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The same advice that I got about children.
“Can you afford to feed it?”
Cheers,
Craig6
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People will make many suggestions on what you should carry, I say carry what you feel comfortable with as long as you test it at the range before purchasing it.
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Not just firearms but everything that’s important to me. My dad always said “Buy right, cry once.”
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I must have done something wrong, or am one of those few who simply stand outside of the box.
Never had any advice, just chose what I liked, and wanted… and could afford 
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Shoot it first. Research is great, but there is no substitute for trying it out.
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Make sure my wife is ok with it first…
Yes, it came from her 
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The very first and most important thing to ask yourself is:
Do I really really NEED it…???
Just kidding
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This one came from one of YouTube Firearm’s channels :
“Choose what looks nice, then check if fits you hand then shoot. If you like it, check if your wallet can handle this then buy it !”
That was an advice I followed to buy my first handgun. 
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I would add, dont just take it to the range and shoot it. Train with it and take classes if you can afford it. And, be sure to stay proficient. Shooting it once a year dosent make you proficient.
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Right now is a bad time to search for a firearm. If it’s your first time, first weapon, I truly wish you luck. All the info above is good. Before this shortage started if you couldn’t find something you liked for a price you wanted, you just weren’t looking. Now it’s an adventure.
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I bought a 12 gauge shotgun once for $50.00. 1910 shotgun made by a bicycle company. Single shot break down. Now you could say it was a bad purchase because I do not feel as though it would be safe to shoot but, as I want to be gunsmith I figure it is a good start.
As for choosing your firearm, there is nothing worse than purchasing one you end up not liking. If you go try one out at a range to see what you like, what fits, what you can shoot accurately, what you can retain the target quickly after shooting it, What doesn’t jam up on you, that has a good trigger pull that is not too easy or too hard. Just like the three bears and goldilocks.
Choose wisely my friend!
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If it doesn’t feel good in your hand, don’t buy it. If it feels great in your hand and you don’t like the price tag, put it in lay-a-way.
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First determine what you plan on using your firearm for—hunting, target shooting, home defense, concealed carry or any combination thereof?
Next, determine what caliber(s) you’re interested in and if you can afford to shoot them(.375 H&H s not a good squirrel hunting caliber: 28 ga. is darned expensive for doves; maintaining any competancy with a .38 Webely Fosberry would be kind of futile for most of us 
)
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All the high-points in the USCCA video were good.
The “try before you buy” thing is I think too often neglected, especially if you have a range in the area that has a wide variety on display and available for rental.
If it’s your first handgun, seriously consider the total cost of ownership. With range time, ammo, possible formal classes, holsters, cleaning supplies, and yearly CC insurance (even if just for home defense), you burn cash fast. For first-timers, I think you should plan on spending twice as much as the gun itself (over and above the price of the gun) in the first year.
3 Likes