First Gun

[TomS]

Hi, I am new here and know almost nothing about guns. I first shot a gun about 25 years ago, 2 bullets out of my brothers .44 something and that was enough. With the way our country is going lately, I have been exploring the option of getting a hand gun. I went to the range with some buddies at work over lunch a few weeks back and shot a few more guns (a couple .22s, .38 revolver and a .44 revolver).

I have been doing a lot of research on line, trying to decide how to proceed. I have been reading and watching information on basic hand gun safety. I have been leaning toward a .22 handgun of some sort under about $400. I am trying not to invest too much money to fast. Seems like a .22 would be a good place to start and shooting it would be affordable so that I could get to the range and shoot with worrying about the price of ammo.

I know .22 is not a great self defense gun, but I would like it small enough that I could carry it in the future at some point. Most areas I areas where I am at, self protection is seldom a concern. If carrying worked out with my life style, I could purchase another more defensive gun in the future.

One gun that looks interesting to me is the new Ruger SR22. The reports I read say it reliably handles a wide range of ammo with out jamming. I also understand that revolver reduces potential jamming problems so would also consider that as well.

So what words of wisdom con you give me on how to precede? It is hard to ask question when you don’t know what questions to ask.

[EllisW]

Browning Buckmark or a Ruger Standard MK I / II / III are your best choices for autoloading 22 pistols. If you want a revolver, the Ruger Single Six is a wonderful 22 revolver as well.

Do not use 22 for self defense.



If you live around Minneapolis, you should head to Bill's Gun Shop in either Robbinsdale or Circle Pines and use their range. They have a HUGE selection of firearms available for rental and you'll be dizzy with all the choices. You should stop by the shop and handle the guns first, then go down to the range and shoot the ones that felt good to you. Feel how they fit in your hand, see if you like how they shoot, if the recoil is manageable, etc. When you find a gun that you like, go back home and read up on it. Do not let the gun shop owner bully you into buying something that isn't right for you. There's no such thing as stopping power, and a 9mm is just as good as 40 and 45. Bill's Gun Shop actually has some used guns for really decent prices, but their new items are pretty marked up and their sales staff is REALLY pushy.

Once you've read up on the gun you're interested in, shop around and see where you can get it for a good price. Don't be afraid of used guns, either. Most modern, quality guns are built like brick sht houses and can last multiple lifetimes.

You want to start out with 22 and/or 9mm. Do not start out with 40 or 45. Besides the higher ammunition costs, 40 and 45 are bad for beginners because the harsher recoil can cause you to develop terrible shooting habits. You probably want a Glock 17 or 19, even if you don't know it yet. They're really fantastic, if ugly, pistols. Some others good ones to look at are the CZ 75, Smith and Wesson M&P, Springfield XD or XDm, Walther P99 or PPQ, Sig P226, P228 or P229, Steyr M9A1, Beretta 92FS / Beretta M9, and bunches of others that I can't recall off the top of my head.

Stay away from anything by Hi Point, Taurus and Kel Tec. DO NOT BUY A TAURUS JUDGE, no matter what the shop keeper tells you about it being the ultimate defense gun. It's not. It's not a viable self defense pistol. .410 is expensive and totally inadequate for self defense and if you want to shoot .45 Long Colt out of it, there are far better revolvers that are chambered for .45 Long Colt.

[CarRacer]

Don't forget to get the ball rolling on your permit to purchase paperwork too.

[Pezhead]

Welcome toto the forum. Don't rule out the. 38/.357 revolver. .22's are always nice.

[Snowgun]

Ellis did a pretty good job running it down.

The reason for the 22 not being a good self defense round is primarily because it is so unreliable, secondarily because it has to go in exactly the right place for it to be effective at disabling an attacker.

With your concern for ammo prices, I would lean toward a 9mm. There are plenty of very fun and well built guns in this caliber. If you are serious in considering having only one gun as a shooter and a carry, consider that guns that are thin and light make for much more comfortable carry firearms...however they won't be as easy to shoot, so there is a trade off. Try out many guns and do research before buying, and if it is going to be a carry, think about whether a particular gun is going to be a PITA to have on your hip in the summer, etc. The first step to carry self defense is actually having the gun on you.

[rugersol]

the new Ruger .22 might be a good gun ... but a used MKII is one of the best ever made ... and usually not much over $200.

I'll also suggest one of the Taurus .327's CDNN has on sale fer barely over $200 ... Midway's got .32 S&W wadcutters fer $17/50 ... ya could shoot em in any .327 revolver, and they'd recoil like .22's ... lotta gun fer the money ... lotta versatility ... fun, too.

[JohnC]

S&W 642.

[samginko]

Ruger 10/22, best 22 rifle ever made. But, for multipurpose firearm I would recommend a pump shotgun. Smooth bores with a choke, you can shoot slugs, trap loads for home defense, #4s for Zombies, ect. As for pistol, you need to shoot some more variety of handguns. Full frame 9mm, and full size 1911s shoot very well with comfortable recoil.

[TomS]

Thank you for all the responses, good information here.

I Work a few miles from bills in Circle Pines so I plan to rent and try out a number of guns before buying.

Bills does not have the new Ruger SR22 on there rental list. Would shooting something like a Wather p22 be similar to the Ruger SR22?

