Lost Californian
Expert
I took my girlfriend with me to the gunstore as we are looking for a new carry gun for her. She has a difficult time with 380 and 38's and feels far more comfortable with a 22. (Ik its not a manstopper but a 22 she is comfortable with is better than nothing.)
Anyway she was gravitating towards the selection of NAA revolvers such as the 22LR and the 22mag. I have never shot one and my only real concern is the reliablity because I dont own one and dont know any one that does. Any input would be appreciated.
She was also looking at the bersa 22 and the walther 22 but hasnt made up her mind yet.
She has an arthritic type condition in her wrists that make her more recoil sensitive. She can shoot a 22 just fine. She shot my 38 special revolver and LCP and hated the LCP and strongly disliked the 38.I will have to find a bobcat or something with a metal frame in a 25 or 32 such as the bobcat that she can coonfinger and see if she likes.
I know you did not ask this, I am still throwing it out there for you consideration. A .32 caliber handgun is an often overlooked choice when it comes to a carry gun. My wife is similar to your girlfriend, recoil sensitive, likes the .22lr, so I bought her a .327Fed Mag revolver that is loaded with .32 S&W for practice, and carried with .32 H&R mags. (Even I don't care for the recoil or noise of the .327 Fed Mag from a 2" barrel).
The .32 caliber gives the choice of .32S&W, .32S&W Long, .32H&R Mag, and the .327 Fed Mag. Each loading is progressively hotter. Charter Arms makes a .32 revolver, so does Taurus.
The .32acp is also another nice round. I had a Beretta Tomcat, and for a small pistol it is rather chunky and heavy. I thought the recoil was a little more stout than it should be for a pistol that weighs in at 14.5 ounces. I would suggest a slightly larger pistol than the Tomcat, there is the FEG AP, or the FN Browning, both of which are Walther PP/PPK clones; the CZ 70 or 83, which are more full sized pistols; and the micro pistols from Taurus (TCP732), KelTec (P32), and North American Arms (Guardian .32acp, very similar to the Tomcat). You could also get lost in the guns made in the early 1900s, there is a bunch of them in .32acp.
I still prefer the revolvers to the pistols.