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small bor pistol
Posted: Sun Dec 20, 2009 4:33 pm
by 4Hdad
My son is wanting to get into small bore pistol in 4H, he has always been very serious about his shooting so I don't mind spending the money to by good equipment. He shoots as Anschutz smallbore rifle and a Baikal air pistol, what do I need to look for , for a small bore pistol.
Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 9:19 am
by Marc Orvin
A Ruger MkII or MkIII would be good enough for a long, long time. If you want to move up to the next step, it would be a Smith and Wesson 41.
Either way, he would never be able to blame the equipment for lack of performance.
It is great to see youth getting involved in pistol shooting. I wish him luck and hope he enjoys it.
Marc
Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 9:39 am
by Mike M.
Our host has an excellent overview at
http://pilkguns.com/ssp.shtml
For a new shooter, I'd start be looking for an Izh-35. This is probably the best value. A used High Standard or S&W 41 would do well. And you can find Unique DES-69s at reasonable prices.
Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 12:05 pm
by Gwhite
All of the pistols mentioned will shoot accurately clamped in a rest. The critical issue is whether the ergonomics of any given pistol (weight, balance, sights, trigger, grip, etc.) will permit the shooter to access that potential accuracy.
For this reason, the best thing is to hang around a friendly club & see if you can get your son to try a few options. Alternatively, at least go to a gunshop with a big selection & let him hold the ones under consideration. Modern European target guns have a lot more flexibility in terms of grips, trigger adjustments, etc., that might make it more suitable not only to a smaller shooter, but one they can "grow into". My youngest daughter has very small hands, and there is no way she could accurately shoot most US pistols like a High Standard or Model 41. The grips are too large, and the trigger is too far forward for her to reach. She is shooting my Benelli MP90S, with extra small grips. Depending upon the size & age of your son, he might be fine with a larger pistol, but it's an important issue to watch out for. Just because someone shoots a Ruger really well doesn't mean it is at all suitable for even a majority of shooters.
Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 8:20 pm
by JamesH
Suggest starting with a Ruger MKI-III, Browning Buckmark or similar, they are actually better to learn with than more expensive guns and there is always a 2nd-hand market for them.
How old is your son? Izh35s or Uniques might be a bit heavy, and not really beginners guns.