My daughter wants a handgun!

[gnrail]

Ruger Mark II target in stainless with the bull barrel in .22. Excellent starting gun. Easy to care for and is accurate enough to compete with the high priced Walthers and such. There are also some older Smith and Wesson semi auto .22 but all the ones I saw in use were very picky about the ammunition and of the cleanliness of the firearm (seen many go full auto during a match).


A good .357 with a 4" barrel is also good but I would stay with low power .38 loads like a full or semi wad cutter target round. I have seen a few full grown adult males almost bury a front sight into their foreheads with full power .357 JHP ammunition.

 

[Grenadier]

My 13 year old daughter has asked us if she could start shooting handguns, maybe even get into some competition but for right now she would just like to go to the range and shoot.

We are thinking a revolver to start. Perhaps a .38.

Any suggestions?

A 13 year old, or almost anyone for that matter, really should start out on a .22 LR pistol.

Simply put, a .22 LR has almost no recoil, is easy to shoot, and you can buy a brick of 500+ rounds for 11 US Dollars, and shoot all day long.

This way, your daughter can learn good trigger mechanics, without having developed any flinching problems.

Once she feels comfortable with shooting a handgun, and has good trigger mechanics (probably the most important part of a shooter's skills), then you can bring her along, and let her shoot the more powerful calibers. The .38 Special is a good choice, since it's a low pressure round that has light recoil.


I generally do not recommend starting someone on a .38 Special right away, since they will develop flinching habits, and to de-sensitize someone to flinching is a more complex procedure that someone really shouldn't have to worry about when they first start.

The only time I generally make an exception to this, is when someone has to learn right away, in which case I'll start them on my full size 4" barrel S&W 686 revolver (.357 magnum, but I shoot .38's out of it regularly), loading it up with my own handloads that have a light charge of Vihtavouri N320 powder, propelling a 158 grain semiwadcutter. This is affectionately known as my "bunny fart" load, since it's very mildly recoilling, and is quite accurate.

I make people shoot this load anyways, even if they've had the .22 training, and gradually work their way to moderately powered .38's, or even switching to my Glock 34 (9 mm longslide).


My choice of .22 pistol would be a Ruger 22/45, since it has a grip profile similar to the 1911 handguns, and is a true tack driver. The only gripe I have is that it can be a bit complex to disassemble, but once you get the hang of it, no real problems.

 

[anubis4b]

I agree with starting her out on a .22 for the simple fact that she would be able to shoot 500 rounds and spend about $10. However, once she has the components of shooting down (as well as, the confidence), I would move her up to a .38 or .380 (her preference-revolver vs. semi). I wouldn't move her up to a higher caliber until she has the size and confort in her abilities to handle the recoil. My 12 year old son is 5'2" 185lbs. today, he confidently (and accurately) was shooting my .40S&W, both of my .45's (1911A1 and Double Eagle for competition), and my partner's .44 magnum. Now, he wants to save all of his money for a handgun collection when he turns 21 (obviously, several years from now). I feel that everyone that is not barred (mental disablilities and criminal convictions), should enjoy the rights granted by our great Constitution.