Your guns for First-Timer range trips?

[Hop]

Yep, probably my 1st time shooter favorite as well. Favorite pistols would be a suppressed Ruger 22/45 & suppressed Springfield loaded 1911.

Soft as a kitten.

 

[Hop]

Seriously, it would be one of my .327fed/mags.
After the .22's lose their appeal, I pull out the SP101 and load it with .32short, or long, then step up to .32H&Rmag, and on to .327fedmag.
There is a huge difference in report and recoil from one end of that spectrum to the other.

The .32shorts, and even the longs, are like bunny farts.
Then put those shorts or longs through the 20" barrel on the Henry and it's back to .22 type report/recoil.

Loads of fun.

An excellent 1st timer pistol! I have the LCR version so not quite as recoil absorbing as the SP101.

 

[MohawkSlim]

Big ol' .357 wheel guns with .38s are the way to go but revolvers are a hard sell because nobody uses them in the movies anymore. That 1911 is the go-to for me.

Most folks want to shoot their teeny carry pistols with the plastic frame and snappy recoil. Their hand hurts after two or three shots so we'll discuss physics for a moment and then I'll hand them a gigantic heavy gun. They'll shoot it and say, "Oh. Now I see what you were talking about.... but I can't carry this." *facepalm

A buddy of mine bought a 1911 in .380 (a really nice Browning, actually) and that thing is just about perfect for bridging the gap from .22 pea shooters to big boy guns. It's a tad smaller but still heavy enough to tame the tiny .380 bite. The ammo is a bit more expensive than 9mm but not too much and for the specific purpose of warming up new shooters to centerfire pistol rounds, I'd say it's a worthwhile investment.

 

[KDee]

I have a Sig P229 Legion with a .22LR conversion kit. I can start someone off with the .22 barrel and get them used to the gun with little recoil or loud noise. When they're ready, I can swap out for the 9mm barrel and move them up to the next level. It's great because the basic gun footprint never changes. Grip and trigger remain the same.

 

[shawnppickett]

A good stout .357 revolver loaded with .38 specials

 

[DoggyDaddy]

What's less than a .22?

6mm Flobert?

https://www.centerfireguns.com/umarex-usa-22lr-flo-6mm-cb-round-100-2130505.html

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Nothing wrong with .22's. I own and shoot them a lot. They are a good 1st trip to the range gun.

Too often we don't have a plan to move folks on from the .22's though. Lots and lots of folks are afraid of recoil and how to manage it because they are allowed to think that .22's are enough for self defense.

I'm somewhat of a recoil junkie, so my .22's probably don't get the love they deserve, but darned if I don't have a good time with them when I do take them to the range. I only have one .22 handgun (Browning Buckmark) but have a few rifles.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

If a relatively new shooter isn't averse to recoil, I've seen Mosin carbines (M44, M38) make grown men giggle like little girls when they see that fireball.

 

[Injess]

You should also consider the optics not just the caliber. I found that new shooters, especially when it comes to pistols, struggle shooting iron sight accurately. While I think it’s important for every shooter to know how to accurately use iron sights, I would make sure you brought along maybe a scoped 10/22 or something with a red dot so they can enjoy the experience a little more.

 

[Tomc1947]

Juat my: hard to beat a S&W model 10