Hello, I had wanted to shoot a pistol for a long time, so when I got to go to the range last week, I got to shoot a Browning .22 Buck Mark. The guy at the range said that that would be a good choice to shoot because the recoil wasn't to bad. Well, I liked it and decided that I wanted to shoot another pistol. I am wondering what caliber I should move up to next. I thought maybe a .38 but I do not know very much about pistols, so your help would be much appreciated.

Hi there Mike. .38 Special is a good cartridge. Get good (real used to) with the .22 before moving on.

May I suggest that you scroll over to the section called General Discussions under the main section called Hot Topics. Member named "Boughtwaprice" posted a thread called "Can we talk about Revolvers". I went into some detail on a couple of posts to her. You might find it helpful.

Welcome to the uniquely American joy of the Second Amendment to the Bill of Rights.

Hope you learn well, shoot well, and introduce others!

quote:

Originally posted by swremwin:
Hi there Mike. .38 Special is a good cartridge. Get good (real used to) with the .22 before moving on.

May I suggest that you scroll over to the section called General Discussions under the main section called Hot Topics. Member named "Boughtwaprice" posted a thread called "Can we talk about Revolvers". I went into some detail on a couple of posts to her. You might find it helpful.

Thanks for the help, I learned a lot about revolvers from the topic. But basically what I'm getting is that I should stay with the .22 until i get real good, and then go to a .38 revolver. That sounds pretty good but I have another question. Would it be best for a new pistoleer like me to shoot a revolver or a pistol(you know what i mean)? Or does it make any difference at all?

Unless you are going to practice, practice, practice with a pistol, stick with a revolver.

At 2am, you hear a noise and reach into the night stand.....

Pistol:
1. Is the magazine in or out?
1.1. Where is the magazine?
2. Is there a round in the chamber?
3. Is the safety on or off?
4. Where is the safety?
5.What if it doesn't go bang?
6. What if it goes bang, but doesn't go bang again, when you want/need it to?

Revolver:
1. BANG!!!
2. If it doesn't go BANG!!, pull the trigger again.

If you're worried about safety, get a small padlock and put it through the trigger guard, behind the trigger. Keep the key somewhere a child can't reach or won't find it. A friend keeps his on a nail behind the headboard of the bed.

Now, before anyone thinks I'm pistol. I keep a cocked and locked Paraordnance P-14 in the nightstand. I've also carried pistols for over 30 years, including daily as a Cop. But, if you're not going to use a pistol until handling it becomes second nature, stick with a revolver.

Gumby:---Good post... It's almost exactly what I posted near 2 1/2,3 years ago here when member "boughtwaprice" had a similar question.

Mike---What Gumby said! I have shot and owned semi-auto's and revolvers. I've seen/heard people at the gun clubs/ranges. Sure seems to me (same reason that the U.S. military put a 3-round burst device on the M-16,instead of the former full-auto position) that many folks just start pulling the trigger until the magazine is empty...in hopes that much flying lead will hit something. Wrongo!

Aim-squeeze the trigger-check the target. Get good. Know the weapon/ammo and the target. Then someday maybe you can shoot fast, but accuracy is more important than speed.

If you do get the urge to get a semi-auto pistol, then do get a .22 cal---ammo is affordable. Hey-Be sure (you and Kenny) that you Google the NRA and get some of their reading material aimed at young shooters like yourself.

I strongly recommend you buy a good quality air pistol. The main reason is the fact that the gun makes almost no sound, has zero recoil and you can shoot it at home safely.

In order to become a good shot, you have to learn trigger control, follow-through and how to call your shots. What you need to see in order to learn those skills is usually lost in the noise and gun movement of a centerfire pistol. A .22 is much better, but an air pistol makes it enormously easier. Pellets are so cheap they might as well be free. You don’t have to go to the range to get in a little trigger time. You can make a backstop out of a cardboard box and some newspapers.

The Daisy 717 is a good example of what I’m talking about.

http://www.airgunsbbguns.com/Daisy_717_Powerline_Single...etition_p/day717.htm

The 717 is very accurate and doesn’t require Co2 cartridges. I’ve had mine since the late ‘70s and have worn out several sets of seals with untold tens of thousands of shots. Daisy will rebuild one of these guns for about $20. About 15 years ago, they replaced the whole gun. I’d shot it until it wouldn’t stay cocked anymore. As I recall, they charged me $18 and paid for return shipping.

Outstanding customer support.

John
Cape Canaveral

Hi again, i shot another .22 pistol at the range again,and i have been given approval to choose and pistol i would like to shoot next time we go. So, maybe a .38? Or should i go with a .22 a couple more times before i go up. i know what swermin said, but i only get to go to the range about once a month, which means that it would be a couple of monthes before i got to shoot a larger caliber.
i mean it doesnt really matter if i go to a larger caliber, but it might be a little more fun?

