I was told you have to hold it well so you won't lose your balance...as it's quite heavy when you discharge a shot.
That is mostly dependent on the round. Go to your local range and see if you can rent a 22LR pistol or rifle and you can get a feel for firearms handling without having to simultaneously adapt to the recoil. It'll also be a lot cheaper to fire as the ammo is much cheaper than larger rounds.
Thank you so much for this. I sincerely appreciate this heads up. I've been scared to try it out based on what I heard.
Most popular rounds have manageable recoil. Once you get a feel for handling a gun with almost no recoil, I'd try some more standard popular rounds like .380 or 9mm for handguns and 5.56/.223 for a rifle. There's more recoil but it's still easy enough for a beginner. Taking a basics class can be very beneficial if you're interested. It's always easier to learn good habits than to unlearn bad ones.
And as always, safety is paramount. A 22LR doesn't have the same power as bigger rounds but it can still kill if a firearm is handled improperly.
Absolutely... I would love to start with the basics...