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I agree wholeheartedly. Forget the Walthers and Barettas, get a Ruger Standard. If you're a new shooter, you need to practice...a lot! I've been shooting for years, and I still pretty much suck with a pistol at ranges anything beyond 15 yards. So, being as .357 and .45 ammo is too expensive for intensive pistol marksmanship training, I got a Ruger...paid $150 for it slightly used, at one of those eeeeevil gun shows. It's great because .22 is very cheap, so you can shoot a lot without having to spend an entire paycheck on ammo. Furthermore, the principles of pistol shooting are the same with a .22 as with a .45, so you can hone your skills, then move on to bigger, better things and all you'll have to do is adjust for the heavier recoil.

It's a no brainer, spend less and get a weapon better suited for training, or buy a gee-whiz "pretty" gun that's gonna cost you an arm and a leg to get good with.

Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!

"It's a no brainer, spend less and get a weapon better suited for training, or buy a gee-whiz "pretty" gun that's gonna cost you an arm and a leg to get good with."

My thoughts exactly.

"Forget the Walthers and Barettas, get a Ruger Standard."

Care to elaborate? I have read reviews that the Walther P22 is very picky about ammo and tends to jam; also that it's not a very good target gun due to its size and double-action trigger. What about the Baretta? Guns and Ammo had a very good review of it recently.

Actually, this leads me to what I'm sure will get laughs as a really stoopid newbie quesion: for semiauto pistols, what is the difference between a single-action and double-action trigger? The Walther is a double-action, the Beretta single action. What does this mean in functional terms?

I still shoot the 22 more than anything else. 15 yards is point and shoot range. Beyond that I aim! I love all my guns. I wish I had a range in my backyard. I am looking at some open land!