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Good Ol' Boy

Good Ol' Boy

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....an inexpensive semi .22.

The purpose of this gun would mainly be for introducing new shooters, but it would have the benefit of allowing me to plink.

I run Glocks for SD/EDC/comps so the G44 is obviously interesting. Although I'm not not opposed to other options.

I've shot several versions of the Ruger Mark 3-4 and they were quite solid performers. Albeit in today's market not cheap.

Outside of that I haven't shot any semi .22's other than my Dads Nomads.
 
I use my Glock 44 mostly to introduce new shooter to firearms. I also use my Ruger Mk3. I’d buy a Mk4 today.

My G44 has been almost flawless over 5,000+ rounds

The Taurus TX22 is supposed to be excellent but I’ve not shot it. I like the new Sig P322 because it’s optics ready but haven’t shot one yet
 
I can say that I have 20,000+ trouble free rounds fired through my G44. I bought mine in February 2020. Now I will say that I have yet to get the G44 trigger t feel anything like my G19 triggers. I have even tried a Gen 5 G19 trigger bar in the G44 with no changes. And you definitely do not want tog go below a 5 pound firing pin spring on the G44. I tried a 4.5 pound spring and it caused a lot of light primer strikes.

If you want the same trigger then a conversion slide is the way to go. Though a G44 will be a lot more reliable with a greater variety of ammo then a conversion slide will be.

Do a search on both the Taurus TX22 and the Sig P322. It seems that both have had issues with batches of bad barrels that lead up quickly. Sig will be quicker to fix things versus Taurus. Don't get me wrong I am not bashing either pistol, just stating facts.

The Browning Buckmark and Ruger Mk series are always good to go and very popular.
 
12Bravo20 said:
I can say that I have 20,000+ trouble free rounds fired through my G44. I bought mine in February 2020. Now I will say that I have yet to get the G44 trigger t feel anything like my G19 triggers. I have even tried a Gen 5 G19 trigger bar in the G44 with no changes. And you definitely do not want tog go below a 5 pound firing pin spring on the G44. I tried a 4.5 pound spring and it caused a lot of light primer strikes.

If you want the same trigger then a conversion slide is the way to go. Though a G44 will be a lot more reliable with a greater variety of ammo then a conversion slide will be.
….

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Click to expand...

I put a Timney Alpha trigger in mine. Makes it excellent!
 
Good Ol' Boy said:
inexpensive semi .22 ... for introducing new shooters, but it would have the benefit of allowing me to plink.

I run Glocks for SD/EDC/comps
Click to expand...
For same trigger feel/manual of arms shooting drills, I transitioned from GSG 1911/Sig 1911 to Advantage Arms 22LR slide kit for my Gen3 Glock 22.

I anticipated ammunition selection issue mentioned by other AA slide kit owners and as suggested, locked the slide back when I received the kit until the range day. After the first magazine, it's been 99.5% reliable with various 22LR ammunition (CCI SV, Aguila, Armscor, Federal bulk, etc.) but Norma Tac-22 will not cycle the slide fully and will stovepipe every round.

I wasn't too interested in utmost accuracy as it was to be used for new shooters to defensive point shooting training and my typical range shooting drills I do with 40-9mm conversion barrel; but to my surprise, it shoots to same POA with around 1" groups at 7-10 yards off hand. Since I am using the same exact trigger, AA slide kit has done well with my eyes closed point shooting drills - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...hose-with-vision-issues.891558/#post-11996959

They can be priced down to around $250 with free shipping like this kit for Gen3 G17/G22 - https://shootingsurplus.com/adv-arms-conv-kit-for-le17-22-w-bag/
 
I am also looking for a .22 semiauto, mostly for target shooting , plinking and maybe varmints.
I decided my choices were Ruger Mk IV, S&W Victory, Browning Buckmark and Kel-Tec CP33. I added the Kel-Tec to the list after reading about them.
I decided that before I bought I planned to shoot them by renting.
Trouble is the only range near me that rents guns only has 2 from my list. Both are Ruger Mk IV’s. A Target model 5.5” and a 22/45 Lite.
The top of my list was the Ruger Mk IV Target.
So glad I shot those Rugers. I found out real quick that I did not like the “Luger grip angle” of the Target model but really enjoyed shooting the 22/45 Lite, which wasn’t on my list at all.

If you can, rent some guns and try them. You may find what you thought. You wanted may not be so. :)
 
I currently use a Browning Buckmark for this purpose. However, for newbies looking for self or home defense use, I am considering either a S&W M&P22 or a Taurus TX22, so they would be handling a form very similar to their ultimate SD/HD pistol. This consideration was from my USCCA Training Counselor, who uses the M&P22.
I have a bias against .22 conversions for Glock, admittedly from way back in 2006. My NRA Basics of Pistol instructor had us all shooting his G19 with a .22 adapter. He was accusing WAY too many in the class of limp-wristing when we had cycle problems than I can believe; I attributed the problems to the .22 adapter.
 
