Recommended this for my best friends first firearm

[Eb1]

I recently took my buddy shooting with me. We shot my .44 Magnum with cowboy loads, and also full power loads, and he loved it.

He grew up hunting some with his grandpa, but hasn't been around firearms for 24 years. None.
We never really shot together because he did not show any interest, and we also had other hobbies. Riding motorcycles and being DJ's while we were growing up, but he asked me about getting into shooting, and wanted me to bring the .44 Magnum down. So I did.

We got online looking for him a pistol that he could shoot cheaply. Was of good quality, and also something that he could get his wife and daughters to shoot without being over powered and to loud.
This is what we came to an agreement on. I recommended the pistol, and he went and looked at one, and liked it very much.

What do you think of my recommendation? He asked about home protection, and my advise was better to have a gun than not to have a gun when need one. Yes, there are better calibers, and he most likely will get the bug as we all know "you can't own just one." But for his requirements I thought this to be the most logical firearm for him at this time, and recommended that he buy a 20 gauge shotgun for his home if he decided to buy a firearm that he could use for HD, hunting, and also for his older daughter to use for her high schools trap club.
I told him that this .22 LR loaded with Mini-Mags would stop a home invasion. I would not want to be shot 6-10 times with a .22 LR at rooms distance or any distance for that matter.

Here is the pistol we (he) decided on.

http://ruger.com/products/markIIICompetition/models.html

 

[orionengnr]

Yep, except I'd go for a used stainless MKII. He will save a couple hundred bucks and get a pistol without all the lawyer crap.

 

[k4swb]

You could not choose a better handgun to learn on. A Ruger MK whatever will always be in vogue.

I wish I still owned every one I ever owned and hope to never be without at least one.

We just bought the wife a Browning Buckmark Micro and it is a great little gun too but I wish I could have talked her into a Ruger MK something.
I'm pretty sure she does now also but she'll never admit it.

 

[Eb1]

I mentioned the Buckmark 1st, but he liked the Ruger. His money.

 

[T Bran]

Nice to see someone not recomend a cannon as a first gun great job and great gun. His family will benefit greatly from this. Cant beat inexpensive ammo for unlimited practice and they wont develope a flinch the larger stuff can come later. No I also wouldnt want to stand in front of a .22 at room distances or any other distances.
Good call.

 

[Red Tornado]

Love that slabside! He could always get a 20 ga Pardner for <$100 for HD. It's plenty powerful and the whole family should be able to handle it.
RT

 

[k4swb]

Nice to see someone not recomend a cannon as a first gun great job and great gun.

I have always felt that the first handgun for anyone should be a .22lr. Most people do not want to hear that. They want a "real" gun but that is why so many new shooters have so much trouble learning to shoot correctly. They insist on starting out with too much gun!

At 9 years of age, my son wanted to shoot Daddy's .44 mag but I bought him a .22 revolver and made him learn the basics. Once he could consistently hit what he was shooting at and only then did he get to try my .44.

When he started missing with that, and it did not take long, i put the .22 back in his hand.

My wife finally figured out that she needs to stop with the .44 or .45 once in a while and shoot some lowly .22s and get back in the groove.

I always carry a .22 handgun if I'm going to have an extended range trip just to calm down and get my mojo back.

 

[3KillerBs]

I adore my Mark III Hunter. Everyone who has ever shot it, with the sole exception of my daughter the revolver girl, has wanted to adopt it.

In the case of a defensive situation I'd rather have one of the 9's, but if I happened to be holding the Mark III I'd have no lack of confidence because I know I could put 10 rounds right on target in very short order.

 

[TwoEyedJack]

Great choice! When I was in college, I lived in the same house as another gun nut. He had a Redhawk .44 Mag that he shot a lot, to the point where his hand would be bloody between the thumb and first finger. He complained that it was not accurate, and he had installed a fine gold bead front sight and V rear sight. I printed some nice groups at the range and he printed some crappy ones. Then I took the gun and loaded some cylinders and left some empty. The first round he shot there was a click and the gun moved about a foot. We worked on that for a half hour and he shot a lot better. Then I lent him a Ruger Single Six for a while and that also helped. I still start flinching unless I practice with a .22 regularly.

 

[Bozwell]

That's a solid choice for a .22lr. I personally couldn't own a .22lr as my first/only gun because it would lose my attention after a while. That said, I picked up a CZ Kadet slide for my favorite 9mm (a Shadow custom) and I shoot it all the time. I found it to be very helpful in working my way through my initial flinch with the 9mm and more powerful calibers.

 

[Jim NE]

good recommendation. he'll likely keep it forever regardless of what larger calibers he gets into.

my first gun was a Winchester model 190 rifle. Not expensive, but a good gun. My first handguns, however, were mostly cheap junk and I ended up getting rid of all of them. Still got the Winchester.