Best gun for a newbie.?

[Zach]

I'll be turning 21 in a few months and am planning on buying a gun at some point. I want something I can take to the range and shoot cheaply, is easy to maintain and use, etc. I'm planning on getting a Ruger LCP at some point, but I here they are hard on the hands for shooting all day and .380 ammo is getting to be fairly expensive so that would probably be the second gun I would end up with, especially if I decide to start carrying. I'm open to any ideas, from glocks to revolvers.
Ant, none? Are you stupid? Everyone has to start somewhere. I'm 20 years old, not 12, I've shot (and owned) plenty of bb/pellet guns, and used .22s and shotguns several times.
And yes, I do plan on taking some classes.
I shoud've made it more clear, it's gotta be a pistol.

 

[Glacierwolf]

Zach - I am a long time Alaskan rifle and pistol instructor.

You need to begin with a 22 rifle. Preferable a bolt action - because all a semi-auto like a Ruger 10/22 is going to do is teach you how to send out a $2 of ammo in a mag fast and not hit a darn thing.

A Centerfire Pistol for a newbie is foolish, stupid, and a waste of money. 380 ammo is $20 box for 50, 22 ammo is $3 box of 50. You cannot shoot 380 in any matches - NRA or local club sponsored ones. 22 you can. Owning a 22 pistol will allow you to begin shooting at the local range informally and people will help train you. Show up with a 380 or some other centerfire caliber and folks will peg you as just another dumb @ss with a gun who needs to learn a few things on their own.

All a centerfire pistol is going to do is give you permenent bad habbits.

You should be looking at a S&W 22A or similar 22 Pistol with adjustble sights suitable for 22 Bullseye Target shooting and Matches. These are affordable and start around $300. Once you become good enough it 6 months to a year - and you know more about center fire pistols and have hopefully gotten some trigger time on a variety of models - then go for it.

You go buy a centerfire pistol today - after $300 of ammo you will have only fired 750 rounds and still be a bad shot with flinch issues. Go buy a 22 and after $60 of ammo - 1,000 rounds - you will have decent marksman ship skills...... and have extra $$ to put toward a centerfire pistol.

You need to learn to walk before you run. 22 first.

Hope this helps.

 

[HavinFun]

Ruger 10/22 - its a .22 Long Rifle. Ammo is plentiful and affordable and the Ruger is a lot of fun to shoot. This gun will last you the rest of your life.

Do you want a bolt action or a semi-auto? If you want a semi-auto get an M1A loaded. If you want a bolt, get a Remington 700 or a Browning A bolt. There are lots of options out there.

If you want a pistol, I have a Springfield XD Tactical .45 and I absolutely love it.

Hope this helps you out! Good luck with your purchase and Happy early Birthday!

 

[ishootbirds2]

pick some 9x19. cheap ammo, widespread popularity.
or try the surplus pile- anything in 7.62x25mm or 9x18 Markov. ammo's cheap, surplus pistols are cheap and you can tell they work. if they didn't it never would of been adopted into a major military force. (soviet army, German army(?))
I recommend you find a local range that has a huge selection of rental guns and try everything out. that's what i did and saved myself a lot of money. turns out I really don't like pistols and its better to stick with long guns. (I did that went I turned 21 and saved like $500 bucks)

 

[John de Witt]

It's a good idea to begin with the basics. In handguns, that's a single-action revolver, and something along the lines of a Ruger Single-Six would be a great choice. That would also be something you'll always be proud to own even when you're old, gray, and a lot more experienced. People who don't know their capabilities will often denigrate the single-action revolver as "old fashioned," but that's only because they don't know any better. The things still have advantages over other designs.

 

[Da Man]

Hello!
let me start off by saying that i am 14 and hav been around guns all my life(i live in alaska and me n my friends hunt a lot). Your ? depends if u want to hunt or not. If you want to hunt get a 7mm. If not get a .223. The best gun i hav ever shot is a thompson center pro hunter (link at bottom). They are very reletively cheap, only about 500 bucks, but i shoot 6 shot dime groups at a hudred yards with mine. The most uniqe aspect of the pro hunter is that you can change calibers by simply switching barrels. You can even change it to a pistol within minutes! This gun outshoots my $3,000 setup of a .300 weatherby magnum with a custom leopold scope. I highly recomend this gun! at least check out the link you ow it to yourself!
cheers
justin
btw. my email is [email protected] if you have any more ?s

 

[i love guns]

my older brother taught me how to shoot with his glock 17 (9mm)...that was about a year ago. im 21 now, and i bought a glock 26, it fits my hand a lot better than the 17 did...and i like the way glocks look theyre menacing >: ) lol...it is 9mm, you can find that caliber in every store that sells ammunition...

my uncle taught my cousin how to shoot a handgun on an old colt .25...thats a good caliber to learn on...but idk how rare the ammo is for that, if it is rare. id still stick with a 9mm for starters...or if thats to much bang for the beginner, you cannot go wrong with learning on a .22...small round, cheap, find it ANYWHERE...good round.

 

[STEVEN]

The best first gun is a Ruger Mark III 22/45. Reliable, accurate, and easy to shoot. You can shoot all day for $20. You can buy a new one for under $300. America, fuck yeah!

 

[mack_9]

Get a 9mm if you want something bigger than a .22lr pistol. It is about as cheap as you can get in centerfire pistol. Springfield XD in 9 mm should be ok. I have an XD-45. Beretta makes a 92FS which is close to the M9. It is big and heavy. There are others that are just as good.

 

[John S, BaC]

The LCP 380 is not made for shooting....its made for last resorts.
Don't even consider that gun if you plan to shoot it more than every now and then.

A 9mm is the # 1 choice for a lot of reasons.
For the range and or home defense- get a service size pistol (about a 4" barrel (+/-).
If you want a smaller carry gun (kinda like the LCP) look at a Bersa, on the cheaper side or a Sig 232 on the quality side, or a Khar kinda in the middle.

Small revolvers are okay.
Stay away from the full size "cut downs" like M&P, Glock, XD and the like. If you want one of these guns- get a full size grip and barrel. The whack-offs in these guns are very clumsy.

 

[Ant]

Best gun for a newbie.? none, but if you must get a bb gun, then work your way up to a 22 calb. and please take a class on firearms safety.