What to expect when you're expecting (your first weapon purchase)

First, for what purpose are you buying this weapon? Are you looking for home defense, car carry, concealed carry, competition shooting, or other? Makes a difference, as I’m probably not going to recommend most FNs for concealed (they tend to be larger), and I’m not going to recommend something with a 1-inch barrel for competition.

Quick pro tip, highly generalized: longer the barrel, better punch and accuracy in most cases. Larger/heavier can give more control, reduce felt recoil (why I recommended such for home defense). Medium to smaller are easier to conceal and most people can get them into battery a bit quicker. For the record, I really don’t recommend micros even as a backup.

Second, may I see your hand? The size of your hand makes a difference in what pistols I would show you. You have to be able to control the weapon, which means you really need to be able to get your hand comfortably around the grip. If it is not comfortable and/or you can’t get enough of your hand around the grip to control it, it’s not the right pistol for you. For example, while Glock makes good products, the angle of their grip is not comfortable for me, so it’s not the right pistol for me.