Wife shocked me when she said she’d like to have a pistol to keep in the drawer - especially when I’m away.

I’ve left my .40 S&W Springfield and Ruger LC9 for her (I take the LCP with me) but both are rather big for her.

I was thinking of maybe of a .22 auto - the Walther PPQ 22 looks nice as well as she should be able to shoot it at the range without much trouble - she’s not the strongest person there is.

I know a .22 isn’t the most effective weapon but it should scare the hell out of an intruder. Just wondering what other really small .22 autos there are? Thanks.

Not the fanciest on the market, but they shoot..... Kel Tec P17

Added: And, with 17 rounds, they can shoot for a while.

The one that she decides that she likes...

I don't think too many people will have much fight left in them after soaking up a few Stingers at household ranges.

I have a Ruger SR22 that didn't function out of the box. A complete tear down, cleaning and reassembly finds it to be very reliable now. I can no longer recommend Ruger in good faith. That's unfortunate too, because conceptually it is a fantastic gun.

That Walther may be just the ticket for you.

This - "The Warden" chose a Sig 380. Salesman looked at me wide-eyed - I told him "If that's what she wants"
That's what felt best to her.

Do you have an indoor range with rental options? Let her try a few and find out what she likes.

We always kept a .38 revolver as the go to house gun when I was married. Simple to operate.

What is the best .22 auto for a woman?
A double action revolver. Don't give a woman a semi auto, too complicated.

The .22 is not my first choice for defense but it is a nasty and lethal man-killer. Two to the torso and that scum will go to the morgue.

Unless she is well practiced, I would suggest a revolver, also. Don't have a problem with the .22.

m&p compact if I had to choose one, my wife shoots ours well

We have had a Ruger SR 22 for several years, we shoot it a lot
Never a problem.
I would load Stingers

I really dig my Ruger SR22. Ditto on the Stingers. To the noggin or heart or balls or neck or......

.38 SPL revolver is ideal. My daughter uses one. As for .22s . . . A very simple to use and reliable mouse gun is the Beretta 950 Jetfire. It has a "tip up" barrel, so one never has to rack the slide (except for stove pipe, which has never happened to me, hence the revolver is the go to handgun for an inexperienced shooter.) The Beretta Tomcat is the same type of tip up barreled semi-auto but steps up toa .32ACP.

Do yourself a favor, look into a Kel-Tec PMR 30. As the model number says the mag holds 30 rounds of 22 mag, me and my wife both have one and love them and they cycle flawlessly.

Dean

Yep

+1 on Ruger SR22, the wife and daughters shoot mine well and like the way it fits their hands.

Ditto on that. Extremely reliable, light, reasonably accurate. Fits the hand very well.

I think that I would visit a gun store/range that will allow her to try several different types. FInd the one she likes and then purchase a little practice time. My way of thinking would be in the 380 range or 38 special.

Last year we were trying out my buddies Ruger LC9 with a group diverse (age/sex) people. The Ruger LC9 would not cycle reliable for the young kids and women. Their wrists were not strong enough to hold the gun. The Ruger LC9 was the only gun that had this problem.

As a reminder, the OP was asking about compact 22 semi-autos. I am surprised some tard hasn't mentioned a Creedmore yet.

I just got a Ruger a Ruger LCP ii 22. It is light, small, uses same holster as LCP. My sister liked it enough to order one.

Take her out and let her shoot some different guns.

Buy the one she likes most.

Don't just pick something at random and bet her life on it.

And get something bigger than a 22 LR

The thing I would be most concerned and hesitant about in choosing a .22 rimfire as a primary defensive weapon, especially in semi-auto, is not so much the reliability of the gun itself but more the reliability of rimfire ammo.

Yes, Take her gun shopping.

I notice lately that Pauli B has never met a Ruger he could like.........

They must have really been bad to him one day when he called asking for something for free........

To those who say a revolver because a semi auto is "too complicated" for a woman, I work at a range and find that is counterbalanced by having to learn the long, heavy trigger pull of a DA revolver. Just like a lot of men say their wife can't rack a slide, I have them doing it in 30 seconds. They've just never been shown the push/pull overhand method.

