22 vs 9mm pistol to learn on

[SIGP2101]

Why is important to start with .22? There is no recoil and that brings you few advantages and benefits. There is so much to learn.
Learning curb is much shorter because you are more focused on proper trigger technique, proper breathing technique, proper timing technique, proper posture technique, and proper sight-aim technique, you can develop your own rhythm of shooting not being distracted by recoil and anticipating it which could cause development of incurable flinch. Once you master above mentioned you move up and you wont even notice recoil regardless of what you shooting. You will actually want that recoil so bad because you will be sick and tired of .22 so much but you will have proper technique by then.

 

[heavenIsAlie]

i was planning on a 1911 as a pistol, i like the feel of the full steel pistols more than the polymer, altho i really liked shooting the p226.

i guess it comes down to where i want to spend my money learning. and its either going to be more for the 22 pistol and then the bigger pistol or more for ammo and the bigger pistol. 22 conversion kits sound like a good idea, at lest then im learning on the pistol i plan on shooting the bigger round through.

 

[Whyveear]

Why is important to start with .22? There is no recoil and that brings you few advantages and benefits. There is so much to learn.
Learning curb is much shorter because you are more focused on proper trigger technique, proper breathing technique, proper timing technique, proper posture technique, and proper sight-aim technique, you can develop your own rhythm of shooting not being distracted by recoil and anticipating it which could cause development of incurable flinch. Once you master above mentioned you move up and you wont even notice recoil regardless of what you shooting. You will actually want that recoil so bad because you will be sick and tired of .22 so much but you will have proper technique by then.

Good answer!

im not sure if you mean new to shooting in general or new to shooting pistols but i have been shooting rifles for alot of years.

I was referring to pistols. It's a different ballgame.

 

[muh-muh-muh-mauser]

hmm, perhaps I should have bought a .22 as my first pistol instead of a Tokarev...ill probably end up as a flinch-o-matic

 

[Whyveear]

I you are experienced with handguns and have had opportunity to train others you know as well as I do that flinching is common with new pistol shooters. That's why we dry-fire, and use snap caps during live fire. This is nothing new.

 

[hd78glide]

I had the opportunity to shoot three guns several weeks ago. This was my first time shooting any kind of firearm, never mind a handgun.

Walther P22
S&W .357 mag
Glock (not sure of model) 9mm I think.

I didn't find the P22 as the easiest to shoot, in fact I did the worst with that one. I did the best with the .357, scored 97 with 10 shots. Didn't miss the target with any of them. I like the .357 the best, the glock was a close second.

Just 2 cents from a newbie...

 

[sixty9santa]

Why start with a .22?
Some people are very very flinch sensitive.

If you aren't, by all means start off with a 44mag wheelgun.

 

[heavenIsAlie]

right now im leaning towards purchasing a 1911 in 9mm or .40 and getting a 22 conversion kit for it.

lets me practice with cheaper ammo and with the same gun im going to be shooting in bigger ammo (for hand positions and other things). only problem is the kit, does anyone make a really good one?

 

[t-star]

hmm, perhaps I should have bought a .22 as my first pistol instead of a Tokarev...ill probably end up as a flinch-o-matic

nothing wrong with the tok esp in 9mm , but the trigger is a little hard- as far as the recoil goes , it's still a push instead of a snap, or so i've found- the frame is big enough to absorb a lot of it- it's when you get into small framed 9s with 147 grain slugs moving out that she begins to snap/bounce- my first 22 was a beretta 948, which for those of you who don't know is a 10 round 22 with a 3 inch barrel and roughly the size of the 9mm short 1934 model-the trigger is terrible, sights are poor,and she don't always go bang- fussy ammo wise- if you can shoot this thing , anything else is no problem- it's just that "training" takes a lot of ammo and 22 is cheap

 

[scotty]

right now im leaning towards purchasing a 1911 in 9mm or .40 and getting a 22 conversion kit for it.

lets me practice with cheaper ammo and with the same gun im going to be shooting in bigger ammo (for hand positions and other things). only problem is the kit, does anyone make a really good one?

Kimber makes a nice .22 LR conversion kit.

 

[SandRoad]

A 22 is also great to go back to if you notice that something is starting to go wrong with your accuracy. As mentioned above, it is much easier to isolate a problem with a 22 than with a 9mm or larger.

There are some 22's that are more fun to shoot than others. I enjoy shooting 22's and usually bring along a couple, especially when my kids join me at the range. It would get really expensive if we went through 500 to 700 rounds of only centrefire per outing.

