My Boyfriend has just recently started taking me out shooting . I started out with a .22 rifle that was fun, then i moved on to a .22 pistol that was great also. I was just wondering what kind of guns you think i should move on to? My prefence is low recoil, if it is a rifle something with a short stock , if it is a pistol something with small maybe thin grip. Thanks!

I am glad to see your intrested in the 'sport'. The decission is yours. Do you enjoy shooting handguns or long guns the most? Another thing you may enjoy is shotgunning. My wife enjoys skeet and I thing she would enjoy trap. Most clubs have loaners, a 20 ga auto with a short stock would be my advice.
If you do go with a hand gun get a S&W K Frame with a 4 in bbl, in 357 Mag and start with 38 Special ammo. It will double as a home defense weapon (personal protection device).
If you don't intend to hunt and want something with more range in a rifle the 223 would be a good choise. There are several bolt, and semi-auto to chose from and there very little recoil.
Hope this helped, have fun.
Jim

Welcome to the fold of shooters! Agreed with the advice JR just gave. Would also suggest a single stack 9mm handgun to try next. It would have a slim grip but the Browning Hi Power is a double stack but has a reputation for small hands. Give a AR15 in 223/5.56 a shot, you might just hook on the black rifle (copy of standard service rifle). Welcome again.

IMHO i would move onto a Rifle in .223, .260 or .308 if your going to hunt get a good recoil pad for your shoulder, it will make the recoil much more manageable. As for pistol, i would go to a 9mm, .38 super or 40 S&W auto or a revolver in .357/.38. A Colt 1911 or a S&W K frame would be a good place to start. if money is an issue, look into a Taurus (www.TaurusUSA.com) they're less expesive but still very nice guns.

.38/.357 for next handgun. If you have small hands, look around for an older Ruger Security-Six revolver. They are out of production but very durable and I see them all the time at gun shows. If it feels right in your hands at the store, it will probably feel right at the range.

The Ruger Blackhawk single-action revolvers (in production and commonly available / reasonably priced) work very well for small hands also.

Most rifle stocks can be cut down fairly easily, so I wouldn't necessarily limit yourself to what already fits.

Welcome to the board, Savage Gerbil -

Hope you like our place and decide to stick around and join us in the various topics.

Welcome! All good recommendations, so far. The only thing that I would throw in to the mix is a 357 mag. carbine, like the Marlin. It shoots the same cartridge as the handgun, It’s fast, light, and handy. It’s great for plinking, and can take game from the smallest, up to deer. The handgun round, however, won’t shoot as far or as flat as a rifle round, like the 223.

Darrel

thank you for all your replies it has been much help. I will consider all of these options. Thanks once again.
~Gerbilet~

Savage:
I don’t know if you are anywhere in the Southern California area, but we have a great weekend coming up. The Shooting Sports Fair, held annually in Norco, California, is a hands-on gun show. All the manufacturers are there displaying their wares. You can not only handle them, but also shoot them, basically for the price of the ammo. You can shoot anything from a 22 pistol to an elephant rifle. It’s a great way to check out guns you have interest in. It will be June 5th and 6th. I think there are similar activities in major metropolitan areas around the country.

Darrel

well today we were looking at guns and i found a really nice raven .25 how does this sound?

Ummmmm.... cheap.

Not to rain on your parade.... but they aren't much as either a self-defense or target gun. Not powerful enough for self defense (unless that's all you can conceal) and likely not real accurate for serious target shooting, plus ammo isn't necessarily cheap.

If you want a small plinker, I'd go for the .22 version by far over the .25 ACP. At least ammo will be cheap, and you can get a lot of practice in. I think that some of the manufacturers of small .22 autos at least make a longer 'target' barrel; not sure if Raven is one of them or not.

For the money - what are these, $150 - $200? - I think I'd still go for a good (used if necessary) .38 Special or .357 revolver (since you mentioned already having a .22 to shoot). .38 Special target ammo is accurate, modest recoil, and should not break the bank.

Just my opinion. Hope this helps.

The .25 ACP is really nothing in the way of a stopper round. A .22LR or .22WMR will be just a potent and far more accurate.