I was thinking the same thing. I held one the other day, but didn’t get a chance to shoot it. It’s very lightweight

I picked up a PP22 some years ago. It's a pre war '39 model that shoots wonderfully and fits small hands quite well. My bride always likes shooting that one as do some of her shooting friends. One thing my wife really likes about it is the de-cocker/safety lever on the slide. She's a little iffy on carrying with one in the tube but this makes it more comfortable for her to do. Walther also chambered the PP in a 32acp and 7.65mm, I haven't shot either of them but I'm sure recoil would be pretty tame. My PP22 holds eight 22lr, not sure what either of the other two hold. Guessing that 8 or 9 rounds into a guy's mid section would change his mind on his plans for the evening, even if they were just lowly 22lr Stinger rounds. I have 2 mags for my PP, one has the pinky finger extension which I really like, and the other does not, the bride likes that one better.


I sometimes carry my PP22 in my front pocket, it's easy, although it just a touch heavy for that I think.


Haven't thought about it much lately, but I may have to look into another one of these in either a 32acp or 7.65mm. Not sure of the round cap on these.

High standard Duramatic

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/854441242

And thus the popularity of small rimfire revolvers...

This is the way I'd answer your question personally.

Anything needs to be shot quite a bit before considering it reliable. Ours has been reliable but only a couple hundred rounds through it so far.

I'd think the new Glock 44 in 22 LR would be a good choice. It's dimensionally identical to a Glock 19 9mm. She could practice with the 44, then keep a 19 around if she actually needed to shoot somebody. A revolver and a Glock are identically simple to fire. Keep your finger off of the trigger until you're ready for it to go bang.

My wife keeps a M&P22 by her bedside and loves to shoot it when we go to the mountains. It is easy for her to work the slide and she knows all she has to pull the trigger. After my Sig fiasco with her I ordered her a S&W shield in 9mm, because she wanted something bigger than her 22 and smaller than her Sig SP2022 in 40.

The new Glock 44 maybe

I have a couple Walther P22's........they work real well

There is no way I'd consider an autoloading .22 RF pistol for defence

Stingers. Stingers. Stingers.

Mine made the same demand, I got her a beautiful colt mustang 380, almost a grand even had a little gold pony on it to make it purdy. She HATED it 3 moving parts were two too many. Second time I listened to her, got her a pos taurus 38 snubby and she LOVES it, actually requests to go shoot it instead of being drug kicking and scrreaming to do so.

Maybe upgrade to a good quality snubby some day but in all likelyhood she will never need or desire it. Take her to a good store and listen, don't talk!

An old high school friend of mine was murdered in her closet. Outstretched hands are not good defensive weapons.


We decided to do some gun shopping.

We ended up buying a Ruger LCR X in 38 special.


It was really eye opening to see what she liked as opposed to what I thought she would like or what she should have.


Nothing against a 22 autoloader........but I believe there are better options out there.


Still, if thats what she lands on......its a good deal. Headed in the right direction!

A lot of women have difficulty pulling back the slide of a center fire semi-auto. Ruger and S&W both make .22 revolvers with 8-10 round capacity, + they're fun to shoot so she might be more apt to practice more.
Like a lot of others have said, have her try out a bunch and pick what she likes.

I have the Walther P22. Picky about ammo but totally reliable with what it likes.

'Nother big plus for the Ruger SR 22

I bought one, and my Daughter liked it so well that she bought one of her own.

She had a Walther before that and likes the SR 22 better.

'Nother vote for loading with Stingers also. Mine shoots them really well, and has never jammed with them.

Virgil B.

I second the motion for a S&W M&P 22 compact. Super fun with a suppressor. Wife likes it so much, she claimed it as hers. She hates shooting anything over 22 cal.

Definitely need to get her to try one of these out. Lightweight, easy handling and lots of bangs.

