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Old October 17, 2013, 02:23 PM   #1
Para Bellum
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Handgun for boy to start with

Hi folks,

my 9year old boy would like to start shooting real guns. What would be your choice as first gun? A .22lr revolver maybe?

Have a good one,
PB
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Old October 17, 2013, 02:28 PM   #2
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A 22 revolver, yes, I think they're easier for younger shooters to manipulate.
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Old October 17, 2013, 02:45 PM   #3
zeke4351
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Handgun for boy to start with

My Grandson has been shooting my Sig Mosquito. It is very good for teaching him how to operate a semi auto and he can shoot it very good. He has also been shooting a AR in .22 also.
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Old October 17, 2013, 03:18 PM   #4
Caruser4
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Re: Handgun for boy to start with

.44 magnum










... Seriously though, a 22lr would be perfect. A cheap, single action six-shooter would work so he can learn revolvers early on and have no confusion when shooting larger calibers later on down the road ...plus, they can be had for fairly cheap
http://www.heritagemfg.com/site/department.cfm?id=50
I think I paid like $150 for mine. It's even made in the good ol' US of A

Last edited by Caruser4; October 17, 2013 at 03:24 PM.
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Old October 17, 2013, 03:38 PM   #5
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My honorary nephew began with my Ruger MkII at very young age (early on, Dad had hands on kid and gun.)

My most recent outing with that family included kids nine, seven, and five years old who thoroughly enjoyed themselves with the MkII, a S&W Model 63, and .22LR conversions on a 1911 and SIG P226. The Model 63 was a hit because of its size, a problem because the little guys could barely cock it, single action or double. The conversions proved too much a handful for the two younger boys and only just manageable by the eldest. The MkII became a crew served weapon as adults stuffed magazines for kids. Eight shooters blew through 1800+ rounds in about three and a half hours, well over half shot by the three youngsters and most of that through the MkII.

If you buy an autoloader and a thumbsaver exists for that magazine, buy two or three (be kind to that crew,) you will be glad to have them.

All of my experience with youngsters and handguns has seen the kids delight in revolvers, so long as no autoloaders were available. My young friends preferred struggling with the converted centerfires to the Model 63 (which was its own struggle.)

(FWIW, each preteen had at least one adult, often two or more, within arms reach whenever he had a gun in hand.)
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Old October 17, 2013, 04:01 PM   #6
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They first learn to walk and then, run !!

For a variety of reasons, I start my Grandsons on SA-22's. When I can tell they are fairly proficient with that, I step up to a DA .22 revolvers. Then I step up in caliber. Again, starting with SA's and then DA's. Then and only then do I move over to .22 pistols and pretty much repeat the process. Every once in awhile my oldest Grandson recounts those SA days and they do appreciate them. .....

One time at the range, my eight year old, commented to me that an adult, next to us, had his support hand to close to the front of the cylinder. ....

Be Safe !!!
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Old October 17, 2013, 04:36 PM   #7
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22lr revolver all the way,It will help in teaching trigger control,and no instant suprise double taps.
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Old October 17, 2013, 04:36 PM   #8
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When my son was 9, I bought him a new S&W 422. The aluminum frame made for a pistol he could handle, and handle it he did! He's just shy of 31 now, and still has that pistol.

The 422 is no longer made
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Old October 17, 2013, 04:37 PM   #9
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It depends on their hand strength and the size of their hands...( and it changes quickly ) ....and to some extent their desire to shoot..../ my young granddaughters are a little more intense and focused ....my young grandsons are a little more unfocused...especially in the 9 - 12 yr olds...???

I have 6 grandkids ranging from 10 - 17 ..../ and a couple over 21 ...but I start them on handguns when they are around 10, if they want to shoot....

I keep several guns around for them to shoot :

Browning Buckmark .22 semi-auto ( fits a lot of small hands, easy to load mags, easy to shoot )...I put a red dot sight on mine, and they like it...

1911 conversion kits ...in .22 ....so they can shoot a gun that is full sized..in a .22...(Kimber, Wilson, whatever...)

S&W model 18 .22 revolver...4" barrel...again, easy to shoot ( but revolvers have a long trigger pull ) so they don't like it at first.../ they like the semi-autos way more...
---------------
as they get into 9mm ...( I reload some lighter recoil rounds / toward the minimums of the reloading recipes - cuts down on recoil and noise ...which helps them learn better )...but then:

Sig 239 in a 9mm ( single stack, nice little gun )

Kimber Tactical Pro II model in 9mm, 4" barrel, alloy frame - nice light gun

10- 12 yr olds tend to like the shorter and lighter guns..they aren't nose heavy to them.
-----------
older teenagers can move up to revolvers in .38 spl / then .357 mag ....and a variety of 1911's in 9mm or .45 acp ..../ and maybe a Sig 226 in 9mm
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Old October 17, 2013, 04:52 PM   #10
factoryrat
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Take him to pick it out. I am glad that I took my son. The ones I thought would work proved too large for him to manipulate. We found 3 that he could work, a Bearcat revolver, SR22, and P-22. The owner of my LGS was very patient and accommodating. We had all 3 out and switched back and forth until he chose the SR-22. I was surprised that he really liked the Bearcat.
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Old October 17, 2013, 05:03 PM   #11
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Excellent advice, factoryrat. I did just that and my son chose a gun he could handle & shoot well
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Old October 17, 2013, 05:19 PM   #12
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I would recommend a single action revolver like Ruger single 6. Keeps good safe conditions while working on fundamentals. Would eventually transition to double action revolver.

