Walther P22, Sig Mosquito, ot Beretta Tomcat for 7yr old son's 1st pistol

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finz50

New member
I'm looking for a gun that my 7 year old son can shoot at the range with me. He wants to go to the range and shoot with me and I'd like to encourage it if he wants to.

First off, he's VERY responsible when it comes to firearms. He's been shooting his BB gun since he was 4. He has to tell me the firearm safety rules verbatim before he can even touch any of my guns (or his BB gun) and helps me clear them to ensure they are not loaded, etc. He's always asking questions about how it works and how bullets work, etc. I try to answer them the best I can to a 7 year old (my 4 year old daughter know the Eddie Eagle rules cold too-LOL)... He only touches firearms while being supervised by me and I've only had to correct him twice in the last year. I think he's getting tired of his BB gun and is ready for something else, and I figure a .22 would be the logical choice. I asked him if he'd want a pistol or rifle and he said he'd rather have a pistol so he can go to the range with me.

I think I have it narrowed down to a Beretta Tomcat, Walther P22, and Sig Mosquito. (My dad has a Ruger Mark III, but the grip is too big for his hands). We went to the range with some guys from work and my buddy let my son shoot his Sig Mosquito. He actually handled it a lot better than I expected (~5 inch group from 7 yards for a first timer). He had to pull back the hammer to shoot it, but everything worked out good. Looked at the Walther P22 at Bass Pro the other night and he was able to rack it and lock back the slide by himself, and said "it was easy-LOL". It seemed to fit his hand good too with the smaller grip. I figured the Tomkat would be another option due to the tip-up chamber and the fact that he wouldn't have to rack it.

Anyone have kids that shoot any of these pistols? What inputs do you have? I know some people think he's too young to shoot a pistol, but I wouldn't buy one for him to shoot at the range if I didn't think he was ready. I'd appreciate any inputs!
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fairview mick

New member
What .22

I hope my opinion will help a little. I'm always happy to see young people at the range with their Dads or Moms. I've never seen one who's eyes don't light up when they hit the target where they want to.
I have a Ruger MKIII which I like very well. As far as the Sig goes, I had a trailside, which I thought was a great gun with the best trigger I've ever seen on a low priced .22. The Ruger is good, but the trigger is not as crisp and not without a little creep. A friend of mine had a mosquito which I shot and I though the trigger was jut terrible for a Sig product. I've read some very bad reviews on the mosquito. I think there are many better .22's than the Mosquito. How about a Browning Buckmark? See if you can try a few before purchasing!!!!! Rent a couple from the range.
Mickey
 
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JWT

New member
I'd have him at least handle a Walther P-22. You'll hear some negative comments about it, but the size is probably right for a boy his age.

I've had one for about a year and shoot it as often as I shoot my 9mms, .357 or .45ACPs. It's probably the most 'fun' of all of them to shoot. I haven't had any problems with malfunctions - shoots any .22lr I've tried in it.

Not as accurate as my Ruger Mark III but you said he'd tried one and it was a bit too big. The Buckmark probably would be too.
 
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hillbille

New member
which 22

how about a old fashion single action revolver 4-6 inch barrell, as a starter anyhow. easy to come by easy to get rid of when he wants to move up to a better pistol. though I agree the buckmark is a good one for the money.
 
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Shadi Khalil

New member
Hello Finz,

I recently had a similar delima, except I was helping my 11yr. brother pick out a .22

He's is a bit older so the cool factor came into play. He wanted the Sig (like big bro's .9mm) but the owner of my shop advised against it. His orginal first choice was the P22, so thats what we went with. I was a bit hesitant to get him one, due to the fact it is made from a zinc alloy and has something like a 10,000 round life (which goes fast with 22, got his a couple months ago and it already 1500 deep) However, so far it has been a a great gun. Very few jams but they happen every couple hundred. We use all sorts of different ammo, never keeping track of what feeds well and doesnt. I allow his 100 rounds of rapid fire at the end of a range session and he loves it. the pistol offers just enough kick to make him feel like he is shooting a "real caliber" The adult thing to do is to get him a ruger. I tried that with my brother but with an 11 yr old boy whats cool trumps all.

Good for you, getting the boy a gun and all.

Good luck on the hunt and let us know what you do....



Shadi.
 
A

Avenger11

New member
Get a Ruger Single Six with the 22 and 22 mag cylinders. With the single action he will focus more on the target than just emptying the magazine on an auto. My grandkids always choose the single over an auto because it's more interactive and holds their interest.
 
