Jeeper Posted November 6, 2019 Share Posted November 6, 2019 So after taking a 10 year hiatus from USPSA I started shooting again and now my 10 year old wants to join me. I took him to watch Tuesday Night Steel at Rio Salado last night and he loved it. So now I need to decide on a gun and gear for him. Obviously I will get him comfortable with the process etc before going to a match but I wanted to know what people use for guns on this. He is 10 but light, like 70 pounds. I don't really care if I have to buy something or care about costs. I was thinking a G34. But then I got thinking about a shorty open gun shouting 9 minor, initially. Does anyone use open, or other comped guns to reduce recoil? My concern there is that the gun is too heavy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJH Posted November 6, 2019 Share Posted November 6, 2019 G34 would probably be fine but a gun with a smaller circumference grip might be better. My son started when he was 9 with a ruger p95 and while the weight and recoil was not a big deal he had to pull the first shot (DA) with both index fingers. Went to an XD and no more issues. As is generally good advice, let him shoot a few guns and see what works best for him. An open shorty minor gun might be fine, but i would lean towards a lim minor gun, just cause there is less to mess with as a new shooter. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeeper Posted November 6, 2019 Author Share Posted November 6, 2019 I also am concerned about something that I can get a nice crisp light trigger in. The kid is just skin and bones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJH Posted November 6, 2019 Share Posted November 6, 2019 3 minutes ago, Jeeper said: I also am concerned about something that I can get a nice crisp light trigger in. The kid is just skin and bones. I know XD/XDMs, M&Ps, and Sig 320s can all be had with 2.5-3 pound triggers with very little travel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoops Posted November 6, 2019 Share Posted November 6, 2019 51 minutes ago, Jeeper said: So after taking a 10 year hiatus from USPSA I started shooting again and now my 10 year old wants to join me. I took him to watch Tuesday Night Steel at Rio Salado last night and he loved it. So now I need to decide on a gun and gear for him. Obviously I will get him comfortable with the process etc before going to a match but I wanted to know what people use for guns on this. He is 10 but light, like 70 pounds. I don't really care if I have to buy something or care about costs. I was thinking a G34. But then I got thinking about a shorty open gun shouting 9 minor, initially. Does anyone use open, or other comped guns to reduce recoil? My concern there is that the gun is too heavy. In your post you said your son loved the Steel match. Based on Steel matches I would recommend a 22LR pistol to start with. Light weight gun, no recoil and cheap to shoot. I personally shoot Ruger Mark III 22/45 w/5” bull barrel with C-More slide ride red dot in SCSA matches. Trigger kit (Volquartsen a good one) reduced the pull weight to just under 2 lbs. Gun weighs 39 oz. Also starting matches with a 22LR/RimFire from low ready is a confidence builder. You learn all the commands and good firearm handling with all the weight and gear that comes with 9mm or up. I just purchased a Ruger Mark IV 22/45 Lite and will set it up the same as my Mark III but it will weigh 29 oz. My 10 year old granddaughter loves the Ruger but there are other good choices too. BTW.....I also have a SW MP 15-22 carbine that is set up for steel. It is light and very fast and just plain fun to shoot. We see a lot of juniors shooting these also. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoops Posted November 6, 2019 Share Posted November 6, 2019 1 hour ago, Jeeper said: So after taking a 10 year hiatus from USPSA I started shooting again and now my 10 year old wants to join me. I took him to watch Tuesday Night Steel at Rio Salado last night and he loved it. So now I need to decide on a gun and gear for him. Obviously I will get him comfortable with the process etc before going to a match but I wanted to know what people use for guns on this. He is 10 but light, like 70 pounds. I don't really care if I have to buy something or care about costs. I was thinking a G34. But then I got thinking about a shorty open gun shouting 9 minor, initially. Does anyone use open, or other comped guns to reduce recoil? My concern there is that the gun is too heavy. Also........no PF to deal with in SCSA or any form of steel matches. Great format for juniors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolffy1876 Posted November 6, 2019 Share Posted November 6, 2019 My son started with a Ruger SR22 when he was 10. After about six months he started to use a M&P 9mm in Limited minor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadBomber Posted November 6, 2019 Share Posted November 6, 2019 I was in the same boat a few years ago. I placed a want add here in the classified adds. Got him a custom STI open in 9 major with a slide racker and 2 big sticks for $2200. I figured he could run minor for a while then switch to major. Gun ran awesome, but turns out, it had less felt recoil with major loads. KC was pretty young when started, just teach him the correct ways of gun handling and go for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeeper Posted November 6, 2019 Author Share Posted November 6, 2019 3 hours ago, Hoops said: In your post you said your son loved the Steel match. Based on Steel matches I would recommend a 22LR pistol to start with. Light weight gun, no recoil and cheap to shoot. I personally shoot Ruger Mark III 22/45 w/5” bull barrel with C-More slide ride red dot in SCSA matches. Trigger kit (Volquartsen a good one) reduced the pull weight to just under 2 lbs. Gun weighs 39 oz. Also starting matches with a 22LR/RimFire from low ready is a confidence builder. You learn all the commands and good firearm handling with all the weight and gear that comes with 9mm or up. I just purchased a Ruger Mark IV 22/45 Lite and will set it up the same as my Mark III but it will weigh 29 oz. My 10 year old granddaughter loves the Ruger but there are other good choices too. BTW.....I also have a SW MP 15-22 carbine that is set up for steel. It is light and very fast and just plain fun to shoot. We see a lot of juniors shooting these also. Good luck. Funny you say this as that is what I have him shooting right now. The 22/45 is a killer gun and I totally agree with you on it. I just am at the point of wanting to move to 9. