why the 22

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Re: First handgun.

I saved up my pennies and dimes and bought my first handgun at age 17 (from a local furniture store).

$79.00 bought me a new in the cardboard box High Standard Model 107 Citation.

With that pistol to teach me, it didn't take long 'til I was making little bitty holes in whatever I chose to shoot.

I made a few bucks with wagers with my friends and acquaintances but they learned not to bet against me and my Citation.

I don't ever remember being bored with it!

I'm not saying I don't like my 3.5" Redhawk .44magnum almost as well, now.

Will
 
I will hit my 3/4 century mark next month. I have been shooting since I was 10 years old. Everything important about shooting, I learned on a .22. Sight picture, trigger control, breath control, shooting positions, and a lifelong respect for the power of a firearm.
Whenever I want to challenge myself, the old High Standard still comes to the range.
I have never regretted starting with a .22, and neither have my son, daughter, wife, or grandkids.
Dad taught me well, and I hope that I turned out to be half the man he was.
 
I well remember buying my first REAL handgun, after some time of very disappointing shooting I went back and bought a .22 pistol to learn the basics of pistol shooting. I mistakenly thought that if I could shoot a rifle I could shoot a pistol. I understand that sometimes a firearm/cartridge combo can become "boring" at that point you have to change your routine, I end up shooting for score against myself, trying to beat my best score, or running through a dueling tree at faster speed or just shooting the tops off of plastic water bottles with out disturbing the bottle of water etc. etc. etc. When a challenge become boring, you adjust the challenge to your new level of skill. When I get to feeling too "cocky" I switch handsto shoot left handed and get humble real fast. Many a odd target such as a GI Joe figure has met its fate on my .22 Range, spent .22 shells stuck in something become entertaining etc. etc, clay targets at verious ranges from 50 to 100 yards, if it ain't fun make it fun.
 
skans said:
That is only true of you find noise and recoil exciting.

I don't.
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If quiet and tame is important to you when shooting for fun then why not just shoot pellet guns....or airsoft? Cheaper, quieter and even less recoil.
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I have heard the term "air soft", but have no experience with them.

Air rifles are a world of their own, and from what I can see the good ones are pretty expensive. I contemplated one of those Benjamin pump pellet guns for pest control until I witnessed the amount of noise one makes pumping the thing up.

.22lr firearms are firearms. One need not keep track of compressed air, and high quality, accurate arms, both pistols and rifles, can be had for less than $500.

I do not shoot only .22lr because I do have arms in other calibers, but I have never found the challenge of chasing smaller groups to be boring. I begin to affirmatively object to report and recoil when I am offered a hot 44 magnum in a small revolver. I also recall with no fondness a 45-70 pistol. I acknowledge that some people find that sort of thing thrilling.

I would summarise my reaction as "big bullet, big noise, big deal".

I appreciate any item well made and well designed so that I am able to test my accuracy rather than the accuracy of the arm, .22s included.
 
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I begin to affirmatively object to report and recoil when I am offered a hot 44 magnum in a small revolver.
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Heck, I don't even like shooting .357 a lot in a small revolver. But, 9mm in a semi-auto format generally has very mild recoil. And although you have to wear ear protection when shooting 9mm, you still have to wear ear protection when shooting .22. Cheap 9mm is a bit more expensive than .22, but it's what I carry, so I don't mind spending the extra $$$ plinking with it. Some people really like shooting .22's in handguns; I don't particularly care for it. Then again, some people like shooting 50AE; and I don't see much point in that either. Just my personal preferences, that's all.
 
you still have to wear ear protection when shooting .22.
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Absolutely and emphatically, yes.

Some people really like shooting .22's in handguns; I don't particularly care for it.
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I can spend an afternoon with my volquartzen pistol. A good trigger, sharp sights and little recoil permit focus without fatigue. The other caliber I enjoy for paper is .45. It is a very mild round and the big bullet allows one to sight the holes at greater distance, but isn't as frugal as the .22.

Recoil has a lot to do with design. One reason I lament the Ruger P95 going out of production is that it handles recoil very well (with a couple more inches of slide and barrel and better sights, I think it could be a great pistol). One reason I detest the Walther PPK design is that it makes the .380 feel like a 44 magnum.

