For the novice, or beginner, pistol shooter, the lack of proper trigger control is the primary factor in inaccurate shooting. The human hand is good at gripping, but not especially adept at single digit manipulation (i.e., trigger manipulation). Dry fire practice (with an unloaded firearm) is the best, and least expensive, way to overcome the natural tendency to alter the sight picture when depressing the trigger. Prior to even purchasing ammunition, several thousand dry fire instances are required to train the brain the proper technique of pulling the trigger without altering the sight picture. This sounds like a lot, but it can be easily accomplished in a week, or so. Even so, it will take approximately 500 to 1000 rounds of actual live fire practice to begin developing the proper trigger control necessary to become an accomplished pistol shooter. Dry fire practice is one of the primary ways professional pistol shooters, as seen in the Video Section, become proficient at their craft. Dry fire requires nothing more than a pistol, a snap cap (spring loaded dummy round), and a safe location in which to practice. Initially, when engaging in dry fire practice never have ammunition, or a magazine, in the room, and check, both visually, and manually, your weapon to ensure it is not loaded. Eventually, a holster, and empty magazines (for practice reloads) will be incorporated into your dry fire routines, however, that will be for a later date. Initiatlly, your focus should be concentrated on developing the proper trigger control necessary to become an accomplished pistol shooter.
When selecting a pistol it is advisable to pay particular attention to the sights; primarily the front site. For the experienced shooter, this topic is a matter of personal preference. For the novice, or beginner, this topic poses challenges due simply from inexperience. There are many types of sights: fixed blade; fiber optic; tritium night sights, etc. Fixed blade sights come standard on many pistol models, and are well suited for their purpose. They are, however, difficult to see at night, or in dim light. Fiber optic sights are a partial remedy for this problem as they use available light to illuminate the fiber optic insert. Again, however, they are not ideal in pitch black scenarios. Tritium sights use radioactive tritium to illiminate the sight, however, the tritium does eventually lose its luminosity over time. When purchasing a pistol make sure the sights (especially the front sight) can be replaced. This is a simple procedure, and can be accomplished at reasonable cost.
Prior to purchasing your first pistol, it is advisable to take time to shoot a various selection of firearms as differing types of actions have different idosyncracies, and feel. Single action (SA) pistols require the shooter to manually cock the hammer prior to shooting, and have a crisp break, and identical trigger weight for every discharge. Double action only (DAO) pistols cannot be manually cocked by the shooter (pulling the trigger cocks and fires the pistol), and have a long, heavy draw on the first discharge, and a short, lighter draw on all subsequent discharges. Double Action/Single Action (DA/SA) are pistols capable of being either manually cocked, or cocked through manipulation of the trigger. The first shot trigger pull mimics either the SA, or DAO, trigger weight depending upon whether the shooter manually cocks the pistol. Striker fired pistols utilize a different trigger mechanism than DA, DAO, SA, or DA/SA, and offer a balance between trigger weight, and trigger travel. As one can see there are various trigger action options available to the enthusiast, and only by shooting various trigger action types can an informed purchase be made. Most gun ranges can assist in this selection process as they have available, for rent, every conceivable trigger action type.