What caliber for first time shooter?

[Praxidike]

My girlfriend, who at one point and time was antigun, has recently taken an interest in them. She just sent me a message telling me hat she signed herself up at a lgs for a conceal carry class. She'll have the option of renting a firearm or using on of mine. She wants to rent a 22lr, but with a class of 20 or so, there might not be one there for her to shoot and there might not be any ammo there to buy. I have Sig p238 and a 4" full size Springfield Arms 9mm that she could use.

Anyway, anyone with a petite wife, girlfriend, sister, etc, what caliber/gun did they shoot for the first time?

 

[Sam1911]

My daughter started with a .22 LR (Ruger Mk II) and then moved to a 1911. But she was 3.

Now (at 12) she almost exclusively shoots my (...her? !) Springfield xDM9. Plenty of gun to get a hold of, recoil with 9mm is quite tame enough for her to run drills and IDPA stages with.

A .22 is always a great place to start, but if for some reason that's not going to work out, a full-sized 9mm shouldn't give her any problems.

...

Before she goes, though, read this WITH her: RACK THE SLIDE

 

[Praxidike]

Will do Sam. Thanks for the info

 

[RustyShackelford]

Entry level guns....

Many times on gun/tactics forums the topic of what type gun should my ___ buy or carry comes up.
If your girlfriend is new to CCW or shooting, Id advise she start with a .22LR DA revolver or maybe a .38spl.
She can buy a Ruger LCR in .22LR, .22WMR or .38spl. Some gun channel hosts & trainers say a LCR in .22WMR(the .22 round in a magnum format) can work for close range self defense.
If she can properly load/unload/fire/clean a small frame revolver, then she might consider a Ruger LCR in .38spl, a S&W model 442/642(no lock) or maybe a 638 revolver. These are simple, 5 shot compact guns that she can carry or shoot. After market sights or laser aimers are available too; www.crimsontrace.com www.lasermax.com . Those can help her with training or marksmanship.

 

[Skylerbone]

I always recommend .22lr as well followed by 9mm in a full-size pistol. Find out how many rounds she will be shooting in class and get her to a range ahead of time to see how she fares with what you have. If she doesn't like 9mm and you have future intentions with her, buy or borrow a .22 then get online and buy a brick of ammo. A Ruger Mk series would be an excellent start that never gets old.

I've had girlfriends that could handle a 12ga from the get go and others who couldn't hoist more than a youth size .22 but you won't know until you know. If her first experience is unpleasant, it might be her last.

 

[Sam1911]

Do remember two things about small revolvers:

1) They tend to have pretty stiff springs and tough trigger pulls (tend to, not all do).

2) They are pretty universally understood to be harder to master than almost any other form of handgun. Long pull, short sight radius, heavy springs -- all contribute to a great deal of skill being required to make accurate shots.

Contrary to much internet and gun shop advice, a snubby revolver is not a novice's weapon.

 

[cfullgraf]

I agree that a 22LR is an excellent place to start, either semi-auto or revolver.

If ammunition for a 22LR is still in short supply in your area, a 4" barreled revolver in 38 Special or 357 Magnum with 38 Special wadcutters might be a substitute. The combination is a soft recoiling firearm for a beginner. This might be a rental choice until she decides on what she wants.

Something to consider, my 5'-2" wife does not like seeing the slide advance towards her face on recoil. She will not fire a semi-auto and has her own S&W 586.

 

[1madss]

They are pretty universally understood to be harder to master than almost any other form of handgun. Long pull, short sight radius, heavy springs -- all contribute to a great deal of skill being required to make accurate shots.

Have to agree with this. I am a die hard revolver fan and it took me a awhile to be able to confidently/consistently shoot DA. I carry a revolver as it is what I am most comfortable carrying and worked at it until I am somewhat where I want to be.

 

[JohnBiltz]

.22 is good to start with because the recoil and blast is light. You give someone a cannon the first time out they may be overwhelmed by the blast and noise and never want to shoot again.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I guess there is no need to say it but yes, a .22 is the best started gun for any new shooter. In addition, you will find no matter how much you shoot and how many other cartridges you shoot you will probably always come back to the .22 for fun and practice. I own and shoot more .22's than anything else, handguns and rifles.

 

[RustyShackelford]

.22lr - ......

A downside of the .22LR caliber is that it might be hard to buy in bulk or find in some locations.
It's use for training/plinking makes it extremely popular with handgun shooters.

The .22WMR round may be hard to get too but for a carry revolver round it seems to have more punch than a .22LR load.

 

[Sunray]

Chambering has little to do with it. A handgun has to fit her hand or she'll never be able to shoot well or safely. Take her shopping.

 

[anothernewb]

normally I'd say 22. there's so many firearms chambered in it that something wil work. but - given the dearth of 22 available, I'd move to the next closes thing.

If you handload, I'd go with nice light 38 wadcutters. and a revolver that fits well. - but I agree not a snubbie. get a nice 4" da/sa unit with good sights and teach them in sa. I started my wife on that. she's got really tiny hands, but I found an old smith 15 with the small grips that worked wonderful for her.

barring that - or if you have to buy off the shelf ammo, and a revolver doesn't work then any of the 9's that fit the hand should be usable.

 

[BullRunBear]

My wife is tiny and learned to shoot with a Ruger Mk II. Accurate and easy to rack the slide. That was years ago when 22lr was cheap and everywhere. Her preferred center fire is a CZ 75b 9mm. Neither of these is especially concealable but are great to learn with.

If your girl friend wants to learn with a concealable piece, check out a S&W M&P compact or Shield in 9mm. My wife finds them comfortable. But first make sure she can rack the slide, which can be a bit stiff.

