What 22 for small hands??

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StressPuppy

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I need some help finding a 22 pistol for boys with small hands.

I have 4 boys and I currently have a Ruger MKII with the tapered barrel (can't remember if it is 4 or 6 in) but it is too big and heavy for the little guys (boys are 14, 10, 7, 5). My 14 year old is fine (he shoots my S&W 65, Glock 19, and 1911!!), but the others are small for their age and have small hands too. And holding a big heavy gun in front of them for more than one shot, maybe two, is too demanding.

I feel it very important to teach them early and teach them properly. Understanding the guns and the safety is what will help them have fun shooting and avoid stupid and serious problems. But without having something to shoot, it makes it hard.

I have thought about the Walther P22 as the size seems perfect. And the trigger is not ridiculously hard to pull. But I have heard mixed reviews on its reliability. I am not aware of anything else.

Can you help give me some ideas of things I might look at for them?
 
I had a Pheonix HP22 that I actually miss. It wouldn't be a bad teaching pistol. It has 2 manualy safeties and is relatively easy to load single shot. It's small and light and cheap to boot.
 
I vote P22

The only time I had trouble getting it to shoot was when I left the safety on:banghead:
 
I bought my P22 because it fit my daughters (she's 10) hand perfectly. The gun is a POS. I can't recomend them and I certainly wouldn't buy another one even if it was shown to run flawlessly.
 
I let my little brother shoot a P22 a few weeks back. He's 7 and had no problem loading or operating it. He could even manipulate the slide easily. The one we shot functioned perfectly. If you can get a reliable one, a P22 would be a good choice.
 
Not to disparage the P-22 or any other semi-auto, but I chose a Ruger Bearcat SA revolver to teach my nephews the basics.

Very simple, straight-forward manual of arms. Small and light weight-scaled correctly for little people. Very easy to set up for ball-and-dummy to diagnose and correct shooting errors. It'll even use "shorts" or CB caps where noise or recoil might be a problem.

Great companion to a "Cricket" or similar kid's rifle, too!
 
Just read this thread and you can see the type of conflicting P22 info I have gotten in the past!!!

Maybe I should I ask which P22 you have. Is it the shorter one (3 1/2" barrel) or the longer one (5" barrel with threads and thing on the end)? It seems to me that the shorter one with nothing on the end would be less things to deal with and therefore less to go wrong.

For those that say get the P22, and say "if you get a reliable one", how do you go about getting a reliable one? Is there something to look for, specifically, without shooting it?

BTW - revolver is something I am thinking about, but a harder longer trigger pull is something I want to avoid. So i would have to find the right one, or do a little work on it. (Don't want to make it terribly light, just easy and smooth enough for a new shooter.)
 
If you would consider a revolver the Bearcat would be hard to beat. Trigger pull on the one I played with was quite nice, and the one thing I had against it was the small grip felt funny in my hands.
 
I have both barrels...

...makes no difference...that being said, when I bought mine, I bought as many small packs (25 or 50 packs)of .22 ammo I could find. Tried to shoot them all. I only buy the 1 that works. Remington Ammo is ALL MINE WILL SHOOT (Well, except CCI stingers for the occasional carry). Everything else jams. These don't.

Most of the complaints that I have heard about these guns are FTE, FTF, ie ammo related. If you asked what ammo they have tried, they list one or two. I tried about 6 or 7 different ones.

That's my suggestions, for whatever it's worth.
 
To elaborate on the P22 thing:

I have the 3.5" model. It's a 2004 and has the -A magazines. This combination is supposed to work. It is (I might have fixed it) a jam-o-matic.

It also never would fire in double action. I searched the Internet to find that this is such a common problem people have come up with a name for it. I was able to fix the “Double-Action Bug†with a full detail strip and a little tweaking.

It seems that with use the safety eventually becomes warn and wiggles its way on during fire. This hasn't happened to mine yet.

The slide is aluminum or some alloy there of. On the inside it looks like the kind of pot metal my Hot Wheels used to be made of.

Check out the Walther forum at Rimfire Central for a lot more info.

http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=48

I am not a big fan of these guns. If you do decide to buy one, I hope it works for you and lasts a very long time. Personally, wish I had gotten a Buckmark.
 
several year ago when my daughters were maybe 7 yrs and 9yrs old. looked around for the smallest grip .22 that would fit their hands. settled on the phoenix hp22 rangemaster kit (had both a target and a short barrel).
once i friction blocked it, and smoothed a few things, no problems. shot reliably and was supprisingtly accurate. i traded it a couple years ago for a browning buckmark when sdtyhe girls no longer needed a small gun.
you might also consider the ruger 22/45. i picked up one used a couple months ago with the 4" target barrel. easy to use, accurate; and has thin grips.
mcole
 
For teaching nothing beats a good revolver. The Ruger Bearcat is great. If you are going to teach them double action shooting then the S&W kit guns will fit the bill nicely.
 
Look for a S&W 34, 317 or any of the Kit guns...
I have a 35-1 with a 6" barrel, target sights all on a J frame, If every home had one of these we would have beaucoup more shooters in the world.
 
If they can be safe with a auto, I vote for the Walther P22. Heck, my wife has tiny 10 year old size hands and they fit the gun well.
 
Walther P22 for a semi automatic.
If he likes a larger pistol like the Ruger but doesn't get along with the large grip then let him try a Beretta Neos.
Excellent, accurate, reliable but a very small grip area.
Revolver selection I would recommend is the Smith and Wesson 317, 3" barrel, adjustable sight Kit Gun.
 
Count me as voting for the J frame smith revolver/kit gun. Easy to make sure it's unloaded, good single-action trigger, as accurate as you could want it to be. Plus you can start them out with CB-longs or some other low velocity ammo to reduce the bang even further, get them into good habits before giving them ammo that may cause a flinch.
 
"...But without having something to shoot, it makes it hard..." That's what .22LR rifles are for. The young bucks will be just as happy shooting a rifle as the bag of hormones is with the pistol.
Relax. You don't have to start them all at the same time with the same thing. You can't supervise them all at the same time anyway. Teach rifle skills to the younger guys and make shooting a pistol a rite of passage. You're kids are lucky to have a da who takes them shooting. Almost as lucky as their da is to have 4 kids who want to spend time with their da.
Spend time with each kid, alone. Let's you spend time alone with each kid. Trust me. They need it, want it and deserve it. Then, a guy's day at the range will become much better. The bag of hormones can help you with the younger guys. It's a bonding thing.
 
"...bag of hormones..." :D

You must have experience........ ;)

Yes, I am very lucky to have 4 great boys and a very understanding wife. My 14 year old does help with his brothers and the 10 year old does very well, but I still don't leave him unattended. The other two are still a bit young but it is the comfort and safety that I want to work on, no so much the markmanship.

Rifle is a great idea. I have one, but the stock is too long for the little guys. I have been thinking about buying a CZ 452 Scout, and I guess now is the time. I have a cut down stock for a 10/22, but I hoping to find a used one and that is a tough task! (But one more gun and my wife may not be so understanding!! :what: )

One on one time IS very important, to both son and dad. And it is amazing that the simple things are what they seem to remember. It doesn't have to be something big and extravegant.

If I had my way, I'd buy a smaller pistol and a cadet type rifle and have everyone, including the wife, covered.
 
Stresspuppy,
My understanding is that "kit gun" is a generic term for a small-framed, .22 revolver. Smith and Wesson's current offering is the 317, stainless, 3" barrel, 8 rounds, about 11 ounces. Small, packable, great plinker.
 
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