Is 22lr still your "first gun" advice?

[megasupermagnum]

Both my brother and I started at 5 years old with a Crossman (760?) bb gun. We had no problems pumping them at that age, at least for a number of shots. We never did get a 22lr, my dad never had one, I still never owned one. If you load your own ammo, I see no value in rim fires. Pellet guns are cheaper, and/or you can load pistol calibers on a progressive that is better than the 22lr "bucket o bullets". The worst problem is the opinion that 22lr is weak or safe. At least a .177 pellet gun is going to be very hard to seriously hurt a person short of a shot to the face, and nobody is going to short change a 38 special.

[Beeks]

Yes it is.

[stubshaft]

There is still nothing better to learn on than a .22.

[Drm50]

Yea, 22 has been it for about a 100yrs. Why reinvent the wheel?

[DDriller]

My Dad thought BB guns were too dangerous so we got .22s and so did my boys.

[Two Barrels]

22, it’s still the one.

[elmacgyver0]

My Dad thought BB guns were too dangerous so we got .22s and so did my boys.

So what are you trying to tell us?

[Win94ae]

Well, all our youngsters start out with a bb gun. I have 4 of them sitting in the corner.
Whatever reason the adult wants a firearm for, is what will determine the firearm they'll be needing to train with.

[BigAlofPa.]

I bought a cricket and a 1911 yesterday. And the carry case for the cricket has my 1st rifle on it. Pretty cool i thought.

[1hole]

A .22 RF is the only correct answer to this question.

First time shooters are just that, they have lot to learn about gun handling and accuracy. Real guns of any type are intimidating to noobs; why make it any harder for them to learn than is absolutely necessary? No noob is going to think an "air" gun is a real gun and a .22 RF is a real gun. No noob is going to be a reloader so the cost of sufficient ammo to learn much is a real consideration; a few Walmart "bucket-o-bullets" is the lowest cost way for any noob to get a serious learning foundation. The nonexistent recoil and low noise makes it easier for noobs to concentrate on learning the fundamentals of marksmanship. And .22s are just fun!

I wore out two Daisy "Red Ryders". They were fun but they were toys and I knew it. The first real gun I ever fired was my grandfather's single shot Remington .22 when I was five; I loved it and still do! When I was eleven and visiting I'd be allowed to take it into the woods around the old family farming home. I shot a few birds and squirrels (and missed a lot more) but it made me a shooter and hunter. My two younger cousins did about the same, with the same rifle, but now, some 75 years later, my granddaddy is long gone but his squirrel (and 'possum) rifle is in my gun safe. It will go to one of my four grandsons. They all fired their first "real" ammo with it too. One round at a time, they put a lot of "bucket-o-bullets" in small water filled balloons at varying ranges in my river bottom pasture; the oldest shot high score in his military training. Meaning, done right, learning memories can make a cheap single shot .22 far more valuable to someone than any other gun they may ever own.

[FergusonTO35]

After shooting centerfires almost exclusively for 20 years I am moving back to .22's. Have purchased a Glock 44, Charter Pathfinder, and Ruger Wrangler so far this year and have an LCP II .22 on the way. Also looking to add a Remington 572 at some point, however they are pretty spendy!

[sonoransixgun]

My first gun as a kid was a pellet gun....wore it out....Borrowed shotguns a lot for hunting.

My own kids all got .22's...They were all in 4-H and competed. For airgun, they just used the guns that belonged to the club.

I think either way is good...

(4-H is a really great way for them to learn safety and marksmanship, especially if they have a good coach like our kids did.)

[Lloyd Smale]

I can load cast 9s about as cheap as a 22 and don't have to worry about idiots buying them all out and hiding them in there closets. No brainer to me. I used to have over 20 22lrs in the house. Now theres two. A 1022 take down and a 22/45 4 inch heavy barreled ruger. Neither have been shot in over 2 years. Traded off the rest or gave them to family. Today id be more interested in a good air rifle then a 22lr.

[Dapaki]

All 6 of my kids and 1 grandchild so far (2 more in the oven) have cut their teeth on one of my Marlin .22's. I cannot think of a single case where a gun of any kind or type would be a better starter or cheaper to fire. I bought a bit of Armscor .22lr over the past few years and while not the most accurate, it will feed all day long with no fouling and at $0.024 each, there is no reason not to shoot all day!

[1hole]

Just to keep this discussion on track, the question was what we should suggest as a first gun. It wasn't what we old hands may own or like to shoot best or how inexpensively we can reload anything for. After all, no new guy has a closet full of guns (yet), he doesn't know what type he'll like best (yet) and he sure isn't going to be a reloader (yet), right?

The right answer to that beginner question is a .22 RF.

[bimus]

In today's world, I would go AR15 after BB and pellet gun days my kids did fine with M1 carbines and an AR15 sporter. today with the AR15 and the parts that AR has available stocks and barrels can be changed out for longer or shorter to fit better as they grow older and fit them as adults .

[relics6165]

Stevens Favorite, mine, Remington Model 4 rolling block, my dad's, getting ready to go through them for the grandkids.

[Bill*B]

If I could have only one gun it would be a Winchester 67 boy's carbine in .22lr. That would take care of almost any business.

[mobilemail]

Now that I've had a chance to experience quality airguns, that is my choice. Why?

1. There aren't many folks intimidated by shooting an airgun, where some seem to have a firearm stigma just from the ignorance of being exposed to one.
2. It applies all the basic skills of safe gun handling, trigger control and sight picture to provide fundamental firearm skills.
3. It is incredibly economical for ammo, so plenty of trigger time to develop skills. And because many airguns are single shot and not semi-automatic, it avoids the tendency to shoot badly faster.
4. Airguns can be operated in a much smaller range like a back yard or basement with an easily constructed backstop. I have seen 4H clubs set up 10m ranges in a school gym. Some gun clubs around me do indoor airgun silhouette shoots in the winter.
5. Some universities actually have scholarships for athletes on their airgun teams. That would be a heck of a way to go to school! I know one of the schools in Nebraska does.