New gun for first time older shooter

Hokkmike said:
He is talking about soon buying his first, one, and only gun

gun will be for range fun and self-defense
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Get him a German made GSG 1911 22LR (Same as Sig 1911 22LR as Sig Sauer bought GSG) which will allow him cheap range fun practice. Around $260 - https://gun.deals/search/apachesolr_search/gsg+1911+22lr

If he likes the 1911 platform, he can then get a 1911 in 9mm or 45ACP (I recommend RIA).

My GSG 1911 22LR worked with cheap bulk ammo and even worked with cheaper Armscor 36 gr HP and produced 2" groups at 25 yards.
 
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bannockburn said:
If I was only going to have one gun it would be a S&W K frame, .357, or .38 Special, with a 4" barrel.
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Well, that was the old rule, for those that didn't have an old Gov't Model in .45 ACP in the underwear drawer. But for sure, if only one defensive handgun, the 4" K-frame rules. (I will take credit for mentioning this on THR on multiple occasions over the past 19 years. :))
 
I steer any & all new shooters who do not want a carry gun to a long gun.Unfortunately, most ppl do not shoot a whole lot, a long gun is safer to the handler, harder to have taken away from same in a time of trouble, etc.
I looked at several posts and I concur, 22LR long gun. I would go so far as to suggest a Ruger 10/22. Covers about everything, pleasure shooting, house gun (god forbid), ammo costs/availability, hearing retention etc.

And that particular caliber can be easily and less $ added, a handgun:). Down the road:thumbup:. Thank you for this opportunity to add my $.02
 
a decent 22lr semiauto pistol:

22lr is easy on wallet and wrist for lots cheap, fun practice.

a handgun is handier and lighter than a rifle.

trigger pull in double-action rimfire revolver is atrocious.

single-action revolver’s manual of arms is slow, can be considered tedious and less than ideal for protection.

ruger sr22 and ruger mark4 22/45 lite, which i have shot a fair bit; s&w m&p 22 compact or taurus tx22, which enjoy good reviews.

a practiced, accurate, reliable 22lr semiauto pistol loaded with top-end cci ammo, that is proven it likes, can be quite okay for personal defense by an elderly civilian.
 
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There's no such thing as a do-all gun, just like there's no do-all golf club. He needs to reach the point that his interest in shooting has expanded beyond having only one gun, otherwise he's not going to get into shooting enough to matter what one gun he has. Given that view, I'd have him get a 10/22 and some type of value-priced but decent 3-9x scope, such as this one: https://www.natchezss.com/burris-dr...-22-reticle-33-13-fov-31-38-er-matte-bu200019 That should be a good combination to allow him to have some fun and whet his shooting appetite. And steer him more toward shooting reactive targets at first, not just punching holes in paper, which can be very boring for new shooters.
 
I6turbo said:
There's no such thing as a do-all gun
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My Glocks come close.

For example, my Gen3 Glock 22 is used with 40-9mm conversion barrel for cheaper practice/training and could be used for match shooting accommodating larger capacity magazines and different calibers like .357 Sig. I also use Advantage Arms 22LR slide kit for even cheaper practice/training, especially for fast point shooting drills that use up a lot of ammunition.

I can use longer length barrels for higher muzzle velocities for hunting or even use carbine barrel/kits for .357 Mag comparable velocities with 9mm for defensive use.

I can even fire my Glocks under water and they will cycle (Few pistols that will do that under water) with an effective range of about 15 feet if I needed to shoot underwater (Wasn't that one of reasons why Navy SEAL chose Glock over other brand pistols?).
 
I think a range with rental guns could be useful, not saying your selection is a poor choice it just let's the buyer see more.
 
If I was making the recommendation, I'd tell him to get a nice S&W M66 w/ a 2.5" or 4" barrel. Lighter than a 686 and easily handles 38s and 357 as needed. Doesn't sound like he'll be shooting much so for me that should give him a nice revolver that will last him a generation.
 
