Need Recommendation for a .22 auto pistol

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I am going to throw in another one that I don't see as having been mentioned yet. There is the Kel-Tec CP33. I don't have one, but the reviews seem pretty positive....
Never buy anything KelTec until its been on the market for at least 2-3 years.
The KelTec PMR30 has been around since 2011 and isn't known for being as reliable as Rugers/Colts/Browning/anyone else. And KelTec has had eight years to get it right.
 
After years of .45, 9mm, .380, .357 and 7.63s I am ready for a .22 autoloader. I have not followed .22 autos over the years so I need your help from your experiences.

I do not want a .22 autoloader for carry, home defense or hunting. What I want to do is punch paper at the range.

My wants...a decent trigger without long travel and clean break, even adjustable if that's possible but not a fancy/expensive target pistol.

Any suggestions?
If you have an EAA Witness (Tanfoglio) in your collection, you can also try a Tanfoglio .22L.R. conversion. They had some reliability problems in the past but Tanfoglio changed some parts and now they are pretty good. I tried a dedicated Tanfoglio Force 22 L and it was a great great shooter (It also looked pretty good). Sights were awesome.
 
I have never heard or read that in my lifetime. In fact the most common comment about Phoenix is "pot metal junk"

Then you really have no clue. Do some home work. Plenty of post about these gun right on this forum. Some folks like Gun test magazine, some don't. I agree with some of their opinions some not. But they tested the gun against others and gave it a A rating. and "We did not expect much from this gun, but were surprised when it out shot guns costing three to four times as much". You might actually want to get to know one, before calling them junk.
 
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Didn't read the "not a fancy/expensive" in the OP did ya?
The 87 is an awesome beautiful EXPENSIVE AS HECK .22 pistol.
OP didn't specify his price range, so we don't know what "expensive" means to him. I based my suggestion on the price they have here in Italy, which is high but not over the world. A used one could be also a great option.
 
OP didn't specify his price range, so we don't know what "expensive" means to him. I based my suggestion on the price they have here in Italy, which is high but not over the world. A used one could be also a great option.

Again: Come on. A Beretta 87 would be sweet, but a new one will cost 2x what a vanilla Ruger Mk___/Browning Buckmark would cost, and a used 87 would be similarly more expensive than a used Ruger or Browning. The OP wants a "decent trigger" for "punching paper." Presumably he wants decent sights and decent reliability. This (and excellent mechanical accuracy) is readily available for $300-$500.
 
Then you really have no clue. Do some home work. Plenty of post about these gun right on this forum. Some folks like Gun test magazine, some don't. I agree with some of their opinions some not. But they tested the gun against others and gave it a A rating. and "We did not expect much from this gun, but were surprised when it out shot guns costing three to four times as much". You might actually want to get to know one, before calling them junk.
Zamak= pot metal junk.
Phoenix is the new name for Raven/Jennings...…..looong considered some of the worst firearms ever built in the US.
And I do have a clue. I've shot Phoenix/Rave/Jennings products and consider them junk in quality and design.
 
And yet Umarex imports high end German/English Air rifles. One made by Walther in ULM is a Walther same with other guns as well. Do not know about what 22.cal you might be talking about. Regardless, this debate has gone on before too many times. I am bowing out. Not worth it.
 
Zamak= pot metal junk.
Phoenix is the new name for Raven/Jennings...…..looong considered some of the worst firearms ever built in the US.
And I do have a clue. I've shot Phoenix/Rave/Jennings products and consider them junk in quality and design.

Sorry, you really do not know what you are talking about. They are not the same company. Funny I not only shot one, but have owned them for years. And have shot thousands of rounds through them, to many to count. If fact much better gun than my Ruger SR22 and have held up much longer, better trigger. The Phoenix is NOT a Raven or Jenning. You like to shout Zamak, and here we go again, just like the bashing on the Heritage.

Oh, and by the way, they come with a Lifetime warranty with great customer service.
 
