I've been shooting quite a bit of pistol lately and my kids have shown a real interest in going with me. I'm not sure what the appropriate firearm would be to get them going, I have an 8 year old girl and 10 year old son and have a feeling it might be more for my daughter. I'm more of a Glock guy and don't really know what to start her off with, any good advise on possibly a .22 or.....?
Sidearms & Scatterguns Pistol For Kids
- Thread starter Racerngr1
- Start date
Browning Buck Mark is always a comfortable shooting experience.
But if you want to be a little budget friendly than you can purchase a Ruger Mark Lite.
But if you want to be a little budget friendly than you can purchase a Ruger Mark Lite.
Want to start them with a revolver or semi? I think there’s a lot less frustration for them starting out with a revolver because you never have jams so you don’t have to step in as often. Ruger Wranglers are awesome! It’s probably half the weight of my single six and perfectly capable of shooting cans off the fence.
Semi autos there’s a lot of good ones out there. They will all suffer some reliability issues because of the ammo but some fail a lot more than others. I probably would stick with quality semi autos not go the cheap routes. M&P or 41, Colt woodsman, Ruger MK XYZsstaying away from Walther etc.
Just mu $2/100.
Semi autos there’s a lot of good ones out there. They will all suffer some reliability issues because of the ammo but some fail a lot more than others. I probably would stick with quality semi autos not go the cheap routes. M&P or 41, Colt woodsman, Ruger MK XYZsstaying away from Walther etc.
Just mu $2/100.
My personal recommendation is the S&W M&P 22 Compact. My daughter really enjoys shooting it and it's a great trainer for other compact pistols as it's full feature and about the same size as their other compacts. Plus fun to shoot! They can be found on sale occasionally and definitely worth picking up IMO.
They're still young, so weight might be a consideration.
I'd recommend the Ruger 22/45 Lite Mark 4. Very comfortable to hold and easy to maintain. They also have a "cool" factor with the skeletonized frame and color options.
I got the 22/45 Target (heavier with longer barrel) for my teenage daughter to use for Steel Challenge, etc and it's a really solid pistol.
I'd recommend the Ruger 22/45 Lite Mark 4. Very comfortable to hold and easy to maintain. They also have a "cool" factor with the skeletonized frame and color options.
I got the 22/45 Target (heavier with longer barrel) for my teenage daughter to use for Steel Challenge, etc and it's a really solid pistol.
I can tell you what not to buy - a Walther P22. That is what my son started out with and let's just say he became really proficient at clearing jams. Then again, now he has a Sig P320 Legion and out shoots me at USPSA matches....
Thank you for the feedback, defiantly some firearms I’ll have to look into.
The G44 (22lr) is a fine trainer but not good for small hands.
I would recommend the M&P 22 compact or a small frame revolver.
I would recommend the M&P 22 compact or a small frame revolver.
First, enjoy and encourage their interest. In this day it's hard to compete against all the video games. From my perspective, I lean toward recommending a .22 double action pistol, even a single action for added safety. You can coach your kids on the safety of checking the hammer and there is much less of a chance of the gun firing problems. In short, much safer, easy maintenance, simple loading, and just a lot of fun to shoot and carry. I had a
Western style Ruger six shot back in the day. I put thousands of rounds through that pistol with no issues, and finally the ammo is pretty cheap. Good luck, my friend!
Western style Ruger six shot back in the day. I put thousands of rounds through that pistol with no issues, and finally the ammo is pretty cheap. Good luck, my friend!
I had a Ruger Bearcat when I was about 10-12, sixty years ago now. What a great little pistol! I wish I still had it.
Or Ruger Redhawk. +P+ rated.
All kidding aside. I started each and every kid with my 357 with the 6inch barrel. I always made sure they were shooting 38spl wadcutters. I told them that if they can shoot this, everything else would be easy to shoot. It took the fright away.
They spent a half on box of those 38spl and then we went to 22lr and 9mm. Many times they wanted to shoot the 357 revolver, so I knew the trick worked for them. Not all kids are the same, but I'm just telling you what work for my kids. The 2 oldest boys were shooting my 629 by the time they were 7, with 44spl rounds. By the time they were 10, they were shooting 44mag.
I really do recommend starting any kid out with a revolver. If for nothing else, just for safety.
Grip size is the most important factor for small hands.
My dad started me on a Browning Buckmark when I was 8 or 9. Great little pistol, but the thick wood grips were just too large for my kid hands. This made it too unwieldy for me to shoot it well, so I always felt discouraged. An older gentleman at our range let me shoot his S&W model 41 every Saturday after the falling plate matches. It had a slimmer, more ergonomic grip and I could shoot it almost as good as the grown-ups in no time. The ability to get a comfortable controlling grip on a handgun is the deciding factor for any hand size -how much more so for a beginner.
My dad started me on a Browning Buckmark when I was 8 or 9. Great little pistol, but the thick wood grips were just too large for my kid hands. This made it too unwieldy for me to shoot it well, so I always felt discouraged. An older gentleman at our range let me shoot his S&W model 41 every Saturday after the falling plate matches. It had a slimmer, more ergonomic grip and I could shoot it almost as good as the grown-ups in no time. The ability to get a comfortable controlling grip on a handgun is the deciding factor for any hand size -how much more so for a beginner.
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They’re pretty inexpensive to get one started.
love my 22lr they are fun easy to handle and cheap to operate another is a 357 using 38sp ammo the weight of the 357 pistol makes the 38 extremely easy to handle and while suppervised either could be a great learning tool and a good way to spend time with a child that will grow up way too fast and be gone before you know it . good luck and hope you have a great time while you can .
I was really impressed with the Browning 1911 .22, it would be a great gun for a kid to learn on
I have questions????
Do they kids already shoot BB guns?
Do they already shoot 22 rifles?
one can only learn so fast... newer shooters need to be able to have fun and success...
It's similar to riding a motorcycle- have you ridden a bike and know how to balance AND have you driven a stick and know how to shift...
I love a 4" bull barrel 22 as a training pistol... any of the modern 22's will work just fine if they are full sized...
Once they are comfortable with a 22, when stepping up to a major caliber, my suggestion is
dry fire a few times
once comfortable
load 1 and let them shoot one... if they are ok- move forward...
If not load one again and repeat until comfortable..
Do they kids already shoot BB guns?
Do they already shoot 22 rifles?
one can only learn so fast... newer shooters need to be able to have fun and success...
It's similar to riding a motorcycle- have you ridden a bike and know how to balance AND have you driven a stick and know how to shift...
I love a 4" bull barrel 22 as a training pistol... any of the modern 22's will work just fine if they are full sized...
Once they are comfortable with a 22, when stepping up to a major caliber, my suggestion is
dry fire a few times
once comfortable
load 1 and let them shoot one... if they are ok- move forward...
If not load one again and repeat until comfortable..
