How to Choose Your First Firearm

They might have this epiphany because they’re worried about guns being banned or criminals breaking into their homes. They might want a firearm because it looks like a fun hobby, or they might want to go afield to start harvesting their own meat. Whatever the reason, they’ll have to answer the question all new gun owners must ask: “What gun should I get?”

Before diving into types and models of firearms, you should take a step back and think about all the things you might like to do with your new purchase. Here are some of the most common, in no particular order and with a non-comprehensive list of secondary considerations.

• Big game, small game, waterfowl?
• Terrain? Woods, mountains, plains?

• Long range, three-gun, USPCA, skeet/trap?

• House layout?
• Securing from kids?
• Noise?

• Ideal comfort level?
• Preferred clothing?

• Recoil control?
• Firearm capacity?

• Amenities of local range? How far? Steel, paper, etc?

• Home location? Rural, neighborhood?
• Pest size, quantity?

As you can see, there’s a wide array of sub-questions under each of these categories. If you want a gun for hunting, you should think about whether you want to hunt big game like elk and deer or small game like squirrels. If you want to shoot competitively, do you want to shoot long range, three-gun, or pistol competitions? Even for home defense or concealed carry, you might want a different kind of firearm depending on the layout of your house, how you want to secure it from kids, or where you work.

Answering these questions can be overwhelming for a first-time gun owner. If your answer is, “I’m not sure” or “All of the above,” that’s OK. You can always purchase another gun if you decide to branch out to a new gun-related hobby. If money is tight, you can also sell the gun you buy to fund a new endeavor (just be sure to follow the laws about gun sales in your state).

A hammer is good for building a deck, but not for painting it. In the same way, some kinds of guns are better at some things and less good at others.

This is not to say you need a different gun for every application. All guns sling metal downrange, so you could theoretically use the same gun for big game, home defense, and competition shooting, for example. But if you want to give yourself an edge at the endeavor you think is most important, you should think carefully about three factors: type, action, and cartridge.

By “type” of gun, I just mean the broad categories of pistol, rifle, and shotgun. Rifles are used for most big-game hunts, and shotguns are used mainly on birds (some turkey hunters use rifles, but it’s illegal in most states). Pistols are obviously easier to carry, but the short barrels reduce bullet velocity, and most aren’t chambered in high-power cartridges.

A gun’s action refers to how it loads and unloads cartridges. You’re probably already familiar with some of the main types: bolt action, semi-auto, lever action, break action, and pump action.

A bolt-action is good for hunting because this platform can be extremely accurate, and most hunters don’t need to take lightning-quick follow-up shots. But a semi-auto is necessary for some kinds of competitions, and quick shots are ideal for any kind of defensive situation.

Lastly, you should select a firearm chambered in a cartridge that’s suitable for your intended use. This is a giant subject worthy of 100 articles, but for a first-time gun owner, I always recommend picking something easy to find and relatively inexpensive. That way, you’re not worried about finding ammunition for a rifle you should be practicing with as much as possible.

With those generalities out of the way, let’s get into some specifics. Returning to our list from the previous section, here is what I recommend to a first-time gun owner.

• Type: Rifle
• Action: Bolt
• Cartridge: .308 Winchester

• Type: Rifle
• Action: Bolt
• Cartridge: 6.5 Creedmoor

• Type: AR-style pistol
• Action: Semi-auto
• Cartridge: 9mm

• Type: Pistol
• Action: Semi-auto
• Cartridge: 9mm

• Type: Pistol
• Action: Semi-auto
• Cartridge: 10mm

• Type: Whatever makes you happy
• Action: Whatever makes you happy
• Cartridge: Whatever makes you happy

• Type: Rifle
• Action: Break action
• Cartridge: 22 LR

If you ask 10 different gun owners to make this list, you’re probably going to get 10 different lists. That’s OK. There’s more than one way to skin a cat. A .410 shotgun is also great for pest control, depending on where you live, and revolvers have been used with great success against bears. The .308 Win. is, in my opinion, the best big game cartridge for a beginner, but the 300 Win. Mag. has filled the same role for the last half-century. Point is, there’s more than one right answer here, but these recommendations will get you off on the right foot, especially if you purchase a gun from a reputable gun maker.

Once you’ve selected a type, action, and cartridge, the final step is to select a specific make and model. The good news–and the bad news–is that we’re spoiled for selection. There are tons of quality gun makers offering a wealth of firearms with useful feature sets. But that can also make it tough to choose just one.

When I was considering buying my first firearm, I wanted someone to give me a few specific recommendations. It’s all well and good to learn about how to choose a gun, but I could have used five or six makes and models to use as a starting place. If that’s you, here’s what I would say.

If you want a hunting rifle, something that can take everything from Coues deer to moose, we’ve had good success with the Cross line of rifles from Sig Sauer. We’ve been shooting them for the last few years, and they haven’t let us down. They’re also available in a variety of cartridges and barrel lengths (including a magnum option) depending on what you want to use it for.

But that’s not the only good rifle out there. I was really impressed with Ruger’s new American rifle when I reviewed it last year, and I’ve had great success in the field with the Tikka T3x. Springfield’s Model 2020 Rimfire is an excellent small-game rifle, and Marlin’s new Model 336 makes a great deer rifle. If you’re looking to get out in the duck blind, these six shotgun models are great for beginners.

A Cross or Tikka would also work for the factory divisions of long-range shooting competitions, and Savage and Ruger make models designed for this purpose as well.

For defensive purposes, any of these 10mm handguns would do well against bears, and I’ve personally carried a Smith & Wesson M&P Shield Plus for many years.

For home defense, I prefer an AR-platform rifle or pistol chambered in something like 300 Blackout, 45 ACP, or 9mm. I like the control and capacity a rifle offers, and shooting it suppressed keeps it from bursting my eardrums. Many companies offer rifles along these lines, including Sig Sauer’s Rattler and Springfield’s new Kuna pistol.

If that’s not your style, a Mossberg 590 is a great choice for shotgunners, and pretty much any modern semi-automatic handgun from one of the companies listed above will be reliable and can fit in a small safe in your nightstand.

I’ve recently fallen in love with Henry’s new Lever Action Supreme as the ultimate range toy, and I use a break-action .22 LR for pest control around our small acreage (mostly because it lets me use the .22 rat shot without breaking the plastic nose).

Again, these recommendations aren’t the be-all, end-all. They’re just some ideas to get you started based on my personal experience and interests. So, don’t take my word for it. Look up reviews of the guns you’re interested in as well as category reviews like “Best Long-Range Hunting Rifles” and “Best Deer Hunting Rifle at Every Price Point” from MeatEater and other outdoor outlets. Those are great resources to get some ideas and find something that strikes your fancy.

By now I hope you have a better sense of how to choose your first firearm. There’s a lot to think about, a lot to consider, but in the end I think you’ll be happy you took time to choose carefully before pulling the trigger.