When I am introducing a new shooter to the activity, I want few distractions. Heavy recoil and crippling noise both distract someone figuring out the basics, so I always start them with a .22.
 
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When I am introducing a new shooter to the activity, I want few distractions. Heavy recoil and crippling noise are both distract someone figuring out the basics, so I always start them with a .22.
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True, which is the main reason I keep a couple of .22 pistols around. But, there's a big difference between letting someone use your .22 to introduce them to shooting and telling a 1st time gun buyer to buy a .22LR pistol. Very few people want a .22lr pistol as their first gun - so why fight it? I tell them to look at 9mm's or .45's (full-sized) and then go back and buy a .22 if/when you feel you need one.

Don't tell me that the first time you shot a "real" handgun (9mm, 45acp, or something similar) that you didn't get a little thrill from the flash-and-boom. Come on........think back.........further back........:D
 
Very few people want a .22lr pistol as their first gun - so why fight it?
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I disagree, based only on the experience of people I know.

For someone dipping a toe in to see if he likes the sport, being able to buy 500 rounds for eight or nine dollars almost everywhere (the good old days), was powerful incentive.

Almost everyone I know started on a .22. That may give it a reverse cache, which is distinguishable from real utility.
 
Okay, few people have any earthly idea what they want when they contemplate beginning the art of shooting.

A .22 was one (IMO, arguably the best; see arguments above) way to begin exploring what I wanted. As it turned out I did, indeed, want a .22 but learned that I eventually wanted other things as well.

FWIW, the .22 (which was the first firearm I ever bought) was not the first firearm I ever owned/carried. That one was a nickel-plated .25 auto (a gift) which, believe me, I would never recommend as anyone's first experience with a firearm.

Best,

Will
 
And although you have to wear ear protection when shooting 9mm, you still have to wear ear protection when shooting .22
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I know you have to at most ranges, and I know if you don't then you will suffer some hearing damage. But "have to" is such a strong word when I know for ages I didn't.

Hell, I never used hearing protection growing up and I shot .22, .243, 30.06, and 12GA both hunting, plinking, and at the range. I also never wore hearing protection in the Army until about my 4 year of service, most of us didn't. I was shooting 5.56mm and 7.62mm both in full auto. Yes it hurt the ears, you learned to deal with it, we still shot expert. And yes my hearing suffered but it's been many years since and I can still hear reasonably well.

Don't construe this as my suggesting you should wear hearing protection. But if I were out in the wild hunting and I was only planning on a few shots to get my prey. I myself would go without as the damage is going to be pretty minimal to my already beat up hearing.
 
But if I were out in the wild hunting and I was only planning on a few shots to get my prey. I myself would go without as the damage is going to be pretty minimal to my already beat up hearing.
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Not true..

Hearing loss is cumulative.
You never really know what's going to be the last straw until after the fact.

Just one shot w/out protection may be all that it takes to push the damage over the edge.

You're looking at the situation 180 degrees apart from how you should.

W/the amount of hearing loss you already have, you should be the first to use some sort of protection to avoid having it go beyond the point of no return.

It's ironic that this thread is about the .22 caliber since it was a Marlin/Glenfield M60 that did in the hearing of my right ear.
I shoot lefty and my right ear was close to the ejection port.
I remember the instance pretty clearly even though it's been close to 40 years ago.
I shot 16 shots & my ears were ringing bad. Worse than I recalled ever happening.
That ringing has never stopped.

Believe me - don't dismiss the cumulative damage that occurs.
Do or find something that preserves what you have left.
 
Re hearing and guns: Do you really want to get to the end of your life and have your hearing, sight, libido, mental acuity, liver, strength and stamina in nearly tip-top condition? Are you an organ donor, because I want what's left over when you kick the bucket!

In all seriousness, lots of us shot .22lr without hearing protection, even when we were kids. I have some slight ringing, but it wasn't from shooting - it was from riding my motorcycle long distances without hearing protection - constant wind noise.

I'm not recommending shooting without hearing protection either, but I've done it and so have most other people. FWIW, I do wear hearing protection when i hunt. Yes, it's hard to hear the rustling in the woods, but that big pig (or buck) ain't worth my hearing.
 
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