Starting out with Pistols

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Steeltownguy

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Hey Everyone,

I got my RPAL in May of this year and since then have bought long rifles for target shooting, only 22's as they were recommended for starters who wish to learn the fundementals. I am not a macho man so I am not against 22's like some people, but now I am ready to venture into the realm of pistols and revolvers. I am not sure how or where to start and was hoping to get some insight since CGN has helped me with a lot in my brief time as a gun owner.

I have read forums from all over where people have asked similar questions and have heard varying answers. I have read that I should start with 22 as I have never owned a handgun before. While others have said if I have learned the fundamentals of shooting by way of long rifles I should start with a handgun with a bit more pop (ex. 9mm)

I have been looking at a Smith & Wesson 22A, does anyone have and comments about this gun?

How should I proceed? Should I be looking for a 22? or should I take a step up to something a bit larger?

I have shot a few handguns, larger rifles milsurp and what not, I am aware of the a lot of the fundimentals but I am by no means an expert.

I am looking for any advice

If 22 is best for me (which one)
If another calibre is more my style (any suggestions)

Thanks everyone
 
Well IMO I would get a SIG P226 22lr and if you would like to upgrade to a 9mm "you would just need to buy a conversion kit"
 
Here's my advice for starting with pistols, get something in 9mm with a 22lr conversion kit, and some kind of wheelgun. There, you're done, don't go any further.

Glock 17 with 22 kit is a good choice, I have the CZ 75 SP-01 tactical 9mm with 22 Kadet kit.

For a wheel gun, get whatever looks nicest I guess. I had a S&W Model 60 and it was scary accurate, it's the one I should have never ever sold.

EDIT: If the baby eagle had a better finish, conventional rifling, and frame safety it would be the best handgun on the Canadian market. If you don't care about all that, I highly suggest you get one.
 
I was in the same boat a few months ago. I read all the advice about starting with a .22 but I couldn't help be afraid that I was going to get bored quickly. I decided to start out with a budget 9mm (Norinco NP-22). Reasonably well made, reliable, looks good, and cheap as hell (mine's for sale if you are interested ;)). I also bought a .22 pistol as it is far less expensive to bring friends and family to range (which I like to do). I definitely enjoy shooting 9mm more, but you can't argue with the cheap-to-shoot factor of the .22. I always take both guns to the range. I usually end up putting more rounds through the .22 because I'm not made of money!

I feel that having both guns gives me the flexibility to shoot the 9mm whenever I want, and the .22 when I want to shoot lots or for introducing new people to the sport.

You can always upgrade to a better center-fire 9mm or larger when you are ready (which is what I'm doing now).

This is a similar strategy to what Rocket Surgery is suggesting but gives you the convenience of having two guns ready to go with no changeover required.
 
As above, started with a gsg1911 .22lr and an sti gp6 9mm. Still love both, the 1911 platform is great if you are training for larger callibers, and the sa/ da trigger on the gp6 is just fantastic..... Find what you like and dive in......enjoy....
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I had a S&W 22A and it is a very accurate and reliable firearm. I didn't have one single malfunction in about 1000 rounds. It has a "different" feel in the hand though. I now have a GSG 1911 and I like it better for training for other pistol types. It feels like a real 1911. I'd recommend both firearms but I like the GSG 1911 more.
 
Is there a good vendor or site sponser that sells gsg 1911's so I can get an idea of price ?

and what does a 22 conversion kit cost for a 9mm on average and where can I find them ?

Thanks for the insight on the 22A helidrop
 
Definitely agree with getting something that has a .22 conversion, or 9mm conversion whichever is cheaper. It's always nice to get use to a certain platform, and then just be able to switch the caliber that you use.
 
Once you start pricing the conversion kits you'll quickly realize that you can buy some pretty decent .22 handguns for the cost of the conversions.

If you were dedicated to becoming extremely good with one particular platform a conversion kit makes a world of sense. But if you know you will pickup and shoot a variety of handguns over the next couple of years then they simply don't make much sense to me. And since I do play with a wide variety of handguns I elected to buy only full ready to use guns over the conversion kits.

You'll want to look at the cost of the kits vs full guns and consider where you're going with handgun shooting and then jump in.

And FWIW I find that the S&W 22A is a rather decent gun which is under appreciated by folks that don't own one or have not shot one. I shot a rental 22A for quite a few hundred rounds over a couple of months and found that it was a very good performer. ESPECIALLY since it had seen literally three lifetimes worth of use over it's three years as a rental range gun. Based on that I was going to buy one for myself until I tripped over a deal on an older S&W 422. A gun which would be one of my last to sell when I finally can't shoot anymore.
 
Excellent points with conversion kits though. A lot of people will say that, "you can get a .22 and a 9mm conversion for the same price as a 9mm, and then you have two guns for the price of one." Ummm, in theory yes, but please show me a video of someone managing to shoot both calibers at the same time. Not to mention, at least for SIGS, you only get one mag in the conversion kit. So you have to price out more mags as part of the overall cost. Unless you're a strange one that likes to empty one mag and then have to stop shooting to load up another mag.
 
Got mine from Gunnar at Armco,tightened, and tuned trigger....... Little more but worth it.. 3# pull
Import
 
I have these, including the .22LR kit for the Sig.
4guns.jpg

I am in the Hamilton area so if you wanted to try these out for size, PM me and I can let you know when I'm going to the range. If it works out, you can meet me there & shoot them all. If you are a newbie, that .44 magnum will be a wakeup call...
 
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Rocket Surgery said:
Here's my advice for starting with pistols, get something in 9mm with a 22lr conversion kit, and some kind of wheelgun. There, you're done, don't go any further.

Glock 17 with 22 kit is a good choice, I have the CZ 75 SP-01 tactical 9mm with 22 Kadet kit.

For a wheel gun, get whatever looks nicest I guess. I had a S&W Model 60 and it was scary accurate, it's the one I should have never ever sold.

EDIT: If the baby eagle had a better finish, conventional rifling, and frame safety it would be the best handgun on the Canadian market. If you don't care about all that, I highly suggest you get one.
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^ This is great advice. I shopped around and spent a long time looking for a .22lr pistol that I liked. I ended up with a CZ Shadow and Kadet Kit and have loved every minute of it. I ended up picking the Shadow because it felt the best and there was a conversion kit available. Find something that feels nice in your hand. The Smith & Wesson 22A just didn't feel great and I didn't like some of the reviews. At the time the Smith & Wesson M&P .22 LR wasn't available in Canada but I did like the M&P 9mm. I also really liked firing the Sig Mosquito but it didn't have last shot hold open. The great thing about the Shadow (besides the fact it's a Shadow) is that I can go to the range and shoot all the .22lr I want to practice and it's really cheap. Now that I have a better handle on the fundamentals I'm really starting to enjoy shooting it as a 9mm as well.
 
Steeltownguy said:
Is there a good vendor or site sponser that sells gsg 1911's so I can get an idea of price ?
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If you like the GSG you may want to check out Questar's Sig 1911-22 offerings. They're on sale right now. I just picked one up and so far I'm enjoying it. If you need more mags buy the GSG version. They're the same as the Sig's only less $$.
Reviews indicate the Sig has a nicer finish on the slide and you get a set of nice wood grips.
Afraid of getting bored shooting .22lr? After shooting my share of centerfire ammo I got bored of paying the price of it.
 
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