l wanna buy a pistol, but dont know which brand

hi-point

There r several good brands, & calibers, & styles. It would be a good idea to go to a nearby shooting range that rents guns so u can try them before buying. l did this a couple of times before l bought mine, & it really helped me find out what fit me. The price varies from range to range, but u can usually figure about $40 for range time, gun rental, & ammo (you have to buy a box). That is a lot cheaper than spending a few hundred bucks on a gun someone recommends, & then finding out u do not like it.
Here is a website to help u find a local range:
wheretoshoot.org

It all depends on what kind of gun do you like...but Browning, Beretta, Smith & Wesson and Heckler & Koch is are very good.

They are all good in their own way. You want a pistol and offer no further info (caliber, purpose)

Buy a Springfield Armory 1911, 45 ACP problem solved

Glock
Springfield
Ruger
Kimber
Taurus
Baretta
Smith&Wessen
Walther
H&K

they're all reputable brands. It really depends what you're looking for though. There is no way anyone on here is going to be able to tell u which gun is right for you. You're gonna have to go to the shooting range & find out which one feels best & aims best for you. It is really a matter of personal feel.

Consider what u want the gun for though. Personal protection only, you're gonna want a really small & easily concealable gun. Hunting you're gonna want a larger caliber. Target practice you're gonna want to get a full size gun.

Glocks have a reputation for being simple & industructable, Springfield XDs r earning the same reputation.

some are glock, sig sauer, springfield, walther, beretta...

Glock, Kimger, or Springfield XD model.

If you want reliablity buy a long-barrel revolver by COLT.
If you want a semi-automatic buy a German HK in .45cal.
If you want a pistol for week-end fun, buy a semi-auto in .22LR caliber like the Ruger semi-auto 22. Ammo are cheap and it does not kick much.
If you want a handgun for house-protection, buy a short 18''-barrel 12 gauge double-barrel shotgun instead because pistols wo not work in emergency situations half as well as shotguns.

l own the following.

H&K - 1=(.45) 1=(9mm)
Sig Sauer - 1=(9mm)
Glock - 2=(9mm)
Ruger - 1=(.22) 1=(.357)
Browing - 1=(.22)

All are quality products, just depends on your taste
The .22 is are target. The Glocks are for work, The Sig and H&K is are for fun and the .357 is for home protection.

Do not spend more than $500 you will regret it if you do not shoot more than 2 times a month.

That depends on you. What is good for me or any other answerer is not going to mean it is good for you. l personally like the Springfield Armory XD. l like the overall fit & feel of the grip. l like the safety features, how easy it is to clean, & how smooth the trigger is. It also comes with a holster, magazine pouch, & speed loader at no extra cost.

l also like the Ruger SR9 & the Taurus 24/7 Pro series handguns. Your best is to go to a local shop & pick up & handle as many handguns a possible. The one that fits u best is the one u will shoot best.

Good Luck.

http://springfield-armory.com/xd.php
http://taurususa.com/products/product-details.cfm?id=157&category=Pistol
http://ruger-firearms.com/Firearms/FAFamily?type=Pistol&subtype=Centerfire%20Autoloading&famlst=62

There r a few factors involved in ur question, which the other respondants seem to be dancing around.

When students first come to my class, l want to make sure they understand one simple thing about a firearm. When considering a firearm for ur personal defense purposes, (Which l assume is ur intent here), the firearm is an extension of yourself.

This means that in an emergency situation u should be able to pick up that firearm & use it based on instinct. To clarify, this means that u do not have to think about the gun is controls, if its loaded, & what to do should the gun malfunction.

This means practice, practice, practice!!!!!!!!!!

But this also means that u purchase a firearm with as few as possible features, so that u can become proficent with it, & use it effectively & correctly. Accuracy will come with time & practice at the range, with an instructor to assist u in developing good habits, not Hollywood Habits.

Now having said this, for most of my beginning students l recommend that u seriously consider ur first purchase being a revolver. Some of the other folks here r going to try to push u into the purchase of a semi-automatic firearm like a .40 S&W, .45 ACP or a 9mm. l do not recommend these as youe primary home defense firearm, & we r going to get into why shortly.

