St Michael

I'll have to consider this too. I'm not big on wheelies, but it is a viable option.

RSSZ

I'm not a Glocker(Glockie) but.....will a 19 function reliably with the susonic/low power loads on the market? Maybe with a different spring setup? If he could make that work now,seems that weapon would follow him up in age. You could step up the ammo and spring as he gets more used to the weapon.

I find that with the younger people,the sudden loud noise is more of a teachers problem than the recoil. So a real good set of "ears" will help in the teaching process.

If he is interested in IDPA(other than just a passing fad)at the age of 13,he has lots of potential and you ought to be very proud. ----------

St Michael

He is a big, strong kid for his age. We homeschool, and he is also very mature and responsible for his age too. I am VERY proud of all my children. (It probably shows ;-)

He has shot my Glock 27, and he shoots it very accurately when just target shooting. But it jumps in his hand a bit, and we (P95Carry and I) noticed him having several failures to go fully into battery due to limpwristing.

That's why I'm looking at a 9mm. I don't think he'll have any problems with full-power 9mm loads in a full size gun. He might do OK with a full size pistol in .40; I do want to see him shoot a G22 before I make a final decision on 9mm. (CDNN has police trade in G22 for $349, but no G17/G19s at present.)

ExSoldier

Okay, let me add my .02 here. I haven't seen many Rugers in IDPA and that's because, I think, that most folks use what they carry.

I taught my daughter to shoot when she turned 10 and that was long before the advent of IDPA. Today, she's married and her house gun is her very own Ruger SP101 .357 magnum. But she doesn't carry. Her choice. But she was handling full house 357's by age 12. So why not train the little guy to shoot the Glock M27? Here's a way to help: Get some M23 or M22 mags and put the little plastic spacer on them so as to form a seamless grip area. I forget where you can get those, see 'em in the gun mags all the time and they're great! Cheap, too. But they'll really help manage the recoil. I have a buddy another NRA Instructor. His daughter was a "preemie" and born with spindly little arms and legs. That girl was a bullseye shooter with a S&W M29 44 magnum at the age of ten! Full house loads, too. Age and stature have nothing to do with it. Girl dropped a 400 pound wild boar deep in the Everglades on her 16th birthday with that pistol. Just waded out thigh deep in the swamp and capped off three rounds as the boar moved laterally. BOOM-BOOM-BOOM! A local restaurant cooked the pig up and it served over thrity guests at her birthday dinner! Don't sell the kids short. It's like telling a woman that she needs a little bitty 32 or a 25 'cause it's a "ladies gun."

__________________
Former Infantry Captain; 20 yrs as an NRA Certified Instructor; Avid practitioner of the martial art: KLIK-PAO.

ExSoldier

"Limpwristing" isn't necessarily a product of caliber. Myself, I find that the Glock M27 has a much more noticeable "kick" when I'm just punching paper on a static range. As the Sundnace kid once said: Can I move? I'm BETTER when I move. When I draw on a stage and move to solve the problem I don't notice the 40 caliber barrel snap at all. Not a bit.

__________________
Former Infantry Captain; 20 yrs as an NRA Certified Instructor; Avid practitioner of the martial art: KLIK-PAO.

snowdoctor

I have two Ruger handguns a p89 in 9mm and a p97 in 45acp. they are excellent guns. They are too big to carry concealed, that is why you don't see many at idpa. but they are super reliable and the .45 lives in my night stand, because I know it will go bang if I need it. I feel they are the most reliable and functional gun in your price point.
congrats on getting your family interested, that is a great accomplishment. at 13 he wants to do things with dad....very nice

__________________
----DOC-----

--people ask why I carry, and I show them this picture. I think it says it all.--

NRA Certified Instructor--many disciplines

St Michael

Thanks everyone for your input!

But one last question...We practice at home with full size/weight AirSoft versions of the Beretta 92/Taurus PT92, so he is already used to the grip size/angle on the 92/PT92.

Any thoughts on a Taurus PT92AF 9mm? I found a used one in excellent condition that I can get for under $250. I know the Beretta 92 would be fine for IDPA, but I've read mixed reviews, mostly good, on the Taurus version of the 92. Does anyone have experience with one?

P95Carry

Only me Brian but tho I find the Taurus revo's pretty good, somehow wonder if the semi's would be as robust as some others. Probably still worth considering and I know a good few folks do like their Taurus's.

I'll bring the Ruger tomorrow anyways for Mike to try - may not be there right at start tho.

__________________
Chris - P95
NRA Certified Instructor & NRA Life Member.

"To own a gun and assume that you are armed
is like owning a piano and assuming that you are a musician!."

If a BG dies as the result of pointing a gun at me, then he has merely succumbed to an occupational hazard of being a thug

St Michael

Great! Our relatives didn't come in from out of town after all, so Mike will be there with me tomorrow. See ya' there.

paknheat

I think that a Ruger p-95 would be an excellent choice for a beginner pistol. They are not that hard to conceal, are in-expensive, are very rugged, can be had in DAO, and after market mags are not very expensive. My son and wife have put A LOT of rounds through mine and it is still chuggin' along.

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A armed person is a citizen-An unarmed person is a future victim.