Hey all,

My 11 yr old daughter has shown interest in learning to shoot. Would the grip size on a M&p 22 compact be appropriate? My other choice would be a Ruger sr22. Does any own both? Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks!

M&P 22 Compact has a fixed grip.
Either fits or doesn't.

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-jwk-
US Army '72-'95

I taught my Grandson and Granddaughter to shoot a .22 using a S&W Model 63 with the 3" barrel. Fit both their hands well and I thought they should learn the fundamentals of shooting starting with a revolver instead of starting with a semi auto.

I have the Smith .22 Compact and cannot say enough good things about it. I've used it to teach my 17/yo grandson to shoot.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

If you instruct her properly to keep her hands out of the way of the slide, it should be a fine, easy to shoot pistol for her.

I would start her with only 3 loaded in the magazine at a time. That way she learns the manual of arms of reloading, and you have time to coach her while reloading. Starting with 10 rounds one after another doesn't help a new shooter learn.

As mentioned above, it needs to fit her hand and if she has no prior firearms experience a basic safety course would be in order. Limiting the number of rounds in the magazine until you are sure of her muzzle discipline and trigger control sounds like a good idea too. Please ignore all this if she is already a good semi-auto rifle shooter .

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

I would favor a 4" Model 34 or 63..................

I second this. I used the model 34 with my twin grand daughters when they were 10. 1 round at a time to start with.

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Dan
Ps 96 SWCA 2930 SWHF 524

Thanks for the advice everyone!

I think it would work fine!

Bought my 10 year old son, very small for his age, and my 11 year old daughter, normal size...lol, each one for Christmas. Don't hesitate. Very solid little pistols and small enough for pretty small hands. I had to turn the mag release around for my son because he could't quite reach it with his thumb. He uses his finger and has no issues. Next year I'll be able to put it back where it goes.

Here's are the measurements I took for M&P 22c and SR22:
Front to Back: Smith - 1.97"; Ruger Large - 1.89"; Small - 1.74"
Width: Smith - 1.04"; Ruger Large - 1.05"; Small - .097"
The rear of both Ruger grips are more curved than the Smith.
Hope this helps.

My son. 10 years old. 4' 3". 55 lbs. Very small for his age.

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Phil1967 and reath1, thank you very much for taking the time for the measurements and pics. This helps a great deal!

The .22 compact is perfect fit for my 10'y/o boys. They are ~ 78 lbs and have good control over it and the grip is perfect sized. They started on a Ruger SP101 .22 when they were 8, but was too hard for them to handle/shoot. I tried the SR .22 and felt it a tad bigger than the MP Compact.

every 11 yro is not the same size,, either buy both or go to a gun shop that will allow you to bring in your child ... noone could really tell you what shoe will fit.. but keep in mind she will grow into it.. and their is a huge difference between 11yro and 12 yro.. with all this said, my vote is for the m@p 22 compact !

Smith Wesson, in a perfect world I would do exactly that. Howeve, in my area it's easy to find an sr22 but very difficult to find an mp 22c for comparison.

If you're comfortable with S&W, buy it. I really don't see how you can go wrong. Very solid little pistol. Some have had trouble with the rear sights coming loose and the thread protector. We have had neither issue with either pistol. As pictured. Son has very small hands, it fit's. Daughter has average "11 year old girl hands", it fit's I have average size man's hands, it fits. Not too small at all. If you need, I can get pics with one in my daughters hand, wife's and mine. I went through this same dilemma several months back. No really good info. Went for it and ordered two of them. No regrets.

Thanks reath1! Very kind of you. I'm sure the mp22 compact will work great for my daughter.

Very welcome. Not much on here I can help with. When there is, I do what I can.

Thanks for that idea. I will use it with the grand kids.