Best First Guns for Beginners
Forgiving, affordable, easy-to-shoot firearms to learn on — and the mistakes new owners should skip.
What to Look For
The best first gun is forgiving, affordable, and something you'll enjoy shooting enough to practice with. For handguns that means a striker-fired 9mm in a compact-to-full-size frame; for a first long gun, a .22 rifle like the 10/22 builds fundamentals cheaply and with zero recoil. Skip tiny pocket pistols and hard-kicking magnums as starter guns.
The most common beginner mistakes are buying on looks, skipping training, and not practicing. Budget for ammo, safe storage, and ideally a class, and handle several guns in person before deciding. The recommendations and questions below come from people who remember being new — and what they wish they'd known.
