My son is almost 3 I have a 4" m64 for when he's ready. I have a single six and a 22/45.
I feel like im neglecting a .22 DA for him.
Are the smith j frame .22s good for beginners? Ive never like j frame triggers
Ruger lcr? Smith k frame? Would the k frame 22 be to big?
My daughters (twins) are turning 3 in July. When they're ready I'm planning on starting them with my 6" K22 with factory Magna grip panels and, if those panels are too big, I have an old set of K-frame "service" panels that are even narrower and smaller. The fact that the gun is older than their oldest Grandparent just makes it that much cooler
I have a few small J-frame .22's (an M317 3" and an M34 1 7/8") but the triggers on both, even in single action, are heavy in proportion to the weight of the guns themselves, which makes them somewhat hard to control and convinces me that the K22 would be the better choice. That concern, however, could be outweighed by the longer trigger reach of the K22 compared to the M34--I'll likely have them try both. I don't think the 317 would be the best choice because, although it is the lightest of my three S&W 22's, that low gun weight relative to trigger weight makes for challenging shooting.
Obligatory K-frame pic:
The M34:
Last edited by oregon45; 05-24-2021 at 03:47 PM.
I agree with the post above. A K-22 would be a great choice. Just avoid the 617 revolvers with the full underlug. I have no idea why someone at S&W thought it would be a good idea to create a 40 oz (or more) .22 K frame. A full lug on a .357 L frame has always been very questionable in my eyes. A full lug on a .22 K frame is about as useful as that hole they have in the side of the frame. The full lug only fad, on DA revolvers, needs to be taken behind the barn and given the Old Yeller treatment.
I would also look at a Ruger Bearcat with adjustable sights. They are a single action, but they are a true .22 caliber frame and very friendly to smaller hands.
I firmly recommend the steel-frame J-frame 22 revolver. It's a great blend of weight, accuracy, ease of handling and shooting, and size.Originally Posted by 03RN
My father taught me to shoot a handgun on a 4" S&W Kit Gun, which I think is an I frame, predecessor to the J frame. The single-action trigger was superb. He had me shoot it very little in DA, only enough to convince myself that I should stick with SA. I killed a lot of meadowlarks with it, then moved on to braining cottontails. I shot 4" Model 34s for many years after that. Then one day my hands were too big to use it well and I moved to K-frame 22 revolvers, which is about the time I entered my McGivern phase.
There's also the relatively scarce Model 35, which is a Model 34 with a 6" barrel. Sexy as all get-out but still a J-frame. Bigger grips fix some of the handling issues but it's still on the light side if you do much DA shooting.
Okie John
“The reliability of the 30-06 on most of the world’s non-dangerous game is so well established as to be beyond intelligent dispute.” Finn Aagaard
"Don't fuck with it" seems to prevent the vast majority of reported issues." BehindBlueI's
Oh!
One of these?
I almost traded it off forgetting that it could be used SA for a kid and add the safety of them not being able to pull the heavy DA by accident.
I was thinking I’d start my 4 year old off on an Airsoft semiauto for safety and recoil reasons.
Almost. The one I used was a 4" with a flat latch, a round butt, diamond Magnas, and a Tyler T-Grip. The serial number has four digits, the first two of which are 0 and 1, so it's probably from the first few months of production.
Okie John
“The reliability of the 30-06 on most of the world’s non-dangerous game is so well established as to be beyond intelligent dispute.” Finn Aagaard
"Don't fuck with it" seems to prevent the vast majority of reported issues." BehindBlueI's
I know you are asking about handguns, comma but, it's hard to go wrong with this:
https://www.browning.com/products/fi...les/sa-22.html
I know our collective childhood backgrounds are all different. I had access to some land -- tanks with turtles and frogs, cactus, tin cans, and other things a young boy might figure need shootin, all under the watchful eye of a grandfather of course. A little Browning .22 rifle was perfect for that.
"Rich," the Old Man said dreamily, "is a little whiskey to drink and some food to eat and a roof over your head and a fish pole and a boat and a gun and a dollar for a box of shells." Robert Ruark
The first several times you take your son shooting, your most important job aside from making sure he follows the safety rules is making sure he has fun. You want him enthusiastically saying yes when you ask him to come shoot with you, and hopefully asking you to take him shooting. Part of accomplishing that job means having a variety of guns for him to shoot, and making sure that he has options that are not particularly difficult to shoot well.
Over the past couple of years, I have really come to appreciate the value of a DA revolver for fine-tuning trigger control skills. However, for a new shooter, I would focus heavily on single action shooting. If the single action is going well, encourage him to try double action, but do not push if he does not like it at first.
The first pistol I shot was a Hi Standard .22, and the first pistol my daughter shot was a Browning Buck Mark. A .22 semiauto, particularly a reliable one with good sights and a reasonably light trigger, is easy and fun, as well as contributing to the early stages of learning sight alignment and trigger control. Start with the .22/45, and then let him try a revolver. Once he has shot a few guns, let him pick what he wants to shoot, within reason. Your idea of having a DA revolver in the mix is a good one, but save the focus on DA training for after your son develops a love of shooting and a desire to work towards higher skill levels.
A 3-inch LCRx in .22 would be a heck of a good option. He could drag it around the woods and never need to feel bad about any oopsies that befell the antique. And the trigger is indeed sweet.
Look into the Browning 1911-22 if you think there might be value in learning that. It's a dandy little thing, and somehow manages to work even in my USP45 size paws. Might need a little kitchen table work on the trigger, and tuneup of the sights depending on which one you get.
Also think about a Marlin 15YN. He might find his results with a long gun more encouraging. It's a youth-sized single shot, and could be found surprisingly cheap, pre-Covid. But unlike the Crickett and others of that ilk, it has the same action as Marlin's bigger bolt-action .22s, can have the same excellent trigger and excellent accuracy. And it is finished like a nice working .22LR, not a toy.
On the J frame comment, now that I've gone through my M&P 340 and cleaned it all up, it's very satisfying. Buttery is not out of line when describing the trigger. I can't imagine thinking I need to change any springs. I have read that .22LR J frames have stronger springs, though.
.
-----------------------------------------
Not another dime.
Even with smaller, thinner grips, you need an adapter to fill the Gulf Of Horace, aka the enormous gap between grip frame and trigger guard. Target grips or an adapter rests some of the weight on the middle finger and relieve the distance the trigger finger has to stick out all by itself, giving better trigger control.
I know the temptation is strong to say “tiny shooter needs tiny gun”, but a lightweight gun is harder to shoot accurately and could discourage a new shooter. I guess you could start them out on super-close targets.
I would also be hesitant to start a new shooter with the light SA trigger of one of my M-17s.
If it were me starting again with a grade-school-aged (or younger) shooter, I’d go with a Ruger Bearcat. Small enough for little hands, but enough heft and sight radius to make it not too hard to hit stuff with.
That is if the kiddo could pry it out of my hands.
Reply With Quote