Another fan of the Beretta Neos. While it has sort of "Love It or Leave It" styling, it's a very reliable and well made .22. Speaking of reliable I'm a big fan of the Neos magazine; also well made (stainless steel), easy to load, and a real bargain at $19.99! The trigger on the gun itself is relatively so-so but still good enough for informal target shooting and nicely suited for casual plinking. There was also a nifty kit offered by Beretta to convert the pistol into a handy carbine, though it has since been discontinued.
 
I have a couple of the Glock 44's. Both have been trouble free and good shooters. If youre a Glock shooter, they makes sense.

I didnt notice that my 44's triggers were any different than any of my other Glocks. I dont do trigger jobs on anything unless something was really wrong, so they are all stock.

I know a lot of people complain about the mags only holding 10 rounds, but I don't see what the big deal is. I believe there are some aftermarket mags around now that carry more, but I haven't tried any.

I use three dot night sights on anything I can easily get them on, and the 9mm Mepros Ive been using on the other guns, went right on the 44's with no problem. Although the rear sights did peel a little curly cue of plastic out of the dovetail on the one. If you round the corners on the emery when you smooth out the bottom of the sight, and it will stop that urge to dig in. They shoot very close to POA too.

I'm on my fourth case of Blazers between the two, with a mix of Winchester Super X, Aquila, and a few others to see what they liked.

The only ammo they didnt, was some old Federal Match I had in the back of the locker, that was there because it didnt work in any of the other autos I tried it in.


I also have a Beretta M9-22. Ive had the same experience with it as I have the Glocks. Its a good and trouble free shooter as well.

These have the Umarex name on them, and they did a good job. I know a lot of people dont like the Umarex name, but Ive had a couple of other guns made by them in the past, and never had any troubles.

One thing you notice right off with the M9 is, you cant tell if you have a 22 or a 9mm in your hands. They are very close, if not identical in weight and feel. If you arent paying attention when you grab it out of the safe, if you dont take a quick peek at the muzzle end, its easy to grab the wrong one.

Its mags carry 15 rounds, so if thats a bug for you, they took care of it. :)

I dont have as many rounds through the M9 as I do the Glocks, but Ive had the same experience with the same ammo Ive shot throught the Glocks. It seems to like everything but the Federals.
 
I've owned a bunch of 22's. Rugers, Colts, Smith and Wesson, just to name a few. Never had a bad one. But for just plain fun, I really like my current Walther PPK/S in 22. Yea, it's not as pretty as the old Walthers with their bright finish. Yea, it's made of an "aluminum alloy" (Zamak) but it's a 22, and it feels solid and well made. Actually it feels exactly like my PPK/s 380, right down to the weight. I don't think I could ever wear it out. Yea, the DA trigger is heavy, but the SA is pretty good...and either I've gotten used to the DA or it's gotten better over time. Somewhat finicky with bulk pack type ammo, that seems to only apply when fired in DA. For some reason in SA it shoots most anything. Give it mini-mags or other premium ammo, it runs like a sewing machine in either mode. You can at least in theory, get it in either the black finish, or a nickel one, although I admit I've never seen one in nickel. I paid under $300.00 OTD, for mine recently when they were on sale at Sportsman's Warehouse. Field stripping and reassambly for cleaning is a snap, and oh, it comes treaded for a suppressor if that interests you.

(edited)_Walther1.png

Not the best 22 by any means, and it's certainly not a target pistol, but it sure puts a grin on my face when punching holes in a piece of paper. I just wish I still lived "up the country" where I could walk out back and toss a few cans on the ground and have at 'em.

And you can say, but never out loud...Cajun...CajunBass. Not that I would ever do such a thing. ;)
 
I have 3- an old Ruger standard, and as you said, they aren't cheap. I also have an older S&W M&P, the type made by Walther, full size. I got it used for $200, my understanding is they weren't that expensive new. I use it to somewhat mimick the Glock 17. I have fired thousands of rounds through it and it is solid. #3 is a Keltech P17. It is a suppressor host, $225 OTD. It has performed solidly, but I only have 100 or so rounds through it, 17 round capacity.
 
For training new shooters, take a look at the S&W M&P22 Compact. I prefer it over my current Ruger MKIV 22/45 or the Ruger SR22 I had. The 22/45 with its plastic frame and 5.5" steel barrel feels too "forward heavy" for some new shooters. The SR22 is designed to decock the gun when you engage the safety, leading to a DA first pull when you disengage, followed by SA pulls after that...fine for some, but not fine for most newbies. The M&P22 remains in SA after disengaging its safety, so you get all consistent trigger pulls. The Smith is well balanced and has been extremely reliable for me. My SR22 malfunctioned a lot.
I just ordered a Taurus TX22, and after some initial QC problems, it appears to be a very solid pistol now.
 
