Best Starting Caliber

[003]

Please understand, not for a second is it my intention to be rude or insulting, but this is nonsense. Most/many of the major firearm manufacturers make excellent quality .22 pistols and revolvers; clearly, the equal (in quality) to any large caliber handgun. As far as the inherent accuracy, of the .22 LR round, ask our Olympic team.

IMO, a .22 is not a good starter caliber. They are generally not nearly as accurate as bigger calibers. The guns are usually not as well engineered or built, and the ammo is rarely consistent. They are fun to shoot though.

[SacTown]

I prefer 9mm for both carry and plinking at the range. It's cheaper so if you don't reload you can practice/train more often. Find some friends that have multiple handgun calibers or just go rent them and find out what works best for you. Probably the most important thing for new handgun shooters regardless of caliber choice, is getting good training right off the bat. It's difficult to unlearn bad shooting habits. Just my opinion.

[Pistolgrip Pump]

My first gun was a glock 21 and I shot it well. Get what you want and learn to shoot it well. You'll be fine.

[Dark Mod]

Honestly, i barely notice a difference between 9mm, .40, .45, and 38 spl. They all feel about the same to me. Recoil is the last thing i worry about.

I would really lump all those calibers into the same felt recoil tier, which is to say practically none.

[wu_dot_com]

Please understand, not for a second is it my intention to be rude or insulting, but this is nonsense. Most/many of the major firearm manufacturers make excellent quality .22 pistols and revolvers; clearly, the equal (in quality) to any large caliber handgun. As far as the inherent accuracy, of the .22 LR round, ask our Olympic team.

That guy clearly does not know his gun and caliber as well as he think he does.

first, a dedicated 22 pistol like MK, old high standard, buckmark, SW M41 are just a few prime example of excellent design and craftsmanship. they are extremely accurate in capable hands within 50 yds off hands regardless of ammo. for Olympic pistols, there either capable of rapid firing 5 shots, 4 sec, into a circle about the size of a quarter at 25 M away. or one shot in the same quarter size bullyseye at 50M away.

when it comes to ammo consistency, even bulk ammo will yield much greater accuracy than the average shooter can produce.

so to say 22 is not a good platform to learn, build and refine pistol shooting skills, the shooter is clearly delusional.

[Squidward]

The "best starting caliber" is clearly the .22lr. Many manufacturers are producing quality .22lr handguns ( and long guns) which are excellant learning platforms. But .22lr ammo used to be more available and less expensive so many people are inclined to get a larger caliber since ammo is more available and cost per round can be nearly the same as .22lr.

But I don't think you necessarily need a starter caliber based upon your post. I really like the G20. Its the most accurate, reliable and 'softest' shooting of those I've shot ( Bren, Colt and S&W) in 10mm. The versatilty didn't matter when I bought it. The 10mm is just cool.

For me versatility comes in the form of .38spl/.357. .38 spl is easy on the wallet and .357 will do pretty much what a .45 will.. And, no hi cap/10 round magazine shenanigans. And its easy to reload. And you can get it in a lever action carbine. And.....

[CSACANNONEER]

.22lr hands down.

[Nickgt40]

I started with .40 then went and bought a 10/22.

I think one should only start with a .22 caliber if that's all they have available to them, or they are a child.

[CSACANNONEER]

I think one should only start with a .22 caliber if that's all they have available to them, or they are a child.

Please explain what your opinion is based on?

My opinion is that .22lr is the best cartridge to introduce anyone to the shooting sports that involve metallic cartridges. My opinion is based on 35 years of behind the trigger experience, being a NRA Certified Instructor and having introduced 100s of people to shooting sports over the years. I have never heard any logical downside to learning or training with a .22lr handgun or rifle. Of course, .22lr shotguns are more of an experts gun.

[003]

Well said CSACANNONEER..

I agree completely.

[Deimos887]

Not adding anything new, just a +1 for a .22lr pistol...

[yankee-pete]

That guy clearly does not know his gun and caliber as well as he think he does.

first, a dedicated 22 pistol like MK, old high standard, buckmark, SW M41 are just a few prime example of excellent design and craftsmanship. they are extremely accurate in capable hands within 50 yds off hands regardless of ammo. for Olympic pistols, there either capable of rapid firing 5 shots, 4 sec, into a circle about the size of a quarter at 25 M away. or one shot in the same quarter size bullyseye at 50M away.

when it comes to ammo consistency, even bulk ammo will yield much greater accuracy than the average shooter can produce.

so to say 22 is not a good platform to learn, build and refine pistol shooting skills, the shooter is clearly delusional.

