Best 22 for wife

[democracywins]

I want to get my wife a 22 handgun to carry and was wondering if there is a general thought as to the best gun for this caliber for a woman to carry? I originally bought her a ruger lcp 380 but it was too much for her. I kind of knew that it would be but it was a way to say "oh honey it's fine, we will get you a different one" which gave me an excuse to hold on to it for myself.

She is very small and not strong at all so it really needs to be a small caliber gun.

Thanks for any insight...

 

[Doug]

I recommend this
https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...237196-beretta_21a_22lr_w_box_and_papers.html

They have a light double-action trigger pull.
They have little recoil.
They can be loaded/unloaded WITHOUT retracting the slide. That is important for those with reduced hand strength.


I think Taurus makes something like it, but I have confidence in Beretta quality.

 

[SSGSAD]

I recommend this
https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...237196-beretta_21a_22lr_w_box_and_papers.html

They have a light double-action trigger pull.
They have little recoil.
They can be loaded/unloaded WITHOUT retracting the slide. That is important for those with reduced hand strength.


I think Taurus makes something like it, but I have confidence in Beretta quality.

YES, me too, I highly reccommend this, I wish I had $200.00 !!!!!

 

[scottka]

I'd definitely check out the LCR in .22LR. If someone is going to carry a .22, I think a revolver is the way to go because if a round fails in any way (FTF, FTE, etc.), it can normally be remedied by simply pulling the trigger again. Sometimes rimfire primers aren't perfect.

 

[davedolli]

I have one, and I have carried it in the summertime on occasion. I have shot it quite a lot. It is a quality little pistol. very easy to load with the tip up barrel, load with one hand if need be. Mine eats anything I have fed it so far from Stingers to CCI standard vel and everything in between. I also highly recommend a 21a

Dave

 

[democracywins]

Any recommended revolver style?

 

[kludge]

In a .380, not many women that I have encountered have liked the LCP.

You could try the Bera Thunder .380 CC and the Walther PK.380. Recoil is moch reduced, and you can get all three fingers on the grip.

If it a .22 she want for personal protection, make it a .22 Magnum, and make it a revolver. Smith and Wesson, Taurus, and Charter Arms make them. None that I have tried have very nice triggers though.

 

[686 Shooter]

If you are looking at auto's, there are a few nice.22's out there, but you might want to look at .32 auto also, I have and carry a .32 NAA Guardian, nice steel gun, very simple and minimal recoil.
For .22, I would highly recommend S&W 317, super lightweight and very reliable.

 

[Hammer]

Small guns are hard to shoot for any one. I would suggest some training for her and let her try some other guns before falling back to a .22 for SD.

 

[dhw9am]

Bersa

Bersa makes a 22 pistol which is good quality, resonable cost. They also make a 32 pistol, which is low recoil, good quality and much more effective.

 

[Doug]

.22 revolvers are good. I would suggest an 8 or 9 shot because they are harder to reload quickly than a semi-auto.

The trouble is that most .22 revolvers have a heavy double action pull; heavier than the 21A. Make certain she can easily pull the trigger. If she strains to fire it, she won't have the needed accuracy.

The 21A is single action after the first shot. Also, just popping the barrel up makes the pistol safe, whether its cocked or not.

Still, if she can handle the trigger, a Ruger LCR in .22 would be hard to beat.

 

[indyjoe]

My wife really enjoys the Ruger SR22. It have fed anything I've thrown at it and it is decent shooter.

The LCR in .22 is also a decent choice. It would give you the option of possibly going up to a light load .38 in the LCR if she get more comfortable with the gun. It would feel like the same gun with a little more pop. Or practice with the .22 and carry a light load .38?

 

[Doug]

My wife really enjoys the Ruger SR22. It have fed anything I've thrown at it and it is decent shooter.

The LCR in .22 is also a decent choice. It would give you the option of possibly going up to a light load .38 in the LCR if she get more comfortable with the gun. It would feel like the same gun with a little more pop. Or practice with the .22 and carry a light load .38?

Very good point!
In my opinion, powder-puff loads of .38 wadcutter are superior to any .22 just because the bullet is bigger. Target loads with lead wadcutter bullets can be quite mild, even without handloading.

