What's the Best Personal Defense Handgun for New Shooters?
What’s the best self-defense handgun for beginners? If you’re a first-time gun buyer in 2025, there’s a lot of advice out there, but not a lot of thorough explanation. Do you really need a safety? Is striker-fired always better than hammer-fired? What about grip size, trigger weight, or all those acronyms people throw around like you’re supposed to understand them? In our latest video, we take an honest look at the best handguns for beginners—not just the “top five” guns on the market, but the actual characteristics that make a pistol beginner-friendly (or not). More importantly, we talk about the mistakes a lot of new shooters make when choosing their first gun.
James walks you through:
- Why certain popular pistols are not ideal for new shooters
- The best calibers to start with
- Which features can make or break a gun for a beginner
And yes, there are some specific recommendations—but this is primarily meant to be a guide.
But if you’re looking for the best beginner handgun, whether it’s your first pistol for concealed carry or home defense, this video will help (we hope). We cover what makes a 9mm pistol truly beginner-friendly, the pros and cons of striker-fired vs hammer-fired guns, and whether features like manual safeties are a good idea for new shooters. If you’ve ever wondered“what handgun should I buy first?” or “what’s the easiest self-defense pistol to shoot?” this is for you.
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Owner, Neutral Ground Gun Co. NRA/Louisiana State Police certified concealed weapons instructor, 2012-present Maxim Magazine's MAXIMum Warrior, 2011 TFBTV Executive Producer Champion, Key West Cinco De Mayo Taco Eating Competition Lawyer Instagram: gunshorts Twitter: @jjreeves
More by James Reeves
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I like my Colt small frame 38 caliber 1921 Police Positive and Walter P-38 for concealed carry.
Very insightful video. Respectfully, I think one major consideration for new shooters should be choosing THE GUN that is the right match, ergonomically speaking and with which they shoot with the most accuracy and least effort. I would compare this to buying your first motorcycle. Riders will understand this. Depending on how you are built, some bikes will not be right for you. If they're too heavy, if your feet cant touch the ground, if the controls cant be easily reached, you're likely going to get yourself hurt, or worse. You don't want to have to fight the ergonomics of the bike. It should feel like a part of you. The same is true for your EDC.
Small hands? Forget double-stack or DASA pistols with long trigger reaches and heavy pulls. Grip ergonomics are extremely important. I literally can't shoot Glocks to save my life. The grip angle is too steep and the swell at the base of the grip really throws me off. They are awesome guns, just not for me.
I think new carriers should take a few basic gun safety courses FIRST, then spend all the time they need visiting ranges with a large inventory of rental guns, particularly ones that permit them to try out as many guns in their inventory during their range time. Make notes, mentally or on paper, of the ease of operation and how naturally each gun points and how much it fits their hand like it is an extension of it - and of course, how accurate they are with it out of the box.
My sister got her CCW (served in Afghanistan as E-3 Navy Intelligence so not a noob) and was very interested in the Ruger LCP. She liked the ergonomics and the smooth trigger pull, and was reasonably accurate with it. I was with her and had brought my Sig Sauer P365 and encouraged her to try it out. She picked it up, never having touched it before, and proceed to drill nice tight groups - better than me, actually. She tried several others that session, but none came close to her performance with the Sig. In the following weeks, she made her way through all the guns in my collection as well - none were as perfect a match for her as the Sig. Needless to say, she bought one of her own.
New gun owners who intend to carry or keep for home defense encounter a dizzying amount of "expert" advice - print and digital media, gun store employees, friends who shoot. The best advice for the novice is that there is no single best gun for everyone, but there is a best gun for each individual that they should take the time to discover for themselves.