Did you start out on a .22lr?

Did you start out on a .22lr?

  • yes

    Votes: 122 59.2%

  • no

    Votes: 75 36.4%

  • other (explain)

    Votes: 9 4.4%
  • Total voters
    206
  • Poll closed .
T

TennJed

New member
I see what I would consider a higher number of post from people mentioning that their first handgun is a centerfire. This has me wondering how many of you started out on .22lr and how many on larger calibers.

I really hope this doesn't turn into a big back and forth of which is better. Both most likely have benifits and I do not believe it is necessarily wrong to start one way or the other. I started on .22lr and kinda though that was common place. Just wanted to see how that stacked up with forum members.
 
I actually started on a Pellet gun. By age of 10 i was shooting Skeet and trap at local gun range (which i also worked the traps). 22 did not come till much later in life for me. The Best gun in the world is one that works for you and feels just right in your hand.
 
My first rifle was a single shot 22lr. I had that for many years. My first center fire was a 357 magnum lever action. I have learned to love both.

*edit* I see you mean hand gun... guess I should of thought of that.

My first was a 22lr my second was a 38 super.
 
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Hello, everyone. I started out with a Navy Arms .36 1851 navy percussion revolver. Learned to run ball on an old cast-iron wood stove when I was 15, using a little 10lb. cast-iron pot..that fit perfect in the small lid opening of range top, using a dbl. cavity Lyman .375 round ball mould.
Year later, I bought a Ruger Bearcat .22 revolver.
 
No but I wish I did. Before I was 21 and able to buy whatever handgun I wanted I inherited a Colt Trooper MK III. After that I shot handguns here and there but when I realized I wanted to get serious about handguns I got myself a 22 revolver and over a couple thousand rounds really learned the fundamentals.

Now that I cast my own lead bullets shooting 9mm/45/357 cost barely more than buying 22 at wal-mart so I've sold my 22. But cost isn't everything when learning the basics so even if I could go back in time and shoot all the dirt cheap centerfire ammo in the world I'd still get a 22.
 
Yes .22, various rifles and handguns belonging to relatives. Then Cub Scouts and a couple of summer camps. Finally my brother got a Remington pump .22. After that we joined the NRA.

I didn't get my own .22 till I was about 15.
 
I started on Dad's Marlin lever action and then Santa came through with that Nylon 66. Oops, I just realized you probably meant handguns. Well, the first handgun I shot was a Ruger Blackhawk in .44 Magnum and the first shot scared me so bad I put the second through a fluorescent light fixture and the roof of the indoor range. Funny thing I shot right between the bulbs and just went on shooting.
 
One of those stupid nylon stocked Remingtons with the little white diamond on it. Then a 6mm and a single shot .410. After that, it was a .303 Enfield.
 
No, started with a S&W 686+ shooting 38's but i was followed by a S&W 617 and a Ruger MKII within a year. I sold the 617 a year or two after I got it. I still have the 686+ but do not shoot it much. The ruger MKII still gets it diet every 2 weeks or so. My primary 22 now is a Browning Buckmark.
 
the first gun i ever shot was a .40

the first gun i ever shot more than twice was a .357

the first gun i ever owned was a .22

the first gun i ever bought was a .45

before i bought the .45 i'd shot maybe 200 rounds through all other guns ever

i think that it's very overrated to start on a .22

like, if you're learning how to play basketball and you're able to shoot on a 10' rim, i don't see the point in learning to shoot on an 8' rim and then working your way up...

start with what you anticipate using the most, that way you know how it performs and you get used to it
 
First firearm I ever fired was a 22 rifle in Boy Scout Camp. My first handgun was my Browning HP, which I still have. I dod not become a proficent handgun shot until I was on a pistol team in college practicing Bullseye-with a 22. Hence I always recommend starting with a 22, and nowadays recommend a conversion unit to go with a centerfire.
 
My first handgun, as in firearm, was a Ruger Single Six. Prior to that, in my early teens, I learned the basics with a Daisy 188 {a pretty low-powered BB pistol}. Shot that thing pretty much every day for years, and boy, did hovering bumblebees hate to see me show up.;)
 
My first handgun was a .44 magnum.
My second handgun was a .22.

Lots of ammo through that .22 helped me finally learn how to shoot that .44.
 
I started with a pellet gun in my grandfathers back yard shooting cans at 15 feet. Moved to little birds with the same gun. Went to a 22lr/410 over under that he had when I was 1-0 and put in charge of keeping the crows from getting the pecan crop.
 
First firearm was...

Dad"s 1906 Winchester pump, for training, second was GrandDad's Woodsman.
Third was early birthday gift Marlin Glenfeild 100 with Marlin scope, still in use.

Then went downhill from there!:eek:
 
I started shooting in the BSA with 22lrs and shotguns. This was long before I ever owned a firearm. The first I owned was a Yugo SKS.

BB
 
My handgun shooting started with a .41Mag... and it took me a few years to overcome all the bad habits I developed from that... :D
 
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