Still, even the lowly .22LR or .25 ACP beats a cringe and a whimper.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

I would urge you to have her try a Bersa Thunder or Firestorm .380. The all metal frame absorbs the recoil a lot more than the lighter LCP, and if you get the nicer version the grips are a soft and grippy rubber. They are fixed barrel, incredibly easy to break down and maintain, feed anything reliably, and you can share ammo between it and the LCP. If $$$ is no object, a Walther PPK in .380 is also a nicer version (the Thunder is almost a clone of it, but the trigger guard is bigger and slightly different), its nicer than the Bersa but at a greatly increased cost.

A .22 is better than nothing, but rimfires aren't as reliable as center fires, and there's obviously a lot of ballistic advantage in a .380 over a .22. As someone else mentioned, if you insist on a .22 I'd stick with a revolver and make sure you get a magnum cylinder with it.

 

[democracywins]

I would urge you to have her try a Bersa Thunder or Firestorm .380. The all metal frame absorbs the recoil a lot more than the lighter LCP, and if you get the nicer version the grips are a soft and grippy rubber. They are fixed barrel, incredibly easy to break down and maintain, feed anything reliably, and you can share ammo between it and the LCP. If $$$ is no object, a Walther PPK in .380 is also a nicer version (the Thunder is almost a clone of it, but the trigger guard is bigger and slightly different), its nicer than the Bersa but at a greatly increased cost.

A .22 is better than nothing, but rimfires aren't as reliable as center fires, and there's obviously a lot of ballistic advantage in a .380 over a .22. As someone else mentioned, if you insist on a .22 I'd stick with a revolver and make sure you get a magnum cylinder with it.

I actually have a friend that has one of these. I will have her give it a shot! Thanks!

 

[indyjoe]

Very good point!
In my opinion, powder-puff loads of .38 wadcutter are superior to any .22 just because the bullet is bigger. Target loads with lead wadcutter bullets can be quite mild, even without handloading.

Still, even the lowly .22LR or .25 ACP beats a cringe and a whimper.

Yep and even a wadcutter load of .38 is better than a .22. I also like the higher reliability of the center fire round. However, with a revolver and 8 or 9 rounds (forget what the .22 LCR has), you can get past a .22 LR bad round with no issues other than another trigger pull. That is something that is an issue with Semi-Auto .22s.

 

[daddymikey1975]

My wife has muscular dystrophy. She is weak in the arms and hands. We tried several guns before settling on the Bersa thunder .380. It was the easiest semi-auto with a decent size caliber that she could handle.. She still struggles with it and isn't as confident as we would prefer. I took her to the range with my older two boys a few weeks ago. My sons (13 and 9) were shooting a full size M&P .22 and she wanted to try it. She was easily able to rack the slide, clear the chamber and load the magazine. She can't hold a gun up and use the sights because of the weakness she has in her arms (we got a laserlyte for her Bersa and she's dead accurate with that one) and she held the M&P up where she was able to comfortably shoot it. She put all 12 rounds (just from Point of Aim) into a 4" group at 30feet. She set the gun down and said "THAT is the gun I want".. I figure, if she's confident and able to hold it and shoot it, 12 rounds of .22LR center mass are way more effective than a .380 (or larger) in the wall next to a perp.

Needless to say, I'm saving my pennies to get her the M&P

Also to note, the one we were shooting has ambi controls (she's a lefty) and this is a huge feature for her.

YMMV

 

[democracywins]

Thanks guys for all your insight. After taking my wife out and letting her shoot a few different models that was "kicked around" she decided on the Walther P22 she really like the fact that it was a little more to hold onto and she had no problem with the slide. And come to find out it comes in a pink and wildberry finish as well. So there's no chance of be borrowing it from her....

 

[RMC]

If she didn't get a chance to try the Bersa Thunder 380 let me know and she can shoot ours at Eagle Creek next weekend. If you really like pink then you can change the grips.

 

[Amishman44]

In .22LR...I would recommend the Ruger SR22 or the LCR in .22LR! Otherwise, I would suggest the Walter P-22 as a nice .22lr as well!

For a first-time user, I would recommend getting a revolver from a 'pull, point-n-shoot' perspective! I have carried revolvers my entire life and am just as, or more, accurate with it than all the semi-auto pistols I have carried, owned, and/or shot over the years...and I shoot a lot of DA! It's really quite simple...you train for it!