What revolver should I get for my son's first firearm?

[Bigslug]

A revolver that gives him a DA option is a GREAT training tool for proper trigger control. Whenever I get a shooter that has serious problems with a tendency to slap the trigger the instant the sights cross the middle of the target, I hand them my 4" Smith 63 .22, and tell them, "The sights will NEVER stop wobbling - just keep them aligned in the zip code and press".

Smith and Ruger have both done 5-shot .357's (M60 or SP101) with 3-5" barrels and adjustable sights. Be where I'd start.

[CZbob9]

I started him out with a bow, then a pump BB gun, then a scoped pellet gun. Now I feel like I want him to graduate to something other than a little 22 to keep his interest. 22 isn't much more than a louder pellet gun to most.

Maybe a revolver isn't the brightest idea due to pointing out the above issues. But what would a good small center fire rifle be that is also light weight? Maybe a single shot 38/357?

[ABJ]

I'm not new to firearms, just new to this site. I do reload but I never knew about this site. That is amazing. I want to get my 11 year old son his first firearm. I reload a lot of 9mm and 38 special so I was thinking of a nice single action with a long barrel in either caliber. What do you recommend?

Your title says first revolver, so I will stick to that. I have read all the reply's and all have merit.
We have a steel range with 40 or so targets as well as a paper range at our family deer camp. Shooting weekends will have grandkids(9) and daughter in laws etc...
Between all of us there will be at least 40+ handguns available for anyone to shoot. All kinds from Ruger singles, Smith and Colt double's and Uberti's make up the bulk of them.
My answer to you is what I have observed as the preferred handgun for the young ones and females. Hands down the Ruger single six 22/Colt 22 and H&R 32. Next one is the Uberti Jr in 38 special, 4 inch. Next is the Uberti birds head grip and the caliber doesn't seem to matter. Keep in mind all our centerfire ammo is down loaded to 700/750 in all calibers. One interesting thing I have noticed is the young ones seem to shy away from any gun that is prone to "muzzle flip". None of the kids or ladies like the snub's in 22 or very light 32's or anything less than 4 or so inch barrels.
Several of the grown ladies have started to like the the single action Ruger's and Uberti's they say because the grip fits there hands and the standard grip frame allows two handed or one hand hold. One of the double actions that gets picked up, is the Ruger SP101 in 327 but loaded with H&R cases. None of them like the Bisley grip.(personally my favorite). I have tried not to give you my own personal recommendations but rather give you a snapshot of what I have noticed over the years working with kids from 10 to 18 and ladies up to their 60's. It is my belief to start small and let them grow into whatever they wind up liking. Targets should be large and steel vs paper to reinforce that they are hitting something then move to paper to hone their skills. I hope my observations will be of some help.
Tony

[Multra]

A 10/22.
If you are dead set on a revolver Heritage rough riders are pretty cheap.

[Dusty Bannister]

If this is the "first gun" then I would look for a better quality double action 22 revolver in good used shape. It will last his lifetime, and be a "first gun" for any children he may have. A less expensive revolver will wear out, and parts will be a problem and it will live in a drawer. Too many good memories to toss, but too worn out to use. Good luck in your decision.

[ABJ]

I started him out with a bow, then a pump BB gun, then a scoped pellet gun. Now I feel like I want him to graduate to something other than a little 22 to keep his interest. 22 isn't much more than a louder pellet gun to most.

Maybe a revolver isn't the brightest idea due to pointing out the above issues. But what would a good small center fire rifle be that is also light weight? Maybe a single shot 38/357?

I don't know of any ss centerfire's I would recommend, but the Rossi 92 in 357 and we have several have been the go to rifle for my older grandkids. We load 38 cases with a 140 truncated cone on top of 3.2 Tightgroup or Bullseye. No recoil and accurate enough out to 100yds.
We have had no feeding problems with the Truncated cone nose profile. Our rifles are the 20 inch. versions.
I know you didn't ask about rimfire but the Rossi lever and gallery pump get used as much as the 357. Just fun to cycle and shoot.
Tony

[CZbob9]

Any opinions on this in 38/357? I could load it down to whatever velocity I'd like to start him out with and work him up to whatever he is comfortable with.

https://www.henryusa.com/rifles/single-shot-rifle/

https://henrypride.com/products/henr...29492936638524


7lbs might be too much though

[waksupi]

I would go with a .22. When I was young, I as going through a brick each week.

[waksupi]

I'm probably an outlier here but I think I had a good start at shooting by using a small lightweight boy's type flintlock rifle. If a kid takes an interest in something like that, and practices with it enough to become really proficient, then he is on his way to being an accomplished marksman. The follow through and trigger control, loading, managing everything so it works every time, cleaning, casting balls, sharpening the flint, etc. all go toward teaching someone about guns. Plus he's not likely to shoot himself or someone else accidentally like he is with a cartridge firing handgun.

