Safety class first.
I worked as an instructor for a while while working the gun business years ago. Sign up for a gun safety class. I know, I know, you have a brother, an uncle, a dad, great uncle, who served in WWII, was a deputy reserve, or some civil air patrol who was all into guns and he'll just show ya.....that is the biggest mistake. Mostly likely what you will have is one generation passing ignorance to another generation. There is no other field, no other hobby, no other past time, that is so filled with myth, misinformation, or ignorance than guns, and it normally tied to some form of gonadal projection. Yeah, a .45 will drop an elepant, (NO), a .357 will crack an engine block. (No) Pushing on the muzzle of a COlt 1911 is a safety procedure. (Double No). I've heard them all, right there with wrist snapping a revolver cylinder close...looks good to Matt Helm and in Mike Hammer novels, but not in real life. It ruins the locking mechanism in the frame and bungs up the cylinder stop notches.
Go sign up and spend as few bucks on a good instructor. Learn how to safety load, unload, check, and clear revolvers and semi autos. Learn proper breathing, grip, aim, and squeeze of the trigger. Learn how to use proper malfuntion clearance procedures in an auto. Leanr the proper Weavcer stance, semi-Weaver, and the isosceles and which is better for you and which is better for taget shooting, and which is better for combat.
Learn a proper double handed hold. No, not on the wrist, not the "saucer and tea cup method" either, is it thumb up or thumb down in the shooting hand.....is it better supporting elbow up or supporting elbow down.....
Learn the four iron rules of gun handling (I was an absolute drill seargeant on this when I taught):
1) eveyr gun is loaded until you have persoanlly check to make sure it is unloaded. (When I handed an empty pistol back to the student, I expected hiim to check it immedaitely. Hey, I told them, I could be stupid and handed you a loaded gun so let's get into a good habit.)
2) Never put your finger on the trigger until you are ready to fire.
3) Never point it at anyone unles you mean to shoot.
4) Alway be sure of your target--no richochet, no through and through to someone, it is a live threat?, etc.
Then use those skills to try out several types of guns. Learn how each one feels. Remember that how it feels when you are a nocie will change as your expereince grows.
Target shooting skills are differente from combat shooting skills, but they all share the same good shooting skills: never shoot faster than you can hit, take your time quickly--as you get better you will get faster, but alwasy take your time to do all the basics. Speed is a function of efficiency.
Then later learn more advance skills and see what type of shooting you would llike to try in local meets: IPSC, IDPA, bullseye, action shoots, etc.
Ruger Mark II is one of the most rugged and durable .22LR ever made. Will shoot till the cows come home. Field stripping and re-assembly is a bit of a pain though.
A good Smith and Wesson .357 will shoot .38 Specials so shooting with light .38 is a good way to develop arm and hand muscles and eye proficiency. Then move up to hotter .38 to full house .357 loads.
Recoil control is not with your hands. It is with your hands, wrists, forearm, upper arm, shoulders, upper body, trunk, and legs.
Get some good books from writer Massad Ayoob. He has a good list of books that are informational and very practical. John Shaw has some good books.
