After you’ve learned the basics of handling and shooting your first gun, you’ll want to start looking for a more powerful handgun. 9mm is the best choice for your first center fire handgun. This is the most popular ammunition round and widely available. It is also the cheapest center fire round, so you’ll be able to shoot for less. There are 2 ways you can go with a 9mm handgun. If you are interested in concealed carry and are able to in your state, then you should get a single stack 9mm. If you’re not interested in carrying or the law in your state prohibits it, then you can still get a 9mm for the range.
Concealed Carry
The single stack 9mm is a fairly recent option for concealed carriers. This family of guns are thin and light, but still offer decent round capacity. You will hardly notice you are carrying them. I recommend the Smith & Wesson M&P Shield. It may be slightly bigger and slightly heavier than other guns in this category, but the way it fits your hand and the crisp striker fired trigger pull will make you shoot it better than the others. And how well you shoot a gun is important if you ever have to pull it. It is one of the most popular choices for a single stack 9mm for those reasons. It comes in a 7+1 round capacity configuration and taking apart for cleaning couldn’t be simpler. Search the internet for best online gun deals as you will get much more to choose from and you can read the reviews about the gun you wish to purchase.
Range
Glock19I think everyone should own a Glock. The Glock 19 fits the bill nicely. If you don’t have to worry about concealing a gun, then you can get a bigger one that has higher capacity. The Glock 19 comes in a 15+1 round capacity configuration. It is also a striker fired gun and has a crisp trigger break. Glocks are also world renowned for their reliability and ruggedness. You can torture these guns and they are still ready to go and shoot. Cleaning is a breeze with how easy they break down.
Accessories
Magazines. It’s always nice to have extra magazines when you go shooting. Less time between reloading. If concealed carrying, you may want to think about also carrying an extra magazine as a backup.
Holsters. This becomes extremely important when you are concealed carrying. You want to find one that is totally comfortable or you’ll end up not carrying your gun, which defeats the purpose. To start you out, I recommend getting the Galco Stow-N-Go holster for the Shield. It is an IWB (Inside the Waist Band) holster that is thin and light and gets the job done. If you are only shooting on the range, I still recommend getting a holster, but get an OWB holster (Outside the Waist Band) that is easier to get to. It’s nice to have a holster at the range so you’ll have somewhere to put it when checking targets, etc.
Ammunition
If you are concealed carrying, then you will definitely want a personal defense round. Some hollow point version will work nicely. Don’t get too hung up on all the different kinds. Just find something that you like and make sure it works in your gun flawlessly before you carry it to defend your life. If you are just target practicing at the range, then any 115g FMJ should work great.