How to get started with handguns?

[mackattack]

Hey i am new with handguns but will have to learn them soon enough and am curious what would be a good start for a handgun. I was suggested to look at a .22 ruger or a .22 sig mosquito due to cheep ammo and little recoil to learn to shoot properly before going up in cal. I will eventually be shooting 9mil and had the idea to just tough it out and learn with a 9 mil sig (expensive) or a glock. I am just looking for experienced military (perferably) or even non military to instruct me on what to look at getting. As well curious to know how to get by owning a handgun yet not being part of a gun club.

Thanks, Ryan

where do you live. suggestions for clubs/stores etc. depending where you are.

 

[Duck_Hunter]

well theres obviously connaught where you worked, and also the stittsville range. Not sure about any others.

 

[IM_Lugger]

I started with 9mm...

but I did get a .22 a few guns later...

 

[proonur]

worked at connaught ranges this summer and found very little time to actually spend shooting myself...

Please refrain from shooting yourself on a regular basis... it's not very healthy.

 

[misfire]

FWIW, when I started shooting handguns there was a local club (closed by the City of Burnaby years ago) that offered a 'Handgun Intro Course' for people new to handguns. The course went into different types of handguns, their actions and the different ammunition available for them. Safety and gun handling was also part of the course but the best part of the course was the live fire at the end. My first handguns were a 686 revolver and a CZ 75 and I shot full house factory ammo as I didn't reload. I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn for the first year, so from my own experience, I would recommend a .22lr pistol for a new shooter. I think 'sight picture' is a very minor issue for a new shooter. More importantly are stance, hold/grip, breath and trigger control and I think it's easier to focus on these things when a newbie doesn't have to overcome the anticipation of muzzle blast, muzzle flip and recoil. Also, the relatively cheap cost of .22lr ammo makes it easier on the wallet to go out and shoot 500 rounds or more during a range session. YMMV..........

 

[22lr]

Hey i am new with handguns but will have to learn them soon enough and am curious what would be a good start for a handgun. I was suggested to look at a .22 ruger or a .22 sig mosquito due to cheep ammo and little recoil to learn to shoot properly before going up in cal. I will eventually be shooting 9mil and had the idea to just tough it out and learn with a 9 mil sig (expensive) or a glock. I am just looking for experienced military (perferably) or even non military to instruct me on what to look at getting. As well curious to know how to get by owning a handgun yet not being part of a gun club.

Thanks, Ryan

Ryan, I suggest you change your attitude towards club membership. Clubs are best place to get decent instruction from bunch of good guys, find your new friends and they are perfectly set up for handguns, most of them anyway. Besides, you will have to join club to get your ATT. As to which pistol to get - It doesn't really matter. In your time you will have more than a few handguns anyway so which was first is purely academic question.