.22 Pistol for 14 y/o
 

I'm looking for recommendations for a .22 pistol to start a 14 y/o boy that has never shot. Eventually I will transition him to the .45.

I Do this alot.
 

All my nefews and grand sons (daughters too if they show interest). At 9 yo I start them out with a Red Rider and teach them not to shoot their eyes out. When they're safe at 10 I get them a 22 Ruger 10/22 of their very own and about 11 they start shooting a Ruger MKI or II. They shoot mine, I don't buy them Pistols. I would like any semi Browning ,High Standard, At 13 i've moved 'um up to M-9s heading to the pappa Colt. Blitzzz

http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/w...10&isFirearm=Y

This was the first hand gun that I ever owned and it has treated me well... except I was 19 and I bought it because I knew I could shot the snot out of it for a couple bucks at the walmart counter.

Though I do agree with the start off with pellets... when your a kid all you wanna do is play Joe and run around the back yard shooting stuff.

with proper safety of course... :cool: scouts honor ::raising three fingers::

Just a thought but what about converting one of your .45 to .22?

Beretta Model 71, .22 LR. Feels like a larger weapon to hold and manipulate, but fires like a gentle .22.

Single action only, but a really nice work of engineering.

http://www.berettaweb.com/mod_70/mod_70_P5.htm

H

I have a S&W 22A that I bought for the wife. She loves to shoot her 9mm more than I love to pay for the ammo. Have had no issues with it and have spent many days with her plinking. There are a few upgrades for it but perhaps not as many as for the Ruger.

NDD,

What I did, with Air.177 and his younger brother and sister, over several years each, basically led up to where you want to be.

I started them on small Pocket Pistols (Beretta 21, or Colt single action revolvers, shooting CB caps (Aguila or Winchester ) that use nothing more than the primer for propulsion. The round will not even cycle the semi-auto weapons. After they had mastered the "small guns" and somewhat understood what was happening, I would shoot something. What I shot ranged from Javelina, Deer..etc. After I was sure that it was dead, I let my kids touch them, and they realized that they were no longer alive!!!

As they have gotten older, they all still have many fond memories of "The Mountains & Deer Hunting"!!!

One thing that I need to caution you about..please do not start letting him shoot "Big Handguns" !! Kids hands are growing and if you let him shoot "large/powerful" handguns you could induce some damage!!

Blake's first pistol was a 9mm that I had Magna-Ported and then loaded up light loads for it!!

Well, I'd better crash!! Take care Brother will catchupto'ya later.

Martin

I schooled my girls about the same as stated.. Started when they were 14 & 16 YO. Both light weights, the youngest was Cpt of the V cheerleaders at 5FT & 100 lbs as a senior in high-school. Took about one(1) yr. Very low key, fun week-ends, once a month, hour long classes.

Started with .22 bolt action rifles for safety and physical aspects, sight picture acquisition,, out door ranges.

Moved to .22 revolver, indoor range, stressed target accuracy, add multi shoot rounds to cylinder, them Ruger .22 auto, incremental speed on target.

Then to .38 Special, S&W 66, revolver, multi-reloads, and some full house .357 loads for recoil.

Finally, Moose, S&W 629, LSWC, Then JHP's Max'd. They could both put all 6 on a target at 25 feet in semi-rapid fire, double action.

My idea was to get gun safety 1st, fun & familiarity 2nd, personal safety & action drills, repeatability 3rd. I was not looking for a hunting buddy or NRA match competition.

I used 25ft targets and only asked for minuet of head (8"x8") accuracy. Most houses do not have rooms bigger than 25ft and most perps chests/lung/hart areas fit in 8x8..

The girls actually became very good, with groups in the 3-4 inch range.. Over time they became proficient with all my pistols & revolvers, in 10 different calibers. I was a happy.. :D

JJ BPK My idea was to get gun safety 1st, fun & familiarity 2nd, personal safety & action drills, repeatability 3rd. I was not looking for a hunting buddy or NRA match competition.

I used 25ft targets and only asked for minuet of head (8"x8") accuracy. Most houses do not have rooms bigger than 25ft and most perps chests/lung/hart areas fit in 8x8..




JJ, I like your method and reasoning. I think I will use that as the guide for my wife. Its sensible.

NDD, you deserve an answer to your question,, sorry..

I started my kids on a S&W M-63, Kit-Gun, .22 cal, 2" barrel. Then moved to a M-36, .38 Special. They are near mirror images of each other, so the fit, mechanics, and grip was was an easy migration to the larger .38.. At 23 Oz's(?),, They have just the right weight for recoil abatement in young hands, with-out the fatigue & recoil associated with something like a 43 oz 1911..

I started my son on a S&W .22 revolver when he was 9 years old. Quickly he got bored with it and wanted to shoot a semi auto like dad. I took him to a gun show so he could pick his own pistol. He handled multiple guns and settled on the Walther P22 with the 5" barrel. It was the one that fit his hands the best and that he liked the best (read coolest). I have a .357 ruger blackhawk that came with a 9mm cylinder. He started with the 9mm, then 38 special and finally 357. Through this progression he learned to handle greater recoil. He is now 11 and likes to shoot my glock 22(.40), when the recoil tires him out he switches back to the P22. We have had no malfunctions after putting over 2000 rounds through it. It is also my 15 year old daughters gun favorite gun to shoot.

Some points from my experience with my kids:

Prior training on gun safe handling prior to the first trip to the range is critical

Kids quickly want to shoot what Dad/the grownups shoots. Work them up to it.

Picking out their own gun helps them take ownership and be more responsible when it comes time to maintainenance. It also helps to make sure it is a good fit for the child.

If you buy one child a gun, your other children will want one too. My daughter was not interested in shooting until I bought her younger brother a pistol.

I would do what JJ had done, A 22 bolt action single shot. For a pistol a Ruger or a comparable 22 wheel gun would be a better choice, IMHO, than a semi 22 pistol.

At first a beginner needs less to think about, as they get more comfortable and as safety becomes 2nd nature, then they can progress to a more complicated firearm. Those are my thoughts.

Beginner .22 Pistol
 

While a solid target pistol (High Standard 106 or 107 with Military frame, or a Smith and Wesson Model 41 or 46) will last forever a dependable, simple .22 like a 4-inch Colt Woodsman is light, accurate, and fun and will last long enough for your son to pass to his grandkids.

It won't be so big and heavy as to be intimidating, almost always feeds (avoid bulk-pack ammo and stick with quality standard velocity cartridges).

I just got another one for around $480 (you can find them on the electronic web gun auctions). The best ones were made in the 30s thru the 40s.

Ruger pistols are probably the best fallback option for between $250 and $400.

Cost of ammo being what it is, I bought a Sig Sauer Mosquito .22 at a gun show (for a bit over 300 bucks, if memory serves me) about a year ago and have been really happy with it. It's a bit finicky with finding the right round for the gun (CCI has worked pretty well). The pistol is about 90% full frame, has a 10 shot mag and a pretty hefty trigger pull. Also, decocking lever and, of course, a safety switch. It's been great for working on shooting mechanics for me and I've used it to teach several others to shoot.

A buddy of mine from 19th bought a Taurus .22 revolver, also with a monster trigger pull on it, while at the course and shot round after round through it. He liked it quite a bit.

Finally, I've shot and enjoyed the Walter P22 as well, but preferred the Sig because of the larger size.

Good luck!

Books

Depending on the kids hand size and strength, I would recommend these in no particular order:

Ruger Mk II
Ruger 22/45
Browning Buck Mark (any version)