{"id":1523,"date":"2019-11-26T08:12:25","date_gmt":"2019-11-26T08:12:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/?p=1523"},"modified":"2021-06-28T15:40:43","modified_gmt":"2021-06-28T15:40:43","slug":"whats-the-best-first-gun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/whats-the-best-first-gun\/","title":{"rendered":"What&#8217;s The Best First Gun?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What\u2019s The Best First Gun?\u00a0<\/span><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Every doctor is used to being asked medical questions at a party, and I\u2019m certain that mechanics get asked car repair questions in social situations. When people find out I write about guns, they inevitably ask something like, \u201cI\u2019m thinking about getting a gun. What\u2019s the best first gun for me?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">My usual response is to finish my canap\u00e9, take a sip of my drink, and say, \u201cWell, that\u2019s like asking what makes a good first car. The transportation needs of a sixteen year old in the city vary greatly from those of a sixteen year old on a farm in the Midwest.\u201d For the most part, that\u2019s spot-on. A good first gun for plinking cans on the back porch is totally different than the best first gun for shooting clay pigeons out of the air. People buy guns for different reasons. The best first gun for one kind of shooting sport is probably very different from the best first gun for another.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fast Facts: The Best First Gun<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The guns of today are better than ever before. This means your first gun is probably going to work well.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The best first gun for you is a gun that&#8217;s easy to learn how to shoot well.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">9mm compact pistols are a great balance of firepower, accuracy and ease of use.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We can make some educated guesses about who is buying guns and why they\u2019re buying them. For instance, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nssf.org\/americas-new-target-shooters-younger-female-and-urban\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a recent survey of new gun owners conducted by the National Shooting Sports Foundation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> shows that target shooting and self defense are big motivators in buying a gun. So we will assume for the rest of this article that you\u2019re looking for a gun (preferably a pistol) for target shooting, home defense, and personal protection.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here\u2019s where the first problem pops up. The retail buying experience inside most gun stores is nowhere near as nice as it is in other types of stores. Rather than grouping guns together by price, size, or intended use, most guns stores group the guns by brand name. This might help the store when it needs to count its inventory, but it\u2019s very confusing for a customer looking for a first gun.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In addition, a lot of brand-specific technical jargon is tossed about. This makes the choice even more difficult. Panic and doubt start to creep in, followed quickly by <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.investopedia.com\/terms\/a\/analysisparalysis.asp\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">analysis paralysis<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, brought on by all the decisions you need to make.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Finding The Best First Gun Is A Personal Decision<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/ammo_selection-1.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-0\" data-magnific_type=\"image\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-1517 size-medium\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/ammo_selection-1-300x203.jpg\" alt=\"Best first gun? Probably a Glock 19\" width=\"300\" height=\"203\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/ammo_selection-1-300x203.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/ammo_selection-1-768x520.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/ammo_selection-1-1024x693.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/ammo_selection-1-610x413.jpg 610w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/ammo_selection-1-1080x731.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/ammo_selection-1-627x424.jpg 627w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/ammo_selection-1.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>Just relax. We are in a golden age of guns right now. Your chances of selecting a truly awful gun are slim. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even better, there are a number of guns specifically designed for people who are looking for something that is easy to shoot, carry, and maintain while still having enough firepower to protect their life when it matters most.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If that\u2019s your situation, I recommend starting with a compact, poly-framed, striker-fired pistol chambered in 9mm. Good examples are the Glock 19, the Smith &amp; Wesson M&amp;P9c, the Sig Sauer P320 Carry, the Ruger SR9-C, and the FNS-9 Compact. All of these guns are very reliable, safe to handle, and easy to use. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rather than concentrate on one brand name over another, let\u2019s talk about the features these guns have in common.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Compact Size\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The guns I\u2019ve mentioned are reduced-size versions of full-sized service pistols, such as the Glock 17 (a very common pistol for law enforcement) and the Sig Sauer M7 pistol (a variant of the P320 that was chosen as the U.S. military\u2019s new service pistol). The larger, full-sized versions of these guns work well on the belts of military and law enforcement personnel. However, the call soon came for smaller, easier-to-conceal versions for other applications. This led to the creation of compact 9mm polymer-framed pistols. Speaking of which\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Polymer Frame<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All of these pistols feature a frame made of a high-strength plastic-type material (polymer), which forms the gun&#8217;s foundation. The frame holds the trigger mechanism and magazine in place. It also provides a place to mount the slide, barrel, and the rest of what makes a gun a gun. Contrary to what you might have heard, polymer-framed guns are not invisible to metal detectors or x-ray machines. The slide, barrel, magazine, internal workings, and ammunition all set off a metal detector. The gun itself shows up quite clearly in an x-ray.