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Kraziken

New member
Browning Buckmark is an excellent .22.

I've read that the Beretta Neos is a good gun too, but never fired it personally. My friend bought a Buckmark 15 years ago and still has it. It's a nice gun.
 
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revance

New member
My only .22 is a P22. It is a lot of fun, but gets frustrating because it is difficult to do well with it. I find myself borrowing my brother-in-laws Ruger a lot. A gun club I was a member of had a huge selection of .22s for members to use, so I have had the opportunity to fire a lot of them.

P22 Pros:

Fun little pistol, very tacticool (looks like a real SD pistol).
Perfect for small hands.
Lightweight enough you don't get tired.

P22 Cons:

Picky about ammo (mine only feeds Rem. GB and MiniMags).
Needs cleaned every 100-150 rounds or it starts malfunctioning.
Heavy trigger and wide tactical sights makes it difficult to shoot well.
Brass ejection is very erratic and WILL throw it in your hair, down shirt, etc. (make sure he always wears a hat and a shirt that isn't too loose).

My favorite .22 I have used is the S&W 41 (old one), but they get very heavy if you are target shooting for a long time. I imagine this would be a deal breaker for a 7yo (not to mention the price :eek: )

Everyone seems to like Buckmarks, but I don't particularly like the design, its kind of a pain. They do have very light triggers though. If you are willing to deal with the maintenance, its a fun pistol to shoot.

The Rugers are all very nice. Unfortunately I have never liked the grips on any of them, but I have to use my brothers once in a while so I can actually shoot some decent groups and feel good about myself (since I can't do it with my P22). If he likes the grip of them, it would be a real winner. He probably wouldn't like the 22/45 grip as much as the original because it is really big and flat.

There are a ton of others, but these are the ones I have the most experience with.

EDIT: sorry... just noticed you already said the grip on the rugers didn't work out for him.
 
S

Socrates

Moderator
I like the Beretta BOBCAT. Light, fun to shoot, and, in a pinch, you can use it for pocket carry.;)

I'd get one in 22lr, or even 22 short. I don't think I'd go for the .32 or .25 for a kid.
 
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45Dave

New member
second vote for revolver

Just wanted to second the suggestion to go with a ruger single six or a bearcat. Much less things to go wrong, fun to shoot and should fit his hand better.
 
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ElectricHellfire

New member
Get a Ruger Single Six with the 22 and 22 mag cylinders. With the single action he will focus more on the target than just emptying the magazine on an auto. My grandkids always choose the single over an auto because it's more interactive and holds their interest
Click to expand...

+1 on that. My first handgun was the single six when I was around 8 or 9 years old. Its a great one to start with.
 
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Socrates

Moderator
If you are lucky, and get a good barrel, or don't care about the being really accurate. Ruger is famous for oversized, weird barrels on the single six...
 
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bcrash15

New member
I recently picked up a P22. I'll be honest, I like it. I heard the bad hype and uncovered even more after I bought it and was searching for info. Like others said, it's not a target pistol, but it's still a really fun little gun.

To be fair most of the gun and magazine problems have been fixed or improved with the newer models of the gun. But there are still some issues, especially with the zinc slide getting beat up or exaggerated wear. The gun should work fine out of the box, but many of them seem to be on the road to an early death if some of these issues aren't addressed. I did the trigger bar ears on mine and do the "specialized care" (i.e. specific cleaning and lubricating products) and it seems to be lasting ok. If you want to get one I would recommend at least a cursory glance at the P22 Bible.
 
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Pilot

New member
You and he will be much better served with a Ruger MK II/III or Browning Buckmark than either the Sig or Walther.
 
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finz50

New member
Right now he's leaning towards wanting a semi-auto since it's "like dad's" (Glock 30). Sounds like he wants the P22 since "it's way easy to rack......waaayy easy".
 
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Shadi Khalil

New member
Right now he's leaning towards wanting a semi-auto since it's "like dad's" (Glock 30). Sounds like he wants the P22 since "it's way easy to rack......waaayy easy".
Click to expand...

Another reason he wanted the P22, real easy to rack the slide. He would always pinch himself with the rugers at the range
 
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sholling

New member
None of the above!

The Sig is notoriously unreliable, the Walther notoriously inaccurate, and the Tomcat is a purse gun. My first choice is what I learned on... A Ruger Single Six. Get one with both cylinders and he will cherish it for the rest of his life. he will also learn to shoot instead of just banging away! You should also probably look at the Ruger MkIII and the Beretta Neos. Both are under $300.
 
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