.22 handgun for introducing new/inexperienced shooters.

[surprise_i'm_armed]

I am looking for a .22 handgun in order to introduce new shooters to shooting, or to get someone back into shooting if they have not shot for a while.

A .22 revolver would be OK, but a .22 pistol would be my preference.

The .22 doesn't have to be pretty, it just has to be in good working order, eat all kinds of .22's, and shoot straight. I don't need anything that needs work, or shoots around corners. I didn't get the "handy" gene!!

I have considered purchasing a new Taurus TX22 for about $251, or a new Smith and Wesson M&P .22 for about $290, so any used .22 you may offer should have a price advantage.

The TX22 was voted "Handgun of the Year" by somebody, and it's a 16 + 1 pistol.

The advantage to the M & P would be that if someone gets comfortable with it, they could move to a better caliber M & P, and feel comfortable with it for carry.

Other pistols I would consider would be a Ruger SR22, a Buckmark, or a Walther P22.

Feel free to comment on my ideas listed above. I'm willing to drive up to 100 miles from Denton County to do the transaction face to face if needed.
I'm LTC. We can do a bill of sale, or skip it. It's up to you.

I'm only going to leave this thread up for about 7 days.

SIA

[SigM4]

My vote is the M&P 22c. I have many different .22 pistols but this one mimics the full size guns better than the rest. Not a tack driver as some Ruger or Buckmarks might be, but doesn’t need to be.

[seph]

My vote is the M&P 22c. I have many different .22 pistols but this one mimics the full size guns better than the rest. Not a tack driver as some Ruger or Buckmarks might be, but doesn’t need to be.

[bobby]

the MP 22 compact I have has the same controls as my 380ez fits the same holsters.... It also works alllll the time.

[longtooth]

I am retired now. I used 2 Beginner pistols.
The Smith M&P22 is absolutely double excellent choice.
I also used (some) the Kel Tec PMR 30 22 Magnum. It has been the only Kel-tec I have really been impressed with.

You can't go wrong w/ the M&P as all the above have said.

[RoyGBiv]

My Ruger Target .22 LR has been flawless for the past 25+ years.
Through 2 kids, several friends and everything from subsonic to hollow points, lead to jacketed.

A bit more spendy for a new one though... https://www.budsgunshop.com/product_inf ... ued+10%2b1

[RoyGBiv]

Or... a G44...

https://texaschlforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=97925

[surprise_i'm_armed]

RoyGBiv & AndyC:

I was surprised to become aware of a .22 Glock, but Glocks are not my cup of tea.

*************************************************************************************************************

At this time I have purchased a .22.

Based on member comments above, and after handling both the TX22 and the S&W M&P .22, I decided to get a new M&P .22.

I ordered it today at the Grabagun retail location in Coppell, Texas. Mine will be the compact version in FDE. It comes with 2 magazines, and I ordered 2 additional magazines.

In the compact version its capacity is 10 + 1. Also available is a full size version in .22 with a 12 + 1 capacity. Although the fullsize felt pretty good in my hands, I went with the compact since it looks like it will be used by females I know, most likely with smaller hands than mine. The salesman said when he worked at a range, that the female rental customers liked the compacts. So there you go.

My pistol was not in stock at the Coppell store. By the way, if you shop online at grabagun's site, when they say "In stock", what they mean is that the gun you desire is "in stock" at EITHER the Coppell store, or one of their 10 warehouses. Then you can either pick it up at the store, or they will send it to the FFL of your choice.

SIA

[RoyGBiv]

^^ Congrats on the new acquisition.

As my mother would say.... "Enjoy it in good health."

FYI... the Glock .22 is brand new... Announced officially today.

[SigM4]

Good call on the compact version. I should note that the full-size version you reference isn’t actually made by S&W but rather Walther and simply marketed under the S&W name; it is also a far cry from the compact version insofar as quality is concerned.

I think you’ll be very happy with your choice. One thing to note is that while it appears to be striker fired the compact is actually SAO hammer fired that uses a shielded hammer to mimic the action of the bigger M&P models.

[surprise_i'm_armed]

Well, I picked up my new FDE Smith and Wesson M & P Compact .22 the other day. When I took it home and went to remove the slide, I needed to watch a Youtube video on the proper takedown procedure.

What surprised me was the fact that this pistol does not have a removable barrel like most pistols. It has a fixed barrel, which requires a little bit different body english to remove and replace the slide. This would seem to indicate improved accuracy to me.

The gun feels great in my hand, the slide racks nicely, the mags eject with pep, and the 3 dot white sights are very bright. The manual safety is ambi.
If one wanted to, a short adjustment would allow the mag release to work better for lefties.

I bought a box of 555 .22 LR rounds today, 36 grain, about $20. These rounds are brass JHP's. It's kind of funny to me that in .22's and .38's, you can buy JHP's in quantity for no more money than FMJ's. As soon as you get to .380 and above, JHP's cost more than FMJ range ammo.

This Saturday is the Arlington, TX breakfast. Afterwards, it'll be time for strogg and I to hit Eagle Gun Range in Lewisville to run this .22 through its paces. I'm expecting no problems. Then I will have a gun to teach new shooters, or those who haven't shot in a long time.

SIA