Best .22 revolver for kids

Status
Not open for further replies.
I

Ishoot1st

Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2012
Messages
50
Location
NH
I am looking for a small .22 revolver for my daughter (9). She has small hands and is just learning to shoot a pistol, so i ruled out semi-autos for several reasons. This will be her gun, she must be able to clear, safe and holster. Load, unload and clean all by herself. I don't think she could handle FTF,FTE, or stove-popes right now.

I have a naa black widow that she shoots regular, fits her small hands great. But she can't load/unload by herself, its kinda a PITA anyways, even for me. I was considering a heritage rough rider, but the cylinder doesn't swing out, it would be just as much time loading as the black widow. The S&W .22 are really nice, but are out of my price range right now (under $350). I was considering a taurus tracker? Havn't held one yet so i don't know how it would fit her hands?

Does anyone have any suggestions? What did you learn to shoot on?
Again...think small hands...
 
Ruger Bearcat.
I taught my son and he taught his son to shoot revolvers with it.
 
Stay away from taurus. they're cheap for a reason. I have a friend who bought some for instruction and they went to crap in short order. He's had a ton of problems. I know they're pricey but the Smith 617 is a great gun....
 
The ruger bearcat is nice, would even go well with her henry lever action. But i can't find any less than $425. Thats twice what i spent on her rifle! Just a little pricey for a .22 plinker!
 
Does anyone have any experience with the heritage rough rider? The price looks perfect for a .22 plinker for a kid.
 
One thing about the Bearcat, her grand kids will be able to shoot it too.:)

My Mom bought one for my Dad in the late 50's, he carried it in his pickup for 40 years.
I taught my son to shoot with it. When my Dad died, it came to me, and I gave it to my son. His son is learning to shoot with it now.
It still looks brand new.
I think by the time my grandson's kids learn to shoot it, my Mom's $60.00 investment will have been worthwhile.;)
 
The Bearcat is more than perfect for this. I think I picked up ours for $250. Used is generally just fine.
 
I'll second the opinions on the Ruger Bearcat as there is one in my shooting fraternity that dozens of kids learned to shoot with.
A few years back I picked up a S&W .22/.32 Kit Gun excellent shape for a reasonable price.
This pistol is also great for those little hands.
 
Check out a new S&W 3" 63, bottom, below. Nice DA-capable .22 8-shooter. Runs $625-$675 new. Keeper.

IMG_4556.jpg

Bet that price makes the Ruger Bearcat's $425 new price look good! If so, my work is done here. The little Bearcat is a classic. When the kids/grandkids aren't using it - I'll bet it finds it's way into a tackle box!

Hey, I love my S&W .22 revolvers... even if I was in my 60's when I started buying them!

Stainz

PS The Heritage .22s are inexpensive... you get what you pay for.
 
You might look around for a used H&R double action like the M 999 which is a top break. They are usually under $250 in pretty good condition. They will have a heavy trigger, but shoot just fine. I had one of these as my first handgun.

The Bearcat is small framed and would work well for small hands. I don't know if the H&R is small enough.

My first choice after the Bearcat would be a S&W M63. But they are priced fairly high. But built to last several lifetimes. That is what Stainz is suggesting above. I feel sure she could two hand the small grips and shoot it safely with a little instruction. You'll probably want one for yourself after you see one.

The other small revolver that is out that runs about $400-$450 new is the new Ruger LCR-22 which is a snub nosed revolver. But its small and light and should be very reliable. My concern is shooting a tiny revolver is hitting anything consistantly, but she shoots your NAA.
 
Geez, my man, where are your priorities??

I would have given a lot more than $425 if my daughter had expressed an interest in having her own gun. Neither my son nor my daughter are interested in shooting at all.

Do you realize how lucky you are? Buy the Bearcat tomorrow.

They don't stay kids for long.
 
Just my two bits, but I'd suggest going with a quality DA/SA revolver. They're easier to load/unload and in my opinion, more fun to shoot than a single-action .22.

I picked this one up a few months ago now...

SP10122.gif

New model Ruger SP101 in .22 LR.

Prices seem to range from $400-$500 if you can find one around here. It has proven to be quite accurate. Doesn't have the allure of the Smiths, but it's a little closer to the OP's price range and infinitely better than the Taurus.

Another option might be to look for an older Charter Arms Pathfinder. The original Charters are good guns that get a bad wrap thanks to their less than stellar current renditions. One of my first handguns was a early nickle plated Pathfinder in .22lr... wish I had never let it go. Shot the stuffing out of it and it just kept going. They pop up now and then for about $150.

I'd steer clear of the Taurus Tracker as it's built on the same frame as their mid-size .357s and .44 Mags. The .22 version is quite heavy due to the extra material in the barrel and cylinder (about a pound more than the Ruger and Smith). The only model Taurus has that's close to what I think you want, is the model 94. The 94s can be a bit spotty though, I've personally owned two that were lemons and a coworker's had timing issues out of the box.
 
