Best (reliable) .22LR handgun?

The Browning Buckmark, Ruger mk4/22-55, Smith and Wesson victory, and Beretta Neos are pretty much the standards for reliability and accuracy in a normal price range.

I have read the reports about the G44, but I shot a rental at my local range yesterday and had no issues.

The magazine was easy to load, it felt great in my hand and I put 100 rounds through it with no issues. I shot 50 rounds of Aguila high velocity CPRN and 50 rounds of CCI SV. Not one hiccup. Almost no felt recoil. There have been few, if any, reports of issues with 40 grain round nose ammo and there is plenty of that type available at plinker prices.

I think it would be a great gun for a new/young shooter. Shoot one before you eliminate it.

I really liked my M&P 22 compact and it is a great first gun also. No issues at all. I sold it to buy my first Mark IV.

The other gun to look at that would fall into the trainer category is the Taurus TX22. I have also shot one of these as a rental and had no issues.

I really like my Ruger Mark series pistols, but If you really want a reliable and accurate 22 handgun for a beginner, I would look at a revolver.

The answer to this question hasn't changed much in years: A Ruger Mk [whichever], a Browning Buckmark [whichever], or perhaps a S&W Victory. These will have better triggers than any Glock thing. They won't have a stupid reciprocating slide, so learning to track the sights will be easier, and mounting a red-dot will be a piece of cake without having any influence on operation.

Tacticool .22's that attempt to mimic service-type guns are dumb as a first-handgun teaching tool. All of them sacrifice shootability/shooting performance compared to the ones I listed above. Get something that is designed to be easy to shoot well.

I'd tell you but you asked me not to.

M&P 22 Compact

a Ruger mark IV would be the only one that I would look at I have a mark 2 and love it but if I was looking for a new one it would be
The mark IV

jmohme said:

but If you really want a reliable and accurate 22 handgun for a beginner, I would look at a revolver.

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For reliability perhaps. But the target 22s are pretty darn reliable as well. For accuracy I'd put any of my target semi autos against any of my smith and Wesson or H&R double action or Ruger single action 22 revolvers. The action of a revolver is just much more busy with moving parts than the target/fixed barrel 22s. (High standard, Mk series, buckmark, victory and similar, neos, beretta 87, colt woodsman...etc.) Accuracy is very close or maybe even better with the semi in my experience. Unlike the bigger centerfire versions with complicated moving barrels and locking systems. That's just IMO. Now when it comes to the G44/firefly/M&P 22 etc type that may not be the case. I've not had good luck with those and I just avoid them altogether now. The Smith rimfire revolvers are built great though.

DustyGmt said:

What is the best .22LR handgun on the market right now, for a young shooter?

I was looking at the glock and wanted to buy it so it would be similiar for the sake of the fact that most of my other handguns are glocks and that's the platform I wanted my daughter to be comfortable with but as of now the G44 seems to be plagued with horrendous feeding issues and I dont want that.

Dont even mention Walther P22, I wont have one. I know .22's are prone to finnickyness, especially in handguns but what is the current top performing .22LR handgun out there right now? I was considering the Ruger SR22 or American .22 handgun. Any suggestions......

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You are going to get a lot of suggestions on guns. The only thing I have to offer is to let your daughter have a say in what she wants. After all she is going to be shooting it, not you. That will go a long way in how well she will like to shoot.

crestoncowboy said:

For reliability perhaps. But the target 22s are pretty darn reliable as well. For accuracy I'd put any of my target semi autos against any of my smith and Wesson or H&R double action or Ruger single action 22 revolvers.

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Not only that, the sights are generally going to be better on the target-style semi-autos than on the single-action .22 revolvers, and the S&W DA revolver is a fair bit more expensive. 617's are very cool, though.

For what it’s worth the Neos for its price is a real nice reliable shooter. I bought one for my grand daughter to use. A bonus it has a rail already attached.
I have a Ruger, A S&W 41 and several 22 revolvers. Think I paid $225 for the Neos new.

The Buckmark has some nice aftermarket bits that can make it easier to work the slide for the young shooter or a older one with arthritic hands.
Check out the ability to order magazines, parts and repair information online.
If you ever consider using the 22LR as a hiking or modern kit gun the Bersa Thunder has much to like.

I have not had any issues with my Ruger SR22. Both my daughters and my learned with it, and last week I introduced my nephew to handguns with it. I can't remember any jams, or anything like that with it. I've not has any issues with any ammo.

-Jeff

crestoncowboy said:

For reliability perhaps. But the target 22s are pretty darn reliable as well. For accuracy I'd put any of my target semi autos against any of my smith and Wesson or H&R double action or Ruger single action 22 revolvers. The action of a revolver is just much more busy with moving parts than the target/fixed barrel 22s. (High standard, Mk series, buckmark, victory and similar, neos, beretta 87, colt woodsman...etc.) Accuracy is very close or maybe even better with the semi in my experience. Unlike the bigger centerfire versions with complicated moving barrels and locking systems. That's just IMO. Now when it comes to the G44/firefly/M&P 22 etc type that may not be the case. I've not had good luck with those and I just avoid them altogether now. The Smith rimfire revolvers are built great though.

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I wont disagree, and there is nothing wrong with starting a beginner on a semi auto, I just think a good revolver is a great beginners gun for several reasons.
One big reason is that a new shooter is more likely to take their time in aquirring their target with a 6 or 8 shot revolver, where its so tempting to rattle of 10 or more shots and just grab another loaded magazine with a semi auto.
Revolvers ar also very easy to clean and maintain.

as far as accuracy, I will say that my MK III is second in accuracy only to my TC Contender, with my S&W K22 Masterpiece is a very close third.