I do reload 9mm, and the main reason is that the loads are reduced a bit. We find it really comfortable to shoot these reduced 9mm loads.

Yes full power loads can be fun and if that is what you want, come on out and you can try my derringer in 10mm Auto. (I you don't have a flinch, it will certainly help you develop one).

 

[daroccot]

right now im leaning towards purchasing a 1911 in 9mm or .40 and getting a 22 conversion kit for it.

lets me practice with cheaper ammo and with the same gun im going to be shooting in bigger ammo (for hand positions and other things). only problem is the kit, does anyone make a really good one?

If you are on a budget I'd go for the CZ75B plus the Kadet conversion.

I'f you are going whole hog Go for the SIG mosquito now, then the P220/226/229/etc... Later.

Mosquito...

P220

 

[t-star]

typically these "conversions" meet or exceed the price of a QUALITY 22 pistol- be prepared for that, plus the fooling around you have to do to change over- typically it's just a pull pin and change slide and mag, but with others its extensive

 

[heavenIsAlie]

yea ease of transfer back and forth would be high on my list

i dont mind it being about the same price as a quality 22 pistol, i know i dont get the extra pistol but being able to get used to the gun with 22 (grip, mag release ect) is worth it to me.

kimber kit looks like a good kit to me, but would it only function well on a kimber gun or if i put it on an AMCO norinco 1911 would it function just as well?

 

[misfire]

yea ease of transfer back and forth would be high on my list

The easiest to switch back and forth would be a Glock 17, followed by the CZ then the 1911. I don't have any direct experience with the Norc Commander and the Kimber conversion kits but I've read here on CGN that it works.....

 

[heavenIsAlie]

im not a fan of the polymer pistols though, the 1911 felt really nice in the hand and i like the weight of it.

i ment id pay more for a kit that was easier to switch back and forth than a cheaper kit

 

[CanFire]

Getting into reloading for pistol can be expensive. It offeres the advantage of enabling you to make powder puff loads so that you can shoot 9mm that feels like a .22, but I wouldn't recommend anybody that's new to shooting start out with reloading.

If ammo cost is a concern, get one of those ugly Ruger 22/45's for $350. It's grip angle and controls are designed to mimick the 1911's, you can blast away all day on it for a couple of bucks, and you can always resell it when you're ready to upgrade without losing a bunch of money. They are a bit tricky to take apart and clean the first couple of times you do it, but that's good experience for you too.

If spending $30-40 per weekend on ammo isn't an issue for you, then get yourself a steel framed 9mm, as much 115gr ammo as you can afford, and enjoy. I would recommend a steel framed gun over a polymer one because you'll feel less recoil and the extra weight might make it easier for you to hold steady.

 

[heavenIsAlie]

didnt know about the ruger 22/45, if its designed to mimic a 1911 then it seems like a better idea than a conversion kit.

im a univ student so 30-40 per weekend isnt a big deal during the summer but during school it gets to be alot when you arent working, so 22 is good for then.

guess ill just have to buy two guns

 

[t-star]

typically the conversions only work on their parent pistols or very near clones, depending on the clone, and some of them don't work very well at all-it depends on the gun- even the colt conversion doesn't work on all governments, however, it does work in the ace model if you can find one, but then again, that's built for it

 

[Smitty]

Start off with a decent .22 for you do not get into bad habits, flinching & so much more. Also ammo is inexpensive. A year or so later you will have tried out the guns of others in center-fire so you will have a better idea.

I would suggest something like a Ruger MkII or Mk III like the MK512 with 5.5" bull bbl & adjustable sights or the Mk 678 'Target' which is with a tapered bbl of 6 1/4" though ALSO with adjustable sights.

I have one of the above along with several other makes of .22 such as High Standard Trophy, Victor along with S&W 617X6" target--the Ruger MKII 5.5" bull bbl is the least costly of the other three, but also several 9X19, 38 Spl revolvers, & two 45ACPs custom built & latter to my specs.

Yes I do my own reloading, but believe me I go though a lot of .22 & often I am loaning out a .22 to a friend, guest or someone new to the range for them to get the feel of a real h/gun PLUS sometimes at the indoor range (I shoot in 95% of the time) I will only use the .22 for a 45ACP or 38 Spl even with reduced load is a bit loud & shocking to their ears. Especially to those new to shooting for often it is the g/f or the wife taking up the sport-hobby.