Well, i'm sure you'll get alot of good advice, this site is great and the members are helpful and knowleadgeable. Of course the .22 is the all time starter caliber for new shooters, and from there it gets interesting. I'd go with 9mm in a fullsize to no lesser than a compact model. My reasoning is the smaller caliber pistols lets say .32, 380, generally come in small framed handguns and are gonna snap and bark as much as a fullsize 9mm pistol in my experience and I really can't advise starting a new shooter off with a small pistol. You will have many good suggestions but I can only suggest what I have experience with and think appropriate. I believe the larger 380's may be an option such as Bersa or Beretta 84. Although as suggested, a full size 9mm will be not much more to handle, and ammo is cheaper. I've heard good reviews from smaller women with S&W M&P compact which is very ergonomical for smaller hands and shoots relatively soft. However, a good DA/SA like a Beretta PX4 Storm fullsize and compact have numerous safety feautures to consider for the new shooter and are a breeze to breakdown and clean, which would be my first suggestion, and are the only two I own and have experience with. You'll get plenty of other great suggestions I'm sure. Good shooting!

Any full-size, all-steel handgun in 9mm or .45 ACP would be appropriate for a 13-year-old, assuming access to very-high-quality, professional instruction.

However, your best bet would more likely be a Ruger .22 rimfire semi-auto. If you can find a clean, gently-used one, it would also be comparatively inexpensive.
The only bad thing about them is that they are extremely difficult to take apart. But the good part is that, using modern, decent-quality ammunition, you do not have to take it apart for cleaning, at least not very often.
The Ruger semi-auto .22 is reliable, easy to handle, and easy to shoot.
Bonus: Your nine-year-old can handle this gun too.

I agree with steve about the Ruger, a nice mark II, although break down and cleaning are easy when you learn the trick to it. For a major caliber i wiould look to a wheel gun to start with, maybe a S&W M 19 so that you can shoot .38 or.357 mag and ammo is cheap for .38 also.
Just my thoughts
JT

+1 on the .22.....might take a look at S&W's new M&P .22 as well as Ruger

Get a Ruger 10/.22 Rifle and a Ruger MK-III pistol. Start them both out with safty courses at a range. If they have .22 leagues there get them involved. You may want to buy two MK-III's and you could get in a Bullseye league too. You will meet a lot of good people and the boys will make many new friends. Good luck.

Like as already been said, a .22 handgun is a great tool. Of the five foundational items for effecive handgun shooting, recoil control is the only thing you cannot learn with a .22 or even a quality pellet pistol. If you reload, most any centerfire pistol will fill the nitch for bigger bore pistols. If you have to buy ammo, 9mm is the cheapest, generally meaning you can shoot more. As already mentioned, a full sized pistol is the easiest to learn recoil control. In my part time job at a gun shop/range, unless a persons hand is WAY too small, I generally take them to a Beretta 92 FS 9mm as a next step. It has both single and double action, a manual safety and is very smooth on the recoil. The S&W 5906 is another pistol that I often use. Since Glocks really do not have any safety, and does not have any other modes of operation, I generally do not use those when I instruct.

22 revolver is a solid choice.

full sized 9mm would be a solid choice. I would suggest an all steel 1911 frame in 9mm as a beginner's pistol because there are plenty of safety features on a 1911 to ensure that a new shooter doesn't make a mistake. also with the 1911 it has a single action trigger which will help you to learn trigger control.

I would steer away from da/sa trigger systems because there are two forms of trigger control to master.

If a 1911 isn't in the cards for you Ruger's sr9c or sr9 are great guns, I also really like the look and feel of Smith & Wesson's M&P9.

Originally Posted by NCarrell40

Hey guys,

So I would really like to buy a handgun or two for the purpose of hobby shooting with my sons (9 & 13 years old). I hunt and own a couple hunting rifles but have little experience with hand guns. I have only ever fired a few hand guns in my life so have little experience with all the various makes, models, ammo options etc. Before I ask for advice I guess I will outline the line of thinking I am using and then you guys can hopefully correct that if need be and offer your own suggestions. This is mostly for me and my 13 year old, I think I will start my 9 year old off with a .22 revolver. This is mainly for recreational shooting but possibly may lead to more competitive type shooting as my sons have a lot of interest in that. But this gun would be primarily for recreation.

For my 13 year old and I:

I think I would prefer something in a smaller caliber that is easy to manipulate, break down, clean etc. I want to teach my sons how to responsibly own firearms, not just how to shoot so maintenance, cleaning etc. will be part of that. I don't want my son to be intimidated by a larger caliber pistol. I want him to feel in control and not scared of pulling the trigger. Semi-automatic is preferred.

I want something that can fire common ammunition that is plentiful and cheap. I don't want ammo availability/price to be a deterrent to getting out and shooting.

