Should beginners start with .22 or a major caliber?

Should beginners start out with a .22LR pistol to learn fundamentals?

  • Yes - start with .22 and move to a major later

    Votes: 105 80.2%

  • No - start with whatever major caliber and learn on that pistol

    Votes: 26 19.8%
  • Total voters
    131
  • Poll closed .
Greetings
I would start with a caliber.357 and shoot light 38 Special loads in it and then progress to +P and .357. Unless you just want a caliber.22 to have why spend the money on something that will not be very versitile for the rest of your life ?
I reload so my two sons started shooting a caliber.41 mag with light loads and did just fine.
Mike in Peru
 
I would start with a .22, work your way up to a .38 or 9mm. Then after you establish good skills work you way up to other calibers.

In the military they start with the 5.56 which doesn't have that much recoil.
 
I favor starting a beginner with a .22 and try to evaluate their comfort and accuracy before going to a bigger caliber. Sometimes they move up the caliber ladder fast, sometimes slow.

I have worked to rehabilitate shooters who started out with too much gun with varying success. Including myself.
 
It depends on what you want to use a handgun for. I like handguns for self defense purposes, so I wanted my first handgun to be able to fulfill that role. It was a full size 9mm. If you can afford 2 guns right off the bat, this may not be an issue, but I could only have one.

A full size 9mm has very little recoil, and at the time of my purchase (quite a few years ago) 9mm ammo was pretty cheap.

Also, I personally don't enjoy shooting .22 all that much unless it's at cans or some reactive target.
 
Some interesting answers to this. I'm teaching my wife to shoot with a old Ruger MKI .22. I no longer own a .22 revolver, so the MKI has to do. And she LIKES it! She's pretty small, 5' 1", about 105-110 lb., but likes the heaviness and sturdiness of the Ruger. This surprised me as I thought the pistol would be too largeand heavy, but, she shoots it rather well. So, learning to shoot with a .22 has worked for her. Going again over the 4th of July week-end.
 
The advantage of .22's is .... ammo is cheaper and you can do a lot more shooting to get accustomed to it, improve your shooting, etc. Secondly, the more you shoot.... the more familarity you will have with handling the gun, doing it safely, etc. NRA training is a good thing.

A higher caliber, will just be more expensive and raise the likelihood of developing bad habits.

Plus , one other thing... you will develop your trigger pull , etc. without having the issues of recoil anticipation, etc. which can mess you up. So, you'll develop better trigger pull, and other habits.
 
you choose which way ya gonna shoot.

......I mean ....well I would'nt just go and pick a .357 mag revolver or a 10mm
semiauto to be my first choice,

.....but I definitely have seen others start with the common 9mm, and even the .40.

Me.. I started with a subcompact .380, jumped to the .40, had a barrel swapped and was starting to shoot .357 sig, went down to a 9mm,..and now I'm pretty much at the bottom with the .22lr as an addition..

Recollecting all I went through though, I kinda wished I had started with the .22lr because of the almost nonexistent recoil, and the advantage of greater accuracy...., with in 50 yards ofcourse.

Oh.., and ya can shoot forever with the .22lr. :D

You can only shoot forever with the others if you carry the bank with you in your wallet.:(

A box of "50" affordable 9mm rounds will cost ya 12-15 bucks. On sale, I can get "525" 22lr cci blzrs for 17 bucks.

Like I said,... you decide:)
 
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I gotta say I learned on a .45 1911 with the hogs that are an infestation on the ranch I grew up on its one of the best handguns to have in a pinch.For a first time shooter, the .22 is great. Its cheap low recoil,very accurate easy to learn on and cheap! Even an experienced shooter should have a .22 to take out on the range to keep their skills sharp and to keep the bad habits they naturally develop at bay.
 
This should settle the argument,,,

Assuming this is a quality handgun,,,
This would be the perfect beginner's set-up.

EAA Witness 9mm/.22 combo.

Click here please.

I really wish someone would buy one of these combo kits,,,
Then post a review so I know whether to buy one or not. :D

But seriously, owning a pair of identical guns,,,
Or a convertible one like the Witness is a great boon.

Go to the range,,,
Shoot a box of .22 LR,,,
Then shoot a mag or two of 9mm,,,
Lather, rinse, and repeat all afternoon long.

Aarond

Aarond
 
I think it depends. Depends on the shooter and the coach.

I had a shooting partner, my Sargent with I ran the AK Marksmanship Unit.

