I want to buy my 10 year-old his first handgun.

I want a revolver in .22LR that can also shoot Long and Short since I have a bunch of it.

Shouldn't be too heavy; no SP101.

I want adjustable sights.

I know Ruger has several inexpensive options that fit my criteria but they're all Cowboy guns - I'm not against that style necessarily but I'd be interested in other options.

What are some good options?

Thanks

Only three choices in new made revolvers; Charter Arms, Ruger, or Smith and Wesson.
I only own a Smith, a 17-4. At the core, it's a S+W M15 chambered and rifled for .22lr.
Six chambers and the firing pin offset for rimfire primers. A lot heavier than the SP101.

You want light weight? Look at a Ruger LCR, one of the airweight S+Ws.

Smith and wesson 617 kit gun.

Taurus makes a fun little 22 revolver too. 9 shot cylinder. Sights are adjustable but not exquisite.

All revolvers should shoot shorts, longs and LR.

617 6"  


LOVE mine.

I like swing cylinder .22s.  Ruger Single Six/Ten is a fine pistol, but just such a PITA to reload.

I would angle toward any S&W with a target hammer.  Why the hammer?  All but the strongest child is going to have to shoot single action as the trigger pull on any rimfire revolver is going to be stout.  My K-22 is in the 14lb range.

The S&W 18 has a 4" barrel which might be nice vs. the 17s with 6" or even 8-3/8" tubes.  617s have a variety of barrel lengths.

The 63 is smaller and the newer ones are 8 shooters.  I doubt they have wide target hammers though, being J frames.

You might want to look at the S&W 63 and 317. The 317 is basically the 63 in aluminum. Mine has a stainless cylinder and weighs about 18 oz. and shoots very well.

Ruger Bearcat

FYI an SP101 is not heavy.

+ 1, my 10 year old shoots my sp101 in .357 with .38 special handloads started over a year ago. Some light training with a G19 now.

Newly announced 3" LCRx 8 shot 22

http://ruger.com/products/lcrx/specSheets/5435.html

I have that Taurus, the triggers SUCK.

The LCRx is lightweight but I'm a big fan of teaching handgun starting with a single action 22.   The Ruger Single Six is the perfect choice because it's still small enough for a kid to use but big enough for him to use as he gets older, assuming you are giving him the gun of course.  The Bearcat can be a little small for adult males.  The Single Six forces the new shooter to concentrate on good basics because there's no option for a fast unload/reload. Not to mention what 11 year old boy wouldn't love having his "cowboy" gun? I dunno, maybe times have changed but even I wanted a cowboy gun when I was that young.  I had to settle for a very weak Daisy BB tossing alternative but I still thought it was awesome.

This one is my personal favorite.  I only recently bought it a few years ago, they can be very difficult to find unless it happens to be one of those rare times when they are making them again.  They only offer them every so many years and it just happens to be right now for anyone interested.  It took me 5 years to find one and right now you can buy one from Ruger.  It's the 4.62" (gunfighter length) Ruger Single Six Convertible .22LR/.22WMR with adjustable sights.  It shoots really, really nice and it's just serious fun to shoot.  

[url=https://flic.kr/p/X1Us91]

S&W 18

Attached File

I like this idea, but would go with the all stainless version. It would make him a lifetime gun to always have and appreciate.



PS: Teach the boy some class by picking some nice wood grips for it.

Personally I would go with a 4" Smith with adjustable sights. Stainless or blue steel over nickelplate.

Honestly, I'd probably go for a Bearcat anyway. Single Actions are a lot of fun and make you focus more on accuracy than you'd think because reloads take a minute.

And the triggers don't suck as bad like a typical DA rimfire revolver.

Especially not compared to L or K frame Smiths.

Sounds like you want a 4" S&W Kit Gun.   Not cheap but will last a long time.

I say model 17 or 617