.22 or 9mm for beginner

I believe no matter how old you are, or how large a caliber you can handle, and how many guns you own, everyone should own a 22 rimfire. Their cheap to shoot-hardly any recoil-good for plinking and small game, and yes, some people do use them for home protection, and I think theres been a few people thats even been killed with them. But hey, its just my opinion.
 
This is a cart before the horse waste of time.

You don't learn 'tactics' for home defense based on caliber.

The OP needs to find a competent teacher and set of courses on the entire spectrum of what goes into 'tactics'.

You don't practice 'tactics' on the square range.

As far as the gun - given a modern 9mm, that is trivial variance for learning tactics.

Starting with a 22 to learn basics - sure, why not. Get the basics down with an instructor and then move to 'tactics'.
 
Everyone I talk to has said a .22 handgun is the most recommended gun for a beginner, to get tactics and good habits down. Everyone that has started out, started with a .22" or so they have said.
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You don't practice 'tactics' on the square range.
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Possibly technique would be more approiately used in that sentence.
Nothing wrong with learning shooting basics with either caliber. The 22 of course has the advantage of much more economical practice leading to more bangs for your buck.
But if budget, and government restrictions lead to only one purchase, and SD/HD is the end goal, a 9MM would be the best choice.
 
Just thinking here.........I think the ammunition for a 22 was cheap and years ago not that many people reloaded, so....the idea began that with the 22 you could do a lot of inexpensive shooting. Folks shot tin cans and made them dance. The safety police today would have a fit.
In any event, somewhere down the line the cost aspect got lost. Folks "knew" you were supposed to have a 22 and then got this notion that the reason was light recoil. After a while the recoil became the reason to have a 22.
I'm a cranky sort, so take that in stride. Personally I don't accept this idea that with a 22 you develop good shooting form because of no recoil and then you keep that good form upon shooting big stuff. As soon as you switch to the big stuff if you are the type that recoil is an issue, you'll develop a flinch from the heavier recoil, all the prior 22 practice was worthless. The value in the 22 was therefore cheap ammo. I am alone in my thoughts but I believe the way to cure a flinch is the exact opposite of current thinking- you move UP to a 44 magnum and shoot that a while and then move DOWN, The 9mm at that point seems to have no recoil at all.
I've been around awhile and done a lot of shooting so before just blowing off my thoughts- think about the logic. Nothing is etched in stone but my way does work for at least a lot of folks.
So the 22- lots of practice for a nominal sum. Also good on a trap line and it will kill yotes at point blank range. The ammo is light, good for a backpack trip.
 
At the age of 14, and before Dirty Harry was around, my dad's hunting buddy offered me to shoot his handgun ... I had never shot a handgun at that time ... I said OK and shot his Model 29 .44 mag. No worries I did not know what a handgun felt like nor was told about the evil thing called "recoil!" I hit a bullseye and never stopped loving recoil and owning the biggest, meanest, nastiest and gnarly guns ever made since that day!!!

Shoot whatever, it won't hurt you:)
 
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Well, I have no problem 'starting' with a 22. I just wonder why anyone thinks there's an advantage over starting with any other caliber. The 22 is wonderful, and I suppose if you buy your ammo new it can also be cheaper to shoot. It's a fun cartridge to shoot, and there's nothing you can learn about handgun shooting (that's actually important) that you can't learn with the 22.

I'd say exactly the same things for any other cartridge that you can afford to shoot, short of a cartridge/gun combination that frightens you or hurts you. So, no practical advantage I can see for .22 over 9mm in learning to shoot, although I personally find 9mm just about the most miserable handgun cartridge available in terms of comfort and general accuracy. Most people though seem to actually like 9mm.

One question already raised is, what kind of shooting are you interested in? If you just want to plink cans or shoot paper and that's it, I see no reason to choose anything other than a solid, respectable .22 pistol.

If your intent is to learn to shoot for self defense, then I'd say choose a weapon for self defense and learn to shoot it.

I've been shooting handgun since 1968. I still flinch dry firing from time to time, and find I shoot far worse with my .22 target pistol than I do with my 40SW. Caliber and actual recoil are factors--they are not the only factors, nor are they the most influential. Recoil is a complete myth as far as ability to shoot--anticipation is the Devil, and it happens to highly experienced shooters with guns they know are empty. :)

My problem with my 22 is still anticipation. Anticipation of recoil? Well, yes, in the sense that I anticipate (the first, core problem) but what I anticipate doesn't happen. I anticipate my 40SW, my 45ACP and my 10mm. That doesn't happen. Recoil isn't what I'm accustomed to, and I screw it up.

So, for that very reason, it's a great training tool. I have to actually shoot closer to the way I should be shooting my other bigger guns. It points out painfully the fact that I shoot with at least some mental prep for recoil I'm used to, but that never happens. So I hate it. Not because there's anything wrong with the 22. Because it proves I'm not shooting quite as well as I could be when firing the bigger guns.

If you're new to handgun, ammo cost is a factor and you WILL shoot more if ammo is cheaper, 22. If you think it's a 'stepping stone'...I'd say no. It's not.
 
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Lots of good responses IMHO. The other thing is there are a lot of different types of shooting. The one handed target shooter has plenty of time and has to learn to control his breathing and hold steady and even then there is a slight wobble and the finger must be trained to not add additional pressure until right on target. All that gets thrown out the window in defense shooting. Then there are the cowboy action folks on horseback and they say you need to sort do a tomahawk chop type movement.
At 100 yards with a 44 magnum, 6" barrel S&W M29 I put six rounds in a 4" bulls eye using the standard open, factory sights (no scope). It was a better group than a lot of guys at the range shooting rifles but I took a LONG time aiming. That day I acted like I shot groups like that all the time but it was a rare event. Still, good shooting with the "Heavy" 44 magnum- done off sandbags and 2 hand hold.
 
CZ75B or SA 9mm with the CZ KADET .22 converter. Using the same trigger, grip, weight while practicing with the cheaper .22.
 
Those that are advocating not starting with a .22 obviously have some kind of issues.
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I don't typically recommend that people start off shooting .22lr pistols, and here's why:

1. Most people who "highly recommend" that new handgun shooters start out with .22lr did not themselves have a .22lr as their first handgun. "oh, well that's because my grandpa gave me his...""well, my dad's .38 is all we had...""I wish I did start out with a .22...""they didn't have .22's back in 1944..."".22 ammo wasn't reliable back then, but now it's the bomb!..."

2. .22lr pistols are boring for first pistols. Most adults want a real gun for their first pistol. It's a lot more fun shooting something you really want to shoot than something that some gun-teacher is going to make you shoot. I.e., the message is: "Son, you aren't good enough, big enough, strong enough, skilled enough, smart enough, or safe enough to be handling anything of THAT caliber!

3. Admit it, for most of us when we first started shooting handguns, the thrill of the BANG and flash of pulling the trigger on a 9mm, .38 special, or other center-fired cartridge was shear fun. Sometimes fun trumps skill - deal with it!

4. Some folks need or want a gun for protection and can't afford to buy a .22 and then go out and buy a defensive pistol later.

5. Almost everyone can learn to shoot well with a decent 9mm or .38 special. If you are having problems or need to refine your trigger technique, etc. then go out and buy a .22 pistol as your second or even third gun....that's what most people do anyway!
 
I would say that it depends on what your plans are and available funds.
If you are thinking about more than 1 gun, then get the .22 now and something else later.

If funds are short, just get a 9mm now because as wvsig said, .22 does get boring after a while.
 
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