He started shooting in the Marine Reserve. His coach wouldn't let him touch a 22 until he was knee deep in 45 hardball brass out of an "as issued" 1911a1.

Seemed to work, he was picked up on the All Guard International Pistol Team. International Pistol is the most difficult pistol shooting there is.

Some adapt to a full size pistol/revolver, some don't. You have to know your student.
 
He started shooting in the Marine Reserve. His coach wouldn't let him touch a 22 until he was knee deep in 45 hardball brass out of an "as issued" 1911a1.
Click to expand...

Two things. Knee deep is a lot of shooting, his rich uncle paid for that ammo. There was a coach involved in all that shooting as well, uncle sugar probably paid for that as well.
 
I can't tell you the number of times that I've seen children and women being handed large caliber/magnum pistols as an introduction to firearms. With the expected results being injuries, damage to the weapons when dropped or blasted out of the hands of the shooter. This is certainly one way to dissuade pro-gun attitudes.
 
I like the idea of starting with a full size .380 or a .32 to at least get used to the bang kick idea. Then move down to a .22 to get cheap training, and then up again to whatever they intend to carry if at all.
 
Assuming this is a quality handgun,,,
This would be the perfect beginner's set-up.

EAA Witness 9mm/.22 combo.

Click here please.

I really wish someone would buy one of these combo kits,,,
Then post a review so I know whether to buy one or not.
Click to expand...

I wish so too, as I am about to make my first handgun purchase and am very interested in that kind of set up. Fortunately the long wait for permits here has given me enough time to save up for anything between that and a sig 22x classic ( : but it would be sweet to know if I could get a similar rig with both calibers for half the price. now if I could only find a cz75 to try out around here!
 
All joking aside here,,,

I just helped a young friend pick out a firearm for concealed carry,,,
It's her first firearm and she barely knows how to shoot it,,,
So I brow-beat her into joining my rifle & pistol club.

After attending an Intro to Handguns course at Stillwater Armory,,,
And after shooting several of my smaller handguns,,,
And a trip to the H&H gun store in Ok City,,,
She decided on a Bersa Thunder 380,,,
And a Bersa Thunder .22 as well.

Granted, I pushed my personal 22/centerfire philosophy on her,,,
But now she's going to the range once every week,,,
And when she goes she can afford to shoot.

It doesn't matter how great a gun you own,,,
If you can't afford ammo to train with,,,
You might as well carry a big stick.

The regimen I recommended is what she is following,,,
One box of .22 LR and then one mag of .380 ACP,,,
After a month of this regimen she's getting good.

But this question (like so many others we discuss),,,
Has no clear and definitive answer.

One person will say you need to avoid the centerfire recoil at first,,,
The next person will say you need to always feel that recoil and learn to deal with it.

One person will say that even though the pistols are identical, the triggers will be different,,,
Another person will say that as long as the pistols are the same make and model they will be close enough.

The one indisputable fact which I base my philosophy on is this,,,
If you don't practice you won't ever learn to shoot well,,,
you can't practice if you can't afford ammunition,,,
Nothing is more affordable than .22 LR ammo.

So unless a person absolutely hates the idea of shooting a .22 pistol,,,
Either a .22 as their first gun or a pair of matching guns will always be my advice.

But hey,,,
That's just me. ;)

Aarond
 
Hello sigcurious,,,

but it would be sweet to know if I could get a similar rig with both calibers for half the price. now if I could only find a cz75 to try out around here!
Click to expand...

I just wanted to make sure you knew about the CZ-75 Kadet Adapter,,,
It takes your 9mm CZ-75B and converts it to a .22 LR pistol.

I had a small windfall of cash come my way last year,,,
So I bought the full Kadet pistol rather than the Kadet adapter kit.

I can give a very high personal recommendation,,
For my CZ-75B's in 9mm and .22 LR.

Do get a CZ in your hand before you spend your hard earned money,,,
While the Sig Sauer line of pistols are all of the highest quality,,,
You might fall in mad love with the way a CZ fits your grip.

Now to be fair to the good folk at Sig,,,
A friend of mine has a .22 Classic P-???,,,
He bought the Exchange kit that converts it up to a 9mm.

We trade our .22s at the range,,,
I gotta say that Classic .22 is really sweet,,,
I just like the way the CZ-75B grip snuggles into my hand.

Later my friend,,,

Aarond
 
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