Get on of those Ruger Wranglers or Heritage Rough Riders.

Revolver in 22lr is a great entre into firearms

 

I would think that an inherently accurate semi-auto like the Browning Buckmark would be a good choice. Decent trigger, good sights, reliable, and not too expensive. Just load one round in the magazine at a time while you’re instilling the fundamentals of gun safety and marksmanship.

 

I’ve taught a lot of people to shoot handguns, rifles and shotguns. I find the Advantage Arms 17/22 target kit on a dedicated Glock 17 frame is light enough with good trigger and sights even very small statured adults or kids can shoot it. Before I bought my AA 17/22 Target kit I used my AA 26/27 kit on a dedicated Glock 26 frame. I also used my Ruger Mark I 5.5” bull barrel. The Ruger is heavier and uses a manual thumb safety which can be an issue for some.

Here is a picture of my AA 17/22 Target kit on a Glock 17 gen 3 frame and my AA 26/27 LE kit on a Glock 26 frame.



Here is a picture of my Ruger Mark I Target pistol, the first handgun I ever owned. The Ruger has fired many tens of thousands of rounds.

 

My kid, my wife, her sister and their brother's 2 kids all learned on the same Ruger MKIII.

 

Any of the ruger Mk1 to 4.

 

I never like to teach a new shooter with any semi auto pistol. They dont understand or realize that the pistol has loaded another live round and they get excited and are not paying attention to the muzzle. I much prefer a revolver with adjustable sights. The sights need to be large enough and clear enough so they see what you are trying to explain to them. The guns with a groove in the top strap are seldom accurate and very hard to use and non adjustable ones leave the shooter wondering why with good alignment they are not hitting where they aimed. I also dont like to start a new shooter with a red dot, I always felt that was a crutch and its best to learn the basics from the start and prepare them to be able to shoot any gun.

 

That's why I like teaching young shooters on a Ruger Single Six. They don't have to worry about blowback and it only fires if you pull back the hammer. Love this gun, it's also a convertible for .22 WMR.

 

My first choice would be a S&W Model 18.

 

I would add that I would then start then off with CBs or shorts-the advantage of starting with a revolver.
I would further add the importance of hearing and eye protection.
Though I've owned a big variety of handguns, I always preferred the mild stuff. Owned three Smith 357s, a 19 and two PC 27s. None ever saw a magnum round, and fun for me was shooting wadcutters.

 

I taught my boy at a young age with a colt new frontier revolver..

 

If a body can swing it, a Smith K17 or such…or load one round at a time in a semi…or the aforementioned Wrangler.

 

I would start them with this:

Because it's easier to teach "Put the dot on it". Then, when they're used to the whole deal, switch barrels to this one, and teach them open sights on a platform they know already:

The original stainless barrel has a red-dot as well, which I use at 25 yards just for fun.

 

Ruger MK4. Treat them like Barny Fife: one bullet at a time. When they earn it then you can hand them 5 or so. They can also learn to disassemble it and clean it!

 

A quality DA revolver. S&W K-22, M17, M18, M617.

Honorable mention to my MkIII Target with a VQ trigger. It’s a sweet shooter as well.

 

Learned with a Ruger Mark I at the age of 5. Never forgot the lessons learned. Great starter
and great learning tool. At that age, I thought it was a cannon! God bless my dad for teaching
me gun safety and marksmanship at an early age. I still have the old Ruger... And it still shoots
better than I can.

 

I prefer teaching with the Ruger mk4 because I teach them cleaning from the get go also. They know very well the gun goes off with a trigger pull multiple times because I demonstrate that over and over, as well as takedown, before they ever touch it. I don’t hand any gun to any kid cold , ever. I bought my middle daughter a colt revolver because there was a popular western at the time and she almost quit forever over it because cleaning was time consuming and tedious. Unless you want to clean their guns forever. And put gas in their car, do the oil changes, wash their clothes, etc…….

 

For a revolver, my 1968 Ruger Super Single Six. For a semi-auto a Keltec P-17.

Both are easy to hold, to sight, to shoot. Both are as reliable as any .22 in the last 75 years.

 

my choice… a single shot. Son, daughters, grandchildren have learned with this.

