Help Me Understand

[Sheldon]

Decockers have their own unique characteristics as well, mainly the first shot double action and then single action from then on. Some like it some don't.

It's hard to know what you will like till you have a chance to spend some time with the gun and put rounds downrange. What sounds good at first may later change as your opinion and experiences evolve.

Just concentrate on safety and good shooting practices and get out there and shoot. Having friends with guns helps. Range time would be the best for really letting you know if a gun works for you.

Articles written by people with tons of shooting experience will, most times, not match that of someone with a lot less or no experience. Recoil, muzzle blast, and muzzle flip are very subjective. How well you react to those really determines how your body reacts to the act of pulling the trigger. A flinch throws the shot off and that is a tough thing to overcome if you are sensitive to it.

To dampen the shock of the round going off you can do things to help. Lighter calibers and light reloads help on a lot on all levels. Extra hearing protection to lessen the blast (double up plugs under muffs). Heavier gun to absorb the recoil and minimize muzzle flip (or a .22 even.....Love my Ruger MKII pistols for warming up). Lighter/smoother trigger pull to minimize the movement of the gun as you pull trigger. Work on improving grip strength so you can grip firmly for longer periods of time (dry firing safely using the same grip strength as you would while firing a loaded weapon helps). Read up on shooting basics....things like understanding natural point of aim and such. I have never found it a particularly easy thing to do but I have always enjoyed it and as such spend a lot of time doing it. Regular range visits allow your body to acclimate. Get out there often and really concentrate on what you're doing. Don't go there to make noise and a bunch of random shots on paper. Work on sight picture, breathing, stance, and trigger control. You will get better!!

[357manny]

Hey OP, welcome to the wonderful world of gun ownership and enjoyment! I can see you got bit by the gun bug. I got bit last year. Started out buying an AR15 and a pistol, after the San Bernardino terrorist attack last December. My wife and I were just convinced we were looking at possible SHTF, and understood we were nowhere prepared.
Looking back, for purchasing firearms, the best thing to do is take a shooting class and go shoot as many different platforms of what you're looking for. So for a new pistol, maybe spend a day at a range that rents 1911s, polymers, different brands. See what feels best to you while shooting. When I shopped my first handgun, read online positive reviews, watched video reviews. I liked the look of it, felt badass in my hand while holding it at the shop, twisting it around and talking with the salesman (of course they will talk you up on it! Lol); then after I shot it I just didn't like the feel of it in my hands at the range. No matter what I read/watched/heard from others, this thing just didn't work for me.
The advice everyone gives you in this thread is exactly what I needed to hear. But the urgency to buy/acquire before "I can't get this later" definitely can make you skip the wisdom of making smart purchases.
The best thing I've found is, firearms ownership affords so many sub hobbies (diy, range, competition, HD preparedness, collection, reloading)
In the end, you're in a better place. Welcome to Calguns!

[Nachtwulf]

Not sure what happened to my last post but I've found a handgun I like and feel comfortable using. Now let me start off by saying thanks for all your helpful advice that aided my decision. Went to a local gun shop and got some good information about maintenance, purpose, features, and types. Let me say, the 1911 is in the future but not now. I'm still in the learning phase and feel more comfortable with a safety-decocker. Heck, I wish my AR15 had a safety-decocker. You know, my whole perspective as a firearms owner is being safe. The peace of mind, being a first time handgun owner, that come with the safety-decocker give me a bit more security knowing I'm less likely to have an accident, if that makes any sense.
As of now I'm looking into the Beretta M9 / 92 series and a few Sigs.

Strange, it seems like you have been reading my mind. I came to the same conclusions for the same reasons that you did and ended up with a Beretta 92fs and I love it! I do not have any issues with the decocker or the DA/SA trigger.Actually I like everything about this gun! It shoots mighty nice in my opinion, or more accurately I can shot it nice as it seems to fit my hand like a glove. I don't think you will be disappointed with a Sig either.