Bartojc said:

I have not had any issues with my Ruger SR22. Both my daughters and my learned with it, and last week I introduced my nephew to handguns with it. I can't remember any jams, or anything like that with it. I've not has any issues with any ammo.

-Jeff

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Would recommend the SR22 as well. It's what my wife likes to shoot at the range. Has been very reliable with a number of different ammo.

The Single Six is most reliable imho.
A true heirloom. I think I was ten when I got mine. I still have it, still shoot it 45yrs later.

#1 son likes his SR22. It is his go to .22 handgun.

I've used a few different guns for this. My 4" Heritage Rough Rider works well as does my little Bersa even though it was a bit picky on ammo until I found federal auto match. Haven't had an issue with it since.
They also have fun with my North American Arms Hogleg with the 22lr cylinder in it although I prefer them being a bit older before I let them shoot that.

DustyGmt said:

What is the best (reliable) .22LR handgun?

I generally want to purchase a .22 handgun that does mimic the handling and appearance of common service type handguns. Not for the tactical aesthetic but for practicality, transitioning from one to the other...

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GSG 1911 22LR priced around $200-250 is a good option if you want to transfer same manual of arms to 1911s

After looking into getting a 22LR slide kit for my Sig 1911, I chose to buy GSG 1911 22LR due to reported reliability and accuracy with various ammunition. It is German made and also sold as Sig 1911 22LR. It is a popular gun with shooters of all ages who I take shooting as they all seem to shoot it very well (Most produce tight groups at 7-15 yards).

If you want more than 10 round capacity, there are magazine kits to increase capacity to 16 rounds - https://www.taylor-tactical-supply.com/gsg-1911-22lr-s/132.htm

I am doing 20+ ammo comparison test for Ruger 10/22 and 25+ ammo comparison test for Thompson Center T/CR22 and GSG 1911 has been reliable with various ammo after break in and regular cleaning. As to accuracy, GSG 1911 produced below groups using currently the cheapest 22LR ammo on my $15-$20/500 shipped thread, the Armscor 36 gr CPHP - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...15-20-500-shipped.853059/page-3#post-11359991

Ive had a bunch of .22's over the years, both auto and revolver, and the biggest problem with them all, was ammo and cleanliness. Find ammo that they like and keep them clean, and I never really had any problems.

.22 ammo is it own problem, and mostly due to its priming. For some reason, Ive had more issues with fail to fires and light strikes with my revolvers than I have my autos.

Ive owned all sorts of 22 autos over the years, High Standards, Brownings, Rugers, S&W's, the dreaded SIG and Walther Umarex guns, to name a few. All worked OK for the most part, with ammo they liked. All of them got grumpy and acted up the dirtier they got.

As far as the Glocks go, dont let the reports you keep hearing about the 44's keep you from getting one. If you look at whats being reported and whos doing it, the majority who have them, have been having positive experiences, and those who complain, often dont even have one and havent even shot one. You keep hearing and seeing the same couple of videos and bad reports regurgitated over and over. I just saw one on another board where the person said that he was told by two local shops who didnt have the guns in stock, that it was because they were recalled by Glock because of all the problems. Do a search and see what you find. Kind of makes you wonder.

I currently have two of the 44's and between them, around 3500 rounds through them now. In those 3500 rounds, Ive had a total of three stoppages, two of which were obviously underpowered ammo related problems (squibs with 25 year old Winchester Super X), so really only one unexplained stoppage (fail to extract CCI Blazer). Mine really seem to like the 40 grain standard velocity Blazers too, and they have been reliable and accurate.

OP,

Take your daughter to a shop and let her check out as many different 22 pistols and revolvers as possible. Find the one(s) that fit her the best. Do you want something just to teach her the basics/safety or are you wanting something as a trainer for a centerfire? So far everyone has given good advice as far as brands/types.

Here is a list that I own:
H&R 949 revolver - simple to operate, decent accuracy, can shoot any 22lr ammo.
Ruger Mk II - good ergonomics, accurate, eats pretty much any lr ammo.
S&W 22A - accurate but prefers high velocity ammo
GSG 1911 conversion kit - works great on my Rock Island frame, great for practice, not as accurate as my other hand guns.

List of ones that I have shot but don't own:
Browning Buckmark - same as Ruger Mk series
Beretta NEOS - good but just didn't fit my hand.
Ruger SR22 - reliable and shoots most ammo just fine
Walther P22 - good as a trainer, prefers high velocity

My personal choices would be the following in order as long as fit/ergonomics are good:
Semi Auto:
Ruger Mk series
Ruger SR22
Browning Buckmark
Glock 44

Revolvers:
Ruger Single Six
Ruger Wrangler
S&W

As far as reliability of the Glock 44, you should really read the few threads about them from Gunny. He has done some good tests on them.

I have looked at the Heritage Rough Riders, Beretta NEOS, and Glock 44 and none of them fit my hands well. That's why I say to let your daughter check out different ones to find what she likes and fits her.

DustyGmt said:

but I generally want to purchase a .22 handgun that does mimic the handling and appearance of common service type handguns.

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It seems as if you have answered your own question,,,
Buy the Glock and don't look back.

I have two range buddies that were early buyers,,,
Both of their guns run perfectly with CCI 40 grain RN Mini-mags.

Aarond

.

I also have a Ruger SR22 and it prefers hi speed ammo like CCI MM and Winchester Super X.

Bill

Any of the Mark Series from Ruger. My MK II and Mk IV pistols eat whatever they're fed. The SR22 is a different style than the Marks, but equally reliable in a lighter package.