Semi Auto .22 RF Pistols , Optic Ready ; Who's and WHY ?

BushMaster-15

BushMaster-15

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Looking for suggestions and user opinions as to WHO'S .22 Rim-fire Semi Auto pistol that You would purchase and WHY ?.

I'm looking for My Wife ,as she is burning through our ( I started to say MY 9mm stash but anyone married longer than 12 months KNOWS what I'm referring too ) . What was mine is Now hers and whatever would have been mine is also hers ,as well as what's hers is hers !.

I buy ALL components load all components and bless her heart , she found out she LOVES SHOOTING them !. So IF I can find her an optic ready .22 she can practice all she wants ,as it WILL SAVE MY SHOULDER !. :D
 
Have had three optic ready .22s over the last year, FN 502, TX22 Competition, and Sig P322. All good, but I shoot the TX22 and P322 the most. The P322 only takes micro red dots on an RMSc footprint. The TX22 Competition will take anything, has plates included. Also the optic stays fixed to the barrel. The FN (really a Umarex) 502 is good, great SAO trigger, but the 322 is a better product and price IMO. Of the three, my TX22 has the best trigger of the bunch, and I have been very impressed with it.

The standard 22/45s Mk IVs, and Buckmark are still solid pistols, I'm just glad there are high capacity .22 autos these days.
 
Kel Tec CP33. I don't care for the plastic magazine or the price for the mags, but with good ammo it cycles reliably, great trigger, and very accurate. 33 rds a mag, what's not to like?

Also, with the issues I'm having with mounting optics to plates, the good old pic rail has never failed me, so anything that has a rail or is designed around a rail like the CP33 is gets more interest from me.
 
BushMaster-15 said:
Looking for suggestions and user opinions as to WHO'S .22 Rim-fire Semi Auto pistol that You would purchase and WHY ?.
Click to expand...

I've owned a Neos (sold it) and have quite a bit of trigger time with my friends' Ruger MKIIs and MKIIIs in 22/45 and regular configuration. What I bought and still have is a Plain Jane Browning Buckmark Camper with a mini red dot. It satisfies my particular .22 autoloader itch. It really came down to the Buckmark fitting my hand better and it seems to take less adaptation for me to shoot well.

https://www.browning.com/products/firearms/pistols/buck-mark.html

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It is fairly cheap and easy to put a red dot on a Browning Buckmark or Ruger Mark IV or Smith and Wesson Victory (I think) and they are far more accurate than any poly frame combat style 22 pistols if that is important to you. They come either with the required rail or you can buy and screw one on for not much. The Browning Buckmark comes in different frame sizes too which means there is a likely option they will work for most people. I have larger hands and prefer the UFX frame like I have with my Buckmark Camper.

Here is reasonably priced Buckmark that comes with a red dot.

https://grabagun.com/browning-buck-...mson-trade-red-dot.html?avad=211021_e2bfbf2b1
 
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Thank You one and all ; As she carries a Walther PPQ M2 ,a Walther PPQ 22 M2 4 or 5" would be a perfect replacement substitute . Holster would fit everything wonderful . Drawback Slide milling C&H with an adapter plate for a RMR optic .
Have to inquire with C&H IF that can be done on a .22 version ?. In the long run IF it can might be well worth it .
 
BushMaster-15 said:
Thank You one and all ; As she carries a Walther PPQ M2 ,a Walther PPQ 22 M2 4 or 5" would be a perfect replacement substitute . Holster would fit everything wonderful . Drawback Slide milling C&H with an adapter plate for a RMR optic .
Have to inquire with C&H IF that can be done on a .22 version ?. In the long run IF it can might be well worth it .
Click to expand...

Yeah but good luck with that as not only would the aluminim slide have to be milled but would it be reliable with an optic on it then? Or maybe she would settle for the PPQ 22 without the optic?
 
Well MY CCW Walther PPQ M2 9mm does outstanding with a RMR . In fact without an optic I qualified Master Instructor #19 shots inside 4" at 15 Yd. with factory ammo ONLY. Had one which was .5" outside the line . S&B 124 ammo .

I'm uncertain of the .22 slide specs and wonder IF there's enough meat to mill and tap for a adapter plate ?. It would be IDEAL for the Wife ,as the whole point she wants less expensive ammo to practice with but also would like the optic .
I've got more than a couple of .22 pistols Semi and revolvers but nothing I'm willing to dick up having a milled sight plate put on . Colt Woodsman or High Standard Victor S&W K22 Target all would look poorly wearing one .

Mine are almost like NIB and I DO have their original boxes ,as they reside in them . I know for a fact I haven't shot #2 boxes of shells through My K22 and I bought it New in 73 perhaps ?. However the dealer may of had it for ??. I bought a Walther PPK/S .380 which had NO
INTERARMS ALEXANDRIA VIRGINIA import markings ,from the same dealer . Somehow a dozen or so came through slightly earlier and I was just DUMB Lucky and bought one . The right place right time deal . Then it was Stolen and #43 years later I got it back !.
Slide says ; Carl Walther Waffenfabrik Ulm/Do. / Modell PPK/S Cal. 9mm kurz/380 ACP Made in Germany .

