <\/strong>Military Armament Corporation MAC 9 DS 1911<\/a>\u00a0<\/h3>\n
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