Its not to say that 22 caliber pistols are not accurate at all, some of them are good and relatively accurate guns. But when compared to larger calibers, you will always get better accuracy. I imagine most people starting off put accuracy pretty higher on their importance list. Its what keeps new people shooting. The more accurate you are, the more fun shooting is. So to call me delusional is short sighted. I'm a pretty good shot and will always shoot better with anything bigger than a 22. Most people don't shoot Olympic style pistols and most people shoot bulk 22 (especially now), which is generally inconsistent.

I would definitely recommend something small like a 9mm to start. Its easy to shoot, very accurate out of most guns. Why buy a 22 when you will want something bigger a month later anyway? This is simply my personal opinion and I do know my caliber just fine.

PS. Don't try and act like a internet tough guy. It makes you look like a tool.

[OUTLAWZ]

+1 .22LR for starters. Teaches you all the disciplines you need to be a proficient and consistent shot. You can move on to any and all other calibers when ready and apply the same technique and form to produce similar results.

[wu_dot_com]

Its not to say that 22 caliber pistols are not accurate at all, some of them are good and relatively accurate guns. But when compared to larger calibers, you will always get better accuracy. I imagine most people starting off put accuracy pretty higher on their importance list. Its what keeps new people shooting. The more accurate you are, the more fun shooting is. So to call me delusional is short sighted. I'm a pretty good shot and will always shoot better with anything bigger than a 22. Most people don't shoot Olympic style pistols and most people shoot bulk 22 (especially now), which is generally inconsistent.

I would definitely recommend something small like a 9mm to start. Its easy to shoot, very accurate out of most guns. Why buy a 22 when you will want something bigger a month later anyway? This is simply my personal opinion and I do know my caliber just fine.

PS. Don't try and act like a internet tough guy. It makes you look like a tool.

lol so advising the right info makes people internet tough guy... okay sure...

when bench testing majority of HV bulk 22 under 50 yds, your general spread is going to be around the size of a nickel. when you bench test SV bulk 22, you get the spread about the size of a dime. the major noticeable difference between bulk HV vs non bulk is the round to round charge inconsistency. unless you’ve shot enough & have enough experience, your average shooter will not even notice the difference with modern day day semi auto. (you will start feeling the difference when you shoot >1500 rd per week for at least 3-4 months)

you dont have to use Olympic style pistol to figure that out. people routinely use old woodsmen, MK3, HS for bullyeye shooting.

now when you say you are a pretty good shot with anything but 22, im guessing that you shoot mediocre at best. most people dont know the right technique and they don’t understand that accurate shooting have a set of fundamental transferable skills. your hold, finger placement and pressure, trigger pull while maintaining sight picture, locking of the wrist, method of stance and breathing, the sight / mental focus, follow through are all the same regardless of caliber.

last, new shooters dont get better accuracy with larger caliber, you get the illusion of better accuracy because it punch bigger holes. but in reality, you are still both poor in accuracy and precision. the only upside with larger caliber is that you get a bigger rush from a bigger bang.

the science also dont support your bigger bullet is more accurate statement. in general, the longer the barrel, the better the accuracy; for a .22 5" barrel/ HB are pretty common. the HV 22 bullet are also much more aerodynamically stable then lets say 9mm or .45 (about the same top FPS) due to its D/L ratio.
if you are talking about SV, .22 holds an advantage over 9 mm in speed while breaking even with the heaviest .45; but SV 22 still are ballisticlly more accurate than .45 due to its D/L profile.

when it comes to outdoor performance, the combine affect of wind on .22, 9mm, .45 trajectory will probably be the same. 9mm and .45 will suffer from larger cross-sectional area, .22 will suffer from lighter mass. For targets beyond 50 yds, .22 will have flatter trajectory due to its lighter mass.

youve been physics, what else you got

[Beercandan]

when I take someone out to shoot I give them my 22 pistol to shoot first and get comfortable with the sights and aiming. I have a full size m&p 22, its great because it feel just like my m&p 40 with less kick and way cheaper ammo