The 9mm recommendation comes up a lot which I have considered. What is the cost difference for practice ammo for 9mm compared to .22?

[Snowgun]

Thank you for all the responses, good information here.

I Work a few miles from bills in Circle Pines so I plan to rent and try out a number of guns before buying.

Bills does not have the new Ruger SR22 on there rental list. Would shooting something like a Wather p22 be similar to the Ruger SR22?

The 9mm recommendation comes up a lot which I have considered. What is the cost difference for practice ammo for 9mm compared to .22?

I like the p22 a lot, it's a very fun little gun. You have to be vigilant in cleaning it though to keep it running reliably (true in every .22). The Rugar would be very similar, so it would come down to preference on ergonomics and price.

You can buy 9mm target ammo for about $10 a box of 50 if you hunt for it at walmart or order it on the internet. Usually it will average $12-13 if you just pick up a random box somewhere, and can be as high as $20 if you purchase the ammo at the range (like buying beer in the ballpark, captured audience).

.22 can be found for cheap, but there is pretty extreme quality difference and you will notice the performance issues in your gun (where almost all 9mm will work pretty much the same). Quality ammo like CCI can go for about $5-7 a box of 100, and .22 can be purchased real cheap if you buy in bulk (like 5000 rounds)

A website like http://gun-deals.com/ammo is great for finding rock bottom ammo prices on the internet.

Last thing on ammo: very cheap ammo (say 9mm) can have aluminum or steel cases instead of brass. This will make no difference in your gun (no matter what you read on the internet), with the exception of being a little more dirty. However some indoor ranges (like bills) don't allow aluminum cased ammunition, because they can't separate it from the brass when they go to scrap. Outdoor ranges, and Burnsville are fine with aluminum. Just wanted you to know in case you buy a ton of aluminum blazer ammo and expect to shoot it at bills.

[ranger]

+1 regarding Snowgun's comments, he pretty much said it all already!

Shooting the Ruger SR22 and a Walther P22 should be a good comparison, size, weight, recoil and ergonomics. The main difference would be the location of the mag release and probably a slightly different trigger pull.

Regarding ammo, 9mm 115gr practice ammo runs about $11.00 per 50, whereas good quality .22LR (CCI Mini-Mag) sells for around $6.79 per 100, although the cheaper bulk .22 LR can be had for around $19.00 for 525/550 rounds….prices vary by retailer of course. Fleet Farm has decent ammo prices as does Wallyworld if you wish to purchase locally.

BTW, regarding the Ruger SR22, I’ve had mine nearly two months now and she has digested every brand of ammo I’ve fed her and is very fun to shoot. I've heard the Walther can be ammo fussy....can't speak from personal experience though!

[TomS]

BTW, regarding the Ruger SR22, I’ve had mine nearly two months now and she has digested every brand of ammo I’ve fed her and is very fun to shoot. I've heard the Walther can be ammo fussy....can't speak from personal experience though!

Thanks for the comments on the SR22. I wanted to shoot the Walther as something that would be similar to the SR22. I am interested in the SR22 because of the reports I have seen saying it handles a wide variety of ammo very well.

What are your thoughts on the recoil, accuracy and handling of the gun?

[2in2out]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMKrvyM90Us

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWNRG7xBPPk


I thought I had a link to another good review of the SR22 pistol, but (of course) I can't find it now.

This is actually pretty high on my wish list. I'd rather people find something they enjoy to shoot, shoot a lot, and then buy a personal defense gun. I love plinking and target shooting, so a .22 is perfect for me. My bigger guns usually go with me to the range, but I put most of the rounds through the .22's.

I guess, if you only want one gun, then the best choice is probably a 9mm. But, it's like learning to fly - much easier to learn in a 152 or 172 than a P-51 Mustang. It can be done, but you're no better off (in my opinion). What I told my wife about buying her first gun is, don't worry if you don't want to keep it - you can sell or trade when you're ready to upgrade. So, get the one you want to shoot and see what happens.

Edit: Not to beat this horse to death, but I found the video review I was looking for. This is worth watching, for anyone interested in the SR22 Pistol:
Part 1.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjG2DNFRV9M
Part 2.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FByqXBMuoM8

[plink]

I'd go 9mm. It's not an overwhelming round for a new shooter but will do the protection job, AND it's the cheapest of the major calibers so hopefully that will allow/entice you to practice more. Buy lots of crap ammo to practice with and a box of the nice high grade stuff for when "company" comes over. Just run a little high grade rounds at the range first to make sure how it works in your gun.

Cheap 9mm will run roughly 5x the cost of cheap .22.
Conclusion: Buy a .22 for marksmanship training. (Marlin 795 rifle runs around $125ish) Cheap hobby and it gets your gun basics down.

[Guerrilla1979]

I would also go with 9mm. For those who say not to use a .22 for defense, read this: http://www.tactical-life.com/online/tac ... ad-22-lrs/

If I was in a life or death situation, and I needed help defending my family and my choice was either:

Someone who fired 500 rounds of .22 a month and only had a .22 to help with defense or

someone who had a 9mm and only fired a few hundred rounds a year, I would most definately pick the one with the .22.

A .22 is not ideal, but with high quality ammo and extreme proficency it's not a bad choice.