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The advantages of a polymer frame are that it weighs less than metal and doesn\u2019t rust, but it still holds the gun&#8217;s parts securely and safely in place. Glock was the first company to make the polymer frame popular in pistols. Almost every gun maker has since followed their lead.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Striker-Fired\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Speaking of Glock innovations, they were also the first company to make the striker-fired action popular in handguns. I\u2019m a fan of hammer-fired guns, but I recognize that <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/what-is-a-striker-fired-action\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">striker-fired guns have distinct advantages for first-time pistol owners<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. For instance, their safeties are typically built into the firing mechanism itself. This means the gun won\u2019t go \u201cBANG!!\u201d until you make the conscious decision to pull the trigger (you DO remember the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/practical-gun-safety\/\">Four Rules Of Gun Safety<\/a>, right?). This comes in handy if the gun is needed to defend a life, as you don&#8217;t have to think about flicking off a safety\u00a0 when seconds could mean the difference between life and death.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In addition, a striker-fired action gives you a consistent trigger pull with each shot. The trigger pull on a striker-fired gun is not quite as nice as it is on a hammer-fired gun. However, less training is needed to master a consistent pull on a striker gun versus other types of pistol mechanisms.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">9mm Caliber<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/9mm-luger\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 9mm cartridge<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a great balance between magazine capacity, recoil, and power. If you\u2019re new to guns, you might hear people talking about how the police use pistols chambered in .40S&amp;W. Or, maybe someone will extol the \u201cman-stopping\u201d firepower of the .45 ACP round.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1520\" style=\"width: 1610px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/which_is_the_best_first_gun-1.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-1\" data-magnific_type=\"image\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1520\" class=\"wp-image-1520 size-full\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/which_is_the_best_first_gun-1.jpg\" alt=\"Glock 19 vs 1911\" width=\"1600\" height=\"764\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/which_is_the_best_first_gun-1.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/which_is_the_best_first_gun-1-300x143.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/which_is_the_best_first_gun-1-768x367.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/which_is_the_best_first_gun-1-1024x489.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/which_is_the_best_first_gun-1-610x291.jpg 610w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/which_is_the_best_first_gun-1-1080x516.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/which_is_the_best_first_gun-1-627x299.jpg 627w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1520\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Glock 19 holds 15 rounds of 9mm. A 1911 .45ACP magazine holds 8. Is the .45ACP twice as effective as 9mm? Not really.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The fact is, though, that modern bullets in 9mm do essentially the same damage as those in .40S&amp;W or .45ACP. Because of this, police forces <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/money.cnn.com\/2016\/06\/30\/news\/companies\/glock-gun-contract-fbi\/index.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">are switching back to 9mm from .40<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, giving their officers more rounds and less recoil when shooting. The same thing is true for the .45 ACP round. Don\u2019t get me wrong, I love my 1911; it\u2019s one of my favorite guns. However, it holds just eight rounds in the magazine, versus, say, fifteen rounds in a Glock 19.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Delicate Balance Of Concealed Carry.<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/firearm-sweet-spot-1.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-2\" data-magnific_type=\"image\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-1519 size-medium\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/firearm-sweet-spot-1-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"Concealed Carry Is A Balancing Act\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/firearm-sweet-spot-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/firearm-sweet-spot-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/firearm-sweet-spot-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/firearm-sweet-spot-1-610x458.jpg 610w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/firearm-sweet-spot-1-627x470.jpg 627w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>The modern compact 9mm is as close to the sweet spot of accuracy, firepower, and concealability as has ever been invented. All of these guns are small enough to carry regularly and hold enough rounds to get the job done. Yet they are still easy to shoot. And because they shoot the inexpensive 9mm cartridge, they\u2019re great for practice and training.\u00a0 This helps you become not just a gun owner, but a trained and competent gun owner.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You may be tempted to think that a smaller subcompact 9mm pistol like a Glock 48 or Sig P365 is the best first gun for you. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Resist that temptation. While smaller and lighter than the other guns I\u2019ve mentioned, that decrease in size comes with a price. The smaller size means there is less mass to soak up recoil. There is also less gun to hold onto as the gun recoils.