User Panel
Quoted:
I picked up a Mk IV 22/45 a while back. My oldest daughter could only shoot it a few times before having to set it down and take a break because of the weight. She enjoyed shooting it, but had to take breaks. I got rid of that and picked up a S&W M&P 22c and took her and her younger sister to the range. Both girls enjoyed it. The oldest didn't have to take breaks... and after the first pull of the trigger she said, "That surprised me." The trigger is much lighter than the 22/45. I'm not saying the MK IVs aren't good... but they are the best choice for my daughters who are about the same age. I'd go with something like these two suggestions. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
My 10 year old daughter wants and will be getting a Ruger SR22 soon. I got rid of that and picked up a S&W M&P 22c and took her and her younger sister to the range. Both girls enjoyed it. The oldest didn't have to take breaks... and after the first pull of the trigger she said, "That surprised me." The trigger is much lighter than the 22/45. I'm not saying the MK IVs aren't good... but they are the best choice for my daughters who are about the same age. I'd go with something like these two suggestions. |
|
I got my 12 and 14 year old girls Ruger Wranglers, and they really like them. I got one for myself. I shot a couple cylinders from it, and honestly, the POA seemed way off. I need to sit down with them and see where each is aiming. What do you do with sites like that that are way off? If it was as off as it seemed, that seems like a defect.
|
|
I took my 13 year old daughter for her 1st range trip Sunday.
She enjoyed it. She also saw a girl her age in her shooting teams colors. I told her I would get her a .22 to compete with. My 1st thought was a Beretta Neos. She found my Beretta 85F and APX Centurion to hit too hard. What say you? |
|
|
Just got back from my LGS. I handled a bunch of them. I ended up with the M&P 2.0 compact. I thought i was going to go with the new Glock until i pulled the trigger and it was awful. I dont have a Glock, but i am building a p80 now. I guess i wont even bother with the stock trugger if that is what it will be like.
I still plan on picking up a MKIV lite soon. |
|
|
Quoted:
At 12, your frontal cortex was not fully mature and your life experiences were limited. At this point, would you still choose the Jimenez 22? Anecdotally; acquaintance bought a Jimenez 9mm. Jam-O-matic non-grouping pot metal pig of pistol. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
Quoted:
Just a suggestion, if the range has rentals rent a couple and let her see which one she likes best. Just suggesting that since women are picky At 12 I would have loved a Jimenez Arms JA 22 At this point, would you still choose the Jimenez 22? Anecdotally; acquaintance bought a Jimenez 9mm. Jam-O-matic non-grouping pot metal pig of pistol. |
|
Quoted:
My 10 year old daughter wants and will be getting a Ruger SR22 soon. View Quote |
|
my sons have roughriders with the 6" barrel and love them. Accurate, made well or made well enough given it's a cheap 22.r (re tighten screws upon purchase), used for 2k or so rounds, easy safety placement. boys love them, bought each for $99 so would highly recommend them
|
|
|
Quoted:
I was so impressed with my Ruger Wrangler I bought a second one to put in my infant grandson's heirloom chest. View Quote It was funny watching us grown men trying to look all cowboy with us fanning the hammer. |
|
My daughter received a Savage Rascal a couple years ago. For her first pistol, I’m leaning towards a Ruger SR-22. We’ll see, maybe a Glock 44 and one for her ol dad also
|
|
Quoted:
At 12, your frontal cortex was not fully mature and your life experiences were limited. At this point, would you still choose the Jimenez 22? Anecdotally; acquaintance bought a Jimenez 9mm. Jam-O-matic non-grouping pot metal pig of pistol. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
Quoted:
Just a suggestion, if the range has rentals rent a couple and let her see which one she likes best. Just suggesting that since women are picky At 12 I would have loved a Jimenez Arms JA 22 At this point, would you still choose the Jimenez 22? Anecdotally; acquaintance bought a Jimenez 9mm. Jam-O-matic non-grouping pot metal pig of pistol. |
|
My petit now 18 year old daughter has always liked her Walther P22 except that it throws brass randomly and drops hot brass on her forearms enough to cause her to flinch no matter how much I beat her. She started shooting it when she was about 11. She is now in love with the Glock 19 that I mounted an Advantage Arms 22 adapter on. She shot it the first time a couple days ago and was practically hopping up and down with joy over it. She said that it was like playing with fuzzy puppies.
|
|
sr22
lcp2 .22 I hate to say it, but small hands shoot the p22 really well. Bonus is she will get a lot of experience clearing jams(actually important). The mk series don't fit small hands well in my experience. I'd much rather train to shoot a semi auto. Shooting a revolver after that is a breeze. |
|
|
|
Quoted:
Just got back from my LGS. I handled a bunch of them. I ended up with the M&P 2.0 compact. I thought i was going to go with the new Glock until i pulled the trigger and it was awful. I dont have a Glock, but i am building a p80 now. I guess i wont even bother with the stock trugger if that is what it will be like. I still plan on picking up a MKIV lite soon. View Quote 1. It has a slide, rather than a "bolt and tube" (Ruger Mk), making it "more transferrable" to other slide-equipped guns. It's essentially an 85% M&P, so there's nothing strange about it compared to "real guns." 2. It has a normal safety, i.e. down is off and up is on, as opposed to the SR22, so that skill is transferrable 3. It supports the "family of weapons" concept, which allows her to move up to a Shield, M&P Compact, full-size M&P, all with the same look, feel, and manual of arms. Ain't no such thing for either the Ruger Mk or SR22. The Ruger Mk series are great guns (I have a few), but for new shooters, it's hard to beat the M&P 22 Compact. |
|
I went with Walther P22 the newer version as the old P22 were garbage. Threaded barrel and great size for someone with smaller hands.
