22 LR Pistol Recommendations

[Bill Lear]

Don't know if it's been mentioned yet, but I recommend giving the Kel-Tec P17 some serious consideration. Mine has been great. Very reliable in cycling various bulk ammo so not a picky eater. Also the standard barrel comes threaded from the factory which is a plus along with 3 16rd mags.
Hard to beat it in terms of bang for your buck. They can be found under $250 and sometimes under $200.

The P17 also makes an outstanding concealed carry piece at less than a pound fully loaded! Weight, not size is the true impediment to concealed carry. I also like the threaded barrel because you never know when you're going to need a suppressed, 17 shot .22LR! YOWZA!

 

[cballman]

I will have to add my two cents worth on this. The question has been asked more than once. How old is the child?? What will the gun be used for?? Without the answers to the two questions it would be hard to give an accurate answer. But if you are just looking at a pistol I would go with the 454 Casull. Why cause no matter how small he is or how large he is right now he will grow into it.

 

[Hair Trigger]

I'm with everyone else who wants more info. If this is his first firearm, I wouldn't even suggest a handgun; get him a bolt action single shot .22 rifle first. Main reason is he can't get hold of it and hide it when he gets it in his mind he has to show it off to his friends. I'm assuming your son is a pre-teen, somewhere between 10 and 12, but maybe even younger? A rifle is inherently safer to learn firearms with. There's not a kid born yet who wouldn't try to look down the barrel when messing with it, a lot harder to do with a long gun, and once they start shooting, they'll have better groups at first with a rifle. That gives them confidence and a sense that they're doing well, when with a handgun they'll be all over the target for a while, sort of discouraging when they all feel like they should be as good as Carlos Hathcock.

 

[Catwrangler]

I've got a Ruger SR22, a Ruger Mk IV lite, and a Browning Buckmark.
I like them all. The SR22 is just a fun little gun you can throw in your back-pack on a hike and stop somewhere to shoot cans and bottles. Pretty accurate little pistol for just a 3.5" barrel and open sights, and lots of fun to shoot.

The Buckmark is the most accurate of the 3. I put red-dot scopes on the Mk IV and Buckmark, and the Buckmark out shoots 'em all.

The Buckmark is the hardest to take apart and clean. The Mk IV lite the easiest.

Hope this helps.

Great-screenname Deplorabus indeed. Just throw the pistol in a backpack to plink at cans and BOTTLES along the way? ASSUMING this is public land, I'll give you the benefit of my thinking you're taking the cans with you. But leaving glass bottle remnants behind? Glass bottles get recycled if possible or properly disposed of.
My dad caught me shooting bottles with a BB gun at a tender age, I received a lesson right then and there that has stuck with me all my. My son was taught the same way. DON'T shoot bottles on public OR private property!

 

[DUSTYDOGDAN]

Any Browning Buck Mark is great. If you are into plastic pistols the S&W M&P .22LR Compact is very nice and affordable.
If you are into 1911's and this will be a learning tool for bigger 1911 pistols the Browning 1911-22 is great for teaching how to safely cock and lock an auto pistol and total operation of using the 1911 but the only problem is the Browning 1911-22 is expensive.
I have all of the above and we have had zero problems with them.