Grip/Control size?

[SodiumBenzoate]

Being very young, comparatively, I have small hands. I have only shot a .22 rifle, and I am not sure if the rifle was downsized for child hands.

I hope to fire some kind of handgun in the near future, but I am not sure I will be able to get a firm grip on the pistol and be able to pull the trigger.

To the question. On most of the handguns you have fired/held/seen, excluding big bore for obvious reasons, would you say a child could get a reasonably controlling grip, at least with practice?

Thanks.

 

[TBeck]

Pistols with double column magazines and long double action triggers would probably give you a problem. The Ruger mk2 or Browning Buckmark .22 pistols have short triggers and relatively narrow grips. A .22 is also a great way to learn good habits and skills.

 

[SodiumBenzoate]

Thanks.

I have never actually felt recoil, so that would be the logical choice. I suppose the .22 rifles I fired had a minute amount of kick, but for whatever reason (probably having too much fun), I did not notice any.

 

[Standing Wolf]

I'd guess you could probably hang onto more or less any gun and shoot it; shooting it well, however, usually requires that shooter and firearm fit each other reasonably well. It's usually possible to find stocks to fit small, medium, and large hands. They can cost as little as $19.95 and as much as... Well, don't even think about it.

Best of luck, eh?

 

[Alerion]

Under the circumstances, I'll second the idea of either the Ruger MkII or the Browning Buckmark if you're interested in shooting a semi-automatic. If the grips are still too large you might consider a .22 revolver since, unlike the semi-autos, there doesn't have to be room for the ammo inside the grip.

A double action trigger might be a fairly long reach however the MkII and the Buckmark are both single action. Most revolvers can be pre-cocked and fired single action. (When most double action/single action guns are manually cocked the trigger moves through the part of the arc that would have cocked the action and winds up just short of the release [fire] position.) You'd just have to watch out that you didn't have a double action only (DAO) gun.

Overall, I think starting out with a .22 is going to be the key here. For one thing, even a poor grip isn't really going to cause a problem. The recoil from a .22 is negligible so you don't have to worry about it flying out of your hand or hitting you in the head or any of the other things a new shooter can find to worry about. Plus, since the recoil springs are so light, you don't have to worry about a problem called "limp-wristing" which may cause larger caliber guns to have feeding problems.

Finally, I'll make the most important case for the .22. It's a gun you can afford to shoot! For $10 you can pick up a brick (500 rounds) of .22 and shoot most of the day. By comparison that's about 1/5 the price of cheap 9mm (one of the less expensive centerfire rounds) and 1/10 the price of cheap .45 caliber. In addition you can concentrate on your technique with a .22 without worrying that when you pull the trigger it's going to make a lot of noise or hurt your hand.

Since I have to drive over an hour to reach my favorite range I always take my Ruger MkII 22/45 with me. After I've shot $40-50 worth of ammo through my centerfire handguns I'll switch to the Ruger in order to keep shooting long enough to make the trip worthwhile. Besides, it's kind of relaxing to shoot, especially if I've been firing magnum revolvers, and it's just plain fun!

One word of warning however, don't try any extremely short barreled guns like a derringer or an NAA Mini the first time you shoot. Target shooting is not their purpose. Shoot something with a fairly long barrel, and long sight radius accordingly, so that you can actually hit something. Shooting is a lot more fun when you're actually making holes in what you're shooting at!

Have Fun!

Tom

 

[Majic]

Start by going to a gun shop and try a Ruger Bearcat. That will fit the smallest hands. Then work your way upward handling models increasingly larger that are chambered in .22lr. You will reconize a good fit the moment you put your hand around it. If your fingers are short, single action triggers will have the shortest reach.