12 year old Grandson wants to start pistol shooting

[aarondhgraham]

If grip size is a problem,,,

Now I have medium sized hands, but have never had this problem with any other gun I've owned. My grandson certainly couldn't work the release.

Of the five I previously mentioned,,,
The Beretta Neos has the smallest grip.

I am a true fan of the NEOS,,,
Thirty second barrel swap-out,,,
Easiest to break-down and clean,,,
Built in Weaver rail for accessories,,,
Space age looking but very accurate,,,
The best and easiest to load magazines.



It's also one of the least expensive,,,
Budsgunshop.com has the 4.5 or 6" for $249.00,,,
Extra barrels are only about $65.00 or a Carbine kit for $239.00.

Can you tell I am a NEOS fanboy?

Aarond

.

I own a matching pair of 5.5" Ruger 22/45 pistols

 

[TennJed]

I am a Beretta fan, but honestly never liked the looks of the Neos, but i was unaware that you could swap barrels so easily and cheaply. I might end up picking one up one day

 

[BullRunBear]

I know you mentioned 22lr but we are having a terrible time around here finding 22s. It might be better in SC. Two years ago I would have agreed with the rimfire.

An alternate approach might be a 38 special or 357 mag. revolver firing 38 special wadcutters. The ammo is available and used S&W Model 10s or 357 Blackhawks should fit his hand. Since he uses a .223 rifle, recoil from light revolver rounds shouldn't be a problem. Also, if he is interested, he could learn to reload the ammo. A youngster might think it's cool to shoot ammo he created.

Just a thought.

Jeff

 

[almherdfan]

My son, a few days from 15 now, really liked the single six much more then any .22LR auto had I when he first started shooting with me (5-years ago). He didn't like (and still doesn't) the flying brass. Now he'll shoot my GP100 as much as he can, but won't finish a magazine from a 9mm.

On the other hand, my very petite 19-year old daughter just started shooting with me a few months ago and has pretty much claimed my Ruger SR22 as her's.

 

[Fleetman]

Our grandkids always pick our Buckmark over anything else in the safe. The Ruger MIII is a little heavy for the smaller ones.

The Buckmark is the top choice for our Pa Pumpkin Carving every year (Jack-O-Latern carving with .22LR handguns). The Ruger has a scape but the Buckmark is the choice. The Sig Mosquito jams too much to be any fun and the Single-Six, while much fun for me, gets tiring from loading so often.

 

[dbp]

I had a chance to handle the Buckmark, Mark III and 22/45 Lite yesterday at LGS.

They are all nice, but my favorite was the 22/45. It just fit my hand better and I liked the grip angle much better. I feel it will certainly fit my grandson better.

Now I just need to decide between the 22/45 and the Bearcat. Two different operating systems for sure.

I don't feel that I will go wrong either way, but it's time to decide now and start shooting.

 

[dbp]

Ordered a Bearcat and will get it next week. Can't wait for my grandsons to see it.

Thanks for all the input, but in the end it came down to the relative simplicity of the revolver and the "cool" factor for a young boy.

 

[moxie]

Wise choice!

 

[aarondhgraham]

Nice choice, but get him the whole experience.

Nice choice, but get him the whole experience.

If a boy has a single action cowboy revolver,,,
He also needs a decent gunbelt & holster.

I suppose you could say this for any type of handgun,,,
But it's more important with a cowboy gun,,,
It just completes the package for him.

Several years ago a friend got his son a used Colt Frontier Scout,,,
Then he asked me to make him a belt & holster for it.

The look on his son's face when he got the gun,,,
Well it can only be described as ecstatic.

But when the kid strapped on the belt & holster,,,
That's when he lit up like a Christmas tree.

Even if it's just an Uncle Mikes nylon rig,,,
The young man needs somewhere to hold his fieryarm.

Aarond

.

 

[moxie]

Yup. Good idea.

Here's a nice one:

http://www.leathercreekholsters.com/albums/album_image/7654156/6513753.htm

 

[Old Coon Hunter]

I personally would start with a single action revolver. On previous shooting events that I was involved with only twice I had to grab the gun, for they started to swing the gun in a unsafe direction while the hammer was back. The nice thing about a singly action is you can get your hand in front of the hammer to prevent a discharge. Starting someone shooting any firearm young or old, it's all about safety first. Just my thoughts. P.S. I have a Ruger single-six 22LR with a 22MaG. cylinder, great handgun. Good Luck!

 

[Browning Guy]

I own a Buckmark and love it. I originally ordered a Ruger but waited 2 months with no show so I got the Browning that was in stock. Like the clerk said "you aren't going to go wrong with either one". We had a family function at my brother's house the other day. I have a grandson who wanted to shoot with us. I coached him and set him up with my supervision and he had a problem with the grips being too large for his hand. He is almost 7 but is smaller build. Two women who had never shot before were there and they thought it was kind of large and liked the smaller framed Walther. Those with small hands liked the smaller Walther while those with normal or large hands liked the Browning better. Sooo I now have a Walther in layaway. (but honey, "it's for the grand kids" ya know) Just something to check on, depending on the shooters size.