Even though a select few have reported no problems with the Raven handguns, they are very cheaply made and are best known as unreliable. Best to find a better quality firearm.

If you feel you must have a semi-auto, step up to at least the .380 ACP. Again, not really an effective stopper, but with proper ammo and firearm, will provide something for the other person to think about. If you can find a Russian (or other Eastern Bloc mfg'd) Markarov in .380 you will be well served. Noted for accuracy and compactness in size. Costs will be on par or slightly greater than a new Raven for a good used one.

SG,

Some people have good reliablity with the Raven. Disadvantages is the construction (zinc alloy, commonly known as pot metal), chambering of 25 ACP (as noted, poor stopper but reliable centerfire gnition over rimfire). If all you want is a shooter then by all means. However I won't pay more then $25 for one personnally. Also they won't hold up to alot of shooting like a decent 22 (not pot metal) or 38/380/9mm.

What part of the country you and your boyfriend are in? We're scarttered all over. Is there a range near by that has guns to rent? Do other people shoot where you two do?

For some indoor practice, try a BB/pellet gun. Releatively cheap, can shoot inside your home or garage with a simple box stuffed with old newspaper or magazines. Gives you more trigger time which is always fun.

Buying a Raven is like buying a Mazda B-series pickup
when you need a work truck. Or a Miata when you wanted
a sports car.

Or like buying a Wal-Mart brand 1000 piece tool set when
you need a wrench.

Or a 2-dollar "folding knive" when you should have
bought a Buck lock blade.

And so on.

They serve a purpose, and will probably get a lot of
use. But there is a LOT of room for something better.
The Raven's purpose wasn't meant to be a
personal protection or target gun. It was built cheap
for one reason only. To make it affordable for people
who needed a gun for no other reason than to have a gun.

Weren't Ravens banned in California?
I remember something about "saturday night specials"
being outlawed in that state, because of their supposed
intended purpose.

Personally....
I would rather buy an old used Ruger Mark II .22 pistol
than a brand new Raven. Ravens are cheap, but you
get what you pay for.

I got more miles out of my '82 B2000 pickup than any
other vehicle I've ever owned. And I loved it.


I choose to use my cheap Wal-Mart tools before I reach
for my "good" tools because I consider them disposable.
And they work. They get a lot of use. They are also
handy when someone needs to borrow a tool.

The Raven is cheap, and it will go "Bang" when you
squeeze the trigger. But, you probably won't hit
anything with it, and they don't have a good life
expectancy. People brag about getting a couple thousand
rounds through them. That is a drop in the bucket if
you like to shoot. My wife has gone through 750 rounds
of .22 ammo in the last two months.

My dad has a Colt .25 that he has only shot once since
he inherited it from his grandfather. We literally could
not hit a tin can that was 20 feet away. Probably not
because the gun wasn't accurate enough, but because
it is just darn difficult to be accurate with very small
guns like that.

My wife has a 22 autoloader that is much closer in
design to the Ruger, and she is hitting clay pigeons
(4" diameter?) at 150 feet. guarantee you can't
do that with the Raven, ever.

She would have lost ALL interest in shooting if she had
to try to hit a target with something like a Raven.

My advice, if cost is a big issue, try to find a used Ruger.
I've seen used (but like new) 45/22 with the plastic
grips sell for $175.

If you can afford a few hundred bucks, I would suggest
the slabside Ruger Mark II competition model.
Quality for price, I don't think it can be beat.
And it will last forever.

Dave

Go to GunsAmerica.com, or GunBrokers.com, and do a search for a used, $200 or so, Smith and Wesson Model 2214, or 2213. Same gun, one is stainless steel, one blued, I can never keep track of which is which, tho.

It's a 6" long, 18 oz 22lr autopistol, with nice sights and trigger pull. It's very accurate, very handy to take with you on a hike. However, its safety is very awkward to manipulate with just the thumb of your shooting hand. Most people end up using their weak side hand to manipulate the safety. That is, the hand not holding the gun.

Good suggestion on the Makarov for a cheap autoloader. Brute simple, and if there's one thing that the communist-bloc nations could make, it's tough reliable guns!!!