Again: Come on. A Beretta 87 would be sweet, but a new one will cost 2x what a vanilla Ruger Mk___/Browning Buckmark would cost, and a used 87 would be similarly more expensive than a used Ruger or Browning. The OP wants a "decent trigger" for "punching paper." Presumably he wants decent sights and decent reliability. This (and excellent mechanical accuracy) is readily available for $300-$500.
I'm waiting for the OP's price range. Until this I'll continue to suggest some different options.
Mr. OP, how about a Grand Power .22?
 
Sorry, you really do not know what you are talking about. They are not the same company.
Who doesn't know what they are talking about? I didn't say they were "the same company", but "Phoenix is the new name for Raven/Jennings":

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_Arms
"Phoenix Arms is a firearms manufacturer established in 1992. A predecessor company owned by George Jennings, Raven Arms, burned down in 1991, after which Jennings retired and sold his designs to Phoenix. Phoenix was founded and owned by Jennings’ ex-wife, his children, four of his grandchildren, and by Raven's former general manager. Phoenix is described by the U.S. BATF as one of the "Ring of Fire" companies.
Phoenix initially continued production of the MP-25, Raven's flagship model, before later replacing it with two new pistols, the HP22A and HP25A, chambered in .22 LR and .25 ACP, respectively. The guns are constructed of injection-molded
Zamak, a zinc alloy."







Funny I not only shot one, but have owned them for years. And have shot thousands of rounds through them, to many to count.
Good for you.
My experience and that of my customers over the last ten years is exactly opposite.


If fact much better gun than my Ruger SR22 and have held up much longer, better trigger.
I'm not a fan of the SR22 either.


The Phoenix is NOT a Raven or Jenning.
I didn't say they were, AGAIN, I said "Phoenix is the new name for Raven/Jennings". Phoenix is owned by the same family that owned Raven and Jennings.

You like to shout Zamak, and here we go again, just like the bashing on the Heritage.
I'm not shouting Zamak, but calling pot metal, pot metal, it's still pot metal when you give it another name. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zamak
I've never bashed Heritage so I don't know what that's about. I've transferred hundreds of Heritage firearms with zero complaints. (unlike Phoenix/Raven/Jennings)


Oh, and by the way, they come with a Lifetime warranty with great customer service.
So do a lot of guns.....your point?
 
No one mentioned the SIG-Sauer Mosquito.
A pistol so bad they discontinued it.
Kinda relative isn't it? Pardini, Hammerli, etc. Are what *I* would consider the high end side.
Of course it is.
But the price ranges of the most popular .22 pistols in the US shows the majority fall below $500...….and the Beretta 87, Pardini, Hammerlis sure as heck don't run $500 do they? Heck, right now at Bud's the Beretta 87 is $928!!!!! By anyone's theory of relativity...that's expensive compared to other .22 pistols.
 
After years of .45, 9mm, .380, .357 and 7.63s I am ready for a .22 autoloader. I have not followed .22 autos over the years so I need your help from your experiences.

I do not want a .22 autoloader for carry, home defense or hunting. What I want to do is punch paper at the range.

My wants...a decent trigger without long travel and clean break, even adjustable if that's possible but not a fancy/expensive target pistol.

Any suggestions?
A Ruger Mark with a bull barrel should fill the bill for you
 
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Who doesn't know what they are talking about? I didn't say they were "the same company", but "Phoenix is the new name for Raven/Jennings":

Lol, I have been Posting about the Phoenix for about 10 years now. I came across them in a crazy way. I went to my indoor range one day and they had a sale. Buy a firearm and receive membership for range at half cost. I simply asked what is the least expensive gun you have. They said the Phoenix. Now I did not know a thing about them, any more than Dogtown. does now. I saw that it was pot metal, but that really did not bother me. I did like the way this small 1911 pistol felt in the hand. I figured what the heck, If it falls apart then no big deal. Heck, it only cost me $85. Well the gun surprised me, I was crazy about how well it shot, and how reliable it was. I started training with them on a regular basis since I carry small barrel guns. Liked it so much bought a second one, thinking with as many rounds as I have fired through it, surely it would go down. Well it did not. Later kept reading so many others that loved the little gun.
Normally when I post about these guns, I put in a asterisk warning for gun snobs to not reply. The gun will drive the snobs mad.
Most of the time the disparagement is from someone who will bash them for bashing sake, most never shot the gun, (or if called down on this, then will post Oh, I forgot I did shoot one blah blah blah,

I suggest anyone interested to do some research on these guns and if you get a chance actually shoot them.

