Next step up from .22LR?

[michael_aos]

My wife had no problem going from .22LR to a full-size 9mm.

She has kind of adopted the CZ75B as "hers", but lately she mostly shoots the Springfield 9mm 1911 I bought for steel matches.

I recently purchased a S&W Model 67 (38 Special) and we're each having a lot of fun plinking with it. I think its a great gun for beginners and just "fun" to shoot.

 

[Old Griz]

I'm not a big fan of Ruger .22 automatics. I had one that wouldn't shoot anything reliably except CCI Blazers. However, in their defense, .22 autos can be very finicky with what they like to eat. One can come off the line like mine, and the next one will shoot anything you feed into it. That's just life with .22s. Most folks love 'em, and I hazard to guess that more Mk.I & Mk.IIs have been sold than any other .22 pistol on the market, so I'm sure mine was an anomaly.

You said you were heavily biased toward automatics. All I can say is, get over it. If a wimpie little 9mm is too much for your friend, let him or her rent a good sized .38 Special (or .357 and shoot .38s in it) the next time you go to the range. Make sure you don't get +P loads.

It's going to be hard to find a centerfire gun with less recoil than a 9mm, or a .38 Special. Small caliber guns are usually small guns, period. Therefore, they are not going to be pleasant to shoot. .38 revolvers are terrific training guns, and have been for many years. Start him or her off with a K-frame or L-frame S&W, or a Ruger double action.

I never told my wife about recoil. She knew nothing about it when she started shooting, never worried about it, and even today she pretty much ignores it. The words, "Focus on the front sight" stuck in her sweet little brain, and when she shoots that is what she does. If recoil is your focus, you'll never shoot well. She carries a .357, and loves to shoot .45 ACPs. I haven't pressed my luck by giving her a .44 mag . . . yet. I'm afraid she might like it, and then I'm out another gun!

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I'd recommend a used Smith and Wesson or Colt in .38 Special or .357 Magnum. You can shoot light .38 Specials in this revolver, and then progress to stiffer loads.

In fact, invest in a reloading kit and you can tailor your loads and shoot very cheaply. I like a 148-grain cast wadcutter (cast from wheel weights and lubed with liquid Alox) over 2.7 grains of Bullseye. This is very accurate in all my .38s and .357s, is dirt cheap to reload, and kills small game like the hammer of Thor.

 

[akodo]

something is not right here.

Starting out and going through a 100 rounds of .22, then moving to a mid to fullsized handgun in 9mm or 38 special should be all the bridge that is needed.

I am very suspicious that something else is going on here. Did you use a superhot 9mm loading? Did the slide bit him/her? Was enough hearing protection worn? Are they extremely weak, frail, arthritic, or some other non-normal thing?


but as far as your question, Beretta makes a wonderful line of .380 pistols that are nearly identical to the 92 series. They are probably the largest of the 380s, around the size of a kahr k9, and 2 out of 3 are build on single stack mags, so this means they are thin enough for small hands, yet long enough for big hands, and heavy enough to be a step down from a standard 9mm. A superlight 380 can sometimes be pretty equal to a standard 9mm in recoil.

But still, something else is going on here

 

[Glockman17366]

I'd try a couple .32ACP guns like the Beretta Tomcat.
.32ACP isn't a great round, but it serves it's purpose.

I've got a Tomcat. Don't use it much (I also prefer carrying a snubbie .38 or 9mm), but it's a reliable little beast. I will caution you or your friend not to hold too high on the grip. That will get you bit by the hammer!

BTW, I think Taurus makes some .32 H&R revolvers.

 

[WeedWhacker]

akodo, that's what I thought, and that's why I was suprised enough to write a post looking to see what I could have done different. Here's a few more details:

My friend is/was a total newbie to firearms and thought they would be of no value for a few reasons. We rented a Ruger .22 of some sort (looked like a MkII/MkIII) and bought 100 rounds of range ammo (premium CCI). We covered all the safety basics (four rules, trigger discipline, knowing the state of the firearm at all times, etc.), then operation basics (trigger, slide, slide release, magazine, how a round is chambered, etc.), then basic handling (stances, dominant eye, grip, finger disipline to keep from getting bitten, etc.). There were no problems, and within the first 20 rounds, my friend even scored a *bullseye* on the 1:1-scale human silhouette at four yards. We then started loading more than one round in the magazine, etc., until all 100 rounds were gone, and it was about time to go. My friend then asked to shoot one round from my G17, which is, in hindsight, a rather light full-sized 9mm. I unloaded my 124g Speer Gold Dots (NOT +Ps) and loaded a single round of Wal-Mart WWB ammo (my practice round, a normal not-hot round). I watched the pistol, and my friend let it jump up fairly high, and immediately pronounced dislike for it. The recoil was the problem.

The solution? Yeah, as folks are pointing out, may be to rent a heavy revolver and load some light .38 rounds. There's interest in moving beyond the .22, but I do NOT want to spook my friend. I do hope, however, that a "better" round than the .22LR will be acceptable. If the light .38 rounds are too much, then I'll definitely look at a small carbine.

As for an EBR, my .308 Galil is a bit much, I think. ;D We'll definitely take out my SKS next time, along with some recoil pads, just in case. Sorry, I've just grown to love those commie rifles more and more as time goes on.

 

[MCgunner]

.22 is about the WORST of all cartridges to chamber an autoloading pistol for. I prefer revolvers in the caliber. I have a little Rossi M511 that wasn't expensive and is a super accurate shooter. I have fond memories of my Uncle's K22, nickeled, beautiful gun that was accurate and easy to shoot. I started with a Hawes single action with a magnum cylinder that never got used. I'm a .22LR nut I guess.

Next step up in rifle calibers, beyond the obvious mag or .17 rimfire would be the .22 Hornet, to me. I've often thought a .22 hornet would be neat in a contender barrel. You could load it light like a rimfire or hot enough to reach out to 100 yards and maybe a little beyond if you were hunting varmints. It'd be a nice 150 yard coyote gun with hot loads in a rifle. I've always fancied the little hornet as a hand loader, but never got one. I guess if you cannot or will not get into handloading, well, the Hornet isn't for you.