have a great young man ready to get his first semi auto.

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Of the Troops & For the Troops

Full sized 1911.

Mine was a Springfield 1911A1.

might get expensive.

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Of the Troops & For the Troops

The people I know with Citadel/High Standard/Rock Island Filipino-made guns are pleased for the price point. Do you know what he has to spend?

the basic 90% of handgun uses are covered up front. In fact, I'll wager from personal experience, that decades down the road, after he experiments and uses a multitude of different types and calibers of handguns, he finds that where he started is where he winds up for his "always goes".

First as in "first"....then a high quality .22 with adjustable sights and good trigger.

If it is really "do it all" a .22 would be limited....

If first as in first center fire then a Glock 17.....10 mags....flashlight...plastic holster and mag/flashlight carrier....a couple of quality gunslinger classes....

He would them be truly good to go....would never need anything else unless he started "collecting" or wanted to hunt something bigger than whitetail deer...

Byron

The new Smith & Wesson SD9VE or SD40VE are hard to beat for the price. These are just over $300 around here.

I bought one of the original all black SD9's and liked it so well that I bought another one, the SD9VE. The VE is a cheaper model that does away with the front night site and has a silver slide.

They are really an upgraded Sigma, which was a decent gun with a lousy trigger. The SD9 trigger is world's better. Both of these 9mm's have been 100% reliable so far, with 200-300 rounds through each one. And I shoot them as well or better than I do my full size M&P9.

I almost hate to say it, but I'm leaning towards a 9mm for him. He can afford to shoot it a lot more. After a .22lr I gave my daughter a G-17 and one 8 hour class, she will get m ore training as time and money will allow. I'm thinking Toni Scotti or Jon Bonderant's driving school for her as well.

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Of the Troops & For the Troops

From Rock Island or ATI might be a way to go. Son #1 has an ATI/Armscor in 45 that is a great little gun. Has a really nice elephant hide holster for it too

but a kids first auto should be a 22lr in my book. Maybe a MK III 22/44 to get 'em ready for a 1911.

One can't go wrong here for quality, cost, and ammo cost.

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Of the Troops & For the Troops

extras 400 or so thanks all!

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Of the Troops & For the Troops

ATI, Rock Island and even Taurus has decent priced ones

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Of the Troops & For the Troops

Ammo is not to bad if you do not reload and Glocks are pretty easy to learn on. My dad is not a handgunner too much (he did shoot IPSC for several years with me with a 1911) but he does better with a Glock 17. Has a Para and a Kimber 1911 but a Glock is way simpler/easier for him. Sometimes SA autos can be alittle hard for beginners to remember mechanical aspects of. Safeties,hammers, cocked and lock etc. Glocks are the point and shoot cameras of the gun world. Heck even most cops learn to shoot them well!!!

If not a centerfire a Ruger MKII. Pretty easy to find on the used market around me. My first gun was a 686 but the second was a MkII my parents gave me for Christmas when I was 18. I shot the heck out of it and learned to shoot.

Nm

I'd recommend a full-size Rock Island if he's on a budget, and in 9mm because of cheaper ammo if he doesn't handload.

O'course if he's got the bread to go, a Browning High Power. Downside to that is, he may never need anything else.....

Were a Hi Power, a Glock and a 1911. I had already given him a GP100 and a Mark II Ruger. The boy should be pretty much set for life. At his age all I had was a Single Six!