Yep, probably my 1st time shooter favorite as well. Favorite pistols would be a suppressed Ruger 22/45 & suppressed Springfield loaded 1911.
Soft as a kitten.
Soft as a kitten.
Seriously, it would be one of my .327fed/mags.
After the .22's lose their appeal, I pull out the SP101 and load it with .32short, or long, then step up to .32H&Rmag, and on to .327fedmag.
There is a huge difference in report and recoil from one end of that spectrum to the other.
The .32shorts, and even the longs, are like bunny farts.
Then put those shorts or longs through the 20" barrel on the Henry and it's back to .22 type report/recoil.
Loads of fun.
What's less than a .22?
Nothing wrong with .22's. I own and shoot them a lot. They are a good 1st trip to the range gun.
Too often we don't have a plan to move folks on from the .22's though. Lots and lots of folks are afraid of recoil and how to manage it because they are allowed to think that .22's are enough for self defense.