Freaked out almost died of a heart attack last night!!

[HotCarl]

I was asking why he thought a .45 would be acceptable for someone who's never owned a gun before. I was thinking more of a 9mm, maybe a .22 just to get comfortable. Of course the .22 wouldnt be used for much more than just shooting at the range. The XD seem's like a very nice gun, though expensive. I was looking at spending at least 400$

[jeffmeden]

I was asking why he thought a .45 would be acceptable for someone who's never owned a gun before. I was thinking more of a 9mm, maybe a .22 just to get comfortable. Of course the .22 wouldnt be used for much more than just shooting at the range. The XD seem's like a very nice gun, though expensive. I was looking at spending at least 400$

 

The common misconception with semiauto pistols is that smaller calibers are easier for beginners, easier to aim, etc. This has a LOT more to do with the type of gun you use and how you practice, and little to do with the caliber of bullet, at least when you are concerned with self defense. 22 cal is a good round to shoot for fun and for target practice, and just about anyone can become accurate in a brief time, but its not going to do much good in stopping a bad guy unless your shot placement is impeccable. Additionally, IMO, being good at shooting a .22 won't make you much more likely to be a good shot with a self defense round (9, 40, 45).

 

Example, I have a 9mm S&W sigma, which is 'cheap' at $299 retail. The XD .45 is $499 retail and MUCH easier to get tight groups with, regardless of shooting a round thats twice as heavy (115gr vs 230gr). I can shoot both side by side for a day and always walk away with better groups on the XD, it's just a better gun hands down.

 

The take home message is that if you want to rely on a gun for defense without spending a lot of time practicing accuracy, spend a little more money for a gun that will shoot better out of the box, and don't count on a smaller caliber being easier across the board.