Best handgun to teach someone to shoot
- Thread starter wscottstewart
- Start date
Beretta Neos IMO is the best for young hands. The grip is small, the gun is very accurate, and it will feed most any SV or HV 22lr. My 10y/o daughter shoots my 22/45 pretty well, but grip is a little large for her. Any Ruger Mark series or Browning Buckmark will also work great.
johnwilliamson062
Moderator
What are you going to use for ear protection? Eye protection?
No adult earmuffs are going to fit correctly. Good luck jamming foam plugs in their ears. Same goes for eye protection. Young ears are supposed to be more sensitive than old ones. I always think of a family who used to take her baby to a public outdoor range and switch who would watch the baby 15 yards from the line. I had my first indoor range with centerfires and others shooting a month or so ago. Awful. Great you taught them how to shoot, but neither home defense or hunting is simplified by a lack of hearing.
One on one with you right next to them being very attentive and controlling the ammo, most are safe enough to shoot at 5 or six. Only a couple rounds if their attention span isn't long. Don't go to a pay range and expect to get your moneys worth. Shooting a half dozen rounds every time one comes to visit probably won't cause significant damage when stacked up against all the other activities.
When its time, I would consider all of the Ruger revolvers. be aware the chance of dropping and such will be higher. I have ab RG with very small grips, but I can't figure out where the bullet goes. I also have a heritage that at least passes for a shotgun pattern. Either can be handed to a new shooter withut any concern for the gun.
No adult earmuffs are going to fit correctly. Good luck jamming foam plugs in their ears. Same goes for eye protection. Young ears are supposed to be more sensitive than old ones. I always think of a family who used to take her baby to a public outdoor range and switch who would watch the baby 15 yards from the line. I had my first indoor range with centerfires and others shooting a month or so ago. Awful. Great you taught them how to shoot, but neither home defense or hunting is simplified by a lack of hearing.
One on one with you right next to them being very attentive and controlling the ammo, most are safe enough to shoot at 5 or six. Only a couple rounds if their attention span isn't long. Don't go to a pay range and expect to get your moneys worth. Shooting a half dozen rounds every time one comes to visit probably won't cause significant damage when stacked up against all the other activities.
When its time, I would consider all of the Ruger revolvers. be aware the chance of dropping and such will be higher. I have ab RG with very small grips, but I can't figure out where the bullet goes. I also have a heritage that at least passes for a shotgun pattern. Either can be handed to a new shooter withut any concern for the gun.
B/c it is a crapshoot on whether you get a good one or not and if it is a bad one Taurus will never be ble to sort it out. I you get a good one and something breaks it is a crapshot on whether you can get it fixed. Taurus prices aren't even low anymore.
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22-rimfire
New member
I would start them on a 22 rifle first. Then I would shift to a handgun in 22LR. The SR22P is a nice little pistol. Kids will be drawn to it.
Since you want to continue the tradition, I assume you already have firearms. My first choice is to use one of them and preferably a 22. But it sounds like you want to buy something. The SR22P is a fun little gun that functions quite well. I own one. The Ruger Mark III or 45/22 might be a better longer term choice especially if they want to hit what they are aiming at. But I suspect they will have problems due to hand size on those at first until they grow a bit.
Since you want to continue the tradition, I assume you already have firearms. My first choice is to use one of them and preferably a 22. But it sounds like you want to buy something. The SR22P is a fun little gun that functions quite well. I own one. The Ruger Mark III or 45/22 might be a better longer term choice especially if they want to hit what they are aiming at. But I suspect they will have problems due to hand size on those at first until they grow a bit.
Despite not being a fan of most of the .22 autos I've encountered over the years (except for the S&W 41), or of any polymer pistols, or of most things Ruger, I bought an SR22 a few years ago for use as a student trainer. I was tired of wincing every time a newbie handled one of my precious revolvers with less loving care than they deserved. I figured that the SR22 was cheap enough to be worth the risk that it wouldn't work, or that a student would drop it in the dirt.
It turns out to have been a spectacular purchase. A rough but reasonable round count so far lies between 5,000 and 8,000 rounds. So far the SR22 has functioned with every type of ammo fed to it, both high speed and regular. Despite the plastic rear sight, it is far more accurate than I had expected. The single action trigger is very good, and even the double action trigger is acceptable. The pistol is a snap to disassemble for cleaning (though a detailed strip, something I haven't had to do yet, looks daunting). If necessary, I'd buy another one in a heartbeat, but so far it has suffered neither damage nor even any scars in the hands of the fledglings.
Oh, I should add (but please don't spread this around), the little pistol is so much fun to shoot that I sometimes sneak out to the range and shoot a couple of hundred rounds myself.
Caution: I can report only a single data point. For all I know, Ruger has built 9 dogs for every gem such as mine. But, given reports from others, that seems not to be the case.
It turns out to have been a spectacular purchase. A rough but reasonable round count so far lies between 5,000 and 8,000 rounds. So far the SR22 has functioned with every type of ammo fed to it, both high speed and regular. Despite the plastic rear sight, it is far more accurate than I had expected. The single action trigger is very good, and even the double action trigger is acceptable. The pistol is a snap to disassemble for cleaning (though a detailed strip, something I haven't had to do yet, looks daunting). If necessary, I'd buy another one in a heartbeat, but so far it has suffered neither damage nor even any scars in the hands of the fledglings.