What most men don't realize is that a lot of women have virtually no strength in their hands. I am opening jars all the time for Sweetness and I'm pretty amazed that she can't manage some of those herself. We sold her like new Browning Buckmark that her former late husband had bought for her because she could never rack the slide. Any cartridge, even a .22, going off inside a building is really loud and if a woman has confidence and will shoot a .22 and not something larger, all well and good. I laid several of my handguns out on a table once and told her to pick the one that she liked the best. She picked the smallest, lightest one which was a J frame .38 Special Titanium Airweight. Women are not always logical thinkers and letting them pick something, anything will be better than you picking something for them. I carry that little J frame myself, but when we went to the barber shop last week, I didn't want to leave that in the car or pocket carry it inside and asked her to put it in her purse. Nope, too big (!) and no room for it. See what I mean about that logical thinking?

With all the usual disclaimers about .22 rimfire for self defense, one thing in favor of the SR22 is that the double/single action provides an element of safety in that she can grab it and shoot without having to remember to push a safety off. Same as a double action revolver.

The trouble with most of the .22 revolvers on the market today is horrible (heavy) trigger pulls. Modifying the trigger reduces reliable ignition too.

Not a .22, but we settled on a S&W EZ .380. First semiauto with a slide my wife can rack.

Paul

I make my living behind the counter at a fairly large gun shop. I agree with Paul39, a S&W .380EZ is a better personal defense handgun than ANY .22lr handgun out there. YMMV

No, they just haven't been taught proper procedure. Just like putting a motorcycle onto a centerstand, it's all about technique, not strength.

It’s not subcompact but I like the Browning Buckmark.

Beretta 21A. Tip up barrel to load a round in the chamber - or load by slide. Single or double action. Light weight, and good for smaller hands.

https://www.beretta.com/en-us/21-a-bobcat/

A lot of good advice here already so if you’re set on a .22LR then there’s not much to add.

But if I can interject with just something else to consider, take a look at the Glock 42 in .380. It’s tiny, easy to manipulate, and uncomplicated. With a bit of practice she could be shooting it as well as any .22LR and have a much better defensive weapon at her disposal.

Having said that, the best gun to have when you really need one is the one you have with you at the time. So good luck with whatever you choose...

Paul my point was - let her choose - in whatever caliber.

Technique is important, but it can't overcome lack of strength in all cases.

There comes a point in life when a person loses strength, and I'm there, and I guarantee I know how to operate a pistol. I'm at an age where I associate with a lot of older folks and it is a universal problem, more so with the ladies.

Paul

This!

Give'em time...

I think the statement, "the one she likes" is the way to go.

And, renting different guns at a range with rounds fired makes good sense.

If they're not bought in, have confidence in and really like the gun, you've not accomplished much.

DF

Why not get her a short barreled rifle or shotgun? Shooting low recoil rounds a stage coach gun is a deadly weapon and easy to handle. I have a Benelli M1 Super 90 in 12 gauge that is short, light and low recoil. Alternative, an AR15 pistol or rifle has low recoil, light and deadly. Otherwise, look at a lever action rifle in a pistol caliber.

My wife loves her High Standard Sport King with the military grip shape, same as a 1911. She says it's like pointing her finger- - - -it shoots where she looks. Then I let her try my Ruger Blackhawk 6" stainless .357, and she likes it also. 10 rounds of good quality .22 ammo and a spare magazine handy would take the fight out of any varmint, 2 or 4-legged, that she's likely to encounter. Possums and armadillos around our place don't stand a chance, and she convinced a pickup load of drunk "deer hunters" to go bother somebody else early one morning when I was working out of town. It's amazing how fast somebody can sober up when they're confronted with the business end of a .22 pistol at a range of 6 inches!
Jerry

Some talk about the wife learning proper technique to rack pistol slides. From my experience finding a pistol for the wife, she has no interest in proper slide technique. It’s a non-starter. She had a 5 shot stubbie revolver, but couldn’t hit anything with it. Then the 380EZ came out and I got one for us. The slide is super easy, as is loading the magazine. Doesn’t matter. She won’t consider using it as a defense pistol. Like somebody said, there are too many moving parts. So there we were, with a revolver she couldn’t hit the ground with and a semi she won’t use. So we went shopping, and she decided that she wanted the poly frame, hidden hammer, S&W 38 special with the integrated red laser dot. She can shoot it pretty well at 10 yards and it’s real light. And she can handle the recoil.

And best of all, she’ll practice every now and then.

My Mom, who loved to walk in the woods, carried a 9 shot stainless 22lr revolver. Shot a snake or two with it.