Hopefully I can find some old target I did with rapid fire. Below is the comment from Guntest that reviewed a number of 22.cals. Now I am neither endorsing Guntest nor disparaging them. I just give them points for actually testing the gun and spending time with it.

And Yes, the Lifetime warranty says a lot especially with great customer service. If you cannot figure out the meaning of that then, well I can't help you.
aRpSqyV.jpg AS the Pic say, This little gun was a surprise to us. Well me too. But it performs.
 
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....Now I did not know a thing about them, any more than Dogtown. does now.....
I don't know of it's fanboyism or that you have difficulty understanding what I've written.(or both)

I DO know about the Phoenix and apparently a lot more than you knew then or now.
Having taken several Phoenix/Jennings/Ravens/Hi Points/Bryco/Lorcin and assorted other crap guns over the years as either trade in or from winning at auction I do have actual shooting experience with them. Get it? I DO KNOW A THING ABOUT THEM. As do my customers. My experiences and my customers have shown them to be near worthless. That's not a reflection of you or me, but the Phoenix product.

Your first post in this thread you said it's "one of the best"...…….I can name dozens of .22 pistols that nearly everyone in the gun community would consider a better gun than the Phoenix for doing what the OP says he wants to do...…….punch paper. While I'm sure you really believe your Phoenix is plenty accurate, I really don't. It's a pocket pistol, probably best suited for your tackle box or as a throwdown gun at a crime scene......but for shooting at targets? No. The vast majority of recreational shooters will find a larger .22 pistol with a 4"-6" barrel much easier to shoot accurately.

I did like the way this small 1911 pistol felt in the hand.
There is virtually nothing about the Phoenix that resembles the 1911, nor its operation. That you think its a "small 1911 pistol" is odd at the very least.
 
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Lol, I'm getting a good chuckle out of this Dogtown. By the way, does Dogtown refer to Plano TX? I had the pleasure of visiting Plano on a business trip some years ago. Regardless, I had a vision of what it must be like going the local FFL in Plano and the dealer calling the guns of folks he does business with as "A piece of Junk". How is that working out for ya?
 
As others have said, a Browning Buck Mark or a Ruger Mark Whatever are hard to go wrong with. I own them both and like them both a lot. My good friend in another state recently purchased a S&W Victory and adores it. All three are easy to find and not very expensive.
 
I have a few suggestions, to keep it short and avoid long explanations I will skip any semblance of an order of personal preference.
Among current production, any Ruger .22 (though I have no direct experience of either the MKIV or the SR22, only Standard-MKIII), Browning Buck Mark, S&W Victory (again no personal experience but everyone seems to love em), If you have a CZ-75 the Kadet kit is a good idea (but nearly as much as many complete guns).

In used guns, same list as well as be on the lookout for the now discontinued CZ Kadet complete pistol (or sometimes someone will trade in a Kadet kit with their centerfire CZ and you can get both for not much more than a new .22), High Standard Supermatics made in Hamden or East Hartford CT (pass on any HS you see with a Houston Tx rollmark)
 
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5-SHOTS

A used Beretta 71, 73, 74, 76?

Great choices though my favorite would be the Model 70S. Incredibly reliable, extremely durable (all steel construction), and amazingly accurate, my Model 70S is my go-to .22 whether I'm at the range or out hiking around.

In a used .22 I would also recommend the SIG Trailside, Ruger Mk.II, Browning Buckmark, and Beretta Neos.

The CZ Kadet and TacSol 2211 conversion kits make for decent .22s if you already have a CZ 75/85 or 1911.

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