So, what sort of suggestions can you guys offer? This will hopefully just be the first of many firearms we buy and shoot together as I would love for this to be an activity I can share with my kids for life. I just want to start my collection off with a good all around gun that anyone could have fun shooting. Thanks guys.

Well, personally, if you really do not intend on using it for a serious self-defense situation, then I would go with a Ruger Mk III. It is a .22 LR chambered handgun that is pretty accurate and easy to maintain. It will last you your lifetime, and your son's. I would recommend a Glock 19 for something that could be used as a self-defense tool as well. The 9mm is fairly cheap to shoot and the Glock will last you for years. (It is really easy to clean as well). JMHO.

For a 22lr I would go with a semi auto like Bersa, good little firearm for the money and they also make some nice and inexpensive larger caliber handguns. I myself like Glocks in fullsize.
22lr is a fine caliber but unless you use the very best ammo it will give some problems in any firearm.
Just my opinion.

I cannot imagine a 13 yr old hands fitting a full size 9mm or 45.
Get a Ruger 22 because they are the most reliable.
Get on rivers web site to study their options - single action - double action sp101 or the lcr in 22 - and for SEMIAUTO
they have Mkiii or 22/45 or the sr22
Lots of choices

At 13, their hand will grow fast. I know my kids did.

Miko Andres (7) world's youngest practical shooter 6 years old - YouTube

7 year old shooting full size wilson combat in competition. there's videos of him doing it when he was six too. Just to combat the handgun size argument.


first firearm I ever fired was a .308 rifle when I was 5, and it knocked me on my ass, literally. The first time anyways. We learn from our mistakes. Proper instruction should prevent most mistakes to begin with.

I would go with the Ruger semi-auto pistol and get involved in some bullseye competition and then some .22 Steel Challenge. The steel challenge is done from a ready position and you do not draw the pistol so it's pretty safe. Being involved will put you in contact with other shooters who will help you and probably let you shoot their centerfire pistols and help you make a good decision. Just remember a pistol is very easy to point in an unsafe direction and your sons will need constant supervision. The Ruger Mark II or III is hard to clean but not too bad if you just strip the grips off of it then put it in a bath of cleaner like M-Pro and scrub it with a nylon brush.

My niece is 13 years old and handles a 92FS just fine and shoots very well, she also handles a 12 gauge shot gun with no problem. As far as DA/SA, I wouldn't worry about the DA pull at first just let them shoot in SA until they get confident shooting the pistol and become proficient and then move on to the DA if you wish. LeoM is a part time range instructor and trains kids of this age, so evidently he has experience and as such I'd take his opinion highly. Of course as it's the holy grail a new begginer should always begin and become proficient with a .22 caliber pistol before they move on to a heavier caliber pistol.

Thanks for all the advice guys. I really appreciate it.

We've decided on a .22 pistol to start things with some high volume shooting thanks to the ammo being so inexpensive. Through our research, we've basically narrowed it down to two guns. The Ruger sr22 and the Umarex Colt 1911 .22LR. I just love the 1911, always have as I love history and was very happy to find they make it in a .22 without having to use a conversion kit. I also think it would be good training for them because it's closer to the same size as regular center fire pistols without the recoil. We are still in the beginning stages of research so any feedback on these two guns would certainly be welcomed.

From there we will do more research for when we eventually add a 9mm and some fun rifles to our collection.

edit - The S&W M&P .22LR is also growing on me fast.

I will go along with the majority with the 22 just because of your background,and i dont mean that in a disrespectful way.I just think it would be safer for a while.My daughter is 15 and shoots my Sig P229 40 S&W,my Glock 26 9mm all the time with no problem .Actually she shoots the Sig better than i do.She wants to shoot the Desert Eagle 44 mag but i think thats a little much yet.Better to start light and work up.If nothing it gives you more of a reason to buy more guns

The Smith and Wesson 22A is a great little 22 as well.Its the one and only handgun i ever sold and wish to this day i didnt.I ask the guy everytime i see him if he wants to sell it back and he wont.Out of all the boxes i sent down the tube of it it never once jammed.

Do more research on the umarex and s&w 22's
You will find a lot of threads against them - just saying be cautious
I love the 1911 type 22s also but have not bought one due to several bad reports

Just get a Ruger first and then decide on a second 22 later after more research

consider a beretta u22 neos. I have one I shoot at local steel matches. inexpensive and very reliable, even with bulk ammo. just yesterday, I participated in a steel match. I fired about 140 rounds with no pistol malfunctions. I am teaching a lady friend who'd never shot a handgun before with this neos. the neos is less expensive than the comparable S&W, ruger and browning. I bought the 4" barreled one for $229 at an Academy Sporting Goods store. for optimum shooting performance, keep any semi-automatic firearm cleaned and lubricated...