S&W 63, 3 or 4”.

A lot of women limpwrist the 42 for some reason. My wife did hers and I know of a couple others personally, along with other reviews I've seen online.

Get her what she wants.

If strength is an issue, rack the slide for her. She’s gonna keep it loaded anyway, right?

Sheesh.



P

Get something slow to get off a second shot. That way when she misses you the first time, it will give you time to get away.

Putting some stair friction tape or skate board tape liberally on the slide does wonders when used w/ push pull method.My experience which includes 8 years of teaching a beginning handgun class mainly attended by women was that 2" 38 revolvers were the hardest for a woman to shoot and most found them very unpleasant. 4 hours in the classroom explaining the 4 rules and how they are applied. Lots of practice using snap caps on how the firearms function, loading and unloading, chamber checks and other manipulations prior to teaching the actual shooting fundamentals. Lots of dryfire and reloads using the same photo realistic targets they would use in live fire.

By the time they go to the range they are confident that they know what to expect and how to be safe, confidence is key for a new shooter and allows them to concentrate on the fundamentals during live fire.


mike r

IMHBAO, the "complication" of a semi-auto is focused on the immediate action required for a misfire or clearing a stove piped casing. That is the value and simplicity of a "one step" misfire immediate action with a revolver . . . just pull the trigger again. We are talking about a self defense weapon for a non-shooting woman here. Should she be willing to take up the practice required of a semi-auto, then my all means go for it.

.22LR Semi-Auto
I have owned several. For concealment, Beretta 21A. For target shooting or where size is not a problem, Ruger 22/45 version IV.

Other Options
IMO, I think a K-frame stoked with target wadcutters is a great option. Can get a great triger and tgt wadcutters out of a K-frame are super low recoil.

That....but make sure you at least have her try the SR22 from Ruger...

If hand/arm strength is a problem, consider using a single action revolver. A Ruger .22 revolver or one of the downsized Peacemaker clones from Cimarron can be manipulated by even wheelchair-bound geriatric folks, and "anything beats a scream!" The first rule of gunfighting is "Have a gun!"
Jerry

When we used it as a house gun my Ex insisted our leaving the Glock 19 chamber-empty because it was "safer", she was able to rack the slide but it was a chore. To avoid any momentary confusion which may have occurred I switched over to the 3" Stainless S&W Mod 60 with which she had learned to shoot, as a added plus if our teenage son were the one to use it he had learned to shoot with it too. 'Nother plus of the revolver was the unlikely possibility that one of my son's friends might get to it, if so a revolver is far more visibly loaded than is a Glock wherein the fist impulse might be to pull the trigger.

I was at a gun store today (without the wife) and handled the Glock G44 in .22 caliber. At $400 it had my butt cheeks tightened at the thought of spending my toy money for it.

I asked about a hammerless revolver - several here have mentioned it, and like UPhiker just stated, the salesman was against the revolver for a woman for exactly what UP said. He said the heavy pull would cause her to jerk it to the side and miss the target.

The Glock G44 .22 caliber is the leader in the clubhouse at the moment - I’ll have to drag her over to handle it.

Look at the S&W M&P 22. It is similar to the Glock G44 only it doesn't suck. The new G44's seem to be experiencing lots of extractor failures.

Tpcollins: I have not owned or shot one as yet but I would certainly recommend you look at and handle a Glock Model 44 in 22 L.R.
Best of luck with whichever you choose.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Walther, it runs flawless with Gator Man Troy CCI 36gr HP's and yes they do expand on water jugs at 5 yards, I have her four rounds of 40gr round nose bringing up the rear should she need a little more penetration, the spare mag is all 40gr round nose, they punch a hell of a lot deeper hole than most would think!

I did look at the S&W M&P 22, and it’s a nice gun. But it has a manual safety and I don’t want her to get messed up when in a hurry. I like the integrated safety in the trigger on the Block G44.

Point, bang, flop.

There are a lot of choices--- let her decide

My advice for ANYONE who is looking for a firearm, but does not strike me as one who will do much range time, is a .38 revolver.

I've become more reluctant to offer handgun advice to anyone. A friend's sister who has long become an even closer friend to me -
asked her brother about recommending a firearm (.22 rifle) for some valid protection concerns. He didn't think she should have a firearm.

