Thoughts for first pistol
 

I'm waiting on my permit and trying to get some ideas of what gun to get. Im between a 22lr or 9mm. I've looked around some I like the smith and Wesson m&p 22 compact or the m&p shield 9mm. I mainly see myself using it to target practice and small game hunt. I don't really see myself carrying much maybe occasionally.

I have the S&W Shield,9MM first & only pistol I've owned. Shot about a 1/2 dozen others including Glock, Berretta,Sig Sauer & Ruger. I like the Shield, nice trigger, decent sights,minimal recoil, conceals well and not to bad to carry all day.

My wife owns a S&W Bodyguard .380. Pleasure to carry! Very long trigger pull, takes some getting use to but with practice can be mastered. Sites SUCK all black hard to pick-up! Easily fixed with Testors model paint. Painted the rear white the front flo-orange.1000% better, cost $2.00.

There's a lot of nice guns out there handle as many as you can see what feels nice to you.

If you're getting a carry permit size, weight, style (auto or revolver) type of holster are a things to take onto consideration.

If you are even considering concealed carry - a .22lr is NOT a "good" choice IMO.

You should consider a .357 revolver, you can shoot the less expensive .38 special ammo for practice and target and carry the .357 ammo when you carry concealed.

Agree that 22Lr is NOT a good round for concealed carry. I teach the class here in Ohio, and have seen many different types/sizes/calibers of weapons used in class. If the weapon will be used primarily for concealed carry, 9mm is hard to beat for manageable recoil and ballistic performance.

If the weapon will primarily be a hunting gun, a .357 revolver would work much better. The drawback being the size. If you get a bigger framed gun, it will be hard to conceal, and if you get a smaller farmed gun the sight radius will be small.

The best solution is to get 2 guns (much more expensive).

I personally carry a Glock 27 40 cal. or 26 9mm depending on my mood as my concealed carry gun. regardless of what weapon you choose, make sure you shoot them before buying, and that they feel good in YOUR hands. Don't rely on someone else to pick your gun.

Although it is not a perfect concealed carry pistol, a .22 will be much more useful for your stated purposes. I don't think I know anyone that is a really good pistol (or rifle) shot that did not learn how to shoot by using a .22.

A .22 is much more appropriate for small game and target practice.

If you do decide to find a pistol primarily for CC, a compact 9mm is a good way to go.

I agree on the 2-gun advice. A 22LR would be perfect for plinking and small game but not recommended for self defense. A 22LR would also be economical to shoot (lots of targets, plinking and hunting for little cost). A 9mm is a much better self defense round but would be overkill on your small game (I'm assuming you mean squirrels & rabbits, etc.). 9mm ammo is also a lot more expensive.

I noticed you like S&W pistols so getting both would also keep your familiarity with the same/similar shooting platform, i.e. safety location, decocking, trigger pull, etc. Enjoy whatever you decide to purchase and let us know how it works out.

Get you a Browning Buckmark or Ruger Mark in .22 so you can learn to shoot..Then go with a larger caliber for concealed carry as you gain experience...

i like the idea of getting a .22 and learning to shoot and do some small game hunting with it but you will soon be bit by the buying gun's bug more than likely don't carry a .22 for self defense get the 9mm or what you can handle and shoot properly.

I think I may start with the 22 to get used to shooting and lower cost of ammo. 357 I think is too much for my needs I will only be using it for squirrel and rabbit really. As for carrying like I said I cant see myself carrying much at all. I don't feel I need it for protection but I guess if I did decide to carry it a 22 is still better than nothing

I can assure you that no one wants to get shot with even a .22lr !!!

I know a fellow who I could probably get to tell you what a 22lr HP did to his body when he got struck with a stray bullet at a bar one evening.

I like my Ruger single six has both cylinders so I can use 22lr ammo when it is around and 22 mag cylinder when 22lr rifle is not on the shelves.


:D Al

Agree that no one wants to get shot with a 22, but the whole idea of a concealed weapon in a deadly force encounter is to stop the aggression as quickly as possible. A 22 simply will not reliably cause enough damage to do that. It will cause enough damage to kill, but will take time to accomplish this. A larger bullet will create more of a wound channel, and cause more shock to the system, causing a quicker incapacitation.

Would you use a 22 to hunt deer? Ethical hunters would not because it will not reliably drop the game quickly. Just saying.

I would suggest getting a good .22 to get started with. I like stainless in handguns and would go with a revolver with a longer barrel, 6 inches or so and decent sights. That is a good safe choice to learn with, fairly inexpensive and should last a lifetime. Something like the Ruger Single Six as already mentioned. When you are confortable with that try the various handguns used for personal defense. Here again, I would go with a stainless firearm or one that is protected from rust. I think .380 us usually sited as the minimum caliber for use here, a compact 9MM would be much better. Two guns for two uses.

Ruger SP101 double action 22 long rifle. Fantastic kit gun, great small game killer and great range plinker. Nothing complicated to learn, but will let you develop a proper handgunning technique that will be transferable to any other handgun you shoot in the future. My "standard" first handgun recommendation for the last ~15yrs has been a Ruger Mark II or III semiauto pistol in 22lr, but the 4" SP101 rimfire has simplicity and sex appeal on its side, so I'm torn between which of these to recommend over the other.

(Buying both is the best option, of course!!!)

If you're considering a higher powered revolver small game weapon, then I'd HIGHLY recommend the 327Federal Ruger Single Six or Blackhawk. Great speed, but without quite as much 'overkill factor' that a 357mag might have with 125-180grn bullets.

Don't underestimate the effects of a .22 to the brain....We killed and smoked 20 hogs a year when I was younger, all killed with a .22 short to the brain...

I've killed a couple of dozen deer with a .22 to the brain all dropped on the spot guess, I'm unethical... :happy0001:

A brain shot in a high stress life and death situation is nearly impossible for the average person. That is why we teach shots to center mass, a bigger target, easier to hit in high stress situations.

Not insinuating that you are unethical, just that most hunters choose to use a larger caliber to hopefully facilitate the best outcome.

i'm not sure but there are revolvers out there that convert between .22 lr and 22 mag that could be a consideration ? i would also suggest a kel-tek pmr-30 but you live in russia i mean new york !!

As most mentioned .22LR for small game and target practice!
.22LR Browning Buckmark Contour 5-1/2 barrel one sweet handgun!
.22LR Ruger revolver with interchanging barrels the 2nd one the .22WSM (Magnum)!
.22LR Walther P22 another nice handgun

For Conceal protection get a 9mm,.380,.45 or better/larger!

How about the ruger sr22, then the ruger sr9, sr40, or the sr45.
http://ruger.com/products/sr22Pistol/models.html
http://ruger.com/products/srSeries/index.html

So the guy says he's not hunting deer and doesn't plan to carry it - why start an argument about the use of a 22lr as a carry piece or a deer killer?

No need for a 44mag for bunny hunting.

If you plan to use it all for defense (either home defense or carrying), then I'd suggest a .357 magnum or a 38 special. You could use 38 wad cutters for the small game hunting, or even some standard 38 loads.

For strictly small game, ruger makes some dandy .22s. At less cost, there are heritage revolvers.

If you can afford one, A "do it all" gun would be the Ruger sp101 in 357 magnum, 3" barrel. It makes for a light trail gun and it works well for concealed carry if you have a good belt. I use a belly band appendix carry and it works fine. (It's a little big for pocket carry). If you aren't concealing it, they make a 4.2 inch barrel that has fiber optic sights. It can be had in in .22lr as well.