+ 10 on Bearcat....especially for her! And I like a single action myself for teaching!

I like about all the .22 Revolvers mentioned above, Including the Taurus...even it would not be a bad choice. I have had several of them with (zero) problems, and very accurate.

I have a nine shot now and it is one of my favorites! With that said, I still agree with SAM1911....Bearcat will be perfect fit for her and reasonable price!
 
Kids grow to fast for a dedicated pistol.

I started my boy out with a S&W M-34 and in no time he was shooting my M-15 and my various 22 pistols. Unloading a revolver can be a bad experience in swinging a handgun around.
Its much like buying a kid bike or swing set. They grow real fast and your left with stuff that won't fit.
Your going to be helping and making sure there safe anyway. Wait a few months and save up and buy a decent 22 Pistol. Same old Ruger, Buckmark etc answers.
 
I let my daughter choose her own .22 pistol, not trying to influence her in any way or set a limit on how much I would spend on it. She wasn't thrilled with any of the revolvers, either SA or DA, and eventually settled on the Beretta Neos. It felt the best in her hand, being the right combination of size, weight, and balance for her. So that's what we went with (didn't hurt matters either that it was on sale at the time).

If you're set on a revolver for her, then I would say look for a used S&W Model 34 with a 4" barrel. Very easy to load and unload, decent sight radius, and is perfect for those with small hands. I bought one last year for my girlfriend, who had practically zero experience with guns, and after one range session she was doing just fine with it.
 
Ruger Single Six or Bearcat, depending on how big her hands are.

My 15yo daughter has basically adopted my Single Six. She told me it's her favorite handgun, and I couldn't be happier! :D

S&W jframes are neat, too, but for a little kid, I really like the single action, and quality speaks volumes.

That said, I learned to shoot handguns on my father's H&R 9 shot .22 that was double action, but looks like a single action.

My Single Six is more robust than his revolver, and they still make parts for it.

Lots of things to think about !
 
Heritage Arms .22 pistol

I own one of these and recommend it. Bought it on sale after Thanksgiving (first time Black Friday shopping, go figure, it was a gun that made me!).

Being a single action gun it's a little harder to load/unload, each shell has to be manually inserted/ejected and all. Really it isn't that bad. I bought the gun for my wife as her first pistol, as she really likes the cowboy looks.

It is as accurate as you can hold it, made in the U.S., you can buy a .22 mag cylinder for it, and it costs about $100. Or $130 if it comes with the .22 mag cylinder.

The trigger is fine but the sights are fixed blade front and notch rear...nothing really wrong with them but nothing fancy either. The grips might be a touch large for her but I think they might make replacements? Not sure about that. The pistol will hang up occasionally when it is dirty; after, say, 2 or 3 hundred rounds. There are a ton of reviews on YT, you might show your daughter and see what she thinks. :)

If your daughter can't load the NAA, this might not be the pistol for her, but at the same time it won't be long before she can. I think it's one of the best .22s out there for kids because it is inexpensive, emphasizes marksmanship (since you have to work hard for those shots!), and isn't too hard to learn.

*Side note: the looks of a gun for a woman for some reason are a lot more important... She LOVES this pistol and I'm certain that a bit part of the reason is it looks just like a cowboy pistol.*
 
Save up a bit more money and buy the S&W. You don't want a cheap frustrating gun causing her to lose interest. Kids like yours are hard to come by and worth every penny you spend on them.
 
My children now 13 and 15, started shooting .22 lr rifles around age 6, at about 9 they started shooting handguns. Both put thousands of rounds through my taurus 94 (1995 manufacture) with no problems. They also shoot and like the Browing Buckmark, and S&W model 41. They both now like my S&W K22's and have claimed them as their own. Any smaller DA revolver the 94, sp101 or S&W 63 or 317 will work depends on your budget.
 
RUGER BEARCAT!

I own (but am not necessarily in posession of) several of them. Every time I take one of the grandkids out, the gun ends up going home with them. :confused: Can't say that's a bad thing, because it's a multi-generational gun, and worth every extra penny. They are a lot of fun for the kids, and they like loading and cocking more than using the K-22's or auto loaders (but the Walther p-22 comes close).

I was at a gun show last weekend and saw a few used ones that were very reasonable.

Go the extra mile - you won't regret it.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

C
  • Locked
The S&W Combat Masterpeice is the Ultimate Revolver
Replies
20
Views
1K
Jerry11826
J
D
  • Locked
.22 revolver suggestions
Replies
22
Views
2K
Shade00
S
G
  • Locked
Revolver suggestions (for my girlfriend)
Replies
21
Views
778
pauli
P
F
  • Locked
NAA pug or "target" gun Mini revolver
Replies
10
Views
2K
Dimis
D
D
  • Locked
Any advice on a revolver choice?
Replies
9
Views
758
Majic
M
Back
Top