She lives in some rural small lakes country - where you can just about shoot in your back yard. Her neighbor was shooting a Ruger 10/22.
rifle in his back yard - She got interested and he let her shoot. She enjoyed it and bought herself a 10/22. Her neighbor then came over and
taught her firearm handling / function / safety / and responsibility. She now loves to shoot just for the sake of shooting and improving her skills.

She recently asked me about recommending a serious handgun for personal protection. Before I could even start thinking about responding -
She said … "And don't give me any of that B.S. about A Revolver For A Woman! - I want a handgun that isn't an Ungainly Contraption!"

"I did look at the S&W M&P 22, and it’s a nice gun. But it has a manual safety and I don’t want her to get messed up when in a hurry. I like the integrated safety in the trigger on the Block G44."

That is what I am talking about. The semi auto is too complicated, for the female brain.
Get a revolver.

This. I would have her start out with the S&W 380 Shield EZ and then work down from there if it was too much for her, but I doubt that it will be too much. In my experience, rimfires are not only under-powered but are less reliable.

When you wife expresses a desire for a .22 auto pistol,..it's time to buy a High Standard or a Colt woodsman.

Opportunities like this don't come along very often.

Don't miss it.

Hand it to her,.....pat her on the shoulder,.....say, "Nothing but the best for you."

Maybe even let her shoot it every now and then.

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/851791548

Best reply yet.

Had the wife (diminishing grip strength) try several auto loaders: G19, G42, G43, Kimber Sapphire 9mm. All were more than she could reliably handle. On a whim, got out the P22. As Goldilocks said "Just Right"...

Have two of the P22's. They seem to like the CCI Velocitors.

TPCOLLINS, you were thinking about a semi-auto, but do you have any idea what your wife was thinking? Has she got any experience with handguns at all. I've taught several handgun classes for women and they go for revolvers pretty easily. One of the nicest triggers out there on a revolver is on a Ruger LCR. Don't want a snubby, which are harder to shoot, get her a Ruger LCRx3" in 38 special. They are nice revolvers. My wife and a friend of hers really like their Ruger LCR. We have Ruger Six series 4" barrels hid around the house. She likes them all. But she also carries a stainless Taurus 85 in her car. Another nice gun might be the Taurus 856 coming out in the defender series in 3" barrel. It's a 6 shooter. There are a lot of good revolvers out there. Give her a chance at them. Someone mentioned a S&W mod 60 3" and they are a nice gun. Load any of them with 38 Special +P, and she's good to go.

If you think she needs to try a semi auto, In no particular order I'd try a Ruger SR22, S&W M&P Compact. Ruger LCR II 22LR, Ruger 22/45 4". Leave them loaded and ready to rock and roll. Get her to an NRA Women on Target class ASAP.

My wife really likes her Ruger SR22. She shoots it ok but not nearly as often as she should. I like it so much I would buy one but they are 400 bucks. already. Might still buy one. They really fit nice and easy to shoot but it does jamb a lot and that bothers me. I might give it a real good cleaning but it jambed pretty much from the beginning . It could likely be the ammo. As for killing power, when I was a kid, I saw my uncle kill a cow with a 22 . The first shot stunned it but the second shot put it down.

Ruger LCR 22 is the only choice she will be comfortable with that will work correctly in a gunfight for someone who knows nothing about guns.

Point, pull the trigger. Keep pulling until you're done. Smooth trigger pull, no hammers to snag or bite, no slides to rack, no worry about the lack of reliability in rimfire ammo, no recoil.

Her engagement range literally needs to be 10 feet, or usually much less. She won't miss much at that range.

Use CCI Velocitors.

Kel-Tec PMR 30 shooting Hornady's 45 grain self-defense load.

https://www.alloutdoor.com/2013/09/18/kel-tec-pmr-30-22-magnum-pistol-review/

Here's a link to a good pocket pistol artical. lots of data.

https://www.luckygunner.com/lounge/is-25-acp-literally-the-worst-self-defense-cartridge/

I should have stated she’s about 4’10” and 92 pounds soaking wet, small build and arthritis in her hands, and will be 72 in April.