Excellent point. Once you master a flintlock, you can shoot any long arm well.

[Handloader109]

11 year old. 22 caliber ONLY. He's got his whole life ahead for larger calibers. Even though 38sp can be loaded down, it is NOT suitable for a pre teen.
Get him a ruger wrangler, below $200, and he can learn about revolvers. Or get him any number is 22 single shot, bolt or autos.
But get him a 22

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

[popper]

Guess I'm different. 4 GKs about 8 yrs old started with 12ga, 9mm, 40SW, 308MX. Single loaded until they get the 'excitement' out of their system.

[Char-Gar]

Start with a 22. When he has the basics down and feels some confidence, then move to a low loaded 38 special and up the loads as he is able to deal with the extra recoil.

[CZbob9]

A 22lr has less recoil than his spring driven pellet gun.

[bimus]

My step brother and I started with a Single rifle and a low quality single action revolver in 22 LR . we lost interest very quick . we never used the 22 very much the muzzle loading rifles kits we bought and built our self's where used for fun shooting and used to hunt small game to large game .

[gwpercle]

I started him out with a bow, then a pump BB gun, then a scoped pellet gun. Now I feel like I want him to graduate to something other than a little 22 to keep his interest. 22 isn't much more than a louder pellet gun to most.

Maybe a revolver isn't the brightest idea due to pointing out the above issues. But what would a good small center fire rifle be that is also light weight? Maybe a single shot 38/357?

Learning gun handling and safety with a BB gun and then pellet gun is excellent ... the next logical step up is a 22 LR ... there is a large enough increase in power , muzzle blast and noise from a 22 LR to be quite noticable from Pellet Gun . I would vote for a 22 LR . Now the question is rifle or handgun ... I would vote rifle first , in 22 LR and if he proves to be a safe and responsible shooter then a single action 22 like the Ruger Wrangler . You / he can always upgrade later , but for teaching safe gun handling the old Single Action is best .
My Dad never got me the single shot 22 LR rifle I wanted ... he bought me a shotgun ... I still wanted a 22 LR rifle and bought a Ruger 10/22 when I was grown ... I taught both my kids to shoot with the 10/22 repeater but a single shot would have been a good teaching tool .
Gary

[charlie b]

Strength is the issue. I'd go with thee .38 but am not sure he has the strength to hold it for proper pistol shooting. Easy to get bad habits at this point. Same with a CF rifle. Maybe the Henry single shot would be light enough. Depends on the kid.

At that age I set up my kids sitting at a bench and rest the rifle on bags to shoot. Makes concentration on sight alignment easier since the muscles don't have to hold the weight of the rifle.

[Daekar]

I wouldn't necessarily start with a handgun, I'll echo the call for a 22LR bolt action or break action. If you want to start with centerfire, 38spl or light loaded 357mag is really hard to beat... no recoil, brass lasts forever. If you can, find a Contender pistol or carbine. The grip might be a bit big for his hands though. The other option might be something like a steel J-frame with a longish barrel, they can have very slim grips for for folks with little grabbers. Even 38spl wadcutter loads are entertaining in my Model 60.

[kayala]

My kids started with 686 and I've loaded 38SP for about 680 FPS (148 WC over Clays). You could almost see the slug flying downrange

[Daekar]

Any opinions on this in 38/357? I could load it down to whatever velocity I'd like to start him out with and work him up to whatever he is comfortable with.

https://www.henryusa.com/rifles/single-shot-rifle/

https://henrypride.com/products/henr...29492936638524


7lbs might be too much though

I have one if those in 357mag and it is my favorite gun, toss a Skinner sight on there and it's solid gold. Load it with 38spl level stuff and it's like shooting a louder 22LR.

If I were getting it for a youngster I would seriously consider having the barrel cut down, and threaded for a suppressor while you're at it. It's already short for its 22" barrel since there's not really any length consumed by the action, but the barrel is pretty substantial. Taking it down to 16" to 18" would make it REALLY handy at the cost of a smidgen of top end velocity with heavy charges of Lil'Gun or H-110.

[Bigslug]

I started him out with a bow, then a pump BB gun, then a scoped pellet gun. Now I feel like I want him to graduate to something other than a little 22 to keep his interest. 22 isn't much more than a louder pellet gun to most.

Maybe a revolver isn't the brightest idea due to pointing out the above issues. But what would a good small center fire rifle be that is also light weight? Maybe a single shot 38/357?

A .22 is something he's gotta have, and I'm a big fan of CZ for those. That said, it's hard to beat a downloaded .357/.38 to serve the same purpose if you need to manufacture your own ammo.

THAT said, when my OCD kicked in, I was able to go through a STAGGERING amount of .22 with just a single shot bolt action as a kid. There's a lot going for handing him a brick of ammo and not have to worry about processing brass, casting, etc...