I'm shopping around a bit. She has used one of my single stack 1911's off and on for a few years. But she wants her "own gun".
We stopped by one of the local gun shops on the way home from the chiropractors the other day. I knew they had a SIG Mosquito and Walther P22 in stock.
Mosquito; "Grip is okay, but it's kind of heavy. I don't like the trigger. Points well."
Walther; "I like the weight, but the grip is too small and I don't like the front (had the 5" barrel)." It also pointed fairly well.
Bersa in .380; Liked everything except the hammer spur.
GSG 1911 (BTW, I didn't know it existed); A little heavy, grip not bad, liked the safety.
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At Home:
Phoenix HP22; Likes it. Just about perfect. (But I don't like the double safety, and am concerned about the durability)
Springer GI 1911; "Heavy", with Kimber 22 kit "it's okay".
SP101; Loves the grip and balance, hates the D/A action. Doesn't want a revolver (hates messing with a hammer on S/A, hates DA trigger pull...fair enough)
Browning Hi-Power; Pachmayr grips; "I hate it". w/o any grips; "It's not bad, but feels top heavy".
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What I've learned;
Yeah, yeah. Lay off the ".22lr is not a defensive round" bit. I already know the limitations. This is more about having something is better than having nothing. But because of this I am seriously considering a pistol that has a fully functioning kit or the ability to be set up to shoot light handloads. First of all it's important to have something she can consistently shoot well and get much practice with. I don't think she will ever handle anything larger than 9mm, and it's probably going to take a long while to get her comfortable shooting in a larger caliber.
Right now I think I'm going to stick to training with the Phoenix and a 1911 w/ .22 kit. So I have some time. I don't mind spending a little bit of money either. I'm still cleaning out inventory and have a double-stack BUL Transmark M-5 1911 I'll probably use to fund this project.
What I want is suggestions for other pistols I'm not thinking of. Remember it has to fit the criteria above.
I want to know about experiences with .22 Hi-Power kit suggestions. And she has familiarity with 1911's. Another option would be a smaller, well balanced 1911 in .22, with the ability to change the caliber later.
I also want her to handle a Glock, but I'm guessing she won't like the trigger.
So how about it? Any suggestions for other smaller .22 handguns or handguns in other calibers that also have durable, fully functional .22 kits, that still meet the intended use and criteria stated above?
We stopped by one of the local gun shops on the way home from the chiropractors the other day. I knew they had a SIG Mosquito and Walther P22 in stock.
Mosquito; "Grip is okay, but it's kind of heavy. I don't like the trigger. Points well."
Walther; "I like the weight, but the grip is too small and I don't like the front (had the 5" barrel)." It also pointed fairly well.
Bersa in .380; Liked everything except the hammer spur.
GSG 1911 (BTW, I didn't know it existed); A little heavy, grip not bad, liked the safety.
----
At Home:
Phoenix HP22; Likes it. Just about perfect. (But I don't like the double safety, and am concerned about the durability)
Springer GI 1911; "Heavy", with Kimber 22 kit "it's okay".
SP101; Loves the grip and balance, hates the D/A action. Doesn't want a revolver (hates messing with a hammer on S/A, hates DA trigger pull...fair enough)
Browning Hi-Power; Pachmayr grips; "I hate it". w/o any grips; "It's not bad, but feels top heavy".
-----------------
What I've learned;
- Goal; Target shooting, defensive pistol.
- Likes a mid-size grip. This is subjective though, single vs double stack doesn't seem to be part of the equation. Just total circumference. I'm still trying to pinpoint exactly what it is about certain grips...
- Absolutely NO D/A trigger. This pretty much reduces me to slide-action S/A.
- Ideal weight somewhere around 20 oz, COG should be right at the front of the web of her hand.
- The Phoenix is right on the edge of small, the 1911's are a bit large. Something in between that can also pack CCW if needed.
- Still needs to stick with .22lr caliber for now (A pistol with a .22 kit might be ideal).
Yeah, yeah. Lay off the ".22lr is not a defensive round" bit. I already know the limitations. This is more about having something is better than having nothing. But because of this I am seriously considering a pistol that has a fully functioning kit or the ability to be set up to shoot light handloads. First of all it's important to have something she can consistently shoot well and get much practice with. I don't think she will ever handle anything larger than 9mm, and it's probably going to take a long while to get her comfortable shooting in a larger caliber.
Right now I think I'm going to stick to training with the Phoenix and a 1911 w/ .22 kit. So I have some time. I don't mind spending a little bit of money either. I'm still cleaning out inventory and have a double-stack BUL Transmark M-5 1911 I'll probably use to fund this project.
What I want is suggestions for other pistols I'm not thinking of. Remember it has to fit the criteria above.
I want to know about experiences with .22 Hi-Power kit suggestions. And she has familiarity with 1911's. Another option would be a smaller, well balanced 1911 in .22, with the ability to change the caliber later.
I also want her to handle a Glock, but I'm guessing she won't like the trigger.
So how about it? Any suggestions for other smaller .22 handguns or handguns in other calibers that also have durable, fully functional .22 kits, that still meet the intended use and criteria stated above?