What is a good gun Caliber to start out with?

[XDGirl]

What is a good caliber to start out with? A good friend of mine is wanting to buy her first gun this weekend. shes wanting to buy a .45. I was told when i bought my first gun that i should start of with a 9mm and work my way up. Do you think this is good advices for my friend?

[normanvin]

I guess that would depend on her shooting experience. Has she shot before? Does she plan on only buying one?

I would suggest that she hit the shops and try a few on for size. If you have access to a range that rents handguns, would be a great way to try one before buying it.

If she has no shooting experience I would start her on a .22.

[sluggie24]

+1 on the 22 rec. That is the best way to start a new shooter. After they get used to shooting then go with the 9mm. Jumping right to a 45acp would be a mistake IMHO. There is a bit of recoil in that round for a new shooter. That recoil could set bad shooting quirks in her such as trigger flinch where she will be anticipating the recoil as she is pulling the trigger. This will cause her to not shoot accurately and it it very hard to break when someone has learned it from day one.

Start with a 22. Learn the proper way to shoot. Then move larger. if she can borrow/try other people's pistols in different calibers when she is looking to move up it would be a good idea. Then she will know which she feels comfortable shooting.

[VeryPrivate]

The answer does depend on her intentions. 22lr is the best caliber for target practice and handgun experience. But this caliber has no defensive use. For a practical handgun, stick with the main 4 calibers: 9mm, 40 S&W, 357 Sig and 45 ACP. Use a .357 Magnum if a revolver is desired. Recoil is not a deciding factor, as all five can be handled by an average woman. There is no need to "work up" to a .45 ACP.

If she is a new shooter, proper training is more important than caliber selection.

Pick a handgun that fits her hand. Women generally have smaller hands and this sometimes leads to a problem with the grip. Automatics with single stack magazines are usually your best bet.

[vetter3006]

As the last two replyies are right on, you should try and rent or try someone else's firearms to see what your comfort level is and how you handle it. another good choice is the .380 round, it's just smaller than the 9mm and it's a fun caliber to practice with.

[PisnNapalm]

If someone is new to shooting they should not use anything larger than a 9mm. I would and do start them out by shooting my Ruger MKIII .22lr pistol.

Someone new to shooting absolutely will develope bad habits if started out on too large a caliber. Hell, sometimes I still manage to develope a bit of a flinch from shooting my .45. Then I go back to the .22 to work on technique.

You can never go wrong by having a good .22 pistol in your collection.

[mjfletcher]

I'll further recommend .22LR if shes a new shooter. Learn the basics; grip, stance, sight picture, trigger pull, etc on a .22LR, get them "locked in" and after that she'll be good to go with most any caliber. Like anything else, its all about the basics. Once you have a solid foundation, building on it is easy.

I'd also recommend a basic pistol course. I've taken the NRA basic pistol course and would recommend that for a new shooter. It covers safety, cleaning, maintenance, and the basics of shooting.

[reels18]

I believe the first impression is lasting. Get them used to the loud report, recoil and muzzle flash from the start. It also reinforces to the student that what they have in their hand is not a toy. My choice would be 9mm.

[1blindref]

I'd go with a .22 first for the reasons already mentioned and the fact that .22 ammo is cheap and she'll get more trigger time on it. With a .22 she'll learn the basics of shooting and won't develop a flinch.

From there I'd step up to a 9mm or .38spl. and then to .45acp if she still wants it.

+1 on training as well.

[shefearsnothing]

As a woman here.... the first thing I ever shot was a .40 and I even bought a .40 for my first pistol. I didn't keep it long before I traded her in for a 9mm. I have to say as much as I HATE to admit my S/O is right about ANYTHING he was right about the 9mm being a LOT smoother to shoot and I am much more accurate with it. Of course I am probably doing 100 things wrong (hoping someone will correct me after they stop laughing at me tomorrow) which are still making me mess up my shots but it's a lot easier as far as I am concerned so I am going to say start out with something lower just to get the basics down. JMO of course. I am still a newbie and I bet there are plenty here who have actually trained others with many calibers and can tell you the do's and don'ts. Welcome and enjoy all the wealth of knowledge you will find here.