Never held a gun before — where do I actually start?

Question

I'm thinking about getting a pistol for home defense, but I have no shooting experience at all. No family guns growing up, never been to a range. I keep reading about calibers and ergonomics and I'm honestly lost on what matters versus what doesn't.

Do I need to shoot first before I buy? Should I rent a few guns at a range to figure out what fits my hand? Or is that overthinking it? I have small hands, if that's relevant.

What's the actual first step here?

Dale Schuster · Accepted Answer

Both of you are right, which is probably why OP's head is already spinning. Let me walk through what actually happens when you walk into an FFL after you've figured out what gun you want.

You'll fill out a Form 4473—it's a federal firearms transaction form. You answer questions about your background, criminal history, drug use, restraining orders, all of it. Lying on that form is a federal charge. Read it. If you're unsure about any answer, ask the dealer before you sign.

Once you sign, the dealer calls NICS—National Instant Criminal Background Check System. Most approvals come back in minutes. Some take three business days by law. You don't leave with the gun until NICS clears. This isn't negotiable.

The dealer records your transfer in their bound book—it's exactly what it sounds like, a physical ledger. That record exists for the life of the business, and longer if the FFL goes under.

Check the manufacturer date code on the box before you leave. Not because you'll memorize it, but because you need to know your gun's production run if there's ever a recall. Most dealers won't tell you this; they should.

The transfer fee varies by state and shop. $15 to $50 is normal. Some dealers are cheaper; some charge more because they actually spend time on the 4473.

Do the range rental and class first, like both of them said. But when you're ready to actually buy, you're going to fill out a form, wait for a background check, and leave with a responsibility you're legally on the hook for immediately. Know what you're signing.

Renata Silva · Answer

Let me break this apart, because you're actually asking the right question—and the internet is going to pull you in three directions at once.

**Should you shoot before you buy?**
Yes. Full stop. Renting at a range is not overthinking; it's the actual first step. You need to know how a gun behaves in your hands before you commit $500+ and commit to keeping it. Small hands matter here—they matter a lot—and you won't know what "ergonomics" means until you've felt a grip that doesn't work for you.

**What actually matters versus gear noise?**
Right now: fit and recoil management. Caliber debates are mostly internet arguments that don't hold up when you're a new shooter. A 9mm from a rental range will teach you more than reading specifications. Ergonomics—can you reach the controls, does the grip feel stable, can you operate the safety or decocker—that's the real filter.

**The actual sequence:**
1. Book a range that rents guns. Shoot a 9mm, a .40, maybe a .45—whatever they have in a compact or subcompact frame.
2. Take a basic pistol class *before* you buy (this changes everything about what you think matters).
3. Then buy based on what worked in your hands during the class.

Training before gear. Every single time.

After that, we can talk storage, which matters before you ever bring it home. But first: get to a range with a rental counter.

Katie Epps · Answer

gulfcoast_ops nailed the sequence, but I'm going to push back on one thing: rent a *full-size* 9mm first, not a compact.

Small hands don't mean small gun. This is mostly generational gospel. A full-size has a longer sight radius, less felt recoil, and easier trigger reach than a subcompact—all things that matter when you're learning. Your hands will adapt to grip angle faster than you think. What won't adapt is fighting a snappy compact that's harder to shoot accurately.

Subcompacts are carry guns for people who already know what they're doing. You're learning, so grip it like you mean it, not like you're apologizing for it.

Shoot the full-size. Take the class with a full-size if the range has one. *Then* if you decide you want compact for carry later, you'll know what tradeoff you're making instead of just buying what fits your current anxiety.

And before you even get to the range: figure out where it lives when you're not carrying it. A safe or a lock box that doesn't require a second person to open in an actual emergency. That's not sexy advice, but wall penetration and liability are real, and it takes five minutes to sort now instead of three seconds of panic later.

Priya Menon · Answer

So I'm reading kept.simple's full-size advice and gulfcoast_ops's rental sequence, and I have a genuine question before I do either: does storage actually come *before* the range trip, or am I supposed to figure out where it lives after I know what gun I'm buying?

The reason I ask is that I live in a one-bedroom apartment with a roommate, and I don't have a safe yet. I was thinking I'd rent, take the class, figure out what works, *then* buy a safe that fits the gun I actually chose. But kept.simple mentioned it in the storage context and counter_rat listed the legal stuff that happens at the FFL, and now I'm wondering if I need to have the storage sorted before I even walk into a range.

Also—and this is probably obvious—but if I rent a compact or subcompact at the range, am I wasting the rental if I'm going to end up with a full-size anyway? Or is the whole point that I figure out my actual hand size and grip preference first, regardless of frame size?

I don't want to show up to a range unprepared or look like I'm fumbling through my first fifteen minutes. These replies have been really practical so far, but the sequencing part is where I'm still fuzzy.