Light weight .22?

Not a .22 but a hi point carbine is everything else you are looking for.

Try Ten Percent Firearms:

http://www.tenpercentfirearms.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=16_64

While not the ergonomics of the AK you could pick up a Marlin model 60 with a synthetic stock. They weigh in at 5lbs. I don't know how much lighter you are going to get and still have semi auto. If you don't mind a bolt action CZ makes a scout that has a 12" LOP, a 16" barrel, and also weighs in at 5lbs. I don't know how you could get out with a quality firearm that is smaller or lighter than either of those. Just depends on if you want semi or bolt.

Walther G22. .22LR, short as all get out, can mount optics or a vertical grip, already has a rear vertical grip.

FFMedic

if we are talking semi auto, then mossberg plinkster is proly the smallest and lightest, then a marlin mod 60 or 795, then a savage 64, then a remmy 597. these are all factory, and need no aftermarket parts, and all are under 200.
if you want a true ak/ ar look and style , an armi jager for ak , and also Armscor makes an ar forgery, and I think an ak as well. they are all 22's.

try a Savage Mark II or a Savage 64, great weapons and very accurate, both are .22lr

http://savagearms.com/markiif.htm

http://savagearms.com/64g.htm

There's always the AR-7, which is a takedown that stores in its own buttstock:


http://www.henryrepeating.com/h002_survival.cfm

Or the various intriguing offerings from Feather:

http://www.featherusa.com/

why not mod out a ruger 10-22
?

Browning buckmark rifle. I would take one far before the G22.

CZ 452 Scout:

http://www.cz-usa.com/product_detail.php?id=5

Not *quite* a youth size stock, so it will work well for small adults and teens (and me for that matter at 5'8")

Highly recommended.

Honestly you are going to pay a big premium to get that military look and potentially still have a mediocre rifle.

Well, AR-15's are .22 caliber. They're light and sound like just what you are looking for. If the .223 cartridge is too much recoil for your wife, you can always pick up a .22LR conversion kit, which is what your wife would probably want; the bore diameter being the same as the .223 cartridge, .22LR conversion kits are a drop-in kit that replaces the bolt carrier group.

Seriously, though, if you don't have an AR yet, you should get one. This may be the excuse that you have been looking for. Buy the conversion kit and have a fun rifle that is cheap to shoot for you and your wife.

Walther's G22 looks nice and feels nice in the hands, but the trigger did not impress me. The problem for me was the little plastic trigger pulling on a metal rod pulley which in-turn connected to the firing mechanism. I mean, it's a nice, can be had for $275 very easily, but I'd go for a "metal" gun next time.

SU-22CA rifle is only 4lbs

http://www.kel-tec-cnc.com/su22.htm



INTRODUCTION

The SU-22 rifle is chambered for the popular and economical .22 Long Rifle cartridge (.22LR). It is based on the 5.56mm NATO chambered SU-22 rifle and shares many parts including the grip and front and rear sights. The SU-22 is not a simple conversion kit, it is a standalone firearm chambered for the .22LR and is designed for target shooting, plinking, or small game hunting.

The PLR-22 and SU-22 operate by blowback action and have a 4140 steel bolt that rides on steel guide rails inside the polymer receiver. The ejector is attached to one of the guide rails and the recoil spring is located above the barrel. The cross-bolt safety and magazine release operate identically to the PLR-16 and SU-16.

The PLR-22 and SU-22 will accept many of the same accessories as the PLR-16 and SU-16 including the slings, stocks, and compact forend. The rear sight is adjustable for windage and the front sight is adjustable for elevation. An integrated picatinny rail on top will accept a multitude of sighting options. The muzzle end of the barrel is threaded ½”-28 to accept standard attachments such as a muzzle brake. A 26 round semi-transparent magazine is included and it will accept magazines designed for the Atchison M-16 conversion.


TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Caliber : .22LR
Weight unloaded : 4.0 lbs
Length Open : 34"
Barrel Length : 16.1"
Twist : 1:16"
Magazin Capacity : 26 rounds or Atchison M-16

I'll second the nylon 66. I love mine... 10s of thousands of rounds thru it, I've only cleaned it 4 times.

