.22 Pistol for my wife

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ibcynic

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After many years I finally got my wife interested in shooting a pistol (.22target). The problem is we both have poor eyesight and need a red-dot. She has very small hands while I have large ones. Obviously, the same weapon does not work for both of us.

Where can I find a small framed pistol that will fit her hand and support a red-dot scope?
 
Scope mounts are available for most any 22 handgun. A very small hand would fit the Walther P22. Do a search for P22 on this forum and others like http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/ and you will get a lot of mixed reports. Some just can't handle the Zamak (zinc, aluminum, magnesium alloy) slide, and polymer frame. Others have fired thousands of trouble free rounds. If she is interested in tack driving accuracy the P22 may not be for her, but they are great fun, and good for cheap defensive shooting practice.

Please, it's just a suggestion to the OP, and not meant to start another "I hate pot metal junk guns" thread. He can do the search I suggested to get all that commentary.
 
You could always look at a ruger mark 3. The grips are small for me and it came with the Weaver mount to attack a red dot.
 
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Whatever you do, don't get a Beretta Bobcat, my wife hated mine. Also it won't support a scope, and you need eagle eyes to see the tiny sights. So cross that one off your list and that should narrow down your choices to just a few hundred.:p
 
The Beretta Neos fits your requirements perfectly. Small grip diameter and scope-able.
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There you go. Top rail is a Weaver, so you can pick any scope from $30 up and mount it in seconds. Easy to clean, fun to shoot, and reliable, at a real decent price.
 
Firestorm .22

Not a target pistol, but Crimson Trace makes a laser grip for the Bersa/Firestorm .380/.22 Thunder. You might be suprised how well it fits the hand of various users.

Just a suggestion you may not have thought of.

Peachy
 
ruger mkIII. They come already tapped for a scope, many models come with the rail too. Most have replaceable panels so you can adjust the grip size accordingly. The 22/45 models are light weight and very thin, the standard models are heavier but very well balanced. They are generally very accurate, cheap, reliable, easy to find, and fully customizable. Ruger customer service is very good. They come in a variety of barrel lengths and finishes. Really, you can't go wrong with one.
 
Hand size is really a missleader with most pistols... there are a lot of other factors more important when trying to get your wife to 'enjoy' shooting.

I bought something like 6 different handguns for my wife before she took a womens only class... at the class in the end she could not decide which she liked better... the Ruger P95 or a Springfield 1911.... go figure.

I'd suggest a ruger MKIII.

Any Red dot will work on these... With a target barrel the recoil is so low I doubt it will effect even the cheapest ones.
 
I have a red dot one of my Rugers...
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It works great and my wife loves it. She has a Sig Mosquito and likes that as well.
It has (I believe) a 2MOA, 5MOA, Cross hairs, Circle w/dot. As well as five different levels of brightness in both Red and Green.
 

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I added a red-dot sight to my Beretta Neos. I only bought this pistol because of its eye appeal; it looked cool. The grip is small, almost too small for my hands (and I don't have especially large hands). This should definitely fit your wife. While it's fun to shoot, I prefer one of my Rugers most often.
 
Say what?,,,

Hand size is really a missleader with most pistols...
Click to expand...

I can't agree with this at all my friend,,,
The fit of the gun to the hand is of critical importance.

If the gun is too big your lack of a firm grip will always be a handicap in shooting accurately,,,
Which is why it is of critical importance to handle a gun before buying it.

How many times do we read in this forum about someone buying a gun because of it's specs,,,
Then trading/selling it because they just couldn't get comfortable with it.

Every other factor, including the cuteness factor can be perfect,,,
But if it doesn't fit your hand, it's not the right gun for you.

Aarond
 
Women are strange beasts

What is funny about them is that you can make the perfect choice for them, from a logical standpoint. But if it does not <i>look</i> right, she will not like it. It can be very frustrating.

Bring her with you. The Beretta Neos seems to be a great gun, but it looks like a space pistol. It is not for everyone. I think this is the perfect gun for MY wife, but she disagrees. It is accurate, comfortable, and comes with the rail that will allow her to use the red dot sight she likes so well.

I brought her to the shop with me, and she immediately discounted it because she didn’t like the looks. Go figure.

She wouldn’t consider Rugers, because I’ve already got one. (an old Mk. II Target model, which she loves, and shoots like a champ, but says it is too heavy) A 22/45 with either the 4” or 5.5” bull barrel would be good for her, but she has already ruled them out.

The S&W 22A, she ruled out because the grip is too big for her small hands. (fair enough)

She likes the Sig Sauer Mosquito and the Walther P22 Target. Maybe the worst choices for her use. (target shooting) But they feel right to her, and they look right. They are both ammo finicky, from what I’ve read here, but she doesn’t care.

Bottom line is to let HER pick it. Anything she picks, you will also be able to shoot. But if she is not happy, she won’t do it.
 
My wife has a mosquito and it only likes to eat CCI Mini's and the White Federals from Wally World. It's the target model and it is surprisingly accurate. She must have held a dozen different guns and this was her favorite.
 
Thanks for the advice

Your comments were a great help. I let her pick (Thanks Smaug) ended up with a Neos. Had a little work done on the trigger and he loves it.

Thanks again
 
I am a big fan of the Walther P22. They are durable accurate guns and are reasonably priced. I have had mine for about a year now and have put about 7000 rounds through it with no problem. They are very easily concealed and are not uncomfortable in an inside the pants style holster. Walther also makes a laser site that fits on the front rail. It flushes up with the barrel nicely. The laser runs around $120.
 
As Smaug has said, it is important to let her pick. My wife also has very short fingers, and she selected a Buckmark. Interestingly enough, of the Rugers, she found the 22/45 to have the most comfortable grip.
 
I guess you have to fit the gun to the woman. My significant other is not a big woman but she loves the Ruger MkII Target I got her (after she shot mine). You couldn't wrestle it away from her. The Buckmark has smaller grips and a Ruger 22/45 I tried has even smaller grips.
 
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