greencobra
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"Wife's 1st Time"
View attachment 243631
Shooting of course.
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Wife's 1st Time/Need .22LR Pistol Recommendation
- Thread starter devldog131
- Start date
mikelawtown
NES Member
We can even hit Andover Sportsman’s Club if you just want her to try it
My wife has several 22s. Her first one was the Ruger MKIII, then she got the S&W 617, then a couple of SR22s (first pink then purple). She loves them all. Revolvers are fed and shot with nothing to go wrong. Semi-autos can be a little finicky with ammo but we only buy CCI mini-mags which we never had an issue with in any of our guns. Cleaning can be another issue, the MKIII is a PITA to strip and assemble although I hear the MKIV is better.
Uh... there is a photo attached to the OP. Just sayin'."Wife's 1st Time"
View attachment 243631
Shooting of course.
Got this for my wife now. She had a Buckmark, but it was too heavy for arthritis in both hands and missing an elbow (no way to raise the second arm on its own without support). 22/45 Lite MKIII.I got the Mark IV Lite for my wife to shoot. She complained about my other pistols being too heavy (including the MK II with 6" barrel), so this one has a really light aluminum frame with a very lightweight barrel.
See above. ^^^^
I really like my Browning Buck Mark Camp .22 LR. The stainless model is on the "list". I also have a S&W 17-9 (six-shot) that I have a lot of fun with. If you really want to make your wife happy put some fiber optic sights on the Browning.
I like everything about that Browning except the heavy barrel and matte finish on the stainless. Give it a skinny barrel or fluted, and make the finish just a little shinier, but not polished. Is that a 5.5 inch barrel?
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I'd buy her a .22LR target pistol for skill development, regular practice, and enjoyable shooting. I'd buy a used MkII or MkIII Ruger, or a Buckmark, or a S&W Victory. Of the two "small, cute" 22s, The Walther P22 is almost junk, and the Ruger SR22 while a little better in quality, has an awful trigger and is not a good learning tool. Both the Victory and the Rugers have excellent aftermarket parts availability from tandemkross.com. A good target pistol will pay dividends for at least one lifetime.
Once her skills and hand strength develop, she can shoot/carry any reasonable centerfire pistol with minimal transition problems.
Once her skills and hand strength develop, she can shoot/carry any reasonable centerfire pistol with minimal transition problems.
GeorgeMason
NES Member
SR22
VetteGirlMA
NES Member
I have a Ruger SR22 that I love to bring to the range for plinking purposes. It's a good size for a female hand and easy to shoot. The only problem I have with it is that occasionally the shell will get stuck so I generally bring a cleaning rod with me to the range so that I can eject them manually. Fun to shoot but I wouldn't use it to defend myself.
When I took my granddaughter out for the first time, she loved shooting the Ruger Mark III. Now that she is much older, has shot a lot of different calibers and pistols, and carries a 9mm, she still comments that the Mark III was (and is) her favorite to shoot at the range. The Browning Buckmark is a nice gun for anyone.
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Buckmark is a great gun. You can lighten it up. I've modded mine for that exact reason, but got carried away and pimped it out.
![[wink]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/002.gif "Wink [wink]")
Shoots very comfortable one handed also. Very easy take down for cleaning. Yes, you do need a hex wrench, but it is no big deal whatsoever. Funny thing is, is that my wife and granddaughter just love it and always make sure it's in the range bag for visits.
While the scale shows about a 6 oz savings, the feel is much much lighter than the numbers indicate.
Jay
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After:
I finally got a reflex sight on my S&W Mod. 22A-1, and am very pleased with the performance. With open sights it was OK, but with the Mueller reflex sight and CCI S-Vs it will group .50" at 25 yds. I call that excellent for a $250 pistol.
I also have a Mark III Ruger thst shoots well and has a nice trigger. I have a Taurus Tracker, Don't waste your money, it shoots well but has other issues.
My next handgun will probably be a CZ Kadet. It is a full size pistol feel with the .22lr round.
I also have a Mark III Ruger thst shoots well and has a nice trigger. I have a Taurus Tracker, Don't waste your money, it shoots well but has other issues.
My next handgun will probably be a CZ Kadet. It is a full size pistol feel with the .22lr round.
Retired-LEO
NES Member
![[thumbsup]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/044.gif "Thumbs Up [thumbsup]")
@devldog131 My two cents... Lady Radtekk's first gun was a MarkIII. Loved it, learned the basics on it. We taught my two daughters to shoot with it, after the epic POS that is a Sig Mosquito went away. Her first carry was a Colt Mustang 380, followed by a Gen4 Glock26. She didn't like the double stack, when I brought home a Dhield 9 during the dicount deal she held it, said "Nice, did you get yourself one too?" and it became her next carry. She has since moved on to a Springfield xDs sub-compact, been carrying that about 6 months. A while back I picked up s snubbie 22mag, fun, but nothing special. Now, when I brought home the Ruger Single Six revolver, she and my youngest daughter glommed right on to it. With convertible 22lr/22mag cylinders, it's a lot of fun, and the revolver aspect makes focus on fundamentals much easier.
