r/guns • u/7toedcat • 5h ago
Practice gun for complete novices
Hi there! My husband and I recently purchased 2 Sig Sauer P365s. We're total newbies. I'm interested in getting a bb or pellet gun for backyard practice. I'm here to ask for recommendations. I see that Sig Sauer has a bb replica gun. Would that be the best option, or is there a suitable less expensive option? I appreciate any advice. Thx!
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u/Mdmrtgn 5h ago
Lots of dry firing and live target shooting with the 365s. They make laser systems if you wanna get serious with dry firing.
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u/purringoutset_3977 5h ago
the sig replica will feel right in your hand but honestly a cheap daisy or crosman will do the job just fine for fundamentals. backyard plinking teaches you sight picture and trigger control without burning through 9mm
dry fire is free though, that’s what I’d lean on most
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u/GrinderMonkey 4h ago
I'll advocate with you for bb guns. All I know is that when I've spent a bunch of recent trigger time with the glock bb gun that I play with, my real shooting sees significant improvement. I'm not in a position where I can do a few hundred rounds a week/month for real, but a couple pf hours in the garage with something sure doesn't hurt.
I'll suggest that the better/closer to real replicas have some advantages, though. The slide moving is a big factor, and a lot of the 'better' bb/pellet guns are single shot.. thats great for a bb gun, but less good for a pistol training tool. The glock clone that I have was more than I want to pay for a bb gun.. it rattles like a shot out 1911, the trigger is terrible.
I'd love it if someone were making good tools in this space, especially if they could keep the back a little from brand new gun pricing.
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u/alltheblues 3h ago
And the free will to not use those lasers exists if you get even more serious with dry fire
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u/honeybadger2112 5h ago
Do dryfire with your actual guns. Get the book Baseline Dryfire by Ben Stoeger. Good place to start.
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u/throcksquirp 5h ago
The replicas that cycle the whole slide with CO2 are garbage. They take so much gas that the POI drops badly through one magazine. Crosman and others make guns with decent triggers that can provide good marksmanship practice but do not have the same feel as your Sig. A Ruger or Browning 22 would be very practical cheap practice and also serve for pest control. Otherwise, cheap bulk ammo is best.
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u/ptsdin3letters 5h ago
I carry one of them too and I really encourage practicing with real ammo. It's a micro compact pistol so you really do need to practice to get any accurate with it. If you're just trying to get familiar with the gun and wanna do more than just dry firing though, the BB gun isn't a bad option either. Just remember to treat the BB like a real firearm. If you get used to treating the BB P365 like a toy, you might transfer those habits into the real gun.
And visit the range every so often so you can get used to the real thing.
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u/aceofspades1217 4h ago
If you’ve never shot get a cheap .22 rifle to learn the basics like a Winchester wildcat or 10/22 I just got a wildcat in addition to my 10/22 and it’s a great shooter with a scope
You can get a keltec p17 .22 pistol as well that’s probably the best affordable .22 pistol, thats more similar to a standard pistol. Of course you can also get a mk4 or buckmark but the problem with those is they are addictive to shoot.
I don’t personally think a BB gun will translate terribly well as far as learning to use your p365s but they are also fun and that’s a value in and of itself 👍
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u/marvinfuture 4h ago
Honestly just train. A bb gun doesn't have the same recoil impulse as a real gun. Dry firing is a great practice when you can't get to the range
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u/DoorJumper 4h ago
The P365 is pretty snappy for a new shooter, IMO. I second cheap live ammo. Online is The Way. Ammoseek.com
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u/ninjaplatapus94 3h ago
The best way is to dry fire and practice drawing. The fun way is to snag 2 parabellum p365s and shoot each other with eye protection. What size did you get? the xl? Macro? Fuse?
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u/Illustrious-Path4794 5h ago
Define practice? Your best bet would be buying as much of the absolute dog shit cheapest ammo that they will cycle and spending as much time at the range as possible. Buy good ammo for keeping it loaded at home or concealed carry or whatever you intend them for etc. And only load up the cheap ammo for range time.