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> You should first learn to shoot well with a slightly larger 9mm, then move on to a smaller, more comfortable gun for concealed carry.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Other Options\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pocket pistols are a great idea for people who can carry a gun at work, but some people work in an office environment that makes concealing even a compact 9mm a difficult task. However, everything I just talked about with a subcompact 9mm is even more true with a pocket gun. Yes, they are an excellent choice for very discreet concealed carry. No, they are not your best choice for a first gun.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In addition, it&#8217;s hard to argue against the power that a long gun such as a shotgun or rifle brings to a home defense situation. However, what they give you in firepower comes at the cost of flexibility. They are not as easy to wield as you move inside your house. They also have limited (if any) use outside your home, as these days people tend to frown on slung shotguns being carried into a shopping center. If you think a long gun might be right for you, that\u2019s fine, but you should also look at how owning a pistol in addition to your long gun gives you even more personal protection options.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whatever gun you chose, practice with it regularly and<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/should-you-take-a-shooting-lesson\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with a purpose<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. A firearm is not a talisman of self-protection that wards off evil. Rather, it is a tool that responds to the skill of the user. The more skilled the user, the better the results will be when it matters the most. Shop around for the best first gun for you, then take it to the range so you can be the best possible marksman.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What\u2019s The Best First Gun?\u00a0 Every doctor is used to being asked medical questions at a party, and I\u2019m certain that mechanics get asked car repair questions in social situations. When people find out I write about guns, they inevitably ask something like, \u201cI\u2019m thinking about getting a gun. What\u2019s the best first gun for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1518,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[14,3,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1523","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-concealed-carry","category-intro-to-guns","category-pistol-shooting-tips","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What&#039;s The Best First Gun? We Can Help.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We live in a golden age of guns, which makes selecting the best first gun for you easier (there&#039;s no really bad guns) and harder (so much to choose from).\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/whats-the-best-first-gun\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What&#039;s The Best First Gun? We Can Help.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We live in a golden age of guns, which makes selecting the best first gun for you easier (there&#039;s no really bad guns) and harder (so much to choose from).\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/whats-the-best-first-gun\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"AmmoMan School of Guns Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-11-26T08:12:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-06-28T15:40:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/best_first_gun_cover-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1890\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"960\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Kevin Creighton\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Kevin Creighton\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/whats-the-best-first-gun\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/whats-the-best-first-gun\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Kevin Creighton\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9da785d0ad23a192dbbca7720dba0b58\"},\"headline\":\"What&#8217;s The Best First Gun?\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-11-26T08:12:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-06-28T15:40:43+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/whats-the-best-first-gun\/\"},\"wordCount\":1582,\"commentCount\":2,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/whats-the-best-first-gun\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/best_first_gun_cover-1.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Concealed Carry Tips\",\"Intro To Guns\",\"Pistol Shooting Tips\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/whats-the-best-first-gun\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/whats-the-best-first-gun\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/whats-the-best-first-gun\/\",\"name\":\"What's The Best First Gun? We Can Help.\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/whats-the-best-first-gun\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/whats-the-best-first-gun\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/best_first_gun_cover-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-11-26T08:12:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-06-28T15:40:43+00:00\",\"description\":\"We live in a golden age of guns, which makes selecting the best first gun for you easier (there's no really bad guns) and harder (so much to choose from).\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/whats-the-best-first-gun\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/whats-the-best-first-gun\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/whats-the-best-first-gun\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/best_first_gun_cover-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/best_first_gun_cover-1.jpg\",\"width\":1890,\"height\":960,\"caption\":\"What is the best first gun\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/whats-the-best-first-gun\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What&#8217;s The Best First Gun?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"AmmoMan School of Guns Blog\",\"description\":\"A blog about firearms, ammo and more\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"AmmoMan.com\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/favicon-152.