Learning to shoot Pistols

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45a14

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Hey all,

I am just wondering what calibers I should be looking at to learn how to shoot a pistol? I am thinking 9mm or .40? I have shot pistols twice before (9mm and .45) but not accurately due to the fact that I was not taught properly how to shoot with pistols. I was a crack shot with a rifle in the military, as I found out, rifles are different and easier to shoot (for me).

Anyway, what calibers should I be looking at when looking for a starter pistol?


Thanks!
 
22LR. It teaches the basics and you can afford to practice, practice, practice. Get a Smith&Wesson 41 and shoot all the ammo you can get.
 
You may find that .40 is a bit snappy and more expensive than 9mm. If you were good in the military with a rifle pistol skills should follow with practice and adherence to the marksmanship principles. My first pistol was a .40 and I have no regrets about it. Do not be discouraged by less than stellar results as you climb the learning curve.
 
Seriously, you don't need to start on a .22.

You just needs lots of ammo and a few videos on youtube....if money is a factor, then a .22 is a good choice.
 
nate18 said:
.22 are boring
Click to expand...

how true
IMHO the .22 will be a compliment to your evergrowing collection. I've never bothered buying a .22, and I'm pretty sure if I did, it would rest at the bottom of the safe after a few trips.

If you really want a .22, Get yourself a full size pistol with a .22 conversion kit.
 
The suggestion to start with a .22 is good advice because to get good takes lots of ammo. On the down side to get good also takes lots of dry firing, and dry firing a rimfire is bad news. The advantage of dry firing is that you can critique your own sight and trigger control, which you can't do with live fire. If you are surprised by the break, and the hammer falls on an empty chamber, and the front sight hasn't moved, you're doing something right.

I would look for nice used medium frame .38 Special or .357 Magnum, you should be able to pick up something for around $350. At the same time start handloading with an inexpensive set up. Lee makes a neat little C press that would be perfect for loading .38s, get a set of Lee .38/.357 carbide dies, a Lee factory crimp die, a Lee spoon style powder measure kit (you don't need a powder scale to get started shooting light .38 Special loads) and a Lyman loading manual. Loading .38s is about the cheapest centerfire shooting you can do. You'll need 100 pieces of brass, a 500 pack of small pistol primers, a pound of Bullseye, and a 1000 cast bullets, 158 gr is the most common. I think you could be in business for $500-$600.
 
spend some money and take some lessons from an instructor. the bad habits you learn on your own will takes years to train out of you once you decide to take professional instruction.
 
actually after all that has been said over here I think the most important point ( in my opinion) has not been brought up. Shoot what you feel is right to you. Before I bought my first semi-auto pistol (I had a revolver as my first handgun) I tried the 4 popular calibers. .22lr, 9mil, 40cal and 45auto.

9mm and 40 were both too snappy for me, and the .22lr, well I already had a pellet gun :D, you can guess which one I went with.
 
I think its less about the caliber than it is about learning sight picture and choosing an appropriate shooting distance.

Forcing newbies to shoot at 20 yards because of limitations of the range setup (like at my indoor range) is a steep learning curve. Do-able, but steep.

Starting out at 10 yards and moving back as trigger control and sight picture mature is a better way to go.

And using BIG targets.

And dry fire practice

and... and... and...
 
pick yourself up a 1911 45 acp with a rimfire conversion kit. Learn to shoot with the .22. You also have the ability to shoot .45acp. If you get bored with the .22( you probably won't) you can sell your rimfire kit on the EE and recoup most of your initial cost. .22 's are cheap to shoot. It probably won't take that long to grow into the .45. My .02 cents
 
Definitely a 22cal, pick up a Ruger mkII, mkIII or a Browning buckmark (in my opinion the best affordable options for a beginner). Dont learn how to shoot bullseye (which I am assuming your starting with bullseye as a beginner) with a centre fire pistol. 22's have less recoil and ammo is cheap so you can perfect shooting fundamentals. Then move on to a larger calibre.
 
Slavex said:
spend some money and take some lessons from an instructor. the bad habits you learn on your own will takes years to train out of you once you decide to take professional instruction.
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Slavex is dead on. Training will help you to become a better shooter, take an IPSC Black Badge course or something like that, the investment will be well worth it. I would suggest 9mm as a minimum caliber, my step-daughter learned on a .40 with no problem, and she is fairly petite. If these have too much recoil then maybe pistol isn't your thing IMHO.
 
Buying a .22 or even a BB gun isn't going to teach you to shoot, neither is watching some Youtube video. If you are serious about learning how to shoot, look up a local instructor, and spend $150-$200 on lessons. Then train, dryfire, train for a month or two and go back to the instructor again. If you are lucky enough to have regular classes available to you, go to those.
 
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