So, my recommendation is get something that SHE likes in a 22 semi, and a 22 revolver also. My only problem with hammerless or shrouded is that DA can be challenging for accuracy or weak/arthritic hands. Lady Radtekk CAN'T shoot the GP100 357 DA, but loves shooting it SA. Same with the Single Six.
Lady Radtekk and I are members at both Granite State and Westford Sportsmen's, we'd be happy to share guns any time. I also STRONGLY suggest that your wife take a Women on Target class soon, or at least spend some quality range time with a FEMALE shooter. They are built differently, think differently, learn differently, and your wife will get insight and knowledge from a female shooter that she just won't get from a man, no matter how well-meaning he is.
So, my recommendation is get something that SHE likes in a 22 semi, and a 22 revolver also. My only problem with hammerless or shrouded is that DA can be challenging for accuracy or weak/arthritic hands. Lady Radtekk CAN'T shoot the GP100 357 DA, but loves shooting it SA. Same with the Single Six.
Lady Radtekk and I are members at both Granite State and Westford Sportsmen's, we'd be happy to share guns any time. I also STRONGLY suggest that your wife take a Women on Target class soon, or at least spend some quality range time with a FEMALE shooter. They are built differently, think differently, learn differently, and your wife will get insight and knowledge from a female shooter that she just won't get from a man, no matter how well-meaning he is.
Before you "pull the trigger" on a 22, I have a recommendation you may want to try. Next time you go to Granite State, see if they have a Browning Black Label you can try out. Its a 15% scaled down version of a full size 1911 and is chambered in 380.
My wife tried one out at MFL one time and raved about it. So much so I tried one out and I loved it too. It's an amazing little shooter. Less recoil than a 9MM but snappier than a 22. Has an amazing trigger too.
She still loves her SR22 but the Browning is definitely on the Christmas list this year. I wouldnt mind if Santa brought me one too.
1911-380 Black Label Medallion Pro Full Size
My wife tried one out at MFL one time and raved about it. So much so I tried one out and I loved it too. It's an amazing little shooter. Less recoil than a 9MM but snappier than a 22. Has an amazing trigger too.
She still loves her SR22 but the Browning is definitely on the Christmas list this year. I wouldnt mind if Santa brought me one too.
1911-380 Black Label Medallion Pro Full Size
What's the "tab" at the back? I imagine it's to assist with cocking the pistol for the first round, but what brand and what is it called? Thanks.
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Go used. There's no need to spend the $$$ on a new pistol for this purpose. I recommend a Ruger MkII or MkIII Target, should be able to get a 95% condition one for $250-275. Equally good alternatives would be a S&W Victory or a Browning Buckmark.
Why a .22 target pistol? Because it will be the easiest to shoot well, and will continue to reward her with better results as she builds her skills.
The Ruger SR22, Walther P22 and similar small pistols have awful triggers and don't give good quality feedback.
Why a .22 target pistol? Because it will be the easiest to shoot well, and will continue to reward her with better results as she builds her skills.
The Ruger SR22, Walther P22 and similar small pistols have awful triggers and don't give good quality feedback.
Next time you are going to Granite State PM me a day ahead of time, I'd like to try the place rather than schlep all the way to MFL, and I can bring my MKIII for her to try.
The Ruger MK series are good guns, but I have yet to clean mine as I hear they are a b*tch to take down and re-assemble
My favorite 22 of all time was my Dad's K-17 I'd give my left and right nuts to have that gun in my collection
Retired-LEO
NES Member
it's a Tandemkross Halo Charging Ring. It does make loading the first round a breeze. I highly recommend them! They make them for Browning, S&W, Ruger and GLOCK.
TANDEMKROSS HALO
Retired-LEO
NES Member
Ruger MK 11. 2. 2.5 and 3 are a B!#$% to take apart and re-assemble. MK4/ MK IV are the easiest pistol to take apart and re-assemble.
Do a little digging. you can find a K17 if you really wanna buy one.
Retired-LEO
NES Member
I wish S&W still made the Model 63 5-inch. It was an all stainless .ssLR revolver based on a J frame with a 5 inch barrel. Very pleasant to shoot.
Much lighter than the 617, so people who could not handle the weight of the 617 had a decent .22LR target revolver alternative.