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/favicon-152.png\",\"width\":152,\"height\":152,\"caption\":\"AmmoMan.com\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9da785d0ad23a192dbbca7720dba0b58\",\"name\":\"Kevin Creighton\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6919163eaa23ebc998f38e1d12e06f06c51c978c16705b623b7e10df3a675902?s=96&d=mm&r=pg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6919163eaa23ebc998f38e1d12e06f06c51c978c16705b623b7e10df3a675902?s=96&d=mm&r=pg\",\"caption\":\"Kevin Creighton\"},\"description\":\"Prior to joining the team at Ammoman.com, Kevin Creighton led the marketing for a number of companies in the firearms world. Kevin has been a gun writer since 2006, writing articles on the new reality of gun ownership in the U.S. for publications such as American Hunter, Shooting Illustrated, BearingArms.com, Beretta.com and also Downrange TV. He is an active competitor in USPSA, IDPA and 3 Gun and is an NRA-licensed firearms instructor. Kevin has hundreds of training hours from people such as Bob Vogel, Craig Douglas, Rob Leatham, Massad Ayoob and others.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/author\/kevinc\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What's The Best First Gun? We Can Help.","description":"We live in a golden age of guns, which makes selecting the best first gun for you easier (there's no really bad guns) and harder (so much to choose from).","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/whats-the-best-first-gun\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What's The Best First Gun? We Can Help.","og_description":"We live in a golden age of guns, which makes selecting the best first gun for you easier (there's no really bad guns) and harder (so much to choose from).","og_url":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/whats-the-best-first-gun\/","og_site_name":"AmmoMan School of Guns Blog","article_published_time":"2019-11-26T08:12:25+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-06-28T15:40:43+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1890,"height":960,"url":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/best_first_gun_cover-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Kevin Creighton","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Kevin Creighton","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/whats-the-best-first-gun\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/whats-the-best-first-gun\/"},"author":{"name":"Kevin Creighton","@id":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9da785d0ad23a192dbbca7720dba0b58"},"headline":"What&#8217;s The Best First Gun?","datePublished":"2019-11-26T08:12:25+00:00","dateModified":"2021-06-28T15:40:43+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/whats-the-best-first-gun\/"},"wordCount":1582,"commentCount":2,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/whats-the-best-first-gun\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/best_first_gun_cover-1.jpg","articleSection":["Concealed Carry Tips","Intro To Guns","Pistol Shooting Tips"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/whats-the-best-first-gun\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/whats-the-best-first-gun\/","url":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/whats-the-best-first-gun\/","name":"What's The Best First Gun? We Can Help.","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/whats-the-best-first-gun\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/whats-the-best-first-gun\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/best_first_gun_cover-1.jpg","datePublished":"2019-11-26T08:12:25+00:00","dateModified":"2021-06-28T15:40:43+00:00","description":"We live in a golden age of guns, which makes selecting the best first gun for you easier (there's no really bad guns) and harder (so much to choose from).","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/whats-the-best-first-gun\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/whats-the-best-first-gun\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/whats-the-best-first-gun\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/best_first_gun_cover-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/best_first_gun_cover-1.jpg","width":1890,"height":960,"caption":"What is the best first gun"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/whats-the-best-first-gun\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What&#8217;s The Best First Gun?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/","name":"AmmoMan School of Guns Blog","description":"A blog about firearms, ammo and more","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"AmmoMan.com","url":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/favicon-152.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/favicon-152.png","width":152,"height":152,"caption":"AmmoMan.com"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9da785d0ad23a192dbbca7720dba0b58","name":"Kevin Creighton","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6919163eaa23ebc998f38e1d12e06f06c51c978c16705b623b7e10df3a675902?s=96&d=mm&r=pg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6919163eaa23ebc998f38e1d12e06f06c51c978c16705b623b7e10df3a675902?s=96&d=mm&r=pg","caption":"Kevin Creighton"},"description":"Prior to joining the team at Ammoman.com, Kevin Creighton led the marketing for a number of companies in the firearms world. Kevin has been a gun writer since 2006, writing articles on the new reality of gun ownership in the U.S. for publications such as American Hunter, Shooting Illustrated, BearingArms.com, Beretta.com and also Downrange TV. He is an active competitor in USPSA, IDPA and 3 Gun and is an NRA-licensed firearms instructor. Kevin has hundreds of training hours from people such as Bob Vogel, Craig Douglas, Rob Leatham, Massad Ayoob and others.","url":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/author\/kevinc\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1523","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1523"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1523\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4081,"href":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1523\/revisions\/4081"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1518"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1523"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1523"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1523"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}