In an emergency situation, u will not have time to correct a malfunction. It is as simple as that. You r not on a battlefield with cover & concealment availble to u in multiple locations. You r going to be in a situation, (most likely), where u r in an area the size of ur bedroom or living room. An average of 15 feet by 15 feet. Law Enforcement Statistics consider an area of 21 feet by 21 feet ''Danger Close''. Within this area an aggressor can cover that distance to ur person in 3 tenths of a second. This means that in that time, should ur semi-automatic pistol malfunction, u r going to have to clear that malfunction & return to ur target. The question now becomes this: Are u fast & proficent enough to do all of the following:

Tap the bottom of the magazine to ensure that it was seated properly.

Cycle the slide to eject the failed cartridge or load one that was never there.

Check to make sure the safety was off.

Then return to ur point of aim on the target.

This is what u r going to have to do in 3 tenths of a second while on the phone with the 911 dispatcher who is asking u her list of 20 questions. Are u practiced enough to do all of this, while the bad guy is coming for you?

Ok, do not consider that as an insult to ur abilities, please. That is merely a situation that l setup in all of my classes with all of my students, to help them understand what they could face in the real world.

Now, this is where l would take time to explain why l am an advocate of a revolver being ur first firearm, & why semi-automatics do not make a good first choice. So lets examine this for a moment.

Semi-automatics offer two simple things over revolvers. One is capacity of cartridges. Most semi-automatics, (IE: Beretta, Glock, Springfield, some Smith & Wesson Models, some Ruger Models, some Taurus Models, H&K, CZ, Browning, & Sig-Sauer), offer ''easier'' reloading.

Basically when you're out of ammo, it makes it easier to feed the demon, (So to speak). But, here is a fact to consider. The average gun fight is over in about 3 to 4 shots. FB l Statistics prove this.

In the case of the semi-automatic the way the new cartridge is delivered to the firing chamber is a potential mechanical nightmare. A fired cartridge is extracted from the firing chamber by its own recoil or gasses from the burning powder, then the cartridge case is pulled against an ejector, & spring pressure from the remaining cartridges in the magazine offer enough pressure to aid in the ejecting process.

What happens when the cartridge failes to fire, or there was never a cartridge there in the first place? You r the engine that must cycle the slide to place a new or primary cartridge into the chamber for firing.

In the case of the revolver, the action to get a new unfired cartridge to the firing position is a simple matter of pulling the trigger a second time to force the cylinder to rotate & index the next cartridge to the barrel barrel breach.

Plus on a revolver, there is no safety, no magazine & no gimmicks.

Revolvers r a very basic type of handgun, & r the best answer for both the professional & the novice. They serve both types of shooters equally & reliably.

They also give u one more major advantage, one handed operation. This means while u r on the phone with 911 & Mrs. 20 questions u can maintain sight on ur target.

So here is what l keep in my house loaded & at the ready.

Ruger GP-100 4 inch .357 Magnum w/ 125 Grain JHP from Cor-Bon 1400 Feet Per Second. l have made this choice based on the sheer simplicity of the weapon.

Note:

For those of u who may have given me the thumbs down.

This tells me that u have never been in a position where u r the person facing the business end of the gun. l have been in that position, & until u actually have been there, u have no room nor right to criticize experience by pushing ur ''Concrete Commando'' biases onto people who have never been in that situation.

For the person asking this question, ur question is an excellent example of someone who is seeking the truth of the matter from folks who have been there. l applaud that, & respect it.

The .45 ACP is not the beginning & the end to all combat situations. Yes its a fine cartridge, that l have no argument with, & l own several myself. But this is not a cartridge nor a pistol, (1911A1 type), that is conducive to teaching beginners how to shoot properly with a larger bore diameter than .22 Long Rifle. .38 Special is the next natural step.

So for the thumbs down givers lets me say this, if u want a real shooting challenge, then u r talking to the right person. If, u think u have what it takes, then drop me a line. But l can promise u this, more Concrete Commando is have walked off my range crying than l want to care to count. l do not pass Security Guards, l pass Security Officers. That goes for the loud-mouth, hot-heads that cruise this area too.

l have a Kimber Eclipse Custom I l full sized 1911 in .45 cal. l do everything with it. Hunting whitetails (2 this year), home protection, and target practice. l love it!!

Take a look at the Glock model 20. You get 15+1 rounds of the super powerful 10mm auto round. It is not too big to conceal with a iwb or shoulder holster, & the 10mm will provide u with 41 magnum power!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Recoil is not nearly as bad as many people say it is. l favor the 165 grain Speer Gold Dot jacketed hollowpoint from Doubletap Ammunition. The round has a velocity of 1450 fps, provides 750 foot lbs of energy, & expands to 1.02'' from the Glock 20 is 4.6'' barrel.