good first gun?

Art3 said:

I suspect this boat is more crowded than we think I did my one "final" purchase just before Christmas, so I could pick it up 12/31. That way, whatever disaster may or may not accompany the online paperwork, I can just sit back and ...'cuz I couldn't afford to join in if I wanted to!

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well we got all year no worries

The way * I interpt* the OP's op , several of the questions are already answered, at least impliedly.

Refering to a "first" pistol already presupposes additional pistols to follow. This is different from inquiries implying a quest for a pistol that would be an only pistol either on purpose, or for an extended time.

An Only Pistol must do the impossible task of filling all roles. We know that's inherently impossible, but at least be evaluated with an eye to fill multiple roles.

The OP has already expressed an interest in .22lr , so presumably this would not be a primary home defense gun.

OP wants a revolver. Cool. I'm a revolver guy, and I'm not going to talk him out of it.

While I like DA revolvers, and started with a DA .22lr, it's a different marketplace now, than it was then. To be a good trainer, it has to have a good DA trigger , or else a revolver rookie would be sorely tempted to thumb back anyway.

Due to laws of physics, all small frame revolvers in rimfire will have a very heavy trigger, and likely also suck.

And most current affirdably medium frame rimfire revolvers have a DA trigger that sucks.

S&W M17 and M18 do gennerally have decent triggers, but they are now $$.

Further meanwhile , Single Sixes are fine guns , with good accuracy. And a SA revolver will still teach stance, grip, sight alignment, and decent trigger.

( If you stumble upon Colt Frontier Scout, they are fine also, but more of a search. I really want to like the Heritage, but have yet to fondle an out of the box that had better than low mediocre trigger. If I ever laid hands upon one with an "average" trigger, I would then rate it a best buy for the price.)

I think a 3 screw 5.5in dual cylnder is the niftiest thing since canned beer, but that's just me, and preferences vary .

Budget? < $200

First Pistol? This will teach you how to use a lot of buttons.

lkrose78 said:

I spent the better part of a month going to different shops and holding every gun I could touch while my HQL was in work. Then I took my final 10 and went to the range and shot each and every gun. Then I went back one week later and shot my top 3 just to be sure...this worked for me!

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Wow! I absolutely commend you in your logical and methodical approach to buying a handgun. Wish I was that disciplined...