Reliable Small 22 Auto?

[Woody_in_MN]

I finally see the logic of having a 22 in my collection. I've been running some searches, and there seems to be a lot of conflicting reports on Pocket sized 22 autos.

I saw a Taurus P22, and thought that would be the ticket. But many people complained in the THR threads of jamming - but some claimed thousands of rounds thru, and no problem at all ???!!!??? (TILT)

Next I started leaning in the direction of the Walther P22, but again I read on some jamming problems.

I really don't want to go the route of a long barrel gun (5+ inches), I guess I really want more of a plunker. And given the low cost f 22 ammo, I may be shoting this more than any other gun I have.

I'll do some more searches, but any reccomendatins here?

- w

 

[New_geezer]

The Rugers and Buckmarks both have their quirks, but both have proven to be reliable accurate shooters for a long time. Both have many upgrades available if you want to go that route. I personally have a Buckmark Camper and a Sig Trailside. The BM Camper uses a plastic sight base that is prone to cracking - Other BM models use an alloy sight base and I have since upgraded - otherwise I love the gun. The Trailside also uses some suspect parts (like plastic magazines). But it feels good in the hand and is easy to break down. The Trailside is an OK gun, but I found it a little disappointing and overpriced.

Suggest a visit to www.rimfirecentral.com

Lots of info available on all makes and models

 

[stealthmode]

i really like my ruger mkII's they have proven reliable and accurate. there is a new ruger mkIII 22/45 with a 4 inch bull barrel that looks nice. i have shot atleast 10000 rounds this year with my mkII 22/45 and the only problem i had was with some of the waxed ammo (PMC) causing a build up inside the mags so they would slow down the mag spring causing jams. i never had a problem with the copper or brass jacketed ammo loading or feeding.

 

[CajunBass]

I've got a Ruger MkIII, 22/45 with the 4" bull barrel. After a few jams in the first 100 rounds or so, it's been flawless with any kind of ammo. I really think it was the ammo at fault the first 100 rounds. It too had a waxy stuff on it.

If you want a smaller, "pocket pistol" type gun, look at a Bersa Firestorm 22. My wife has one and that's a nice little pistol. It's fussier about ammo, but functions 100% with CCI mini mags. It's accurate with anything so we put up with the occasional jam at the range.

 

[Woody_in_MN]

I know about the MarkII/III, am considering the Buck Mark, and may go that route. Really I am looking for something more compact, say 7" or less length.

- w

 

[enfield]

Look at a used Buckmark Micro. It has a shorter barrel than their other models, but I think it's been discontinued.

 

[Ascot500]

Although out of print for several years, the S&W 422/622 can still be found for reasonable prices. The 4.5" version is both compact and light weight ~ 22 oz.
A little heavier due to all steel construction, is th Colt Huntsman and the Iver Johnson Trailsman.

 

[Ala Dan]

" a quality small frame .22 caliber auto"~!

If you can still find one, an Iver Johnson TP-22. Inexpensive, but works
like a charm. Unfortunately, mine was stolen during my wife's car-jacking.

 

[Woody_in_MN]

Guys,

Thanks for the replies. Due partly to a pricing error, I got a Walther P22 in Nickel finish for $240. I'm going to give this a try. The trigger did not seem as bad on the 2nd look see. I love the size of this thing. They did show me a .22 Beretta Cheetah, I think it was. Nice gun, but $100 more.

- w

 

[Bill B.]

How about a Walther TPH? A bit on the pricy side but nice if you can find one!

 

[wrangler5]

I bought my son a Walther P22 last year and he (and I) think it's a terrific package. It is ammo sensitive - some will work perfectly and some simply won't. You have to experiment to find the stuff that works best in your gun, but frankly that's true of most 22 autos. You almost certainly will find that the hi speed rounds will generally work better, and probably will find that standard velocity and subsonic rounds generally will not be very reliable. But you never know - you just have to buy a bunch of different boxes and shoot 'em up. (Well, it's a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it - "Rats, Ma, this thing still isn't working right. I've got to go back out to the range and try some different ammo." )

 

[Woody_in_MN]

I bought a 500 box of Remington Golden Bullet HP. I'm kind of hoping Walther likes it.