Ruger Mark of some kind, or Browning Buck Mark. One or the other goes with me on every range trip.
 
The Beretta NEOS is another good one. I just never could get use to the grip angle on it.

No experience with the S&W Victory, but the S&W 22A has been good to go for me over the years. While it doesn't have the round count the G44 has, I have still shot it a lot since purchasing the 22A in 2007.

Now onto the Kel-Tec CP33.

What's not to love about 33 round magazines in a pistol that is just fun to shoot. Kel-Tec pistols aren't usually known for having the best triggers but the CP33 does have a good trigger. I put the CP33 trigger at the same level as my stock Ruger MkII Standard and stock S&W 22A if not slightly above both. I own and shoot all three and the CP33 is just as accurate if not better than the 22A at 50-85 yards. I won't compare the MkII Standard to the CP33 or 22A for distant accuracy since the MkII has iron sights and the others have red dots.

I have several ProMag 18 round G44 mags. All work just as well as the OEM 10 round mags. Yes we all know that ProMag usually equals junk, but even a blind squirrel finds a juicy walnut now and then. The ProMag G44 mags work well. The biggest complaints about the OEM and ProMag magazines not feeding reliably is due to not loading them correctly. Both are a semi double stack design and it is easier to get rim lock versus a standard single stack design.

The Glock G44 and Kel-Tec CP33 goes with me on pretty much every range trip no matter what else I am shooting that day. While the CP33 will hit clay birds at 85 yards in a single hit every time the G44 can do it but it sometimes take 2 shots per clay bird. Either way it is fun practice for me.

While I am not dogging the Advantage Arms Glock conversion kits, they are known to be very finicky on what ammo they will run reliably. Once you find the ammo your kit likes, it will run for you. Some complain about them since they want to shoot the cheapest bulk ammo they can find.

Since I brought up the G44 trigger and another said they use the TImney trigger, I'll expand on that. While the OEM G44 trigger is different than a stock Gen 5 G19 trigger, it still is not a bad trigger- just slightly different. And there are plenty of others that say the same thing.

Now let me get my NOMEX suit on for the flaming I will get. I personally will not use the Timney Alpha trigger in any of my Glock pistols. There are a few bugs that TImney needs to fix first before I will use the trigger even in a range only pistol. I personally do not care for how the Timely Gen 3 trigger fails the drop safety test. And yes I drop test my pistols to make sure they are safe. And there have been instances of the Timney Gen 5 trigger having reset issues and sometimes doubling. While both failures are not common, they can and do happen. Again, just my personal choice.

Now if you are happy with the Timney Alpha trigger, by all means use it on your range pistols.

I'll end with saying that there has been a lot of good choices mentioned. Try as many different ones as you can to find the one that suits you best. Remember, one can't have too many 22lr pistols.
 
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The Taurus TX22 fits the bill for new shooters and plinking.

Less than 300 bucks. Comes with 2 magazines. Good capacity(16 shots). Lightweight. If it breaks the parts aren't very expensive. Threaded barrel. Easy disassembly.

Ive had one for a couple months. Shoots good. There are examples online where people have put 10,000 or more rounds through them and they are still going.
 
In my opinion the choice depends a lot on the type of pistol you have in mind.
Do you want a .22 pistol that resembles traditional pistols in a larger caliber or do you want a more specialized .22 pistol for precision shooting or anyway for more precise plinking?
In the first case you will have to orient yourself on .22 pistols like the following:
Walther P22Q (inexpensive),
Walther PPQ .22,
S&W M&P 22,
Ruger SR22 (inexpensive),
Taurus TX22 (inexpensive),
Kel-Tec P17 (inexpensive),
Glock 44,
ISSC M22 (inexpensive),
SIG-Sauer P322,
CZ P-07 and P-09 22,
GSG 1911 22 (inexpensive),
Colt 1911 22 (inexpensive),
SIG-Sauer 1911 22 (inexpensive),
Browning 1911 22
and some others that I am surely forgetting.

If you want a .22 pistol more dedicated to target shooting, you can choose from some of these models which in general should be slightly more expensive than some of the previous ones:
Ruger Mk.IV (many variants),
Ruger Mk.IV 22/45 (many variants),
S&W Victory (many variants),
Browning Buckmark (many variants),
Kel-Tec CP33;
Beretta U22 Neos
and some others that I am surely forgetting.
 
Ruger MkII arent too expensive used. A Colt Woodsman would be another good choice.

I like the way my Walther P22 feels and shoots, but its trigger guard mag release is the bane of its existence!
 
Cry once and buy a Ruger MKIV or a Browning Buckmark. My other recommendations would be the Smith and Wesson Victory. I caution you on the Victory because depending your your hand the grips may be too small.
 
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