Recommendations for first gun(s)

My wife and I are interested in hunting small game (squirrels, rabbits mostly). During my teen years I hunted squirrels with a .22. Would I be better served by buying .22, .410, or even something else.

I'm very fortunate to have a wife that loves fishing and the outdoors. My hunting experience is limited, hers is nil. I don't want to spend a tremendous amount of money on ornate firearms

A .22 is not a good choice if you are going to be shooting at squirrels up in the trees. A .22 bullet will likely pass thru and can travel much farther than you might think (even hollow points) If you miss, your bullet can travel a mile with the right trajectory.

I'd suggest a.410, or a 20ga with dove loads

Crabby

Adam, Sounds like you'd be well served by a brace of light recoiling 20 gauge selfloaders. Depending on your wife's stature a 'youth' model may be indicated. However, if you ever hope to do a lot of waterfowling or deer hunting you may want to try a 12 bore selfloader instead. Good hunting!

Use Hevi-Shot in that 20 gauge for waterfowl and you will have no problems folding geese with a 20 bore! Jeff NRA Life

I suggest you look at H&R or NEF single shot 22 rifles. They are available for about $90 - $100.

Remington make a slug barrel for the 1100 in 20 gauge for deer hunting.
http://www.remington.com/firearms/shotguns/ 1100FRRS.HTM

Nor would I feel under gunned using a 20 on waterfowl. One would just have to pick their shots a little more carefully.

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'To sum up, one does not hunt in order to kill; on the contrary, one kills in order to have hunted.' 'The Ethics of Hunting' from 'Meditations on Hunting' by José Ortega y Gasset

I would say forget the .410 (although I learned to hunt with one). I would suggest you look at pair of Remington 1100 20 gauges. Not a lot of recoil, not over kill for squirrel or rabbits and you can also use it for bird shooting if you want to take that up. A good .22 would be fine but it will limited you when you want to branch out to other types of hunting.

The 20 gauge in an 1100 will not have the recoil of a 12 and depending on your wife's stature, you might want to look at the LT-20 Youth model for her.
http://www.remington.com/firearms/youth/1100ythsyn.htm

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'To sum up, one does not hunt in order to kill; on the contrary, one kills in order to have hunted.' 'The Ethics of Hunting' from 'Meditations on Hunting' by José Ortega y Gasset

The .410 would be the worst choice I could think of. A .22LR will get you rabbits, squirrels and a lot of plinking and target shooting for little cost. If you get a shot gun, I have to agree with John; get a 20 gauge semi-auto - the recoil will be far less than a pump or SxS.

Sam A. Kersh NRA Patron Member L.E.A.A. Life Member TSRA Life Member GOA, JPFO, SAF

For what its worth, get a quality .22 and 20-12ga shotgun. This is a fantastic battery for almost any situation that you will encounter. Im kinda' torn on the 20ga auto-loader. With normal 12ga 'birdshot' in an autoloader,that fits, using a proper hold, recoil should not be unmanageable for anyone who plans on shooting. If you decide on a pump action, maybe I could see the 20ga having an appeal over the 12 if you are extremely recoil sensitive, but certain 20s can be stompers too. Buying a gun that really fits well is often more important.

I agree, the 20 ga. autoloaders are pretty sweet little starters. My oldest son is 13 now and he wants the Mossberg 5500MK2 in 20 ga. but I think that is because the 'old man' shoots a 12 ga. version of the same. With the 20 ga., you dont have near the kick and if you wanted to step up to do some deer hunting now and then, the 20 ga. 5/8 oz. slug is pretty nice for short range. (50-60 yards).

just the opinion of a dumb old redneck from Hog waller MI