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I have taken my boss and his 8 year old to PSC to do some shooting. he enjoys it, even though the only pistols he has shot are my
Glock 19
Taurus PT111
Springfield XD9subcompact.
While he cannot maneuver the slide, from closed to lock it open, he can load the magazines, insert them, and aim pretty well, and even with the sub compacts, does not have a lot of issues with recoil.

Anyway, my boss wants to get a pistol for him to take his son to the range with, and thinking a .22 caliber.
he was looking at the Ruger Mark III Hunter (5.5" barrel) but in my looking at it, it is a very heavy weapon at 39 oz, as compared to my fully loaded Glock 19 of 31oz.

So a couple of questions
1 - does anyone have any experience with the Ruger Mark III Hunter 5.5"?
a. If so, is it balanced enough where the weight isn't a big issue?
2 - what other suggestions would you have for a .22 caliber with a longer barrel for ease of shooting and sighting in a semi-automatic

The Arms Room has a Ruger Mark III however they will not allow the 8 year old to hold it, to see how the weight will be affected (No, I am not picking on them, just stating a fact, that has made this a harder task)

Thanks for your suggestions, in advance

Teamless wrote:I have taken my boss and his 8 year old to PSC to do some shooting. he enjoys it, even though the only pistols he has shot are my
Glock 19
Taurus PT111
Springfield XD9subcompact.
While he cannot maneuver the slide, from closed to lock it open, he can load the magazines, insert them, and aim pretty well, and even with the sub compacts, does not have a lot of issues with recoil.

Anyway, my boss wants to get a pistol for him to take his son to the range with, and thinking a .22 caliber.
he was looking at the Ruger Mark III Hunter (5.5" barrel) but in my looking at it, it is a very heavy weapon at 39 oz, as compared to my fully loaded Glock 19 of 31oz.

So a couple of questions
1 - does anyone have any experience with the Ruger Mark III Hunter 5.5"?
a. If so, is it balanced enough where the weight isn't a big issue?
2 - what other suggestions would you have for a .22 caliber with a longer barrel for ease of shooting and sighting in a semi-automatic

The Arms Room has a Ruger Mark III however they will not allow the 8 year old to hold it, to see how the weight will be affected (No, I am not picking on them, just stating a fact, that has made this a harder task)

Thanks for your suggestions, in advance

Have you considered the Mk III 22/45 hunter 5.5 it only weights 32oz because of the polymer grip. Grip angle matches the 1911 and controls are in the same place as 1911.

i have the mark 3 hunter with the long stainless steel barrell and grip. though it has no recoil i think its pretty heavy.

For me.. I would say at 8 years old he is to young for a pistol, I would stick with single shot 22 rifles until about 11 and move to SA rifles. But thats just me and how I did it when my kids where that age. Althought I let them try all my guns, I did not get my son his own pistol (9mm) till he was 15.

EDIT, the Walther P-22 is very light and easy to shoot for small hands, it has a manuel safty and is SA/DA and very easy to rack. Its about 350.00 I think.

I think no age is too young with constant supervision. My boys started with my High Standard.

...if you can find a High Standard Sentinel Deluxe 4"...you'll have a near-perfect starter...balanced nicely...simple to operate...single or double-action shots...and it'll become a treasure...he'll have no trouble handling/loading it...$100-200 in pawnshops and worth either end of that range...

The Walther P22 has a bad reputation, but I think it is undeserved. There are some issues and a little polishing, cleaning and loctite do a fine job remedying the reliability and accuracy issues. The sights are a 3 dot "combat" style, DA/SA with a safety/decocker (I am not a huge fan of the decocking, as it requires you to put on safe and pull the trigger...)

The pistol is sized very well for small hands, light, easy to rack and has controls similar to a full sized semi-auto.

thr_wedge wrote:The Walther P22 has a bad reputation, but I think it is undeserved. There are some issues and a little polishing, cleaning and loctite do a fine job remedying the reliability and accuracy issues. The sights are a 3 dot "combat" style, DA/SA with a safety/decocker (I am not a huge fan of the decocking, as it requires you to put on safe and pull the trigger...)

The pistol is sized very well for small hands, light, easy to rack and has controls similar to a full sized semi-auto.

I have one... dont like it.. but I dont like any walthers even my C&R p-38... I just dont like Walthers.. but it would be a good learing gun. As for the P-22 maybe 500 rounds max.. zero probelms.. but I dont care for the gun.

Vecco wrote:For me.. I would say at 8 years old he is to young for a pistol, I would stick with single shot 22 rifles until about 11 and move to SA rifles. But thats just me and how I did it when my kids where that age. Althought I let them try all my guns, I did not get my son his own pistol (9mm) till he was 15.

EDIT, the Walther P-22 is very light and easy to shoot for small hands, it has a manuel safty and is SA/DA and very easy to rack. Its about 350.00 I think.

I would agree; single shot rifle first. Been there with two kids. The brain of an 8 year old is literally not developed and each 8 year old is different. Two years will make a ton of difference. A long barrel will do better to keep the muzzle away from him.

Has he used a BB gun yet? That is a typical starter gun to learn the 4 rules. Any accident will likely not be fatal with a BB gun and he will have something to use in the backyard.

I'll put in a plug for a Ruger Bearcat revolver.

Agree with the BB Gun comment above but it's your call, nothing like having all that time to reflect on the shot you missed while you're wearing your arm out pumping some more air into the thing to take another.

Had a Sig Mosquito... sold.



Got one of these and you would think i'm a giant 8 year old with how excited I get. Taken it's fair share of rabbits, coons etc. too. Grip may be a little big, and It's no featherweight. They come in 4" or 6".

thr_wedge wrote:The Walther P22 has a bad reputation, but I think it is undeserved. There are some issues and a little polishing, cleaning and loctite do a fine job remedying the reliability and accuracy issues. The sights are a 3 dot "combat" style, DA/SA with a safety/decocker (I am not a huge fan of the decocking, as it requires you to put on safe and pull the trigger...)

The pistol is sized very well for small hands, light, easy to rack and has controls similar to a full sized semi-auto.

That is what I was going to suggest. I bought one for my twleve year old daughter and I think I enjoy shooting it as much as she does. It fits her hands nicely. We found it doesn't care for Winchester ammo, but it has been great otherwise.

If you want something light weight, a Ruger 22/45 with a tactical solutions barrel is a great choice. There are different length barrels to choose from.

For trying some out, I'd call up Best Shot range. I think at Best Shot Kid's can shoot with their parent's supervision. I know they have a few Ruger 22's and I think I saw a few others, maybe a Walther, there as well.

Not sure you will find many people who would be willing to trade your Boss a good .22 pistol for his 8 year old. Guns increase in value; kids become teenagers.

Seriously, glad he enjoys shooting. I started shooting .22 at age 8 and went on to compete in NRA Junior Smallbore at a very early age. Was a very memorable and enjoyable time of my life.

I would start him off with a revolver, then on to a semi-auto. The Taurus 94 is a great choice IMO. And, the Ruger 22/45 would be my recommendation for an SA pistol.

If the child has the physical strength and motor skills to manipulate the firearm, NO gun is "inappropriate" for him to use when he's under the direct and immediate supervision of a responsible adult.

I'd look real hard at an older, pre-lock S&W M-17, i.e., the K-22. The 4" barrel M-18 has a lot to recommend it, too.

A decent BB/pellet pistol has a lot to recommend it, too. (In either case, make sure the young'un has & uses good safety glasses.)