[Uncle Red]

Rookie, Armorer is right. You are looking for a tool. We may offer some assistance in that if you are looking for a weapon for potential use as a LEO. Most departments view the 9mm and .38 special as the minim power cartridges for LE use. So you may consider yourself limited to 9mm, .38/.357,.357Sig, .40 S&W, 10 mm, .41mag, .44 special/mag, and .45ACP. Many Depts. however are fearful of "too powerful" ctgs as well(for liability reasons such as over penetration etc.), and will not allow 10mm, .41/.44 mag. The rule of thumb(ROT) is: .38/.357 and .44 sp are revolver ctgs; whereas the rest are autoloader ctgs. YES there are exceptions to this rule, but lets make this as easy and painless as possible, ok? Another ROT is that a revolver will need to have a barrel length of around 4" and a semiautomatic BBL will have 3.5" - 5". Some dept. have restrictions such as only a certain cartridge may be used or a particular action type. ie. double action pistol only. That can be addressed later. Now here's the hard part. Your subjective opinion! What handgun feels best to you? This is where you need some "hands on" experience.(Yes. that was a pun) Go to several gun shops(or a gun show) and, fondle, fondle, fondle! Ask questions, have the person behind the counter show you all the bells and whistles on each gun. Word of caution here ... you may find that some gun dealers do not care what you buy, as long as you buy from them and it's their most expensive gun, or highest profit margin. The majority of gun dealers however do want what's best for you. If you run across a dealer that keeps pushing a particular gun or gun maker, then beware. This is where someone acting as a mentor might be of greatest value to you. Someone who has been around the block a time or two who can steer you in the right direction. Another thing to keep in mind is that if you buy, and learn to shoot, a 9mm,(for example) and later hire on with a dept that only allows the use of .40 S&W, it's not that big a deal. When you learn to align your sights and trigger control on a certain pistol/caliber combination, then transitioning from that weapon system to another isn't very difficult. I hope I was helpful. I know that there are a lot of people here willing to help out. Just keep asking those questions, even if you think they might be stupid, that's the only way you'll learn. Regards. -UR.