Which 22 Pistol?

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Snarlingiron

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I have shot many thousands of rounds through semi auto pistols. Many thousands of rounds through shotguns... birdshot, buckshot and slugs. Similar experience with rifles ranging from 94 Winchester to AR and AK's. I have taken a couple of pistol courses and a couple of shotgun courses. Bottom line, I'm not a newcomer, but I just never got into the .22 thing.

I really wanted to buy a .22 conversion kit for my Glock 19, but can't find one for any kind of reasonable price. I bought a Remington 597, and it is loads of fun.

So, with all that, I would like to get a good .22 pistol. I won't tolerate a jamomatic. A guy I work with just bought a Sig mosquito. Took it home, fired 100 rounds, and had 30 jams. It's for sale.

I have looked at the Walther P22
The Star Wars Beretta
the tried and true Ruger

So, what I want is a RELIABLE, accurate semi-auto pistol. Not one of the target rigs that costs north of $700.00, but I don't mind paying in the $300.00 to $400.00 range. It will be just for plinking and range use.

Suggestions?

Reasons?
 
Beretta 87T

87t.jpg


Uber-reliable and accurate. Trigger is not "match grade" though.


S&W 41
41_target2.jpg


Accurate, reliable, target grade, precision trigger. Great choice.

50 shots, 15 yrds off hand in both cases.
 
in your price range is the famous , and rightly so, Mark II Ruger....for some reason, very reliable.....alsp, Ceiner makes a conversion for 200 bucks, but it is just a toy, thus not reliable -
 
Don't know if you have a CZ 75/85 or not but the CZ Kadet kit is fantastic. Extremely reliable even with the cheap ammo and very, very accurate.
 
Agree with westtx28. I also have the kadet kit for my 75B. I took it to the range this morning and was able to put all rounds inside a 2" circle at 30 feet. In 100 rounds, a few failed to fire but I blame it on the ammo, not the gun. Again, this is a conversion kit, so if a cz is already in your safe, it's no brainer.
http://cz-usa.com/product_detail.php?id=35.
If you want a stand alone .22 pistol then...
http://cz-usa.com/product_detail.php?id=34
 
The conversion kit for your Glock costs a whole lot less than that.

I am using a Ciener .22 conversion on my Kimber frame. For that budget, I would build a dedicated frame with appropriate spring weights from scratch and keep the kit.
 
I have a Beretta Neos and a Ruger Mk II.

I love both of them. Beretta has been 100% reliable with the ammo that I buy. Of course, my Ruger MK II has been reliable as well, but I get a few light strikes here and there, ammo and fouling related. I generally only clean it when I start getting light strikes.
 
My first recommendation is to swallow hard and buy the conversion kit.

If you want a .22 pistol that's easy to shoot and accurate, buy a Browning Buckmark; it's in your specified price range.
 
I've owned (and still do) and/or have shot many, many .22 auto pistols over the past fifty years or so, including High Standards, Rugers, Colts, one Browning and one Smith & Wessson (the fabulous Model 41). Though my favorite and the one I'd most hate to part with is the Smith, if ultimate reliability is your priority I'd have to recommend the Ruger. Ease of cleaning, of course, is a separate issue...:evil:
 
Mark III...

Alot depends on how much you want to spend...
Have a CZ Kadet (real good .22 @ $550))... BUT for the money, reliability and its durability the RUGER MARK III can't be beat... plus Ruger is a great company for Customer Service... they ALWAYS stand behind their pistols. Bought a Ruger Mark II in the 80's... a flawless shoot !!
If you like the fit, the looks and it shoots good for you, for UNDER $300 it can't be beat!!!

MarkIII.gif
 
My friends and I all have Ruger Mark III 22/45's and they will fail to extract every few magazines but it's really not a big deal since it's just a range pistol. But if you want better reliability spend a few bucks on a Volquartsen Exact Edge Extractor.
 
If you can find a Colt Woodsman of ANY description BUY IT! Otherwize, a Browning Buckmark or any Ruger Mk1,Mk11 MK111..etc.. Cheap bulk ammo is usually the reason for Jammamatics. Use only quality ammo such as CCI mini mags and keep your magazines cleaned and lubed and you arn't likely to suffer many FTFs or FTE.
 
I have way too many 22 pistols to list but the most accurate is my buckmark hunter 7.25" barrel. I also have a SW22 with a red dot that anyone can pick up and shoot better than their current 22 without any upgraded sights. While a lot of people enjoy shooting my P22 it just is not as accurate but sure gets a lot of range time. My berreta jaguar with a 6" barrel is fairly accurate although a little harder to find. Never been a big fan of the ruger line of 22's although they are very durable and accurate, I just don't like the feel.
 
Ruger MK II or Browning Buckmark. If you get the 5.5 inch bull barrel versions of either you'll get a great plinker that thinks its a target .22 and with some simple mods they can have match grade accuracy.
 
I have a S&W 22A and love it. Great gun. Cheap and extremely accurate/reliable. I would highly recommend it.
 
I have had both A Colt Woodsman and a Colt Challenger for over 20 years. Love em both. Either one can be had in your price range.
 
This question keeps coming up (about weekly, I think).

Get a Ruger mkIII or mkII, in traditional or 22/45 (whichever fits your hand better).
It should give you years (probably decades) of shooting, and teach you how to stay calm with re-assembly (not actually all that bad, it can be stiff the first few times, but I have mine down to under 15 min for; strip, detailed cleaning, and re-assembly).
 
A Ruger, a Browning, a Whitney (old model), a High Standard, a Colt, a Walther PP or PPK (not the P22) -- all are great bets. I'd steer clear of anything that has a slide made of pot metal. What works fine today cracks and breaks and gets tossed in the junk tomorrow.
 
Thanks to everyone for your input.

I went to look at the Browning Buckmark that Cabela's had on sale for $319.00. They were sold out. However, they had the stainless Camper model for $339.00. I bought one.

Took it home stripped it down and cleaned and lubricated it.

Went to the range today, and the first of ~150 rounds was a stovepipe. That was the only malfunction of the session.

I shot a mix of everything from the cheapest crap up to the CCI Mini Mags.

I am a very happy camper.

I did have 2 failures to fire. Both rounds were very adequately dimpled. I consider it an ammunition failure, not a gun failure. One was a Remington Thunderbolt and the other was a Federal bulk target.

I'm really liking this pistol.
 
Snarling,

The take-down screws need a little locktite or they will loosen.

It is a good idea to toss the proper size allen wrench in your range bag.
 
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