Light, short? Marlin 70PSS is only 3.25 lbs. and has a 16" or so barrel.

Based on Marlin 60, so very reliable.

i took my standard 22 (an OLD mossberg 151m) and reshaped the stock (slimmed it down), drilled the heck out of the stock to lighten it up by removing the buttplate and barreled action. i drilled as much as i figured i could, hopefully without weakening the wood enough structurally. i have been using it now for over 10 years that way, and knock on wood, so far so good. it made a lot of difference doing that. but i know i would never use it as a club anymore. the stock would certainly break. not that i would anyway, but i am pretty carefull with it so as not to drop it, etc. when i give it to my kid, i will pull it apart to show him what i did, so he can understand why to be carefull with it.

Lots of good suggestions. I'm a bit confused as to what your criteria you're using to define as "the ergonomics of an assault rifle" though.

I'd ditto the Nylon 66 for its light weight and reliability, plus near-perfect balance, but its LOP would be much the same as most "standard" commercial rifles.

Personally, I traded for a new Ruger 10/22 "Compact" so that my youngest nephew (who was having the same sort of size issues) could "graduate" to semiautos with his older, larger brother. It's just enough smaller than the standard carbines in LOP, bbl length and weight to make it very well suited to those of smaller stature. BTW, the fiber optic open sights that are OEM on this model are a very nice touch.

If your "assault rifle ergos" include some sort of 'pistol' grip, the same aftermarket options made for other 10/22 models are available.

I don't often disagree much with Armed Bear, but I've owned several makes of AR-7 over the years and only my original Armalite-manufactured one was within arm's length of 'functionally reliable' and didn't have something break within the first 500-1000 rds of use.

As a concept, they're great. How well that concept has generally been executed by the various makers has been pretty dismal, IME.

ahhh, forgot all about the marlin papoose, this will be the lightest out there; the feather has been real inconsistent. the su-22 will be about 300 bucks, but looks darn nice. you also have the old browning takedowns, but they will be 300 and up. the ruger 10.22 will cost you 300 dollars, in just mods, and forget anything at all , like the Henry survival rifle, which will be the most troublesome.

Full retail on the Ruger Compact I traded for was $239 here. If it'd been a cash deal, there might've been some haggle room - maybe.

I agree that it's easy to dump a lot of money into a 10/22, but only if you choose to. IMO, there ain't anything the little Ruger Compact needs to be a perfectly good general purpose .22 RF right outta the box.

The only gripes I have with the Marlin Papoose are really related to personal taste more than anything else. I don't care for the lack of a forearm, especially with a protruding box magazine, on a 'plinker' which is likely to have the barrel getting pretty warm in short order. Kinda wish that Marlin had come up with a set-up like the Browning TD on it.

BTW, if you run across a nice one there are quite a few of the Norinco "clones" of the little Browning still out there for about half the price or less. I have one that's held up very nicely so far over several K rds. I bought it for $35 in NRA VVG-EX condition because it had one of the 'fingers' on the extractor broken (due to incomplete cleaning, I discovered) and the fellow thought it wasn't worth trying to find a part. The Browning factory item from Brownell's dropped right in and cost me less than $15 with shipping.

that has the ergonomics of an assault rifle

Click to expand...

Oops, sorry, forgot that - my suggestion above is not that.

However, one other rifle comes to mind as "having the ergonmics of" an assault rifle (though not looking like one) - and that is the Browning Buckmark rifle. They used to make a super super lightweight one with an anodized aluminum frame and carbon fiber barrel - don't know if that version is still made but if you can find one they are cool and meet your criteria. Here are the current Buckmark rifle offerings:

http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/family.asp?webflag_=004B&catalog_=B

The sporter rifle there is 4 lbs, 6 oz. I've always kinda wanted one of these, since I love my Buckmark pistol - shoulda jumped on the carbon fiber ones when they were available. But beware, some people speak badly of the Buckmark rifle - sometimes you hear inaccurate, sometimes unreliable. I dunno; never had one myself.

You might call Browning and ask if they know of any distributors who still have the carbon fiber barrel ones in their inventory....

Another thing: An AR15 in .22lr is "light" - *compared to other AR15s*. It's not really all that light compared to other .22s.