Very new to pistols

grinder08 said:
I might have mislead. It was never my point to say shooting a 22 is a waste of time. I use a 22 pretty regularly to help with my trigger technique etc. My real point was you can only go so far with a 22. I agree trigger technique, stance, focusing on the front sight etc are the most import but personally I find when I have been shooting low recoil and switch to heavier recoil my groups tend to go off unless I really concentrate on the grip and recoil management. You have to learn recoil management just as you have to learn trigger control and the only way to do that is to shoot a gun with significant recoil.
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Ah, fair enough. I am not advocating shooting only rimfire, just learning the basics with it before stepping up to bigger stuff. I also use it as a training tool like BCRider suggests, going back and forth between rimfire and centerfire to keep technique sharp and flinching to a minimum.


Mark
 
jon1985 said:
I am taking my RPAL course at the end of november and have started looking at pistols. When I stated looking for NR rifles when I first got my PAL the resounding suggestion was buy a quality .22 to learn the fundamentals. Does this stand true with pistols aswell?

Im not sure where my end goal is yet, IDPA, IPSC, or just recreational target shooting, but it all has to start with a purchase of some sort.

Thanks
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I'm going to take a slightly different perspective on this question...

About a year ago, I was where you are now. Instead of agonising over which pistol to buy, put your effort into finding which kind of shooting you like. Join your local club and then hang out at the range. If the club runs competitions, go as an observer to find out what it's all about. I've found that people are only too keen to help out and even to let you put a few rounds through their guns. You'll very soon determine what kind of shooting grabs your attention, and the choice of gun will flow naturally from that.

I would also recommend taking whatever courses the club offers. Take them all! A little instruction goes a long way, and it will help you to figure out what kind of shooting you prefer.

I've seen people take their PAL, buy a gun, and then head off into the woods to shoot up beer cans, melons, propane cylinders, and whatever else comes to hand. Frankly, this scares me stupid. A club will help you to learn good habits and to keep yourself and those around you safe. This is not the kind of stuff you want to learn the hard way.

Having said all that, a used .22LR pistol is a great way to start. It's cheap to get into, it gives you something to take to the range while you're learning, and gives you something to practice your safety routines with. Oh, and you'll have a blast with action targets! Then get a 9mm CZ 75 if you want to try IPSC.

PD
 
i started with a .45 and had limited success in a year, i then bought a 9mm and since i had built alot of hand strength and recoil control, the 9mm got me into competition status right away. Always 2 sides to a coin, saying that as soon as i take say even a month from shooting, bad habbits come back. But with time you diagnose what you are doing wrong and it all comes back after the first box down range. There is no substitute for rounds down range, the 2 most common issues for me are torquing and recoil anticipation often mixed together.
 
THE FLINCH - A little trick I've come up with, that seems to work for most (not all) people, that anticipate the recoil and unconsciously push the gun forward, at the same instant they squeeze the trigger - invariably dropping the shot. Tell them to concentrate on their "sight picture" and start squeezing slowly - with the thought in their mind that they're trying to see how much they can squeeze the trigger - - - without the gun going off ! Obviously - it's going to fire - but if the brain is concentrating on "how much squeeze you can apply, without the gun firing", it seems to side track the brain from broadcasting to your arm/hand that "here comes the recoil" the instant it's telling your finger to apply that final pressure. Not a doctor, nor have any useful pertinent qualifications, so I can't say for sure, why this works - but it seems to.
I suspect the person will still flinch, once the gun fires - but the bullet will have already cleared the muzzle, before that happens.
 
my flinch often comes after i shoot shotgun and the first handgun target is a half target with half no shoot and im rushing , not breathing, and aiming at the a zone, which is an inch higher then the no shoot at 10 yards. Or the first handgun steel poppers after i dumped 10 birdshot and a few slugs . If i take my time im ok, but when im running hard, and the pistol section of the course is right after the shotgun, i can get a little jumpy haha. Or a polish rack after a jungle run with shotgun hahaha, those are fun.
 
jon1985 said:
I am taking my RPAL course at the end of november and have started looking at pistols. When I stated looking for NR rifles when I first got my PAL the resounding suggestion was buy a quality .22 to learn the fundamentals. Does this stand true with pistols aswell?

Im not sure where my end goal is yet, IDPA, IPSC, or just recreational target shooting, but it all has to start with a purchase of some sort.

Thanks
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As to the OPs question I still say yes, a .22 pistol is a good place to start.
For all the other reasons that have been stated, you should have a .22 in your collection at some point anyway so you might as well start with it.
If you are worried about flinching or it currently is an issue, first thing to do is double up on hearing protection. Even in a rimfire it can make a difference for some people and it is a good long term safety practice.
 
I have a 1911 in 9mm I use for CQB and purchased a .22 1911 last spring for practice. The problem I have with the .22 is the lack of recoil. For that reason it sits in my safe warm and cozy with only 30 rounds down the pipe. 9mm does not have huge recoil and you can learn a lot more about control by shooting this caliber. Stay away from "Dirty Harry" big caliber guns until you refine the basics. Here is a link from one of the sponsors website which may help a newbie.
http://www.bullseyelondon.com/shooting-fundamentals

Have fun and be safe.
 
If you want a gorgeous .22lr pistol that is a work of art and hopefully will be passed down to your kids then I'd go with the S&W 617. Its expensive but It's one you will never sell.
 
If you reload, the nice thing about shooting .22 is you don't feel obligated to go around picking up all your spent casings like some rubbie looking for old cigarette butts!
 
Shooting a .22 is more akin to shooting a BB gun than a centrefire caliber handgun. My suggestion is to start with a 9mm semi-auto. Relatively inexpensive ammo and easy to manage recoil that still makes you feel like you're shooting a real gun.
 
I am only ahead of you by a few months. I just upgraded from 9 to 40 because the power factor matters in IPSC. Not as important in PPC, but, you can use it for both.

I would suggest getting a fair bit of practice in. Take it easy, no need to rush. Get 1000 rounds through the gun. Don't touch the sites. If they need adjusting it will come with time.

Reloading is the way to go, as suggested. Why? Cost. Control. It's an upfront cost. But long run, if you join and participate in PPC and IPSC, you will break even before the first year easily.

Smith and Wesson makes a great range kit in 9 and 40. You get the gun, 3 mags, a mag holster and gun holster.

Get a 9, any 9. It's the the cheapest way to practice center fire pistol. But a 22 will most certainly teach you many things.

I went with the smith and wesson line myself. I've got the .22, 9 and 40. I love em all. The M&P line takes some getting used to. But if you can shoot an M&P well, shooting a CZ is like cheating.

In the end, you may get lucky and find what works for you fast. Hold as many as you can, see what feels natural. Learn how to take it down and where the oil points are before you buy one. have the cleaning supplies ready to go.

good luck and shoot safe!
 
Oh my gosh.. So much mixed fanboism. Get a 22 and shoot lots that will get you better. Actually it will not. In fact you are most likely to get a Terrible habit that you will re-enforce that will just make you a bad shooter.
Spend some money on Training and good books/vids(some are free).
Want to be a good shooter and learn trigger control don't need to bother with a 22 because its cheap. Get a Gun that you want to shoot and practice dry firing.
Go home close the curtains get your self a target with no marking and practice, dry firing, target acquisition, sight alignment, and target transitions, holstering. It will cost you next to nothing.

Reading a book by a good shooter has done more for me much more then just dumping ammo on a range. There is a lot of good material out there by Ben Stoeger, Brian Enos etc. You could always see if you can get a SIRT Training Gun.
 
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