Choosing a Beginner Handgun

[Todd.K]

Actually a .22 got me thinking about this subject. The last few years when I have had time to shoot I spend most of it teaching my kids on a .22 rifle. I have owned a Glock conversion for a long time, but it never ran quite good enough and I have not had both the time and motivation (at the same time) to work on it until recently. Thinking about getting a frame for it is what got me here, if I decide say to go to an M&P then getting the M&P .22 would make more sense.

I'm not trying to overthink this, just make sure I'm not handicapping them with my Glock perspective.

[Watrdawg]

Starting with a Ruger 22 to teach the fundamentals is a great way to begin. The skills do transfer and for a beginning shooter it is so much easier to become proficient without having to worry about recoil, noise etc. A M&P 2.0 Compact 9mm would be my choice. I carry and shoot my G19 very well but I am more accurate with my M&P. The 2.0 9mm Compact is at the top of my list for my next purchase.

[1986s4]

Some .22 pistols and top ends like and dislike certain .22 ammo. My Remington Speedmaster .22 rifle eats anything including short, long and long rifle with it's tubular magazine. My Advantage arms .22 top for the Colt loves the Remington Bucket 'o Bullets jacketed ammo but little else. Even the Smith revolver has it's likes and dislikes, the chambers are tight so with the wrong ammo extraction gets sticky.
Most .22 pistols will shoot with jacketed high velocity ammo.

[nick84]

The M9/ 92 platform gets a lot of flack, but having one in .22 seems like an ideal teaching pistol. It's close enough to combat handguns that proficiency and good habits are easily transferred to a number of service caliber weapons. .22 is easy to shoot and not intimidating for new shooters. Lastly, it has the manual safety. The military does some things right, and one of them is insisting that the service pistol they issue to inexperienced and non-combat focused personnel has such a safety. I'm sure there are other comparable rimfires I'm forgetting that have the same characteristics, but this is what I would use.

[26 Inf]

Actually a .22 got me thinking about this subject. The last few years when I have had time to shoot I spend most of it teaching my kids on a .22 rifle. I have owned a Glock conversion for a long time, but it never ran quite good enough and I have not had both the time and motivation (at the same time) to work on it until recently. Thinking about getting a frame for it is what got me here, if I decide say to go to an M&P then getting the M&P .22 would make more sense.

I'm not trying to overthink this, just make sure I'm not handicapping them with my Glock perspective.

It is funny how thought processes sometimes overlap. I'm also thinking about getting a frame for my Glock conversion. The Glock clone thread got me to thinking that finishing an 80% frame and putting the 22 conversion on it might be fun. Then I can put my .40 longslide back together.

The M&P 22 is made for Smith by Walther. Ours is accurate enough, and actually has a pretty good trigger, although it is a little different then our M&P 9. I shoot CCI 36gr copper plated ('Choot 'Em) and CCI 40gr cooper plated (AR Tactical) as well as the Federal 36gr (Auto Match) in the pistols.

The Glock sometimes gives newer shooters problems with function, but it works fine for me. I assume that is because I'm more serious about holding the pistol - LOL. Of course the most reliably functioning 22 pistol I own is my old Ruger MkI.

[.XL]

FNS9C (Compact)

[Warp]

VP9 or PPQ (for centerfire)

If they are entirely new to firearms and not just new to handguns, a .22lr first becomes more important, as noted above. It's so much easier to see trigger pulls that move the gun without the centerfire recoil jumping everything around, and so much easier to avoid developing a flinch than to fix it

As for the comments about pushing rounds to the side (shooting left for a right handed shooter), I've been shooting Glocks for...13 years...had good instruction on them, shot them pretty well (on standardized courses etc), but always on every single one had to drift the rear site to the right (I could put hits on a B8 at 25 slow still) and from time to time would do a poor job on a string and the group would be pushed left again. Never a problem with the VP series. Ever. Dead centered sights, hits centered, all the time, every time. Just plain shoots better. PPQ would be the same.

[Frailer]

With my kids I started with a S&W Model 63 (first single action, then double action), then a Ruger Mark II, then a Glock 17 (while wearing ear plugs *and* muffs). We then moved on to 1911s, CZs, etc. until they found what they liked best.

While I understand those who support starting with a centerfire pistol, I remain firm in my opinion that the best beginner gun is a good .22. On a related note, I’m also a fan of 8” steel targets at 10-ish yards for beginners.

[Dienekes]

My first pistol was a S&W M18 .22 6 shot revolver, I still have it. A good DA revolver will teach trigger control and economy of ammunition. What about a good .22 top end for one of your existing pistols? I have one for my Colt government .38 super and I use for teaching new shooters along with the afore mentioned Smith wheelgun.

Can't beat the Model 18 .22 for this--or anything else. A revolver will also let you do "skip loading" AKA "ball and dummy". Load one round, skip two chambers, and load the last two rounds side by side. That gives you a 50% chance of a live round coming up. When you hit an empty chamber you get instant feedback on how your trigger pull and follow-through was. Dirt cheap and tremendously effective. My other old favorites are a Colt .22 conversion unit (choose your ammo carefully; that "floating chamber" plugs up solid with some ammo... And I too like the old Ruger .22 autos.

A nice old .38 Special, even a Model 10, is ok too. Just use wadcutters or lightly loaded ammo. They'll shoot right along with anything out there; probably better.

[26 Inf]

On a related note, I’m also a fan of 8” steel targets at 10-ish yards for beginners.

Absolutely, instant feedback. I have 8 inch circles, 2/3 IPSC, and the club has plate racks. I put shims under the adjustment bolts to get them to fall for .22. I get tired of loading magazines, everyone likes falling plates.