What guns do you usually recommend to beginners?

Do you always recommend a .22 to beginners?

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Playboypenguin

Moderator
This is a two part question. We get threads on here all the time from soon-to-be gun owners looking for advice on their first handgun.

Part one of the question is..."Do you subscribe to the idea of always starting with a .22 caliber?"

Part two is..."If not, what guns do you recommend and why?

I definitely DO NOT subscribe to the idea that newbies need to start with a .22 caliber gun. I did not learn on a .22 and neither did most marksmen I know personally. I think any physically competent person can learn just as well with a .38spl or 9mm and still have a good defensive gun as well as a target gun.

If someone is wanting a revolver I usually recommend a S&W 686 in 3" or 4" configuration. They are plenty easy to shoot when loaded with .38spl, are big enough to be easy to control, are small enough to actually carry, and can be loaded up with .357mag for defense once you are confident with your gun.

If someone wants a semi-auto I suggest the SA XD-9SC. The 9mm gun is powerful enough for SD but controllable enough for the novice shooter. The gun is well made and reliable. The gun is small enough to carry but large enough to feel comfortable with at the range.
 
recommendation

I did not learn on a .22 and neither did most marksmen I know personally.
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Yes, that is one experience and one school of thought. Mine is the opposite: I learned on a .22 and most fellows that I shoot with did also.
That being said.....each recommendation has its advantages.
Physical competence is a requirement for competence with any firearm and isn't really a factor in the choice.
The main reasons that I recommend a .22 as a first gun is that I am a believer in the idea that in order to be a competent shooter, there is no substitute for rounds fired. LOTS of practice. Cost is a factor then for many of us. I wonder how many shooters who post that they go through 200 - 300 rounds in a session can afford to do so and how often. The least expensive, generic 9mms that I have seen are about $13/50, .38s are more. That is 400% more than a box of .22s (at just over $3/50).
There's no denying, though, that a person who wants a CF gun is going to have to shell out the extra $ for another gun and that money could have bought ammo. In the long run, though, ammo is the big expense in handgun shooting.
The other reason that I recommend a .22 is that it is more forgiving to the beginning shooter. The power of just about any CF round in a pistol masks a lot of what is happening with the gun/hand/eye for a beginner. My feeling is that there is less chance of developing bad habits by learning on a .22.
My $.02.
Pete
 
I started with a 9mm 239 Sig - liked it so much that was the first (and still favorite) handgun that I bought.

As far as recommendations, we have three 9mms (Sig, XDM and Glock) that a person can try out to see what fits their hand the best before shooting. The XDM is probably the best overall - even those that don't chose it as their favorite can shoot it well and it will fit almost anyone's hand. The Sig shoots well for everyong - just the grip is a bit small for large hands). Conversly, The Gock's grip is a bit blocky for small hands.
 
there is no substitute for practice to learn how to shoot a rifle or pistol. the 22 has always been the best tool for this job and today the 22 is more useful than ever. with todays ammo shortages and the ever rising costs not only is the 22 attracting more new shooters, experienced shooters are going back to their roots and rediscovering not only what a great tool the 22 is to hone their skills but how much fun it is as well. when i was in high school many schools offered shooting programs and shooting teams that competed just like basketball and football. the boy scouts offer shooting programs. our local world class ben avery shooting range today offers classes for new shooters and all of these organizations use the 22 rifle or pistol to get new shooters started.
 
My first handgun was a 1911,but I taught my kids on a ruger 22. Why? less noise and recoil. With muffs on it was barely audible,and they could concentrate more on trigger control and sight picture instead of anticipating the recoil and noise.
 
when I 1st started shooting, we bought / made some spinner trees, & my buddies & I spend many weekends destroying those spinners... at the time we were "duelling" using the spinners & 22 guns ( most of us had Ruger semi autos at the time ) one weekend, I fired almost 1,500 rounds... I honestly could not have fired that many rounds of any centerfire caliber in one weekend ( even back then, let alone today ) reloaded or purchased, just too expensive...

during that time, I probably aquired the bulk of my hand gun "skills"... & maybe that summer, I probably shot about 3,000 rounds or more... if I had been shooting a Ruger 22-45, instead of my Government Target model, a good share of the muscle memory would have transfered to a 45, at a fraction of the cost of shooting that much 45 ammo...

so for 99% of people, I recommend a 22 for a 1st gun... however, we're all big boys & girls here, if you can afford to buy enough ammo to become "really proficient" with a centerfire caliber, then by all means, skip the 22 & move on... I find I don't shoot much 22 anymore... not that I'm make tons more money, but because I reload so many calibers, & am developing enough loads, that I don't have time for the simple pleasures of a sunny afternoon & a brick of 22's anymore...

I suspect that as I get closer to retiring, the "lowly" 22 will find a bit more range time with me... maybe not though, as the centerfires keep me pretty busy right now...:o
 
people usually already have a pretty good idea of what they want, I usually give them the benefit of the doubt, even if they want a CZ or an XD (2 pistols I'd never buy)
 
Most of the people who ask me about getting a hand gun are looking for a home defense weapon and I will almost always guide them towards a 4" .357 and have them shoot .38's until they are familiar enough to jump to the mags. If they decide the Mags are too much, they can always drop back to .38's.
Most people want a self defense or home defense hand gun don't want to start with a .22 and work up, they just don't have the time or money.
 