Here's my 2 cents worth a semi auto in 380 or 38 super, wheel gun in 38/357 mag. As for a long arm a 223, 222 ,22-250, 243 or a 280 all are fairly low recoil. My wife hunts with me and she shoots a .243 Rem VLS and a 280 Rem in a 700 mountain rifle and she has no ploblems with recoil from either one. In fact I can't get here to let me hunt with her 280.

Well ive taken all of this advice and passed up on the raven.. now im thinking of a 9mm. sound good?

If you want a slim grip than that will keep you to the single stack magazines (rounds stack immediately on top of each other). If you have small hands then you may also prefer the single action guns since they have a shorter trigger reach. Of course there's exceptions to every rule. Just try different ones in the shop or range and see what feels best to you. If a gun show is coming up than I suggest you go to it. You'll be amazed at what out there. Good luck to you.

a lot with a .22, before stepping up to a centerfire. I'd suggest a Star Pony or Colt Mustang (or the slightly larger 380 Gov't Model) Colt for ccw by most women, really, or perhaps the fairly compact, lightwt, controlable, and low cost Star BM 9mm. The 380's will run you $300 for the Star, $400 for the Colts. The Star 9mm BM model (not to be confused with the much larger and heavier Star Model B or A, is available for under $200, from Aim Surplus, or from SOG, or on GunsAmerica.com. It's a fine pistol, and 9mm ammo is $11 for a 100 pack White Box Winchester, at Walmart. That's good practice ammo. For defense, the CorBon 100 gr PowrBall is the best choice. It's provably far more effective than is .45 ACP military "ball" ammo.

You need to fire several thousand rds of ammo, under realistic defensive conditions (ie, under 10ft distances, much of it under 6 ft, and a lot of it at arm's length. Most of that can be .22lr, saving you 10c a shot. You need to do it in the dark, with and without a flashlight. You need to do it on moving targets, while you are moving, You need to do it with one hand, either hand. You need to do it from sitting, lying on the ground, squatting, kneeling. etc. You are likely to either be "jumped", or knocked sprawling by your attacker, so you need to know what it's like to fire from these positions.

Slowfire, with both hands, using the sights, is beginner stuff, quite unlikely to be the case when you are actually attacked. So get a .22 first. You can always get a centerfire later, with the money you saved on practice ammo. The .22 will be saving you $100 per 1000 rds, so a lousy 2000 rds saves you enough to buy the Star 9mm, and then you will always have the .22, for plinking, teaching others, etc, or you can sell it.

The Phoenix Arms HP22 is $130 retail, and is ok, for a few thousand rounds, altho I wouldn't trust it for defense. The Browning Buckmark, in the skinny, 4" barrel version, is lightwt enough to be worn in the field, and is superbly accurate, reliable, durable, and is $150 used.

QUOTE=greer]Go to GunsAmerica.com, or GunBrokers.com, and do a search for a used, $200 or so, Smith and Wesson Model 2214, or 2213. Same gun, one is stainless steel, one blued, I can never keep track of which is which, tho.

It's a 6" long, 18 oz 22lr autopistol, with nice sights and trigger pull. It's very accurate, very handy to take with you on a hike. However, its safety is very awkward to manipulate with just the thumb of your shooting hand. Most people end up using their weak side hand to manipulate the safety. That is, the hand not holding the gun.[/QUOTE]

Don't forget leveraction rifles, Marlin came out with the Spikehorn, a short stocked lever in 30-30, which is easy on the shoulder and usefull for hunting up to black bear, and yet great as a plinker as well. Ammo is not too pricy, is readily available, and comes in many different loads.

uh, wasn't this thread about a defensive pistol?

No, defensive weapon was never asked. SG asked about next gun to try out after 22 pistols and rifles. Seems she likes just shooting.

Having trained a lot of smaller folk and women to shoot, my vote goes to the Smith & Wesson K-frame, be it in 38 or 357. Put a small rubber or wood grip on it (try it out first!) and shoot 38's for cheap, 357's for experience, then decide if you really need them or not.

The best idea is to contact shooting friends, and try their guns to see what "fits" you best. If your hands aren't happy with the gun and sights, you likely won't shoot it well.

Just my two pennies.

PJ