Even an old S&W Model 10 with 3 or 4 inch barrel with wadcutters might suit her. But only she can determine what will work for her.

Good luck with the search.

Jeff

 

[improperlyaged]

Haven't read all the responses but it does seem that everyone is saying to get a .22. I completly disagree. You should never buy someone a gun that shoots exotic ammo for their first gun.

 

[Bezoar]

Please do a favor for everyone. Go with standard size duty guns. model 10, a k frame, an l frame even. you want something with enough mass that it will control recoil. and make sure the grips fit the shooter. some dontlike that concept on internet forums, but no matter the gun, if the grips dont fit the shooter, the shooter will never hit a thing.

 

[Barry the Bear]

My wife learned how to shoot a handgun on a smith and wesson model 10 with cowboy .38 spl loads

 

[short barrel]

I've never attended a c/c class; I'm wondering if they teach a person to shoot? If not, I'd teach her all about it starting with the basics.

 

[RustyShackelford]

Ruger LCR .22wmr with Davidson's Lifetime Plan....

I did some checking & saw a good offer on a NIB Ruger LCR in .22mag(.22wmr). The revolver included a Davidson's lifetime service offer for about $419.00 USD.
I saw that Speer Gold Dot now markets a new .22wmr JHP for short barrel revolvers.

If the woman can handle & shoot semi-auto pistols, a Glock 23 .40S&W might be a smart purchase. She can buy after market 9x19mm barrels(conversion) or get a .22LR kit(upper & magazines) for training.
Glocks have many, many spare parts, holsters, custom work etc. see; www.glockstore.com www.glockbooks.com www.glockmeister.com .

I'd add that she might want to learn the local gun/lethal force laws & get some formal skill training from a respected instructor. Check the program out. Top trainers are honest & can provide details. My state requires licenses & mandated training for cadre.

 

[MedWheeler]

My petite, Soviet-raised wife took her first handgun shots earlier this year in a session that included the following pieces:

Phoenix HP22A
Heritage Rough Rider 4.75" bbl.
Taurus PT-22.
Bersa Thunder .380.
Charter Arms Undercover .38 (wood stocks.)

She handled the Phoenix and Taurus very well, preferring the latter because of its smoother profile, lighter weight, and firm trigger. She kept coming back to that gun.

She found the HRR revolver "too heavy" for her pencil-thin wrists.

She disliked the snap of both the Bersa Thunder and the Charter Arms, taking only two shots from the former (I wanted her to feel both trigger actions) and one from the latter.

She declined to fire either the Ruger Police Service Six (.38 rounds available) or the Ruger P95.

 

[Bezoar]

99 percent of the ccw classes ive seen or heard of expect the person who goes to be able to pass the shooting requirements before they sign up. these classes are merely to teach the laws regarding the carrying of aconcealed weapon, and merely to make you prove you can hit a target, x times at x feet.

if your lucky, theyll let you have 1 or 2 magazines/cylidners to prove the gun they give you sights in, or to let you prove the gun you brought can hit a target.

 

[Vodoun da Vinci]

Contrary to much internet and gun shop advice, a snubby revolver is not a novice's weapon.

Well said and thank you!

There are a number of folks in our support group who were started in their CCL journey by well meaning "significant others" like fathers, boyfriends and husbands who thought they "just didn't get it" with hand guns because they started with a short barreled revolver.

Snubbie revolvers in almost all cases are the most difficult handgun platform to shoot well. Many never get good with it.

That said here's another proponent of a .22 long rifle target automatic. We have had great luck introducing newbies (even shell shocked newbies) to hand gunning with out Colt .32 acp 1903's. Simple and accurate with low recoil and enough pop and recoil to give satisfaction without traumatizing due to recoil and muzzle blast.

VooDoo

 

[RustyShackelford]

Short barrel revolvers.....

My friend purchased a new LCR .38spl 5 shot in 2013. It came with a Centerfire laser(red). He wasn't highly skilled or had formal training & his marksmanship was okay.
I agree that a target .22LR or K frame 3/4" revolver might be better but many new or entry level shooters aren't super-rich. They aren't willing or able to buy a battery of guns to train with.
J frames & LCRs do require effort, but you'll have a better shooter because of it.

Rusty

 

[Ed Ames]

I am increasingly of the opinion that it isn't the caliber, nor the power per se, but the...mood? Perceptions? State of mind? Trust? Confidence? Something like that. A .22 can seem like a cannon with no trust/confidence, and a .45 can seem easy with the right mental state.

I know nothing about your relationship, but in your shoes I would be looking for a local female firearms instructor who does "ladies night" type basic handgun classes, especially one where a range of handguns are provided, and super especially one that has good references from females in your GF's age bracket. Get her a gift certificate for that.

 

[Skylerbone]

She just sent me a message telling me [t]hat she signed herself up at a lgs for a conceal carry class.

That covers the who should be taking action part in regards to training.

What I found, through trial and error was: revolvers were a no-go with almost every woman, compact auto loaders were difficult to manipulate and 40 S&W/ .45 ACP was too much bell for all but a pair of farm girls (I dated a lot of women in my time... a lot of women).

Actually, if I needed a pistol to teach someone on that was inexpensive, easy to operate and low on recoil an S&W 22A is what I'd hunt down. If you can't find .22 ammo online, you're not trying very hard and while it may temporarily be costlier than it was, you can still shoot 10 rounds to the dollar which makes it a relative bargain. The OP's significant other will hopefully understand that training does not begin and end with a single day class and that skills learned can transfer to any firearm.