I also have Advantage Arms 22lr slide...Ruger 22/45 and AR15/22 pistols...we shoot the P22 most often. |
|
Quoted:
I got my 12 and 14 year old girls Ruger Wranglers, and they really like them. I got one for myself. I shot a couple cylinders from it, and honestly, the POA seemed way off. I need to sit down with them and see where each is aiming. What do you do with sites like that that are way off? If it was as off as it seemed, that seems like a defect. View Quote |
|
Quoted:
It’s an issue that’s been way overblown by the internet even if we’re talking about MKIIIs and earlier. I could handle my MKII without issue at 12/13/14 after doing it a few times. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
I second the mark IV. Excellent tack driver and not heavy. Its a PITA to take down though. https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/196752/22bunny_jpg-1243457.JPG |
|
For learning purposes I used a Colt SA Frontier Scout and Buntline .22. Reason was so that to learn to shoot was to also learn to CLEAN firearm also. A great easy way to learn to inspect empty firearm, before shooting, then clean afterwards.
I also use a Ruger MKII Gov Target as her semi auto even though takedown is not going to happen without mother or I. But again the inspection and cleaning is a good learning tool for safety and condition of your shooting irons. My best times now to shoot are with young people. And older adults that have never handled any firearms. Once they become acclimated to shooting they exclaim that they are not so scary after all. |
|
Quoted:
For Christmas, my youngest bought me some indoor range passes for us to go shooting. I am going to take her this evening and thought I would surprise her with a new pistol. She already has a Henry lever action. Is everyone pleased with their Ruger Wrangler? View Quote |
|
At 12 I'd suggest the Wrangler first.
Get a pair of guns that go together and an understanding of how they work as such Then let her know the semi-auto is the next step when she's proficient with the pair. Incentive. Have good times talking and making memories! |
|
You might consider a Walther P22. It's a good light option and is a bit smaller than many of the others listed.
|
|
First gun my daughter ever shot (she was 6 then) was a Ruger MK I standard. I "gave" it to her when she turned 10 being it was the first gun she ever shot, though technically she can't have it till she's 21 being a hand gun.
The Ruger MK I was a great little gun and can still be had reasonably 2nd hand. |
|
Does she have the hand strength to easily operate a single action?
If not, a Ruger MK series. She might also find the standard, rather than the bull, barrel easier to hold. |
|
I'm doing the same thing for my 10 year old son right now.
The local range has a bunch of .22lr pistols to rent. So far we've rented the Taurus TX22, Ruger MkIV, Ruger LCP .22lr, and a Ruger Revolver (don't remember what model). His favorite so far was the Taurus TX22 by a wide margin. We still need to rent the M&P .22lr, PPQ .22lr, Glock 44, and some others. But, the Taurus TX22 is going to be hard to beat- I really liked it too. |
|
Quoted:
Wife and teen daughter both have a Smith and Wesson M&P .22 and they love 'em. Wife carries a Smith and Wesson Bodyguard .380 daily but loves to plink with the M&P. It's a great beginner gun to get comfy with gripping and aiming and cleaning and mastering. Plus it's super comfy for hands of all sizes so it can grow with her. I even enjoy using the little .22 and how it feels/handles. Quoted to add that we also have Ruger and Buck Mark in .22 and they're also incredible guns that you won't go wrong with. My girls just prefer the feel and performance of the S&W. Best thing ever would be to take your little girl to pick it out and let her handle several. Reinforce to her how much you value her opinion about it and that you respect her decisions enough to let her pick for herself. View Quote |
|
Quoted:
Not saying she can't handle it, just that loading and firing a single action Introduces more operations than necessary. Where with a semi auto, the strong hand stays on the grip at all times, and she doesn't have to worry about adjusting her grip constantly to cock the hammer, while being unfamiliar with pistols in general. View Quote I have seen the new math. Probably best to avoid that. |
|
My kids have the MkIV 22/45 Tactical. It's heavy, but they can shoot it. I'm going to press it into service for night time critter removal.
|
|
Quoted:
What I do know from direct experience, is that if it takes longer to load the first pistol you own, you tend to make all of the shots count, and take more time to learn consistency. I have seen the new math. Probably best to avoid that. View Quote ETA: Moved up to Ruger Mark iv now |
|
Sign up for the ARFCOM weekly newsletter and be entered to win a free ARFCOM membership. One new winner* is announced every week!
You will receive an email every Friday morning featuring the latest chatter from the hottest topics, breaking news surrounding legislation, as well as exclusive deals only available to ARFCOM email subscribers.
AR15.COM is the world's largest firearm community and is a gathering place for firearm enthusiasts of all types.
From hunters and military members, to competition shooters and general firearm enthusiasts, we welcome anyone who values and respects the way of the firearm.
Subscribe to our monthly Newsletter to receive firearm news, product discounts from your favorite Industry Partners, and more.
Copyright © 1996-2024 AR15.COM LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Any use of this content without express written consent is prohibited.
AR15.Com reserves the right to overwrite or replace any affiliate, commercial, or monetizable links, posted by users, with our own.