I think I finally talked the wife into going to the range and learning how to shoot. I want to start her out with a 22 caliber and work up from there. Problem is I don’t have a 22 handgun. What brand/type of 22 would you recommend and why?
I’ve shot lots of Rugers and Browning autos. Both are great and are surprisingly reliable with the extremely inconsistent ammunition being dumped into the market. If reliable function is important, I have had excellent results with Ruger auto’s.
Many other designs fail to impress me as far as reliable cycling go… and I hate having to constantly trouble shoot issues several times per magazine.
I started teaching my wife with the Single Six, and then the Mark II/III series before moving on to center-fire. I have shot probably hundreds of thousands of rounds through Rugers.
For revolvers, I would say S&W or Ruger.
For autos, Rugers, Browning, or maybe S&W.
We’ve got about 1000 rounds through a buddies gsg 22 1911 clone. There have been some little jams here and there. But over all it has done much better than a beretta neo I have. Plus you get decent muscle memory transfer if you talk her into a real 1911 style gun.
See if you can get some buddies to go that has one. This way you can also get a sampling of other calibers. I got together with some guys from work and we have everything up to 44 mag. This way everyone got to see that the characteristics of the different guns. Like wheel guns vs. semi-autos, recoils etc. Unless you are planning on keeping the .22 instead of trading it in, this will same you some time and $$$.
First, you can never go wrong with a good .22 pistol. With any luck your grandkids will be shooting the same gun and having just as much fun with it decades from now as you do.
I started with a Ruger .22 auto over 50 years ago. Don’t have the same one (sold it to help bankroll a Colt SAA) but that’s what I still shoot today. They’ve sort of become the standard family .22. I tend to look for an excellent used one, usually the 4 3/4" fixed sight guns, and do a trigger job on them. I prefer the much simpler early ones. The Mark II and III models are no fun to detail strip. If it doesn’t come out like I want, I install a Volquartsen kit and end up with an outstanding little shooter once it’s zeroed. Just finished one for my daughter and the pull came out to a very crisp, perfect 2 1/2 pounds. There’s a lot of scare talk about how tough they are to field strip, but I was doing it at age 15 without much difficulty…
My personal one was a beater than I rehabilitated, and it’s still ugly. But does it ever shoot.
IF, you plan on keeping it, the Ruger Mark II, III, have a lot of after market stuff to improve the pistols themselves. My Mark II, is one I just won’t part with. I’ve put some good Volquartson stuff on it, from grips to trigger, etc, and I take it with me gopher shooting too.
Your decision could go different, depending on what you want to have her into, in the end. Search here, and you will find pros, and cons, between wheels and auto’s.
I have to pile on and recommend the Ruger .22 pistols as well. Over 40+ years I’ve acquired a Mark I, Mark II and Mark III. Each works well and is reliable, but the extra safety “enhancements” of the Mark III make it fussier and more annoying than the older models. My favorite by far is my 1985 Mark II 5.5" bull barrel and I’d definitely choose a used Mark II over a new Mark III unless you want a barrel tapped for optics.
Either a Ruger (pick your model) or Buckmark. I have several Rugers, all are good, and a Buckmark (4" threaded) and I have been very happy with all of them. Not so much most of the other .22 handguns I have had. Wasn’t impressed with the Walther P22, Beretta 87BB, a couple Hi Standards or S&W 22S. I did have a Colt Challenger I should have kept but oh well. If I was buying a new one right now to use to teach a new shooter it would be a Ruger 22/45. My 4.5" threaded model has been great from day one. I would recommend removing the magazine safety (its easy and makes several things easier).
I really like the colt woodsman. Accurate and fun to shoot
For a dedicated .22 pistol it is hard to beat the ruger mark 3. If you have a glock, beretta, 1911 then I would recommend just getting a .22 conversion kit for it as she will be able to practice trigger control of the gun she will eventually be using, and they are usually the same price if not a little less then a dedicated .22 pistol.
Nice guns but a little unrealistic in a modern market. Not everyone wants to drop 800-1000 on a .22 target pistol these days.
My vote is Ruger MKIII 22/45
I’ve been thinking of getting a Sig Saur Mosquito for the same purpose. Just started looking, need to check the reviews on them.
I have many rounds through the mosquito, and would not recommend them to someone who wants a reliable unit that functions well with all types of ammo. The weapon I have fired extensively belongs to someone I shoot with often, and the gun has been to the factory twice in an attempt to make it run reliably. Even after all of this, with most ammunition the gun malfunctions every 8-12 rounds.
If you run CCI mini mags, the gun works much better, and will often run for several magazines without a malfunction.
However, for a gun that costs much more than a Ruger 22/45, I would expect decent quality and reliability with more types of ammo.
I will also add that Rugers I have fired extensively can usually fire thousands and thousands of rounds of assorted junk ammo without a malfunction.
Also, some rounds that will not fire through that particular mosquito due to a light primer strike can be inserted into a Ruger and fired without an issue.
My vote would also be a Ruger II/III. I like the M III 22/45. They run very well with many different types of ammo, and very accurate. As someone else already stated, there is also alot of aftermarket for these as well. Good luck and happy to hear the family taking interest.
This or the Match Target version if you can find them. You’ll likely pay a premium, and if you plan to use them extensively, parts are becoming scarce.
Another bandwagon Ruger MKII - MKIII fanboy.
Have an old MKII that I got YEARS ago. I have no idea of how many thousands of rounds have been shot through it, but I don’t think I’ll ever wear it out.
Can’t go wrong with one of them, imo.
I thought the same and traded a Ruger 22/45 for one when they first came out, thought it would be a good training piece. Big mistake getting rid of the Ruger! What a POS the SIG turned out to be! A jammo-matic that had poor accuracy and one of the worst triggers I ever felt. Having 3 SIG P- series that I love I tried to swallow the cool aid and kept it about a year thinking it was me and it would get better. It didn’t and it wasn’t me, so I traded it in on a Ruger Mk III target pistol that is a dream to shoot! The Ruger is a bit of a pain to get used to dissembling for cleaning, but it is more accurate than I can shoot and super reliable.
Lots of recommendations for the Ruger MkII…as a long-time owner, I can add mine.
You might want to also look at the Browning Buckmark.
I recently assisted teaching a NRA WOT (Woman On Target) class. Part of the class was ‘rimfire only’. I had forgotten my Ruger and had to use a borrowed Buckmark that had been recently purchased at a local BassPro for a stupid-low price. I was very impressed with the Buckmark and would strongly consider it for the same role as the Ruger MkII.
-Rainman
I’ve had a Colt Woodsman for 17 years now, been a great .22. I love the option to switch out the cylinders between .22lr and .22magnum. If you’re set on a semi auto I’m another vote for a Ruger Mk II or III.