Need suggestion on a practice .22 pistol

[vontar]

I am going to be looking for a practice .22 pistol for my wife.

I want a .22 so we can shoot it allot for the cheap at the range.

I would like to find something SMALL, around the size of a Walther p22, but not sure I want a Walther p22.

I am wondering if S&W makes anything around that size, semi or revolver.

I will check back after work. Thanks.

Price is very important on this. I don't want to break the bank.

S&W probably first choice, but feel free to list other major brands.

Key it has to be for small hands. She can now correctly hold a full size pistol. Very short fingers.

[Il Duce]

well.

check..

out.

ruger.

[bronco302]

If you want a smith look at the .22 J frames, like Product: Model 317 Kit Gun

Joe W.

[Trekbike]

Not sure what to recommend since you didn't mention what type of action you wanted. Am I correct in assuming that you want a semi-automatic pistol since you mentioned the Walther?

Are you wanting something to have fun with plinkling (which opens up all kinds of possibilies) or something that will be closer in fit and function to a typical semi-auto "carry" pistol such as the P22 or Sig Mosquito?

For just general plinking it's hard to beat the Ruger Mark III's but it doesn't function like the P22 or Mosquito as you probably know.

[vontar]

As much as I like a Mark III River, it is to big for her hands. Will check back soon still at work

[mikegideon]

I like the P22. It always comes down to either it, the Rugers, or the buckmarks.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Ruger or Browning Buckmark are nice of course. Reliable and pretty accurate for satisfying 'target precision'.

A general idea that might not be the cheapest approach, but may have advantages that would justify the extra expense-- Get a 22 as close as possible to the carry gun. If you haven't decided on a carry gun, it doesn't make the selection any easier of course.

In revolver, as was already mentioned, J frame .22 and a J frame .38.

CZ 75 and a CZ Kadet .22 conversion kit. Or you could just buy a CZ Kadet, but the Kadet dedicated pistol is fairly expensive and you can't put a center-fire slide on the dedicated Kadet frame. It is hard to find bad reviews of the Kadet.

Beretta 92 and a Beretta 92 .22 factory conversion kit. I've had a lot of fun with my Beretta conversion kit. It may not be quite as accurate as my Ruger Mark II, but it is a tiny bit more accurate than the 92 in 9mm, and the 92 is 'pretty accurate' for me. Probably will eventually get the CZ Kadet kit mentioned above. Folks seem to think the Kadet is real accurate.

.22 1911 and a 45 or 9mm 1911 for carry. Several pretty-well-reviewed dedicated 1911 .22 are on the market, and are pretty inexpensive. 1911 grip is slim and might fit your wife's hand as good as anything else. For carry, a 9mm 1911 would not be too bad recoil for the wife. Probably less than a 38 J frame snubby.

Sig P220 or P226 and a Sig .22 conversion kit. Reviews are mixed on the Sig conversion kits. Some folks love em, others don't.

Maybe there are other combinations like this. There would be advantages practicing with cheap light-recoil .22 in exactly the same form factor as the carry gun. With a lot of .22 pistols, you can't go ultra-cheap on the practice ammo though. CCI Minimags seem to be one of the better compromises between price and quality. Minimags will run most guns pretty reliably, and wally world sells Minimags about $6 or $7 for a box of 100.

Edited September 7, 2010 by Lester Weevils

[vontar]

For .22 ammo, I normally buy the CCI Minimags to the winchester boxes 555 rounds..

.22's are dam chest enough to shoot all day that is why I want to get her a .22 for learning.

[bubbiesdad]

How about this?

Products

Less than $300 before tax. You know where.

Edited September 7, 2010 by bubbiesdad

[R1100R]

What is your budget?

[Guest motonut]

I have the Browning Buckmark and absolutely love it. However, for your wife's needs I think something more along the lines of the Sig. Mosquito would be a better choice.

[vontar]

I took her over to Austins, we put a couple in her hands, put a 1911, along with a Walther P22. She could hold the P22 the best and get a correct grip on it.

So we are getting her a P22. Solid Black and he will have it Friday for her.

[Raoul]

I took her over to Austins, we put a couple in her hands, put a 1911, along with a Walther P22. She could hold the P22 the best and get a correct grip on it.

So we are getting her a P22. Solid Black and he will have it Friday for her.

She'll like it an so will you. Check your pm

[VERO1]

I love a happy ending to a problem. Hope she likes it. I have a Ruger and a Buckmark. My wife takes the Buckmark everytime.

[vontar]

Myself I am Ruger fan. Mainly cause I have been shooting dad's Mark 1 Ruger.

Raoul, thanks Got the PM. You would not have a think like that for a Mark 1 Ruger would you?

[Raoul]

No, bul I'll look. Never know what you might find.

[Oh Shoot]

I loved my Beretta NEOS, until it broke.

- OS

[Raoul]

Here's the manual

http://www.naws.com/markI.pdf

[mikegideon]

I loved my Beretta NEOS, until it broke.

- OS

Sounds like it's not back yet

[vontar]

Thanks. I had looked in the past but never found one. Dad will be happy for that. That as far as I can tell is exactly his.

I find it hard to call it a Mark 1, that is like the people that fought WWI, didn't call it WWI, they called it the Great War.

[Oh Shoot]

Sounds like it's not back yet

Got a card from "service center" (Mark's Outdoor Sports in Birmingham), said would be 4-8 weeks. It's been about 3 weeks.

Mark's doesn't even work on them, but that's where I had to send it.

- OS

[Guest 70below]

Once she gets a handle on that P22, have her try out a PK380. I loved mine, and it was perfect for a lady. Low recoil, good ergonomics, and easy to work the slide.

[Loon160T]

Once she gets a handle on that P22, have her try out a PK380. I loved mine, and it was perfect for a lady. Low recoil, good ergonomics, and easy to work the slide.

+1 on this.

Started my wife out on the P22 and she's recently moved up to the PK380.

She still uses the P22 for range work and, since both have the same form and function, she's good to go with the PK380.

Edited September 9, 2010 by Loon160T

[walton6467]

The P22 is a great plinker and a great gun for a newbie to learn on.

[Guest TargetShooter84]

^ Agreed.

Great gun to learn firsthand for newbies.

I have the p22 target edition and i love it.