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeeper Posted November 6, 2019 Author Share Posted November 6, 2019 1 hour ago, MadBomber said: I was in the same boat a few years ago. I placed a want add here in the classified adds. Got him a custom STI open in 9 major with a slide racker and 2 big sticks for $2200. I figured he could run minor for a while then switch to major. Gun ran awesome, but turns out, it had less felt recoil with major loads. KC was pretty young when started, just teach him the correct ways of gun handling and go for it. That is the debate I have going on in my head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHA-LEE Posted November 6, 2019 Share Posted November 6, 2019 Limited Minor with a 2011 based gun. Soft Shooting, easy to maintain, and there are a boat load of aftermarket parts to tune the gun exactly to fit his needs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe4d Posted November 6, 2019 Share Posted November 6, 2019 wave of future,, plastic fantastic factory cut carry optic gun.. M&P, XDM, Glock, ETC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeeper Posted November 6, 2019 Author Share Posted November 6, 2019 25 minutes ago, Joe4d said: wave of future,, plastic fantastic factory cut carry optic gun.. M&P, XDM, Glock, ETC I was thinking that as well. Leupold Delta Point on it would work well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe4d Posted November 7, 2019 Share Posted November 7, 2019 think holosun is latest greatest,, I am running vortex vipers with no issues but dont shoot often Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMP Posted November 7, 2019 Share Posted November 7, 2019 For a poly gun, check out the Beretta APX, VERY nice egos for smaller hands. I've introduced several people to shooting and of all my guns they like the APX. Cheap, reliable, as accurate as anything in its class. Short take up/reset trigger thats easily made 4-5 lbs with a spring and polish. There is an optic ready version as well as a new match version coming out as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadBomber Posted November 7, 2019 Share Posted November 7, 2019 9 pound recoil spring on an open gun with a slide racker is way more easy for younger shooters with less hand and arm strength to manipulate. Just another 2 cents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlieD Posted November 7, 2019 Share Posted November 7, 2019 I moved my daughter to 9mm too early, she wasn’t ready for the additional recoil and explosion. She developed a flinch that took a long time to train out. My recommendation is to keep your son on .22 for as long as you can. Make sure he develops good fundamentals. Talk to your local uspsa match director, I’m sure he would have no problem letting your son shoot his .22. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obsessiveshooter Posted November 21, 2019 Share Posted November 21, 2019 My son at around the same age and weight loved to shoot a 9mm PT1911 I had at the time. Small grip, lighter trigger, and with a 10lb recoil spring it was very soft in recoil. I wish I had kept that thing. Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
admcd Posted December 31, 2019 Share Posted December 31, 2019 Could start him with a 1911 in 9mm - not any more reloading than production. Alternatively, you could have him shoot Limited Minor with a Gen5 Glock or M&P with the smaller backstraps installed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbiespratt Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 I have my 10 year old son shooting the M&P 22 Pistol suppressed. I added the suppressor for 2 reasons. The first is to keep it quiet so he doesn't develop a flinch and the second, the added length helps reduce the chance of his hand ending up in front of the muzzle when he manipulates the slide. This is what he will be shooting steel challenge with this spring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theautobahn Posted January 9, 2020 Share Posted January 9, 2020 (edited) My son is 11. He's tall (5'1", just under 100 pounds) but his strength is all in his legs. He lacks upper body strength. He's also getting into shooting competitions this year. I originally thought PCC would be easier and safer, but he has a hell of a time holding it up for any length of time. He had no problems running my m&p 9mms (I bought them thinking they'd be good for him), but he stovepiped my 34 a couple of times. I get that springs could solve that, but he didn't have that issue with the M&Ps. I think the M&P's have a smaller grip circumference with the small backstrap - and with an Apex trigger, should solve that problem for you. So that's the way we're going. That said, I'm also keeping my eyes open for a 9mm 1911 for a good price - I figure the reloading will be good practice. Edited January 9, 2020 by theautobahn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlestiller Posted February 13, 2020 Share Posted February 13, 2020 I would consider an an M&P. With the smallest blackstrap on it the grip gets pretty tiny, and you could get an optics ready version so he could try production or carry optics or even limited if he wanted full mags. At his age it will be more about learning fundamentals, match organization and most important, HAVING FUN WITH DAD! You could even let picking out a gun be part of the fun process for him!Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acclaym Posted February 13, 2020 Share Posted February 13, 2020 I agree with the M&P crowd. Many backstraps to use as he grows and the Apex flat trigger is very smooth and affordable. It's what I started with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubba O Posted April 21, 2020 Share Posted April 21, 2020 My son is using a G34 and doing great, but he's big for his age. Could go production with even a 19 if it fits good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
recoilchamp Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 While not typically used for competition, something like the M&P9ez might be easier for someone to rack and manipulate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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