 

I know some worry when giving a semi auto to a youngster and I somewhat understand that.. And every individual is different.. I have no problem with them learning on a semi..Just watch them closely. And if a semi bothers you all that much..Just load one in the magazine..It is then a single shot.. I know when my kids were young..They got bored really quick with a single shot cricket I had for them..Still have it actually..

Most youngster catch on very quick.. Other than a Revolver, the options are pretty limited for a single shot..

My Grandkids have been shooting my Beretta 70S. Very, very ultra reliable.. Not too large for their hands..Drawback is they are not really readily available, or that cheap either..

I bought the Wife a TX22..Reiable and not too expensive, she is worth it ya know,LOL

 

I know some worry when giving a semi auto to a youngster and I somewhat understand that.. And every individual is different.. I have no problem with them learning on a semi..Just watch them closely

My suggestion was a DA revolver, but I included my Ruger MkIII.

I took our early teen daughter shooting for the first time, and I had her use my MkIII. We went over safety rules, then I showed her how load and clear the pistol, then sight picture and trigger press (and taking your time). She's a good student and did just what I instructed. The target below (7 yards) is the very first rounds she's ever shot. A new shooter generally peppers the paper, so I was a bit stunned at the nice grouping. She just shrugged and said she just did what I said.

 

I would think any of the Ruger Mark series, Browning Buckmark or S&W Victory with a red dot.

As @SailDesign said, it is easier to get them successfully hitting targets with a red dot.

I got a Browning 1911-22 which is about a ⅔ scale 1911 which really fits the nephew's hands. It does not have provisions to install a dot easily, though.

 

Depends on what they are looking for. Possible carry and/or home defense. The last 2 went with a P17. I have both slides. They went with irons.
Also brought the SP101 4" 22lr and the G44 but they preferred the P17. Liked it enough that they bought their own P17's.
I like to bring a S&W 15-22 rifle. The adjustable stock is a big plus. Gives them an idea of the difference and the rifle is much easier to shoot accurately.
My wife and I shoot Ruger 10-22 Chargers with an AR height red dot. We use a cheek weld and overhand front grip. They are very accurate, fast and fun. They would make an ideal home defense weapon if you were limited to 22lr. Carry over to centerfire would be an AR9 pistol.

 

I taught my wife on a Ruger Wrangler that I specifically bought for her to learn on, then moved her up to my 357 Black Hawk using 38 Special. She's not quite ready for the Magnum load yet. She's already shot my Browning Challenger.

 

S&W 17, or a 617 or a S&W 63. Accurate, no nonsense firearms. They'll put a bullet exactly where you aim it. By giving them a firearm like this, they will know that the firearm will shoot exactly where you point it. You don't want them to learn to shoot with a gun that doesn't do that. Nothing is more disheartening than having your kid do everything right and the bullet doesn't go where it's supposed to.

 

I agree with just about everything above. It all works.

Ill state the obvious here. Bear with me.

Be overly through about slide bite, and keeping fingers out of the trigger guard. I have stories.
A revolver will pinch a finger if it's behind the trigger while in the guard.


Let kids know what removing the finger from the trigger means. Everybody could be a little stressed the first time shooting, and details get fogged when it's go time.

Don't blink or look away. Things happen fast. A kid or new shooter getting injured could really put a wet rag on their shooting future, and opinion of firearms in general.

 

I believe a revolver is the best way to learn. We took a friend's son to an outdoor range to teach him how to shoot.

He wasn't doing very well and was getting discouraged. He was afraid of the SOUND and was wincing when he shot causing his rounds to look like a shotgun pattern.

We broke for lunch. I told his father we can cure him of this. After lunch this is what we did. We set him up with no ammo in the gun and had him dry fire making sure he was following all rules as if he had a loaded gun.
After about fifteen minutes he looked comfortable aiming the gun and squeezing the trigger.
His father distracted him for a minute and I loaded his gun with 1 round.

He came back to dry fire and the third time he squeezed the trigger the gun went off. He was surprised with the sound but he was also surprised that he got a BULLS EYE right in the center! He was so excited he didn't care about the sound or recoil he wanted to shoot some more!

 

For people who have never shot a firearm, I like to start with a Beretta 950BS Minx (22 short) and move up from there.

 

A single or double action revolver would be a good start as you can skip load if they flinch or can load shorts or target ammo to quiet the noise. Once they get used to it a Ruger, Browning, HS or Colt semi with big, easy to see sights or a red dot would be great.