[St Michael]

Hi folks,

P95Carry got me in touch with the local IDPA club, and I went to the intro IDPA class/shoot last Saturday. What a great sport! I'm hooked.

I also learned that IDPA permits minors to compete, so I'm going to let my 13 year old son join too.

I'm using a Glock 27, but this gun is a little too hot for my son.

I'm looking at all the different options in 9mm, trying to find something that is a solid reliable and relatively simple gun, weight/size doesn't matter so much, and I prefer he start on DAO.

I'm pricing used Glocks, S&W's, Berettas, Steyrs, Taurus, Springfield XDs, etc...but even used, I can't find anything in the $250 or less range that I want to spend for his "learner" gun.

I have found several used Ruger P series in a 9mm within the price range I'm looking at, but I know nothing about the Rugers and their suitability for IDPA. Anybody have thoughts on the Rugers?

Any suggestions on other options I might be missing? He doesn't have to have it right this minute, but I'm in the research/buy-if-price-is-right stage.

 

[stryder]

First, congrats on getting your boy involved in IDPA. He'll have fun and know more than anyone in Hollywood about gunhandling.

I don't know anything firsthand about Rugers, but they are a brand name and I personally think you could trust them. Have you considered starting him on a .38 revolver? Not a snubbie but a 4 or 6 in bbl. It may not have the "cool guy" appeal but I think a used one could fit into your price range, and many good shooters started with wheelguns.

 

[jarhead79]

Bersa Thunder 9,,, WOOOOOHHOOOOO!!!

 

['75scout]

What about a used CZ-75?

 

[P95Carry]

Just to chime in - thinking very much of the budget I think the boy could well get on OK with a P95 - so I will take mine on Saturday when we have a match and he can try it out.

Can't think of too much else that'll help keep price down to desired level.

 

[Bud White]

If it has to be a auto a ruger basically will fit the bill if a wheelie then any 38 i dont play the games so have no ideal what will go or not ..

but my boy shoots a 38 pretty well and a xd subcompact in 9mm hes only 8

 

[Roadrunner]

Rugers are excellent guns, just butt-ugly (sorry there's no kinder way to put it). They'll shoot accurately and reliably, all you could ask. I would recommend that you let him choose his own weapon as much as possible however. If he's responsible enough for you to allow him to shoot competitively, then he must at least have an idea of what to look for. Ultimately he's the one who has to shoot it, so let him find what works best. It may not be what you expect to work, but that doesn't matter so long as it does in fact work.

 

[St Michael]

Rugers are excellent guns, just butt-ugly (sorry there's no kinder way to put it). They'll shoot accurately and reliably, all you could ask. I would recommend that you let him choose his own weapon as much as possible however. If he's responsible enough for you to allow him to shoot competitively, then he must at least have an idea of what to look for. Ultimately he's the one who has to shoot it, so let him find what works best. It may not be what you expect to work, but that doesn't matter so long as it does in fact work.

That's dangerous... ;-)

He wants a Glock!

But I don't want to spend that much right now. I still have to pick up two more rifles for deer season this fall. I got a Browning BLR in .308 for Mike last fall, which wasn't cheap, and I have above 800 rounds of good military ball ammo in .308 to practice with, so I sold my .270 so that we're all shooting .308.

Now my 11 year old daughter just informed me that since she'll be twelve in time for deer season, she wants to hunt too.

So right now I gotta pick up two .308s and a pistol for Mike for IDPA. And my wife is taking NRA Basic Pistol next month, so SHE should have something to shoot too (though she disagrees on this point...)

Anyway...I can't find a Glock for him in the $250 range, and due to the other pressing gun purchases coming up, I'm very reluctant to spend more than that on his pistol.

 

[St Michael]

Bersa Thunder 9,,, WOOOOOHHOOOOO!!!

I looked at these too. Not sure how reliable they would be for IDPA. Anyone have experience with them in competition shooting?

 

[St Michael]

Just to chime in - thinking very much of the budget I think the boy could well get on OK with a P95 - so I will take mine on Saturday when we have a match and he can try it out.

Can't think of too much else that'll help keep price down to desired level.

Thanks again for this offer, Chris, but a "glitch" has come up. My dear wife (and I DO mean that, she's a saint) didn't realize the upcoming shoot was on Holy Saturday, and we have company coming in. I'm still going to go to the shoot, but mom put her foot down and Mike has to stay home to visit with the relatives from out of town...

 

[St Michael]

Have you considered starting him on a .38 revolver? Not a snubbie but a 4 or 6 in bbl. It may not have the "cool guy" appeal but I think a used one could fit into your price range, and many good shooters started with wheelguns.

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]

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. ----------

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."

 

[ExSoldier]

Butch & Sundance....

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.

"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. :danceban: 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.:hand5:

 

[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

 

[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.

 

[St Michael]

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.

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.