I'm right handed and left eye dominant so want a longish gun to practice on which isn't going to blow out my shoulder. .22 lr AR Platform is also an option, but I don't have anything else in the .22caliber, so would prefer a pistol caliber if possible, 9mm preferred
Consider 22 very seriously.
You’re buying a gun to practice with and work out a specific issue that may take a thousand rounds to get to the bottom of, even if you could get a high quality 9mm pcc for the same price as a 10/22 (which maybe you can), you’ll pay five times as much for the ammo.
Is .22 that much cheaper? I've never needed to buy it, so never looked that closely.
.22 is very cheap, even if you need to buy specialty ammo. most(picky) conversions can run CCI mini-mags and those are about 10c/round
Yes.
It’s five cents per round right now for the cheap stuff and there’s a decent selection of ammo types (nothing crazy, but several brands and bullet weights) at or around that price. The only 9mm within a few cents of $.25 is plinking ammo.
Plus: 22 doesn’t go out of stock at the gun store as fast as 9mm when everyone panic buys and you can get it at Walmart!
E: some good options:
The 22 conversion kit for a 223/556 ar. If you already have an ar this is a no brainer, it replaces the bolt and slides into the chamber, takes its own mags and the only difference in operation is your bolt doesn’t lock back.
Ruger 10/22: we’ll documented old gun with some quirks and a ton of aftermarket support
A clone of the 10/22: do your own research but these might fix the ergonomics/firing pin/need for cleanliness at the expense of aftermarket parts compatibility. Ymmv
Some other 22 rifle: the savage 64/62 is always around at gun stores here, and it’s fine. Don’t discount the many bolt action 22s out there, unless you’re squirrel hunting or something you don’t need follow up shots.
A work-alike of a gun you already have: almost everything modern has a 22 clone with the same manual of arms that’s used for training purposes. If you’ve already got a long gun, get the 22 version and work your shit out on it.
Does it need to take Glock magazines/is that something that would be a consideration? Would you want/need to use the same magazines for pistols and rifles?
No, my handgun is an sig platform. So unless I did the "arm brace" as a stock I don't think there's a good option for that.
okay so if mag compatibility isn't too much of a concern, either a Stribog (IIRC they take Skorpion mags) or a Beretta CX-4? If you're willing to drop some dough on magazines, that really opens up your options.
If you are cross eye dominant you should consider shooting on your eye dominant side. So left shoulder. Go with a 9mm AR since there are lots of ambi options, or the CZ Scorpion which I believe is ambi out of the box
Oh that was the plan. I don't want to blow out my left shoulder, which is why I was asking for options.
