Discussing .22 pistols for daughter starting out.

[air8]

I know, another .22 thread. LOL. Well reading so much about the .22's out there I'm somewhat overcome with info. I had been looking mostly for me but after two days in a row of my daughter(9) having a blast at the shooting range I changed my mind. I would like to purchase a .22 that fits her.

She's sort of a girly girl but definately does not like to follow the norm...like me. LOL. She's will tolerate pink as long as it's mixed heavily with black.

Two days ago I let her shoot my XDM 9mm for the first time. And she was so amped after pulling the trigger that first time. Loved seeing that look on her face. I assisted her by holding the pistol with my left hand, then her right hand handling the rest. After about 10 shots talking and learning trigger control I let her go on her own. She did great. But the pistol did become heavy for her. This is the 5.25 9mm that I loaded with 5 rounds each time.

The Buckmarks and Mk. series seem like they'd be heavy for her. So I'm leaning towards the polymer pistols. M&P 22, Ruger SR22, Walther P22, Sig Misquito.

Small gripes: SR22 I'm not a fan of the safety operating opposite of typical pistols.
M&P22 the grip might be large for her hands(but perfect for mine...he he he)
Walther P22 not liking the mag release, plus the two I've seen in use jammed all the time. I do not know about the care or prep of those so I can easily dismiss those issues.
Mosquito I hear/read too much about the need to use one type of ammo.

Pros: SR22 looks to be the best choice to fit her hand(and mine)
M&P more like a fullsize.
Walther so many people love them it's hard to ignore.
Mosquito...design and.....colors. LOL.

As of now I'm leaning
50% Ruger
30% M&P
15% Mosquito
5% Walther

I'm hoping for ultimate comfort for her. Ultimate fun. Not too concerned about the common issues of shooting .22lr but I don't want to end up clearing malfunctions every magazine. Walmart and the gun shops around here don't always have the shelves fully stocked on .22lr so sometimes I need to use different brands. Mostly CCI bulk, Winchester Super X, Federal 550, and CCI mini-mag. That's ordered from most available to least.

[ThumperMX113]

I'd go Walther or S&W M&P but I would have her hold them and tell you which one she likes more.

[air8]

Would like to hears opinions good/bad/indifferent from people here on XD Talk.

Thanx.
Chris

[Rob2]

Try looking into a bersa thunder .22 or a tarus model 22, both are really cheap and fit smaller hands well. And i often see the bersa with yellow thrown in which looks better than pink if you ask me!

[M1A4ME]

I don't own any centerfire ruger semi automatic pistols but I always recommend the Ruger Mk .22's.

There are several in my family and some are more than 30 years old and they shoot/work great. A couple of the 5.5" bull barrel Mk1's shoot rifle like groups at 25 yds. or less. I used to squirrel hunt with mine when my eyes were good enough to use iron sights.

They don't seem to break. Mine used to "like" the Remington Thunderbolts. I tried some of the high velocity types and none shot as small a group as the Thunderbolts - but each gun can be different.

If you're a Ruger guy and you think you might be buying a larger Ruger centerfire handgun for her some day I've seen that Ruger is also making a .22 (SR22??) that looks/feels similar to the 9mm and 40 S&W semi autos they sell.

I have no experience with the new .22's out there since my Ruger still works just fine.

I just recently gave an old Mk1 to my youngest son. It was used when I bought it in 1980 (had those wood target/thumb rest grips on it). One shooting session made a believer out of him. He was dropping butterflies off the flowers/weeds out past the 25 yd. target stands.

[XavierBK]

I'll be getting the M&P, myself. Recently picked up the M&P 15-22, which it looks like you also have, to start teaching my 8 year old daughter the basics and I've got the pistol on layaway now for two reasons, an easy pistol for her to shoot and something cheap and about the same size as my XD9 that I carry everyday to practice with.

[Cuda66]

Check out the new Ruger 22/45 Lite.

All the reliability of a 22/45, but considerably lighter.

Much better than the pot metal specials like the Mosquito, P22, etc...

[Statusflo]

I going to say go with the SR22, not only because I own one, but there lite and fun to shot. While at the range one day some of my buddies brought their daughters out to range. I pulled out my little SR22 and chased a golf ball around range. Long story short my buddies asked if their daughters could shot my SR22, and can say all but 1 loved it and she fell in love with a 9mm high power, and was also 16 years old. I hear you on the saftey though, although it dosen't seem to mess with anyone more than the frist time they shot it. With all that said don't worry about it to much and find one that she thinks is cool and fits her.

[Snaphook]

Given your list I would go with the SR22, or if you can find one the 22/45 light with the polymer frame and aluminum barrel (steel lined of course). I'm very partial to the single six as a first gun as it trains you to really aim between shots.

Also think again about the Buckmark. Their frames are alloy and if you don't get the long barrel versions they're really not heavy at all. I'm a huge Buckmark fan and have one of their top of the line Plust stainless UDX models and it is a joy to shoot. They have a light version too, somewhere around 1 1/2 lbs, and the basic camper isn't that heavy with the alloy frame.

But given your list I would go with the SR22.

[2oolMan]

I own the ruger SR22 pistol. It shoots and cycles any and all amo that I feed it. My daughter owns the Walther P22. It needs 40 grain high velosity amo. If you dont feed it the 40 grain HV stuf it will jam or it will eject spent shells in different directions. The SR22 and the Walther break down easily. However the Ruger goes back together easier.
The SR22 barrel looks like a bull barrel compared to the P22. Both shoot better than I can. They feel like they are the about the same weigh.
And finally I like the slide on the Ruger better. it feels more substantial. You cant go wrong with either gun. They will both
be alot of fun to shoot. Also Ruger= American Company. I maybe wrong but I think they make all of their guns in America.

2oolMan