My first handgun was a 686. Within weeks I'd also purchased a 617 and for a long time thereafter I did 90% of my shooting with that gun. When I taught my wife how to shoot I began with the 617.

No, it's not necessary that one begin with a .22, but there are reasons why beginning with a .22 makes sense. First, one can fire huge quantities of rounds at a fraction of the cost that one experiences with larger calilber guns. Practice does make perfect. Second, there's an intimidation factor that comes with larger guns. It only took me one session with my then-new 686 to develop a wicked flinch that caused me to put every round about 6" below my point of aim. I eliminated that flinch only with difficulty and many hours of practice with the 617. I'm certain that the problem never would have arisen had I started with a virtually recoil-free gun like the 617.
 
In my opinion, a good semi-auto .22 pistol is purchase number 1A for anyone who is brand new to shooting and wants to employ a defensive handgun.

That means that whatever it is they elect to buy for their first handgun, a decent .22 pistol should be the very next thing they purchase. I truly believe that.

The difference in ammo cost is absolutely staggering and a .22 pistol allows a lot of practice for just pennies compared to ANY center fire caliber. If that's not enough, a high quality .22 pistol that could last the rest of your life can be hand for a couple three hundred bucks.

As far as I'm concerned, it belongs right up there with the 4 rules.
 
I recommend a gun they like to shoot. Like to shoot = shoot more = get more involved in gunning. If they don't like it, the learning curve will be slow and painful.
 
There is absolutely no substitute for a good .22 if you want to actually build shooting skill. If you want to learn to shoot, I will always recommend a .22LR. If all you want is a home defense weapon that you only shoot a couple times a year, that's a little different.
 
Most beginners don't want a .22. And, there is no reason that a beginner has to start out with a .22. I usually recomend 9mm semi-auto or .38/.357 revolver. Most folks are happy with starting out with one of these and then buying a .22 pistol if/when they can.

FWIW, I recall when I wanted to purchase my first "real" rifle a guy practically demanded that I buy a .22. I DIDN'T WANT A .22. I shot .22's as a kid and wanted something more robust, maybe for hunting but mostly for long range target shooting. I ended up buying a .22-250....maybe not the best choice, looking back, but at least it wasn't a .22 rimfire!! I would have been very dissapointed with a .22 at that time.

Most people who are just getting into shooting want one of two things: a Home Defense weapon or a gun they can take to the range that looks nice, makes some noise and kicks a little. The last thing they want to hear is get a .22, which I can assure you that most people believe is just a notch up from the pellet gun they had when they were a kid.
 
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I almost always suggest that a new shooter start with a medium 9mm semiauto ... easy recoil so you're introduced to the concept gently, IMHO the best initial option for both carry and home defense ... shooting a .22 is fun, but you hardly get the feeling you're shooting ... I learned on a .38 snubby, which I wouldn't suggest at all (it was my first gun, looked cool and it was cheap).
 
I definitely DO NOT subscribe to the idea that newbies need to start with a .22 caliber gun. I did not learn on a .22 and neither did most marksmen I know personally. I think any physically competent person can learn just as well with a .38spl or 9mm and still have a good defensive gun as well as a target gun.
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It can be done that way.

However, most of the people I'm dealing with come from two groups. The first is children under the age of 13, who definitely benefit from a .22. The second group is comprised of people aged from the middle 30's to retirement age.

The 2nd group is problematic. They've never shot, and they want to learn everything right now. The issue is that they've usually bought something inappropriate, like a snubnose revolver or Kel Tec auto. Their initial intent was to get something easy to carry and conceal, with little regard to shootability.

Are those guns shootable? Sure, for one of us. For a beginner, they're not so good, and by the time I'm dealing with them, I'm correcting some serious bad habits. The .22 helps expose flinch and anticipation.
 
I recommend starting out with a .22 pistol. Often times they don't want a .22 because its "just a .22" and they feel like they don't need training wheels for their first handgun.

If they are dead set against a .22 pistol then I suggest a full size 9mm pistol.

I say this as someone who bought a .45 ACP 1911 for my first handgun. My skills would have improved much faster starting out with a Ruger MKIII then a 1911.

Even now I shoot more my .22 pistols more than all of my other handgun calibers because of the cost.
 
.22 LR ammo is cheaper and provides more trigger time for a beginner than centerfire. Even for the old hands. That was true when ammo was cheap and now it's even more true. It's a great way to get started.

Doesn't mean they can't shoot some centerfire, but the thousands of rounds necessary to develop control and follow through is dreadfully expensive. You did say marksmen, right? That takes practice.

John
 
Way back as a kid I was started out on pistols with a big .357 revolver shooting very light .38 special loads.

This is actually still my favorite way to start people out because it puts the recoil of other guns (especially a .22LR) into a bit of perspective without frightening the new shooter. A revolver also makes it easy to leave an empty chamber so that you can demonstrate "flinch" and then show a new shooter ways to overcome it.

In my experience a brand new shooter who hasn't handled anything but a .22LR pistol seems to think it has a lot of recoil (how would they know otherwise) and that's "on their mind" the whole time whereas a new shooter who has fired off 5 rounds from a light .38 special, and then moves "down" to a .22LR knows that the recoil is "nothing" and generally seems to have an easier time ignoring it and focusing on trigger work.
 
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