Originally Posted by Megatron96
First things first: take a training course, probably either a Fundamentals of Handgun Handling, or CCW class. Ask them if they have guns to borrow for the class; many times they do at no extra charge.
The answer to your question is going to vary a bit depending on your experience.
For instance, if this is your first pistol of any kind, then a 1911/striker-fired pistol may not be your best option, as these pistols require a bit more "intelligent" technique to handle safely.
Also, what do you mean by "affordable"? To me that means under $1,000, to another it might mean under $5,000, but it might mean something else entirely to you.
Also when thinking about budget, have you considered the cost of a dedicated gun belt, an appropriate holster (IWB/OWB?), possibly a mag pouch, and relevant training?
However, almost no one thinks about these things when buying their first pistol; they just buy what their buddy told them to buy, or the "expert" behind the counter, or whoever.
My best advice to you is to buy from one of the reputable manufacturers, such as (in no particular order) S&W, Glock, Colt, Ruger, SIG, Beretta, H&K, et al. You will notice that most of these companies are based in the U.S. or have manufacturing in the U.S. I have through over 33 years of trial-and-error established that dealing with warranty/repair issues with handguns made in foreign countries is completely and utterly not worth my time and money. YMMV.
My second piece of advice is to buy the largest gun that you can comfortably conceal and that fits your hand properly. In other words, don't buy your gun based primarily on looks, or who made it, or who's carrying it in what movie/tv show.
My third piece of advice is to buy to most complete gun possible for your dollar. What I mean by that is the gun that has the most extras or bonus features for the same $500 or whatever. Things like night sights, extra mags, multiple sized backstraps for customized fit are nice. S&W's M&P line has backstraps that have integrated palm swell, as opposed to Glock's backstrap thickness only concept. Also, S&W's backstraps can be installed/uninstalled without any tools, while Glock requires something to push the retention pin out. Glocks come stock with plastic sights; if you want something more durable you have to pay extra (think it's about $50 for steel). For the record, my Glock 19 gen 4 plastic sights lasted almost exactly one year before needing replacing. I've heard on the internet (so some grains of salt may be necessary) that plastic Glock sights have been known to last more than a decade. Again, YMMV.
My fourth piece of advice is to actually shoot the guns before deciding which one to buy. Build a list of possible guns regardless of price, then narrow it down to guns between "too cheap to consider" and "way out of my budget." Go find said guns either for rent at a range, or between your friends and family, and shoot them.
Now, because you wanted a list of sorts, and probably won't take any of my aforementioned advice, here it is in order (the ones in bold I've shot/owned personally):
S&W M&P9Compact (or 40) 2.0
H&K VP9
SIG P229/M11-A1
Glock 19 any gen
SIG 320C
Springfield Armory XDM
S&W Shield9/40
SIG P239
CZ-P-10C
Springfield Armory 1911 EMP4
Beretta APX
Ruger American Compact
Ruger Security 9
Ruger LC9S Pro
This is not a complete list of every CCW handgun on the market, of course. This is just a list of the guns I've handled personally, or have people I know that have carried/owned these guns.
My current carry is the S&W M&P40C 2.0. I used to carry the S&W M&P9C 2.0 until two years ago, and before that I carried the SA 1911 EMP. My secondary carry for the last 8 years has been a S&W M&P Shield9 1.0.
Before all of those, I carried a Glock 19 gen 3 then 4. Sold the gen3 when I first got the M&P9C 2.0 (just a much better gun ergonomically, better stock trigger, and it eats my reloads better).
As you might imagine I have a LOT of holsters. Which is where this piece of advice comes in: don't buy ballistic nylon holsters; they're crap. Don't buy "top grain," or "split grain", or "genuine" leather holsters. Don't buy crap holsters, ever. Not only will they fall apart sooner, they can be dangerous to you and/or the people around you. Buy a decent quality holster made of Kydex, full grain (accept nothing less) leather, or horsehide.
A Kydex/leather hybrid is the most common choice I see lately, consider Crossbreed, or Galco, etc.
Side note: A decent gun belt goes for about $45-$100. A decent holster about $40-50. A mag pouch is about $25. A Handgun Basics class is about $30-65 depending.
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