I just did almost the exact same thing. I just got a SR40C a little over a month ago (first handgun Ive owned for a few years). I was hooked immediatly and loved shooting it. Then i figured out that its kinda pricey to shoot as much as I wanted. Then I figured I needed a .22 not just for the cheap shooting and good practice but also as a gun for the wife. I got an SR22 and couldnt be happier with it and the wife likes it too although shes only gone shooting with me once.
Also, a big reason I got the .40 is because I want to get my CCP soon but now ive decided its too big for me to feel comfortable carrying (just starting). So last weekend i picked up an LCP at a gun show, like that one too.

Sorry about the story, but anyway....yeah the SR22 is a good gun. I was looking at the Walther also but went with the Ruger because I liked the SR40 so well.

Originally Posted by warrior2910

I just did almost the exact same thing. I just got a SR40C a little over a month ago (first handgun Ive owned for a few years). I was hooked immediatly and loved shooting it. Then i figured out that its kinda pricey to shoot as much as I wanted. Then I figured I needed a .22 not just for the cheap shooting and good practice but also as a gun for the wife. I got an SR22 and couldnt be happier with it and the wife likes it too although shes only gone shooting with me once.
Also, a big reason I got the .40 is because I want to get my CCP soon but now ive decided its too big for me to feel comfortable carrying (just starting). So last weekend i picked up an LCP at a gun show, like that one too.

Sorry about the story, but anyway....yeah the SR22 is a good gun. I was looking at the Walther also but went with the Ruger because I liked the SR40 so well.

Yeah, I imagine a lot of new shooters have gone down this same route. How does your wife like the SR22? Had she ever fired a gun before this? I ask because my wife is tentative at best about guns. She's fine with me having one but it might take some work to get her to feel comfortable shooting. I would like her to at least be able to use the gun in a worst case scenario but it would also be really cool if she really enjoyed it because then the "gun budget" would be significantly higher

Originally Posted by Markman

Yeah, I imagine a lot of new shooters have gone down this same route. How does your wife like the SR22? Had she ever fired a gun before this? I ask because my wife is tentative at best about guns. She's fine with me having one but it might take some work to get her to feel comfortable shooting. I would like her to at least be able to use the gun in a worst case scenario but it would also be really cool if she really enjoyed it because then the "gun budget" would be significantly higher

I think you and I are in the same boat. Your wife sounds just like mine. I've had a 9mm and a .45 in the past and she had shot each of those a few times (not enough to get comfortable shooting). We went out last weekend and she said she liked shooting the .22. I did get her to shoot a clip through the .40 but she didn't like it, too loud and too much recoil. I know if I can get her to go with me once in a while she'll get used to it. My wife is petite and has small hands and I was actually surprised at how well she shot. Both guns fit her hands well....ok I have small hands too.

Originally Posted by warrior2910

I think you and I are in the same boat. Your wife sounds just like mine. I've had a 9mm and a .45 in the past and she had shot each of those a few times (not enough to get comfortable shooting). We went out last weekend and she said she liked shooting the .22. I did get her to shoot a clip through the .40 but she didn't like it, too loud and too much recoil. I know if I can get her to go with me once in a while she'll get used to it. My wife is petite and has small hands and I was actually surprised at how well she shot. Both guns fit her hands well....ok I have small hands too.

Yeah, my wife is all of 5"00" with tiny hands so that's why I was asking about how she liked the SR22. I've been working on her to come out to the range sometime. Hopefully she makes it out there soon.

New shooter here as well, and a second vote for the Ruger SR-22. My wife is 52, with small hands and arthritis, and can comfortably shoot her Ruger for hours at the range. Her first choice for home defense is my 35 year old Ruger 10-22, with second choice being a .20 gauge pump shotgun.

What she likes about the 10-22 is the fact it is light, short, easy to control, and she can shoot 1 inch groups rapid fire at 25' with it all day long. She can also hit paper with it 10 shots out of 10 from the hip at the same distance, just so easy to point and fire. The H and R youth model .20 gauge is also light, easy to handle, with significantly less recoil than my .12 gauge Wingmaster. With 00 buckshot, it will absolutely ruin someone's day close range.

Anyway, back to the SR-22. Easy to handle, easy to work the slide whereas she can't work the slide on my Browning Buckmark, which I originally bought for her to use for target shooting. I've said this in other posts, but one thing I really like about the SR-22 is the fact that all the controls and safetys are identical to both the 9mm P-89 and P-95. Therefore her favorite handgun is also a trainer for a larger caliber 9mm, should the need arise for her to use my pistol.

Just bought a North American Arms .22 Magnum for $260 talk about concealed carry/ backup

Originally Posted by Markman

I'm new to the world of handguns but am really enjoying my Springfield XD 9mm. I've had it for about a month and have put 250 rounds through it with zero problems. I'm getting comfortable with aiming and firing it and my accuracy is improving a little each time. I guess you could say that I'm officially hooked

Now, it's time to think about getting a 2nd/backup/fun gun that I can use as well as (hopefully) my wife. She has expressed a very mild interest in shooting compared to zero a month ago. My thinking is that I want to be able to have something she won't be intimidated with yet I can still have fun and improve my skill with when she's not using it. I'm thinking that getting a 22LR might be a good option.

The budget isn't huge but I want something reliable and hopefully somewhat adjustable to fit both my and my wife's grip. The Ruger 22SR seems to be one that comes to mind. Are there any others that would be worth trying out if/when I can get her to the range?

The Ruger SR22 is perfect for your needs.

Originally Posted by plp

New shooter here as well, and a second vote for the Ruger SR-22. My wife is 52, with small hands and arthritis, and can comfortably shoot her Ruger for hours at the range. Her first choice for home defense is my 35 year old Ruger 10-22, with second choice being a .20 gauge pump shotgun.

What she likes about the 10-22 is the fact it is light, short, easy to control, and she can shoot 1 inch groups rapid fire at 25' with it all day long. She can also hit paper with it 10 shots out of 10 from the hip at the same distance, just so easy to point and fire. The H and R youth model .20 gauge is also light, easy to handle, with significantly less recoil than my .12 gauge Wingmaster. With 00 buckshot, it will absolutely ruin someone's day close range.

Anyway, back to the SR-22. Easy to handle, easy to work the slide whereas she can't work the slide on my Browning Buckmark, which I originally bought for her to use for target shooting. I've said this in other posts, but one thing I really like about the SR-22 is the fact that all the controls and safetys are identical to both the 9mm P-89 and P-95. Therefore her favorite handgun is also a trainer for a larger caliber 9mm, should the need arise for her to use my pistol.

Thanks for the feedback on your wife's experiences with the SR-22. It sounds like it is an easy to use gun that is also fairly accurate. Now, I need to get my wife out to the range and have her try a few different options. That may take a while but I don't give up easily!