Help finding a 22 for wife

If she can carry the Mosquito, then she can carry the buckmark??

How about this one? Long barrel for the range, short barrel to carry.

Have the Firestorm FS .22LR. A good shooter and a great value for the price. Bought it for the wife to use as her plinker matched to her Firestorm .380 for carry. We both shoot it a lot, and it works well. Does not like low velocity ammo. I use CCI minimags and it's never missed a beat. I have no idea how many rounds through it. More than a few thousand anyways. Magazines are expensive,..but that's the only issue I have with the gun. I'd buy it again.

Beretta Model 21 Bobcat, or the Beretta 87 Cheetah are both good .22lr pistols.

reliable........quality......accurate....light weight

S&W models....317....34....43....63

You take her to the range, let her choose the one she likes and shoot it, then see if she wants to try a different one, repeat until rounds are expended or one follows you home....

This may not be an appropriate post for the Autoloader Forum, but I'd recommend that your wife seriously consider a revolver in this caliber if it is to be used for defensive purposes. I have nothing against autoloaders in general, and in fact my current defensive handgun is an autoloader, but I wouldn't trust one regarding reliability in this specific caliber, based on my own experiences (there are also technical reasons for this). There are some nice small-frame, 8-shot revolvers available in this caliber that I could recommend if your wife finds the idea agreeable.

Whatever you end up going with, ammo selection is absolutely critical for defense in this caliber. Try to get a gun with a 3" barrel or longer if your wife can manage carrying it. The CCI Velocitor would probably be the most effective load in any .22 LR handgun, although the CCI Mini-Mag (or preferably the similar CCI SGB if you can find it) would probably be acceptable with a 6" barrel or longer. Do not use cheap bulk ammo for defensive purposes.

wep45 said:

reliable........quality......accurate....light weight

S&W models....317....34....43....63

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Exactly!

Perhaps you could find a good used Beretta JetFire in .22l. However, like the others have said before me a revolver in .22 is better because of reliability issues with .22 rimfire ammunition.

The new S&W 317 is good despite that stupid lock on it. Perhaps you could find an older one without the lock, I hope?

I really like the walther P22, and with the pinkie extension, fits my hand really well. However, to the best of my knowledge, it does not come in nickel finish.

Maybe the ISSC m22 ( http://www.issc-handels-gmbh.at/m22.html )
This is a Glock LOOKALILKE, wich can be impressive in SD situations

If you already have the Phoenix, great. Let her shoot that at the range for fun and practice, but get her a Kel Tec P32 for CCW. It is the size of the Phoenix and a heck of a lot lighter, and is reliable as any gun on the market. The caliber increase gives her more power, but not much more recoil. The P32 is very soft on recoil so she may want to shoot more often.

The major problem with 22's for CCW is that rimfire ignition can be spotty with many brands, and power levels vary creating issues with cycling speed. That is fine at the range, or even in a hunting situation, but good quality centerfire calibers are a must for defensive roles. Skip the 25ACP, and start with .32ACP, or .32 H&R in a revolver and go up from there until you find the greatest caliber she shoots well, and buy her a gun in that caliber.

I own a Phoenix HP22A and it's a good shooter with very few jams, but I would not consider it for CCW. If your wife is recoil sensitive, beware of the micro 380's and Airweight 38's.

Beretta 21 is as reliable as a magazine fed pistol can be in .22lr. It is as accurate as a pistol of its size can be, my wife has the old 950 jetfire in .25 auto it is deadly out to 15 yards, beyond that not so good. Price wise Beretta starts around $300 the Phoenix around $125, you do get what you pay for. What would you bet your life on, in .22lr it would have to be a revolver, but the Beretta 21 would do for her I think.

Kel Tec PMR-30 (ok, its a .22 Mag)
it holds 30+1 rounds, its fugly, cheap, and awsome.

Or you could always get one of these stupid NAA revolvers:

Its a hell of a lot better than no gun.

You take her to the range, let her choose the one she likes and shoot it, then see if she wants to try a different one, repeat until rounds are expended or one follows you home....

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This is good advice. A wise man would follow it.

The only .22's I would use for defense would be revolvers with the hottest ammo available (probably Velocitors). The S&W 317 is available as the usual 1 7/8" barrel snubby, which would be a good pocket gun, or as a 3" barreled model which would be easier to shoot well.

I wouldn't worry about the lock too much. Most of the reports of them locking up while firing are when using hot ammo (eg .38+p or .357mag), which obviously isn't a worry in .22lr.

What about a Walther P22 or SP22. I saw an SP22 for $219 the other day...Russ

A Buckmark Micro could also be a good option if it must be an auto. My full-size Buckmark has been extremely reliable (as a range gun) with good ammo.

I want recommend any rim-fire gun as a CCW, but if I were to it would be the Kel Tec PMR-30. My only other advice is to stay as far away from the P22 as you can get. If some offers you one for free, slap them in face and run away screaming.

+1 for the Firestorm 22. I have had one for 3 years and it is very reliable with stingers and HV ammo, cheap ammo is spotty, but at the range I put up with it to save cost. Good ammo has been totally reliable in it.

I have a couple of Buckmarks at my house

The hex screws that hold the sights require thread blocker

They WILL shoot loose otherwise

22 + SD = Revolver

S&W Airweight