Small .22lr revolvers

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Grantmac

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so I want to eventally find a small .22lr revolver for my wife. SA or DA probably won't matter to her but I'd prefer DA with a swing-out cylinder. It's got to be light and made for very small hands, basically if an adult male can shoot it comfortably it'll be too big. Restricted only as well, no 12(6) here.
I'm drawing a blank on this one because pictures on the internet don't give you a good appriciation for size.

Thanks,
Grant
 
I think there's some 5" Model 63's in Canada, also. The J frame is smaller than the K. My 4" 63 is a great little gun.

You're probably not giving your wife enough credit either. My 10 year-old son can shoot my Glocks and he's not a big kid.
 
Has to be a revolver? What about a 4.5" Ruger 22/45? Very small grip.

I had a P45GCMKIII, a great little gun.

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I'm thinking I'll track down a used J-frame then.

My wife has exceptionally small hands (about 5' tall), probably much smaller than a 10 year old boy. I can't even get one of her rings past the first knuckle of my pinky.

It's not that I don't think she's capable of shooting a larger pistol. But she is very much intimidated by shooting in general so I want to find something that fits her perfectly. I tried her on rifles with a Cooey 600 and even that was too long/heavy for her at the time, although in hind sight I think shooting it off a bench would have been better.

I also want to start my son on pistols fairly young so a little wheelgun would work well.

Thanks,
Grant
 
Ruger has come out with a new bearcat, small single action,
But for astater gun, double action would be simpler to use.
trouble is most of the small revolvers are in 4"
Marshall
 
If they come out with a 4.2 inch Bearcat then that could be a great option. But really the Ruger Single Six is only a little bigger. And if you know someone that can do a bit of wood working you could re-shape the grips to make them a little thinner so she can get more hand wrap. And if she enjoys the idea of shooting but not the kick the slightly heavier gun would reduce the recoil. And the single action unload and reload system may allow her a little more time to interface with the gun and get more comfy with handling it. Single action in her case would likely make more sense in the trigger pull as well. .22 double action triggers tend to be hellishly heavy for some reason.

Other than that the selection of really small framed revolvers is pretty limited. I'd say that the 63 with the round butt style grip shown in the picture a few posts back is about your only option. The other one that I've shot and liked is the old Model 34 kit gun in 4 inch. But that's prohib so it's not worth mentioning other than it shares the same size frame as the 63.

I wouldn't pass up on a good price on some of the older less well known styles such as the H&R either.
 
I would suggest a Ruger single six or the Bearcat mentioned earlier as they are good value for your dollar. A double action is more of a frill than a functioning and not often used reality, especially for someone starting out. I have a number of double action revolvers and at least 95% of the time, they're shot single action.

For 22 LR revolvers, the double action I have is a 4" Colt Diamondback and it's only been once or twice that I've ever shot it as a double action. I lucked out recently and acquired an old model Ruger Single Six with a flat loading gate. It's single action, todays model is a more cost effective option than a double action revolver and just as much fun to shoot.
 
You might consider an H&R 922 (or any of the similar models.) They're light, reasonably well made and most have small grips. They haven't been made for years but there are a lot of used ones around in good shape for $150 - $200.
 
I recently got a 9 shot High Standard Double 9 revolver. Looks like a SAA sort of deal but it's a swing out cylinder 9 shot single/double action deal. The double action is BRUTAL so neither you nor she would be shooting it as anything other than a single action. But it's not bad used in single action. And it's a small grip on it. My large size hands feel pretty awkward on it. If by some chance her hands still don't feel comfy someone that can do some wood working could make up some thinner grips to make the small size even smaller.

This same trick applies to any of the H&R and other smaller .22's mentioned already.
 
I have a Taurus 17C in 17HMR, very small revolver and very accurate. The first comment that comes out of anyones mouth who shoots it is that it's too small for their hands. It's for sale for that reason and that reason alone.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions guys.
Those High Standards look about right, I don't want to get more than $200 into this. As is it'll have to wait until the spring or a trade. We are expecting child #2 now, so it's a good thing I got in my last gun purchase when I did!
Cheers,
Grant
 
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