Too many safety issues with a semi-auto and most sights are not great. Nothing against a nice semi IF you are willing to provide the close supervision. I am a fan of one shot at a time until the skill level comes up. I used to limit my son to a single shot shotgun when we started out. He would mostly keep the barrel in the right direction but excitement and youth make mistakes. Figured I was much less likely to get shot by a second round in the chamber.
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Old October 17, 2013, 05:28 PM   #13
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Another great point, colbad


I should've clarified my initial response regarding the S&W 422.

My son had been shooting a (Marlin 15y) single-shot rifle for some time. He had also done a lot of shooting with my handguns, including a Dan Wesson 22 revolver
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Old October 17, 2013, 05:54 PM   #14
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The single most popular handgun I have with the kiddoes has been a 6" Colt MkIII Trooper in .357 ...... fed with .38 Special target loads, recoil is almost nonexistent.

They generally still shoot it single action ..... when they were small, they did not have the hand strength to pull through DA.... even now that they are older and stronger, they still thumb it back.
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Old October 17, 2013, 06:37 PM   #15
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A single action is the only way to go . If you reload ,sweet, because calibre doesn't matter because you can make up some powder-puff loads. This is a double advantage situation because not only do you have range time but you also get reloading time spent with them.

This summer my grandson from Colorado was here for the summer and we loaded up some 45 colt and some 44 special loads for the 44 mag and 38spl for 347 use in the blackhawks. He loved it. All the boom/bang and not much recoil.

I'm sure he was bragging about the fact that he shot a 44 mag to his buddies . hee hee
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Old October 17, 2013, 07:00 PM   #16
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The good ol' Single Six sounds like the perfect tool for the job.
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Old October 17, 2013, 07:06 PM   #17
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A Ruger Bearcat might be a good option.

Get some snap caps and he can practice until you can find ammo.
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Old October 17, 2013, 08:28 PM   #18
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A 6-shot, single-action 22lr. "cowboy gun." Definitely.
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Old October 18, 2013, 12:07 AM   #19
b.thomas
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Back when I still had it nad this is ALONG time ago................my boys loved to shoot my Ruger single Six. Unfortunately, I once had a brain fart and sold it...............oh well I still have my S&W 617.
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Old October 18, 2013, 01:20 AM   #20
Bezoar
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age, size, strength. thats the big issues.

then do you want rimfire or centerfire or even blackpowder?


its way to easy to have a kid sit down, or anyone, and burn up 2-300 rounds of rimfire in a single hour. especially if your using a semi auto.
centerfire can be loaded down real easily. the 32 magnums very easy to download from what ive seen.

38 special and 357 the same way. Ive seen way to many youtube videos of 80 pound 10 year old girls shooting daddies blackhawk with cas ammo.
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Old October 18, 2013, 01:52 AM   #21
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A Ruger Single Six Convertable would be a great start. He could start with 22LR then later use 22 Magnums later. The model that has the 5 1/2" barrel and stainless steel is what I've been looking at for a while.
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Old October 18, 2013, 04:35 AM   #22
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A Browning Buckmark or a Ruger Single Six in .22LR. Either would be excellent learning pistols. they are not too expensive and both are very reliable. I taught my son to shoot a pistol with the Browning Buckmark. He really enjoyed it. He now owns a Walther P38. While he prefers the 9mm he still likes to grab the Buckmark for a day at the range. JMHO
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Old October 18, 2013, 05:25 AM   #23
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Unless he has had some experience with basic marksmanship, and firearms handling, at least a BB gun, it is usually better to start off a youngster with a rifle.

But, otherwise, for his first pistol, see if you can find a good used Ruger Mark I, or Mark II. That is a pistol that he can use now, and will still be a good gun to own and shoot when he gets older and even into his adult years.
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Old October 18, 2013, 05:29 AM   #24
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Ruger MK II, or Browning Buckmark would be great. I'd lean towards a semi-auto as that is what he will probably be using for SD as he gets older. Nothing wrong with revolvers, but it would be better to get him use to the operation of what he will eventually graduate to in the future.
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Old October 18, 2013, 05:32 AM   #25
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If you want to get him a revolver, be sure to check out the Heritage Arms Rough Rider. This is a very affordable revolver that is reliable and easy to shoot. You can get one with cylinders for both 22LR (shorts & longs) and 22 Magnum. Additionally, he can start shooting with quiet rounds and work his way up to something louder and cooler.

http://grabagun.com/heritage-mfg-inc...r-4-75-bl.html

It's a fun gun to shoot for big kids like me, too!
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