My new Beretta M9A1 -22LR has 15 round mags which have the assist tabs, very easy to load ! Same size as the mainline guns and easy to rack. Only have 300 rounds through it with 5 types of ammo tested and only one failure to load ! I’m very pleased so far with the accuracy and build quality.
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Too broad a category. Best for target/hunting? Best pinker? Best trail gun? Best for CC. See what I mean? What works best in one category won’t be best in the others.
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Old thread, but still worthy to continue.
I’m wondering if @Jeffrey77 got enough explanation from us…
Anyway…
After being against .22 for over year… I have become .22LR owner recently… 
New experience and more to talk about it now. 
My choice was M&P22C (one of suggested earlier) and I’m really happy to have it. Not only because of little cost but also because it is so fun to shoot .22 
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I did get enough info and have passed it along. He hasn’t purchased one yet, but he’s looking. I told him to rent some to get a feel for them and then make a decision.
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Now I’ve got more knowledge, once I own .22 
If he is looking into target shooting - definitely .22LR is a right choice. I did a lot of research before making purchase decision and M&P22 was a wise choice. The only disadvantage is the size. This Compact version is regular M&P9 shrunk about 15% in every dimension, so eventually it’s closer to M&P Shield.
If your friend has a big hands it may be a problem for him.
The other option he can try is M&P9 Shield EZ. It is very easy to rack and operate. Not so soft as M&P22, but much better than any other 9mm. I would say EZ is closer to M&P22 than to regular 9mm.
For self-defense - definitely 9mm. Unless your friend is a great marksman 
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I found a Glock44 this last weekend at a gun show. The idea was to have a similar size to the G19 that I could enjoy and the grandkids could handle. For me the pistol is a bit light but the young ones felt it was ideal. I’m not a huge G fan but you can’t fault their reliability and the 44 is no different. Shot everything I stuffed in it, even mixing the mfgs. I also have a Sig Mosquito but it’s fussy and heavier so the Glock get the nod.
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The Glock made a good move making G44 model. People were expecting this caliber having the same size of pistol. There is a lot of Instructors who like .22 for training and having same pistol with different caliber is a huge advantage.
Regarding the weight - .22 has to be light because of light force used by projectiles. So there is nothing we can expect to make it the same as .380 or 9mm.
I don’t like Glock, so my choice was M&P…and I love it, however as mentioned, the firearm is smaller than 9mm version. The good thing is that the size is close to Shield, so gripping mechanics stay the same. (I’ve added Pachmayr Tactical Grip Sleeve to make it like regular 9mm grip)
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Many are smaller, but they don’t have to be. Think of the .22lr Beretta. It is identical to the larger calibers, and just as reliable. And many offer interchangable barrels/slides, as has been mentioned by others.
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Harder, hard? to find these days, the .22lr conversion kit Sig sold for the P220 rode right on the nominal P220 frame. The ballistic difference was handled in the material of the slide and the tension of the recoil spring. Otherwise, it is my SIG DAO P220 SAS, or DA/SA, or SAO depending on the hardware on the frame.
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