I am looking for a good affordable 22 for my wife. It will be her first gun. I have taken her to the range a handful of times and she has handled my s&w m&p 9mm well. But I want something cheap to shoot. Any thoughts?

M&P22 is a great pistol, I love mine. not in your choices but give that a look.

^^^^This^^^^ I love mine.

Only reason I don't want the m&p is because I have it in 9mm and want something different.

the SR22 & Walther are both fine choices, I have both in stock & well as several other semi 22's if she'd like to see/handle them

Can not go wrong with either, but I like the look of the P22. But prefer the SR 22 for shooting.

I am not familiar with the P22, but I can almost guarantee that your wife will love the SR22.  Plus, it shoots any .22 ammo.  IDK if that's true for the other.

My first pistol was a 22 was a full size. GSG1911. then I moved up to the M&P 9mm. Still loved the 22 here and there Never shot another 22 semi.....until.... I took a new shooter to the range and we rented a Moaquito and the P22.

 

They felt like toy guns in my hand. Hated them. So what I'm saying is if your wife wants a really small gun then go ahead. But if its for your use too (when legal) think hard about full size 22s.

Ruger Mark III 22/45 Lite

I have an SR22 and my wife loves it as well, small, easy to shoot and eats anything. 

I was gonna get a Walther but was recommended to stay away due to them being finicky with ammo.

 

I shot another forum members Ruger and it was nice. But decided to spend my permit on another 9mm

^^ was mine haha. The Rugers are generally less picky with ammo.

Ironman: it's your wife's pistol. Right? Does she already have an M&P too?

 

My wife really likes her M&P 22. And it shoots whatever we put in it.

 

She rejected some of the other 22s mentioned because the grips were too small for her hands.

Ironman: it's your wife's pistol. Right? Does she already have an M&P too?

 

My wife really likes her M&P 22. And it shoots whatever we put in it.

this is what i was thinking as well..  the fact that YOU have an M&P shouldnt necessarily mean she wouldnt/shouldnt get one.  i love mine, and the wife loves it too.  feels good in her hand and she's very comfortable shooting it.  i wouldnt rule it out just because you have one.  Not only might it be a good idea if she practices using the smaller caliber, maybe she can work her way up to the 9 if she gets comfortable with the style (just a thought)

Before you do any of that look at the Sig 226 classic (22lr) . It's a full size gun that eats anything. The best part is you can convert it to a 9mm or 40 cal just by changing the slide and mag no permits needed. It will grow with you as your shooting needs change.

I have the Walthur P22 and mine will take any 22 ammo that I have tried. Golden bullet, thunderbolt, CCI, and some old PMC.

 

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Before you do any of that look at the Sig 226 classic (22lr) . It's a full size gun that eats anything. The best part is you can convert it to a 9mm or 40 cal just by changing the slide and mag no permits needed. It will grow with you as your shooting needs change.

My buddy has one of them with intentions of doing what you said. I guess he got a bad one in the bunch because hes had nothing but problems with it.

My buddy has one of them with intentions of doing what you said. I guess he got a bad one in the bunch because hes had nothing but problems with it.

Sorry to hear that. Mine eats everything. I have about 500 rds through mine. And being 22 is so hard to find I shoot whatever I can get my hands on. Never had one issue with mine.

RagTop has a good point, if the wife will ever want to graduate to a center fire caliber.

 

You can also buy a P226 in either 9 or 40, the .22 conversion kit, and the conversion kit for the other center fire caliber if you like . I know for a fact this works well. Effectively three pistols with one permit, and rim fire or center fire practice with the same frame and trigger.

 

One caveat: the conversion kits have been scarce lately. So if that's the course you like you might want to locate all the pieces before taking the plunge on the frame.

She liked the ruger sr22 so that's what she wants. Thanks for the replies. We like that Ruger has great customer service and it was pretty affordable. Good starter pistol for her.

nothing wrong with that, especially if that's the one she liked..  the best gun is the one that is comfortable to you.. (or her)..  if she's happy, then you're happy..  heh

Then Merry Christmas, Mrs. Ironman.

I'd be up for trading my SR-22 for another 22LR.  It's not my thing, and I probably wouldn't have gotten it if I had tried it out first.   NJ really makes it difficult to try, buy, trade, etc. when you have something.  I would suggest you try and find someone that has what you want so you can try it out, first.  To me it would be a plus getting a S&W M&P 22 if you alreaday have an M&P 9.  Similar platform and practice.  The only thing I would really want improved on the M&P 22 would be the smoothness of the grip.

 

I like the Ruger SR22 better than the Walther and it is noted for being more dependable.