I know John Bianchi and Tom Friedkin also purchased them ,because they were right beside ME . IF I've not lost my memory Shortly before Thanksgiving of 1981 . Decisively sooner than Interarms importing them offered for sale. The Reason I remember the date is Tom invited Me to his Ranch in Kenya to hunt . I knew Both of them fairly well ,as I'd worked for Tom re-doing his Home in Ranch Santa Fe at the time . He had purchased the old Bing Crosby Estate . John had his Leather Business up in Temecula ,CA. and we all Shot on a Private range ( at the time ) which belonged to another well known Gunsmith in the area .
 

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Do you want something that is more a target gun for fun at the range, or a trainer for a more defensive oriented gun?

For a trainer, I like my Taurus Tx22. They made it to be sized like and feel a lot like a lot of compact and subcompact 9mms. It is a great generic trainer, very reliable for a rimfire, and a lot of fun. You can remove the rear sight for a RMR. Another option, if there is a .22 made in the actual gun she uses for home defense or carry (future carry) that could be a good option.

For just a fun gun at the range...

Taurus Tx22. It is a lot of fun in itself, but it comes with a threaded barrel if you wanted to add a silencer. Talk about a fun range toy.

Ruger Mk series. Of course, you would have to consider this. The earlier generations were a bear to take down and reassemble for cleaning, but you really didn't have to do it often. Now, it is supposed to be much more reasonable.

Those are the only .22 pistols I've owned. I have a S&W 317 revolver I've ordered on Gunbroker, but the FFL I bought it from and my local FFL haven't yet gotten together. I'm thinking about a Beretta 92, a single action revolver, and a Glock 44 as an additional fun .22lr myself.
 
Of the current crop, I'd go S&W Victory or Browning Buckmark.

The S&W 22A or Beretta NEOS are also good little pistols. I have a couple of the NEOS, one of which is an SBR with the carbine kit and a 6" barrel. The NEOS grips are small, but surprisingly comfortable and natural for a guy who wears XL gloves.

I'm not a fan of the Ruger Mk, but obviously they serve many people well.

The aforementioned KelTec CP33 does have a cool factor, but they are crappy suppressor hosts if that concerns you, lots of port pop.

Unfortunately, some of the more awesome rimfire pistols like the Beretta 71 or S&W 2206 do not meet your optics ready requirement.
 
sigarms228 said:
Yeah but good luck with that as not only would the aluminim slide have to be milled but would it be reliable with an optic on it then? Or maybe she would settle for the PPQ 22 without the optic?
Click to expand...

C&H WON'T mill any .22 slide ,function reliability withstanding extra weight from cycling on aluminum NO GOOD and IF it's a steel slide adds just enough weight to make ejection / loading a problem . So Wife has decided to CAN the idea of an optic and I'm buying her a Walther PPQ M2 22LR 5" . I've done some research read several articles and reviews ,watched a couple of Uboob videos and have decided because of function reliability tests ; STAY WITH THE WALTHER . :)
 
Thank You ALL for the insight and input ; I'm not much of a Ruger fan but agree any of the suggested would probably fill that ticket .
I'm thinking the Wife will be better served having as close to her carry gun as possible and her having a Creed & PPQ M2 9mm , that the PPQ M2 .22LR 5" is gonna be a better fit . Training but also practical target shooting such as steel plates .

I'm thinking having her sit down at the bench and sand bagging onto paper targets ,is gonna be BENEFICIAL for the BOTH of us .
I purposely DIDN'T train My Wife ,I had her go to a Super older instructor who was renown for teaching Women to shoot .
It's just been so many years back and she's probably picked up MY BAD habits or forgotten her disciplines and lack of practice .
Either way at least we will KNOW where she's putting those rounds and then I hopefully can correct as needed .

I've either always been quick and blessed with eye to finger point accuracy ( maybe shooting rats on the run at chicken ranches with .22 BB's or pellet guns had a hand in that ? ) ,so when I train I draw swing fire and rotate to targets while moving forward . That DOESN'T help teach the Wife . I've got to get her to stay stationary , point aim and get her to squeeze target specific basic fundamental shooting and HIT targets .
That ALWAYS encourages MORE PRACTICE .
 
I have a Sig P322 that is great. YouTube reviewers claim leading in the barrels but I haven't had an issue at all.

We also have a Ruger Mark IV (with VQ accurizing kit) that is great and my son shoots a VQ Black Mamba for competition.

Mark
 
Ruger Mark IV with VQ 2 lb. trigger. A pleasure to shoot and very accurate. Not for sale. 64-DAAFB5-5-B4-B-42-F5-85-E1-74-C6-C6624-E12.jpg A Smith model 41 with factory 2 lb. trigger, sent from Heaven for this cowboy to have, keep and love. The spoken word cannot describe my love for this gun. Perfect in form and function. Not for sale. 99256-C05-E659-48-AE-9892-D03099153-F92.jpg
 
BushMaster-15 said:
C&H WON'T mill any .22 slide ,function reliability withstanding extra weight from cycling on aluminum NO GOOD and IF it's a steel slide adds just enough weight to make ejection / loading a problem . So Wife has decided to CAN the idea of an optic and I'm buying her a Walther PPQ M2 22LR 5" . I've done some research read several articles and reviews ,watched a couple of Uboob videos and have decided because of function reliability tests ; STAY WITH THE WALTHER . :)
Click to expand...

The Walther PPQ .22's are great rimfires. They are made at the Ulm plant as opposed to the Arnsberg plant (I verified this in email to Walther). The Ulm plant is the older Walther plant that was purchased by Umarex, the quality out of the Ulm plant is great. The PPQ is a different animal than the P22.
 
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