Go ahead and shoot the .38. It's not going to hurt you. The same goes for a .45 auto.

I'd stay away from full-power magnum loads in .357 - .44 Mag guns. They can be a bit too much for a beginner, both in recoil and noise.

Speaking of noise, using ear plugs under your muffs will reduce apparent recoil. A lot of the "shock and awe" of pistol shooting comes from the muzzle blast, especially on an indoor range. Most plugs just don't do the trick. Muffs are much better, but a majority of shooting glasses have thick plastic temples that break the seal of the muffs. If you use glasses with thin wire frames along with your plug & muff combo you'll enjoy pistol shooting more and will be able to go much longer before your first pair of hearing aids.

Yup, try the .38. Pistols are just much louder because of the nature of short barrels. You'll get the hang of the shooting sports. In spare time, check out ballistics charts of various calibers. You'll get an idea of kinetic energy and velocity, and why the big calibers would kick(recoil) harder. Not trying to confuse you, but shooting and calibers can spin a newbie's head. For instance, in addition to the .38, there's .38+p+, meaning that it's a hot load. But no worries, most indoor ranges only load and sell plain .38s. Most range employees will take the time to answer your questions.

Hi there, also knowing that I have never shot a pistol, I figured id ask the guys who have. If I did shoot a .38, 9mm, .45 ACP, etc. would the recoil be manageable enough for me? As in if I were to pick up a bigger caliber pistol and shoot it, would it kick really hard (as in break your wrists type of thing)? just wondering.
Thanks!
Kenny

Nope, won't break your wrists. Of those three, the .45 will have more muzzle climb. In real life, gunfire are very LOUD. My pet peeve is that on TV and in movies, gunfire aren't realistic. There would be a great gunfight and afterwards, the survivors' hearing are perfect and they speak/act in a normal fashion. But I've got to say that the new Rambo movie did a good job on that.

Leatherneck, the only way you can actually be injured firing by a handgun is if you do something like wrapping your left thumb around the rear of an auto-pistol's slide.
When the slide comes back it will hurt you.
Really.

I've been shooting .44s and .45s for nearly 40 years. I've fired some handguns that caused pain, but not injury. Full power .357 and .44 mag ammo may be painful if you're not used to it. It feels like you've hit a hard fastball with a cracked bat.
Normal, non-magnum ammo in revolvers and any reasonable 9mm to .45 Auto loads won't be a problem.

People have different reactions to recoil. When I was a firearms instructor, I saw plenty of 240 lb soldiers who were afraid of the .45 auto and couldn't shoot it well. My 90 lb ballerina daughter loved shooting my lightweight .45 auto with full loads. She wasn't interested in the .22 because it didn't have any recoil and didn't make much noise. She wanted some action!!

Give it a try. Just don't get any part of your body behind the slide if you're shooting an automatic!!

Thanks for the help, I think i am going to shoot a Glock 17 next time I go to the range, is there anything I should know about it before I shoot it?

Dry-fire it several times to get the feel of the trigger.

Ease into it. If you are on a budget, you might want to stick with the .22 for a while. You can hone your new-learned skills and practice more with it.

As a law enforcement firearms instructor, and street cop, and 20+ year mil vet, I can offer only some advice. If you have not already, get some good, reputable, solid instruction. RELIGIOUSLY adhere to the 4 basic firearms safety rules.
1. Treat all guns as if they are loaded.

2. Keep your finger outside of the trigger guard until your sights are on target and you are ready to shoot.

3. Never point the muzzle of the weapon at anything you are not willing to shoot.

4. Be sure of your target, and the backstop behind it.

PLEASE follow these rules, and you will never harm yourself or anyone else.

As far as marksmanship, without going too deep, 2 things. Focus on the front sight. Steady, even direct pressure on the trigger. Basically, we remember this by the internal mantra, "Front sight, Press". The 2 most common mistakes and causes of poor marksmanship, especially in new shooters, is not focusing on the front sight and jerking the trigger. If your hits are scattered around the target, you are most likely loking at the target instead of the front sight. If you have rounds hitting low, you are jerking the trigger.

Have fun, and be safe.

I don't know if ranges encourage you to dry fire their guns. Always ask.

Glock safety is your trigger finger. Like all firearms, finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire (like Gene said).

Start with a 44 mag, after you get use to that u can shoot anything. Thats how i did it, lol

Oh, I almost forgot. Unless you are shooting the Indestructible-Foolproof-Man-Stopper-Knock-Down-Power-of-Godzilla's-left-hook Colt 1911 .45 ACP (insert heavenly humming here), you are WRONG!!!!! (Just kidding, it's a joke, guys, just a joke....)

9mm is better. Especially FMJ....

No worries, Gene. My Springfield 1911 is my favorite.