She shot my Ruger Mark II Target .22 at the range several years ago and did really well with it. I let her shoot my 50+ year old .32 revolver and she didn’t like the kick.

My .40 Springfield XD is way too much for her, and I think my Ruger LC9s would have too much recoil for her as well. My main conceit is a Ruger LCP .380 and even with the Rossi trigger upgrade it would be too much for her to pull.

Whatever she gets it will have to be a light trigger - the Glock G44 .22 today had the lightest trigger pull I’ve tried in a while, but I’ll let her decide what she feels is the most comfortable with.

Thanks for the help.

We have an early S&W .22 that was made by Walther in Germany. Sweet handgun. Wife can shoot and shoot and shoot without getting sore handed and she can operate the slide. She also has a M&P Compact 9, an Airweight and a LCP .380. Her favorite to carry is the Airweight with Double Tap 125gr. Easy. Light. Has some recoil but any event she's envolved in will probably be close enough for it to go minute of gut. LCP is the purse gun with Critical Defense. The 9mm rides in her console full of 115 Silvertips with an extra mag with same. In reality she will never have to operate the slide of the 9. After 13 rounds somethings going to be changed. Plus the slide locks back on the last round. Dump the empty, stuff the full, push-pull the quarter inch of slide motion required to make it hot again or press the lever. Sure things can go wrong but we're looking for the best way to make them go right. But she's sold on the Airweight because it's easy.

For what you ask a .22 auto is easy as well. The S&W with a full mag will be a lot better than many other options. I would not feel naked at all carrying the M&P .22. Take her to a good range and let her try them. The S&W EZ mentioned may be what suits her best. I'd be fine carrying it too. But back to the .22, if she wants one find the most reliable ammo that works every time even if it's Match. Tell her to look the bad guy in the eyes and shoot where she's looking. But a rapid stream of long rifles to the chest will be a good option as well. Kinda like a load of buckshot delivered one pellet at a time. Good luck

Anyone finding 22lr inadequate, especially for the weaker sorts, is simply showing a lack of experience.

The tip-up barrel Berettas would be good to look at

Get the Ruger LCR 22.

I am in the camp that supports taking her to a sporting goods store and letting her handle and operate the controls of different pistols, don't try to force what you like on her. While the idea of going to a gun range and renting sounds good on the surface but the ones I have been in have only had a couple of choices and they were both semi-autos, not really enough to make an informed decision.

I was in a small local gunshop a while back and an older wife and husband were at the counter looking at pistols for her, both the husband and salesman were pushing semi-autos and she was handling and attempting to operate various ones and the confusion on the wifes face and inability to try to comprehend all of the instructions of operating they were pouring at her it was obvious that enthusiasm was waning. After watching all of this for about 15 minutes I couldn't keep quiet any longer, I politely asked if I could make a suggestion and they all agreed. I had the salesman show her a snubby revolver, I put it in her hand and told her all you have to do to shoot this is either pull back the hammer and pull the trigger or just pull the trigger - her face lit up like someone had just turned a light on, with no hesitation at all she said this is the one I want, I don't have to worry about remembering all of the different things I have to do to make it shoot. In observing similar scenes at gun counters it seems as though the husband generally pushes the wife to buy the pistol he would like to have rather than what may work well for the woman.

A S&W stubby revolver single/double action with an exposed hammer in 22 LR would be my recommendation, they are intuitive, easy to learn to operate. And easy to learn to operate without a learning curve, all you have to do is either pull back the hammer or pull the trigger either way they will fire.

drover

I'm not an advocate for 22 for defensive use. But, if I were going that way, I'd take a Ruger 22/45 Lite.

I'd much rather go the SW 380 EZ route though.

Mine carries an SR22 loaded with stingers.

I worked 11 GSW as a paramedic, when a person was killed with a single hit to the torso from a .22
I didn't see the shooting, I got there five minutes later, I don't know how quickly he dropped after he got hit,
but he wasn't doing too well when I got there.

https://www.luckygunner.com/lounge/the-best-22lr-and-22-magnum-ammo-for-concealed-carry/

Better to shoot a .22 comfortably than to not use a larger caliber because it does not feel good. Remember the intent is to make the threat go AWAY does not have to stop them in there tracks, just turn them away.

