ORIGINAL: semi
I have seen women bring 357's to the range only to figure out they can't hit paper at 15 feet due to recoil and being "too much gun".
IMO, everyone should start off with a 22LR (handgun and rifle). Doing this gives an opportunity for a new shooterto work onproper form without any recoil issues. Oncethey consistantly use proper form and have good/consistant accuracy,they canthen move up in caliber and recoil. You will pay some extra money initially by buying a 22LR first, but you will more than save this money when you move to a larger caliber. The money will be saved in ammo, beinga more accurateshooter, building more confidence and having more fun. A person can do most of their shooting with a 22LR to continue working on their form and accuracyand some shooting with the larger calibers. If the next gun for a person after a 22LRis a 357 Mag, they should start with 38 Specialthen progress to 38 Special +P, a light 357 Mag, a medium 357 Mag and finally full power 357 Mag (if needed).