- w

 

[Shipwreck]

Have had my Taurus PT22 since 1998. When I first got it, it didn't feed right and I sent it into Taurus. They sent it back and said the mag lips were adjusted. It has worked great ever since.

I would recommend the gun. The only 22 pistols this size that are available (and decent quality) are the Taurus and the Beretta bobcat.

 

[Woody_in_MN]

If I had the extra money, the Beretta Chetah was a nice gun. But the PT22 is light, and small - I really like that.

- w

 

[albanian]

Don't forget the .22lr caliber Bersas. Everyone forgets them but they are great guns. Much better than the Walther P-22 in all respects.

 

[Pilot]

Don't forget the .22lr caliber Bersas. Everyone forgets them but they are great guns. Much better than the Walther P-22 in all respects.

I was looking for the Bersa .22, but they are very hard to find. Its the same gun as their .380, but in .22. I bought the Beretta instead because it was in stock. No regrets, but of course I still want the Bersa .22.

 

[The_Shootist]

.22 Auto

+1 on the Beretta Model 87 Cheetah

Bit pricey but the quality is there and its pretty accurate. Does tend to like the higher velocity stuff the most tho (ie Stingers/Velocitors/Aquila Super Max).

But I'm still so impressed with this gun I might actually step up and buy its .380 big brother!

 

[Moonclip]

I'm in the market for a smallish DA auto 22lr that is not too big, but bigger than my Beretta 21. Passed a FEG PP clone at $150, I had issues with my Pa63. I'd take a Bersa, but I'm still a little concerned as I seemed to have owned the only unreliable Bersa ever made.

Any real Walther 22lr DA auto besides the P22 seems very expensive. I got rid of a American Arms small PPK clone as the guy that sold it was kind of shady and I let another shady guy I knew who didn't care have it. I did not want to be involved with it anymore.

Who knows what I will end up with eventually?

 

[Woody_in_MN]

MOONCLIP,

I'm having mis-feeds with the P22 on hollow-point standard velocity. Maybe one every other clip. I have high-velocity on order. I hear that will feed better. I think you can lots of used Mark II/III's for around $150. But they are big. I heard a lot of good, and some bad, on the Phoenix HP22. Nice looking gun, and cheap. But buy one new - you will get life time warranty. I almost went that route - but getting the Walther in a nickel finish for less than $250 put me over the top.

- w

 

[pauli]

my ammo findings with my p22:

a: cci minimags. personally, i don't think my p22 is worth the cost of the darn things, but they work flawlessly. highly recommended for breaking in any 22.

b: remington golden bullet. near as i can tell, this is what the gun was designed for.

c: remington thunderbolts work just as well as golden bullets, IF you can keep it from leading. mix them with some sort of copper covered ammo.

d: winchester bulk pack. they feed fairly reliably after i polished the feed ramp (more or less). again, watch for leading.

e: federal bulk pack. these will not feed right from a full mag and will not cycle the slide reliably. they are, however, clean, and easier to obtain than remington (and my rifle likes them, so i have lots around).

what i've been doing lately is putting a couple rounds of thunderbolt on top of an otherwise full mag of federal. i get through most magazines without a misfeed, but not all.

things to avoid: anything other than high velocity. no standard velocity, no hyper velocity. the former won't cycle, the latter will run great till the slide cracks and hits you in the eye.

if you can, polish the feed ramp. it definitely helps.

when you put the mag in the gun, take a look to make sure the brilliant magazine design hasn't caused the top round to stick straight up. it won't feed properly from that position

make sure you've got the barrel nut tightened down before you go shooting. if not, you can have some problems. otoh, mine actually fed federal better with a loose barrel than a tight one. go figure. i'm thinking about getting a washer to move the barrel back about 1mm.

when cleaning, don't overlubricate. p22s hate that, and use it as an excuse to disassemble.

oh, and put some loctite on THE SCREW. if you don't know already what i mean... you will.

 

[Woody_in_MN]

Pauli,

My current 22 ammo that frequently jams is "golden bullet" hp, but normal load - not high velocity.

- w