Another point, some here have advocated for the G44. While I'm a Glock fan, I disagree. It's the same size as the 19. I have a 19 and love it, but many females have smaller hands and find the grip diameter too large. In the past year, I don't know how many times I've had couples come off the range after shooting the man's 19 and the woman saying she wanted to buy one, but had a "I'm not sure" look on her face. I measure her hand against mine and if it's appreciable smaller than mine, I pull the G43x and G48 out of the display case. As soon as they hold it, they get a smile on their face and say "I want THIS one". Works every time.

Wow! That's a beauty!

There is no advantage to Stingers in a barrel that short.

https://www.vintagepaperads.com/assets/images/BU0235.jpg

https://news.guns.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/colt-woodsman-ad.jpg

OK

Oh yeah, I worked 12 other GSW, where a person got two torso hits from the .22, and we took them to the morgue.
A nasty, lethal little round.

Oh?

I think she should get a chance to try the trigger out for sure. It also comes in the LCRx3" version. In the rimfire the trigger is a little harder but it still beats any of the other 22 Revolvers on the market. If the 32 was a little much for her, the reasonable step down is a 22 LR. Then the decision is which venue it needs to be in. Easy to try out a Ruger in a gun shop and see if she can handle it, if she can't pull the trigger, then we're back to the semi-auto. It's a matter of which one.

While I agree with your turn toward the revolver, technically you are teaching her two different manual of arms if you want her to shoot both single- and double-action at will.

Make life simple: Ruger LCR 22 which is dao and has no ridiculous external hammer to confuse anyone. Point and pull trigger. If needed, do it again. If needed, do it 8 times in a row.

Use Velocitors not Stingers.

I think most wives would be better served by expert instruction. There is nothing more pathetic than the "gun guy" buying a self defense gun for their growler but not wanting to spend much because she is just a woman.

My wife is a small person, on medicare and can do a Bill Drill in < 3 seconds w/ her G-19. She also has arthritis in both thumbs. I would bet that most of the posters on this thread can not do that. Those are the people that advocate for snubby revolvers. Learn properly, do the work, practice weekly. Anyone can do this if properly motivated. Nothing wrong w/ a .22 if that is the only thing that works for you. The correct answer is always proficiency gained through training and practice.

It is your life...learn to save it.



mike r

The Wife came back from a girls backpacking trip last September and had three fresh grouse. I asked her how she killed them. She said she had my Ruger standard with her. It’s not mine anymore.

Took the wife to the gun store and she liked the feel and weight of the Glock G44 .22.

I asked if they had the Walther and all they had was one in 9mm - which she thought was rather heavy.

This weekend I’’ll let her shoot my Ruger LC9s 9mm auto and my LCP .380 auto - I don’t think she’ll like either one.

Even with the modified Rossi trigger upgrade in the LCP it still might be more trigger pull than she’d like.

We’ll see how it goes.

Beretta Tom Cat. double/single action - .32ACP = Tip up barrel is a nifty idea.

I got to handle the Ruger SR22 today. As Kieth Jackson would say “Whoa Nelly”!

The narrower frame would seem to fit her small hands much better imo. Going to call A2 Guns to see if they have one she can shoot at their indoor range.

Went back to the gun store and an older lady came over and helped my wife. She showed her the S&W M&P 22 Compact and my wife loved it - easy trigger pull. She liked how the lady worked with her - that helps - and is most likely the one we’ll get.

I wanted her to shoot their test model but there were too many people shooting at the indoor range and she's not into to being with crowds. But I think she'll want the 22 Compact.

My wife carried a lady S&W for years, when I came home with a Judge she had to have one. Now she carries a Public Defender in her purse and has my....her Judge in the night stand. She probably shoots 10+ snakes a year and some other varmints while checking the cows. The best advice is to let HER pick what ever she likes, that way you won't be wrong.

My wife has several nice 1911's. Also a hot rod M&P CORE with RMR on top.
She really could use a nice High Standard.....

To answer the OP, she has a M&P 22 and a 9MM Shield. The .22 runs better with hotter rounds, Stingers mostly.