Oh, I should add (but please don't spread this around), the little pistol is so much fun to shoot that I sometimes sneak out to the range and shoot a couple of hundred rounds myself.
Caution: I can report only a single data point. For all I know, Ruger has built 9 dogs for every gem such as mine. But, given reports from others, that seems not to be the case.
I got my Son-in-Law hooked on shooting a year or so ago. We found a revolver that's a clone of the Ruger Single Six, made in Germany. Sorry, I don't remember the manufacturers name. Bought it used for $120. It even comes with two cylinders .22LR and .22 Mag. Very good first handgun for a beginner. I figured if he didn't like it, he was only out $120.
My children learned to shoot with a Ruger 22/45. But it's all I had at the time. I would think a single action revolver would be safest.
My children learned to shoot with a Ruger 22/45. But it's all I had at the time. I would think a single action revolver would be safest.
9x18_Walther
New member
Sounds like Herbert Schmidt Ostheim. The 21S revolver was imported as the "Sierra Six".
Little interest here in the states. Apparently they bring some value over in Europe.
mkiker2089
New member
I would agree that a 22 revolver would be the best. My niece has a Heritage model that she loves. Some will say it's a "budget" gun compared to the more expensive Rugers but she loves it and says it's as good as my Ruger Blackhawk.
If not that I'd get the Ruger that kind of looks like a luger because I think it looks good.
If not that I'd get the Ruger that kind of looks like a luger because I think it looks good.
For small children, a .22 rifle is the place to start, preferably a single shot.
For adults, that works too. For a handgun, I start them with a .22 revolver every time. A lot of new shooters tend to be nervous (understandable) and many become flummoxed over the status of a semi auto (loaded mag, round in chamber or not) and how to unload it properly (we've all seen the classic, backwards noob technique of first racking the slide to eject a live round followed by dropping a loaded mag
).
For adults, that works too. For a handgun, I start them with a .22 revolver every time. A lot of new shooters tend to be nervous (understandable) and many become flummoxed over the status of a semi auto (loaded mag, round in chamber or not) and how to unload it properly (we've all seen the classic, backwards noob technique of first racking the slide to eject a live round followed by dropping a loaded mag
).texasreb105
Inactive
I started my son at an very early age with a co2 pistol, then worked up to pellet, then 22, as he got bigger and older, we started working up the caliber scale. He is now 13, and shoots all my handguns, about as good as I do.
He is very gun savy and safe, very proud of him
He is very gun savy and safe, very proud of him
This was my thinking. I had a Ruger Mk I target, but got a Super Single Six to train the kids on. Something where they had to WORK for each shot.
Kids will, almost without exception, empty a semi as fast as they can. Save the semi for later, AFTER they know, understand, and USE sight alignment and trigger control!
I considered a single shot, have a nice .22LR barrel for my Contender, but some ADULTS have trouble opening that beast, and a smaller child would find it nearly impossible. If you have one of the "easy open" G2 models, that would be much better.
aarondhgraham
New member
The SR-22 is an excellent starter pistol, but,,,
The SR-22 is an excellent starter pistol, but,,,
I am of the opinion that a single-action revolver is better.
This is all based on one thing I saw at a range one day.
The kid was being monitored very carefully,,,
But he kept shooting double-taps unintentionally.
It's a distinct possibility that he was just too young for shooting,,,
But I think it could have been alleviated by a SA revolver,,,
It's impossible to fire a second round unintentionally.
Now having said that,,,
I own Ruger 22/45's, S&W 22A, Beretta NEOS, Browning Buckmark,,,
S&W Models 18, 34, 63, Charter Target Pathfinder, Colt Frontier Scout, Bersa Thunder 22, and a Ruger SR-22.
I would start them on the Frontier Scout,,,
If they did okay handling the gun,,,
The SR-22 would be next.
JMHO
Aarond
.
The SR-22 is an excellent starter pistol, but,,,
I am of the opinion that a single-action revolver is better.
This is all based on one thing I saw at a range one day.
The kid was being monitored very carefully,,,
But he kept shooting double-taps unintentionally.
It's a distinct possibility that he was just too young for shooting,,,
But I think it could have been alleviated by a SA revolver,,,
It's impossible to fire a second round unintentionally.
Now having said that,,,
I own Ruger 22/45's, S&W 22A, Beretta NEOS, Browning Buckmark,,,
S&W Models 18, 34, 63, Charter Target Pathfinder, Colt Frontier Scout, Bersa Thunder 22, and a Ruger SR-22.
I would start them on the Frontier Scout,,,
If they did okay handling the gun,,,
The SR-22 would be next.
JMHO
Aarond
.
Pipefighter
New member
A SA 22 is the best handgun. Sooner or later somebody will get excited and turn with the gun. I try to stand right behind him where I can grab his shoulders to keep him pointed right. And only one child at a time to the range. I have a Golden Boy rifle that I use also. We sit it on a sand bag rest. I bought him ear protection and he wears it even when we are doing other noisy things together. Ear plugs just don't work.
With 22 bolt action rifles, I prefer an "adult" sized action in a "kid" sized stock. I think younger shooters should learn to use the safety and not rely on a "safe" action. In pistols, I like a full size semiauto with a 22 conversion unit, the kids learn to use the safety.
Revolvers?I recall Skeeter Skelton showing a picture of his son Bart firing a Ruger Super Blackhawk-at age 6!
Revolvers?I recall Skeeter Skelton showing a picture of his son Bart firing a Ruger Super Blackhawk-at age 6!