Originally Posted by hideit

Do more research on the umarex and s&w 22's
You will find a lot of threads against them - just saying be cautious
I love the 1911 type 22s also but have not bought one due to several bad reports

Just get a Ruger first and then decide on a second 22 later after more research

I've looked for all the reviews I could find, official reviews and just different forums, and the only negatives I have come across about the Umarex .22 is that it's made by Umarex and people won't touch it because of that. Whether that's because they are an air soft manufacturer or because they have had bad experience with Umarex firearms in the past, I don't know. But from all the reviews and youtube videos and forum comments I could find from people that actually own it, they all say they love it and would recommend it to anyone. That it shoots whatever type of bulk ammo you want to throw at it with virtually no problems.

Of course, I will continue to research, and thanks to all that have suggested other options. I am researching them all. But right now we kind of have our heart set on the 1911. The way I look at it is, we may as well get a gun that we are in love with first. If it turns out to be a piece of junk, well...it won't be the only gun we buy and it will serve as a lesson learned.

edit - I'm really liking the S&W .22A as well. Thanks for the suggestion, Tazman. It has a great price tag as well. Would you recommend the 5" or 7"?

I had the 7" i believe.It was a while ago when i had it.I got mine the first year they came out with it.Back then i wasnt much on cleaning and just shooting,like i never once cleaned it and never had a problem.The only reason i sold it was because i was young and thought i needed the 175 bucks i sold it for.Ya ya,i was a idiot,lol.I do remember though it was awesome accurate and reliable.The longer the barrel the better it would shoot for sure.Good luck on your choice,All of your choices are good so get what you think you will like.Be warned,you are about to get the addiction of handguns,they are like eating chips,you cant stop with just one.

Originally Posted by Steve M1911A1

Any full-size, all-steel handgun in 9mm or .45 ACP would be appropriate for a 13-year-old, assuming access to very-high-quality, professional instruction.

However, your best bet would more likely be a Ruger .22 rimfire semi-auto. If you can find a clean, gently-used one, it would also be comparatively inexpensive.
The only bad thing about them is that they are extremely difficult to take apart. But the good part is that, using modern, decent-quality ammunition, you do not have to take it apart for cleaning, at least not very often.
The Ruger semi-auto .22 is reliable, easy to handle, and easy to shoot.
Bonus: Your nine-year-old can handle this gun too.

I was at the gun store the other day and saw a new one for $259.00. I don't know if that is a good price or not, but relatively cheap in any case.

Ruger makes a SP101 in .22 with a 4" barrel and a Hi-Viz front sight and an adjustable rear sight. It will cost about $230.00. The manual of arms is very simple; the sights are good and the sight radius is long enough for precise shooting. I have always felt that a revolver, with the simplified manual of arms, is the best bet for beginners (and old timers like me). They almost never have any feed or extraction issues like an automatic might. An identical version of this Ruger is available in .357/.38 at the same price.

The .22s make the most sense to me for the two kids. If each shot 50 rounds per session (100 total rounds) you would be talking about $2.00 to $4.00 in ammo. If you did the same with a low cost new-manufacture .38 it would cost about $27.00. In 9mm about $18.00.

And kids like to burn through a lot of ammo, so a brick of 500 rounds is about $30.00. So the .22 is not likely to break the bank. Light recoil too.

Hey guys,

I took the boys out yesterday to all the gun stores in town to see what they had in stock and to price check. Wouldn't ya know it, one of them had the Umarex Colt 1911 .22 LR for around $300. It was a bit of an impulse buy but I couldn't resist once I had it in my hands.

We braved near zero degree, blizzard conditions for about 4 hours today to go try it out. We drove up in the mountains, started a camp fire and had a great time cooking hot dogs, talking and shooting. Great day of shooting and the boys did an amazing job of listening to and following instructions using proper gun safety and technique (like I said, they have shot quite a few rifles and a few pistols so it wasn't their first time around firearms, just the first time of prolonged shooting with a pistol).

All in all we shot around 600 rounds through the new 1911. 400 CCI minmag round points, 100 CCI minmag hollow points and about 100 American Eagle Federal HV hollow points that I had laying around(I would have been very impressed if it shot these very well at all). The CCI ammo shot just fine with no problems whatsoever in 500 shots but we did have 3 failure to ejects with the American Eagle. the 1911 shot those American Eagle a heck of a lot better than our 10-22 rifle.

It was an absolutely amazing day with my sons and I look forward to many others. While we were shopping we also saw a few more guns we want including the Mark III, the 22A, the sr22 and and a u22 Neo. So we will be adding to our collection and getting a dueling tree soon. Thanks for the advice guys. This is a great forum.

that is awesome

i'm glad you picked the 22s
loads of fun and lots of shooting without spending a lot of money
i'm glad to hear the positive feedback on the Colt 22 Umarex