DustyGmt said:
Also, for the new, one gun owner, alot of folks first and only gun is a Ruger 10/22 and for good reason. For non "gun people", it's all the gun that's needed and is cheap and fun to shoot and just about anybody can shoot it well, especially youngn's.

While not the optimal home defense gun, it will do that too.....
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The 10/22 makes sense for OP's friend. Easy to use, fun as heck, accurate and inexpensive to shoot. In a HD/PD situation, ten rounds heading towards bad guy is getting a message across quickly. If it comes to that; hopefuuly not.
 
LiveLife said:
My Glocks come close.
For example, my Gen3 Glock 22 is used with 40-9mm conversion barrel for cheaper practice/training ...
Click to expand...
I do the same with a Glock 23. The 9mm conversion barrel was a great addition.

Can't argue with those recommending a 10/22 for a long gun.
 
As home defense, whichever Size of gun minimizes the chance that he could accidentally shoot himself .

Probably a carbine.

A very seasoned shooter- an ER Surgeon -
at our private club normally shot a rifle.

Well, one day he tried a much Shorter Pistol Carbine—while the gun’s owner walked a short distance away.

The surgeon put his —support hand— in the normal (based on habit) position and almost blew part of his finger off!
 
Another vote for a .357/.38 special revolver such as a S&W 686 plus 7 shot. My home defense gun is loaded with the old FBI load. +P LSWCHP 158 grain .38 special.

Ideally your friend would learn basic handgun marksmanship with a .22 and then shoot his .357/.38.
 
The OP says his friend is "older." That begs the question -- how old?

I'm 78 years old, and I can report that physical infirmities seem to multiply at an accelerating pace in this age range. Arthritis, bursitis, neuropathy, buzzing in the ears, you name it. (And I'm probably in better shape than most people my age.)

The acquisition of a gun, for the first time at this age, has to take into account all the physical limitations presented. And even if he can handle it now, will he still be able to do so five years from now?
 
If all he wants is a home defense firearm and something to plink at the range, 3 firearms would be ideal. No particular brand, he'll need to try a few to see what he likes. 20 ga pump or semi auto, with some buck shot along with a medium-sized 9mm semi auto pistol and a .22lr revolver with a 4 inch barrel.
 
Hokkmike said:
I don't know if he will prefer a long gun or handgun.
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You got it right there... the best gun is the one that he prefers. The more guns he can shoot with you the better he will be able to make the choice for himself. Explain the pros/cons of long guns vs hand guns then let him make his choice.
 
I would vote the 22lr rifle or handgun, maybe try out a 410 to start. Then let him decide which way he wants to go. Maybe just watching others at the range will give a idea on what he wants to try. That's how I started my wife. But, She never did take to shooting much. She will go to the range with me every few blue moons and shoot a few rounds. I don't know why but some try but just don't take to shooting.
 
AlexanderA said:
The OP says his friend is "older." That begs the question -- how old?

I'm 78 years old, and I can report that physical infirmities seem to multiply at an accelerating pace in this age range. Arthritis, bursitis, neuropathy, buzzing in the ears, you name it. (And I'm probably in better shape than most people my age.)

The acquisition of a gun, for the first time at this age, has to take into account all the physical limitations presented. And even if he can handle it now, will he still be able to do so five years from now?
Click to expand...

74 and in good health. Walks a couple of miles every day.
 
LiveLife said:
Get him a German made GSG 1911 22LR (Same as Sig 1911 22LR as Sig Sauer bought GSG) which will allow him cheap range fun practice. Around $260 - https://gun.deals/search/apachesolr_search/gsg+1911+22lr

If he likes the 1911 platform, he can then get a 1911 in 9mm or 45ACP (I recommend RIA).

My GSG 1911 22LR worked with cheap bulk ammo and even worked with cheaper Armscor 36 gr HP and produced 2" groups at 25 yards.
Click to expand...

This is a bit of a leading question, but do you think the quality of GSG guns has improved? I had a GSG .22 in AK look-alike format and it was engineered very poorly.
 
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