Generations of American shooters learned to shoot with a .22. Smith & Wesson even made "understudy guns" like the K-22 Combat Masterpiece and the Model 25 .22 Military & Police. The US Military used .22 training rifles frequently before moving the recruits on to the 1903 Springfield, or the M1 Garand (of course today no need too, because the M16/M4 is a .22, and one of the reasons that it was originally introduced was because of its relatively light recoil and the argument was offered at the time, that troops could easily learn to shoot this weapon {the reason for USAF adoption in the first place, prior to the Army's adoption of it}).
Having said all that, there is no cardinal rule that says that one has to start with a .22. The advantages have already been enumerated in previous posts, but if you don't reload and don't plan to, a .22 is an inexpensive and fun way to "get into" shooting.
You could do worse than start with a .22, but get whatever pleases you. Just don't get too much gun. Back in the day when the Model 29 S&W .44 Magnum was the "most powerful handgun in the world, and can blow your head clean off" everyone wanted one thanks to Dirty Harry. Gun shops even had waiting lists, as "N" frame Smiths were in short supply (a lot of S&W production went to K frame .38's back in the late 60's and early 70's to meet Viet Nam War requirements as both the Army and the Air Force used .38 revolvers in that conflict as well as virtually every police department in the US and in many foreign countries). Anyway, the bottom line being is that most ended up being safe queens or were fired with the much milder .44 Special.
I think a 9mm semi-auto or a .38 medium frame revolver would be good places to start.
Mark L.
Having said all that, there is no cardinal rule that says that one has to start with a .22. The advantages have already been enumerated in previous posts, but if you don't reload and don't plan to, a .22 is an inexpensive and fun way to "get into" shooting.
You could do worse than start with a .22, but get whatever pleases you. Just don't get too much gun. Back in the day when the Model 29 S&W .44 Magnum was the "most powerful handgun in the world, and can blow your head clean off" everyone wanted one thanks to Dirty Harry. Gun shops even had waiting lists, as "N" frame Smiths were in short supply (a lot of S&W production went to K frame .38's back in the late 60's and early 70's to meet Viet Nam War requirements as both the Army and the Air Force used .38 revolvers in that conflict as well as virtually every police department in the US and in many foreign countries). Anyway, the bottom line being is that most ended up being safe queens or were fired with the much milder .44 Special.
I think a 9mm semi-auto or a .38 medium frame revolver would be good places to start.
Mark L.
