Thread: New here and i have a few questions.

Welcome aboard!

In .22s, look into the Ruger Mark II or Mark III pistols, as well as the Browning Buckmark. I prefer the latter, even though I just sold mine.

9mm is a perfectly adequate round for self-defense, provided you load with good modern hollowpoints. There are about a billion good 9mm pistols out there from Glock (my own preference), Springfield, SIG, HK, Beretta, S&W, Kahr, CZ and others. Your first one probably won't be your last, but buy a quality pistol that holds its value, fits your hand, and suits your preferences - which will change as you learn about guns and shooting.

What Mike said ^

As far as the .22 is concerned, the Neos would be last on my list. There are people out there that like them though, just not my cup of tea. I just picked up a Ruger MKII and with 1100 rounds through it already without an issue I would clearly recommend that. I have also shot a buckmark and I liked it but personally prefer the Ruger. In my opinion you're better off with a used Ruger or Browning before a new Neos.

-Jeff-

Edit: Check out this thread as well, you can get some more thoughts about the .22 models there.
.22 LR Target Models

I am in the Ruger camp myself with Beefy and Mike. Get a Ruger and you can teach your kids and grandkids how to shoot with it. How do I know this? Because I have done it with this 31yr old Ruger MK-I or Standard.

Welcome to the site!

Another vote for either the Browning or the Ruger here.

As far as the 9mm, go to a range, rent a bunch of them, go with what you like.

I think a good .22lr is a very good way to begin your foray into the shooting world. Be aware though, that shooting is a slippery slope, and you will soon be looking at many other handguns because of all the fun you will be having. You might look into a .22 revolver as well. Revolvers have the advantage of in general being more accurate and more reliable than autos. They will most likely have better triggers as well. There aren't a whole lot of new .22 revolvers that you can get in the $350 range, but you can sometimes find good used ones.

Besides the excellent autos already mentioned, there are also the S&W 22 series and the ones from Hammerli, Walther, and Sig. You might look at the .22's at the Bud's Gun Shop website.

As for 9mm being the minimum for home defense -- well, it's not a specific rule, but I would more or less agree. After all, one does not have to worry about overall size when it comes to a HD gun, so there's not much use in getting a smaller handgun. The nice thing about 9mm is that there are so many offerings in both handguns and bullet styles, and also the fact that 9mm is about the cheapest centerfire load at this time. Cheaper loads = more practice....

good luck,
PhilR.
p.s. you should ask here sometime which is better - Glock or Springfield XD....