[MTHall47]

Trying to decide between the following:
1] Bersa
2] Ruger
3] Walther
4] OTHER??

Any advice, or experience, using one of the small, inexpensive ($300.00) or less 22 auto pistols??

Thanks. :what:

[Wil Terry]

1. The BERSA is the best for the money. Mine is going on 20,000 rounds without a stoppage. It'll hit blackbirds out to 35 yards or so and that is good enough for me.
2. The RUGER 22 pistols are not small. On the other hand they shoot up a storm and are easy to shoot well. Make no mistake about it, the RUGER line of 22 autoloading pistols are the benchmark from which all 22 pistols are judged.
3. The WALTHER PP22 is an outstanding relatively small 22 pistol capable of astounding accuracy. This is also true for the MANURHIN PP22.
3A. The WALTHER P22 is generally a lightweight pain-in-the-butt that may or may not shoot pretty darned well.
4. The others out there go from okay to superb. My JENNINGS 22 has never missed a lick and will hit popcans all day long as long as you feed it W-W 22LR high speed ammunition.

[scubie02]

what sort of a "small 22 auto pistol" are we talking here? When I think small 22 auto, I'm thinking pocket gun. Does Ruger make a 22 auto besides the mark ii/new mark iii?


If its not a pocket gun you're looking for, try to find a ruger mark ii while they are still around. I personally like the 6 7/8" barrel target (non bull barrel) model.

If its a pocket 22 you're looking for...well, the beretta model 21's are arguably one of the better ones out there--I've owned two, one 10 or 15 years ago, and one a year or two ago. Quality seems to have gone downhill somewhat from my older one to the newer one I had, but still they tend to be surprisingly accurate for the size, and I never had a jam with either one, ever. The pop up barrel is handy too. I had a pretty terrible experience with beretta and its customer service over a tikka rifle, however, and pretty much divested myself of everything beretta since then, so I am semi hesitant to recommend them because if you ever had a problem, you're semi screwed or have to deal with lousy customer service (still have a burris scope or two though from before they bought them--couldn't part with them).

The only downside to the model 21 is its semi heavy for its size. You could also look at a kel tec p32--cheaper, much lighter, thinner, and mine has always gone bang. Ugly as hell, but you don't worry about scratching them or anything thatway.

Most of the time I just carry a 1911 anyway, its only on the rare occasion that some odd clothing requirement makes that impossible and even the j frame is tough that the kt comes along.

[Rob1035]

the Firestorm (aka bersa) FS22 is both smaller and (in my experience) much more durable than the Walther.

[Onmilo]

Firestorm/bersa is an excellent pistol for the money spent.
As I sad in an earlier post, if you can find a Smith and Wesson 2214 Sportsman pocket pistol, it makes a great subcompact rimfire.

[bodoke]

You may consider an all stell used Bersa, I will find out the last model made of steel for you and let you know. Anyway the present one is more than strong enough.

Max.

[Shooter973]

I have had some good experience's with the Little Phoenix 22 auto's that sell for around $125 .. Mine was pretty tight when I purchased it, but with a little shooting and just a drop of oil on the slide it has smoothed right out and been very dependable. Mine will feed just about any type of 22 LR that I put in the mag. 10 shots, and the little darling even has adjustable sights. For the money I think they are a terrific buy. now that it's broken in , it doesn't need the drop of oil anymore. Very little lubrication and it still perks right along. :)

[pauli]

mthall, as stated above, we need to know what you're looking for before we can usefully comment.

[rockstar.esq]

Perhaps someone forgot about the Browning Buckmark. It is availible with a 4" barrel which is longer than many of the guns mentioned above, however I tend to think that handgun performance with a .22LR tends to get disapointing with a short sight radius gun. I mean if you really don't care about anything other than size, a derringer would serve you well as would the MUCH more expensive NAA mini revolvers.

[hifi]

HP22 is a good gun for the money. Too many safety features though.

[JB in SC]

Walther TPH, above your price range but a good pocket gun.

[CajunBass]

My wife has the Bersa Firestorm 22 t hat is mostly reliable with "bargan" ammo. With CCI mini mags, it shoots every time she pulls the trigger. She shoots it pretty well too.

[sigma 40ve]

Check out the Beretta 21. Got mine used at a Gander Mtn for under $100 OTD less than a year ago,about 90-95% condition. Been smiling about it ever since. :)

[PowderBurn]

I just had my Beretta 21a out today for the first time in a year or two. It is a fun gun, very reliable, and it will also surprise you with its accuracy. The sights are small and require concentration, but that ain't all bad. I had the chrony out, so just for fun I clocked a few. Remington hi-velocity 40-gr solids were about 650 FPS, while the CCI Stinger 32-gr HPs ran up to 1100.

[Sistema1927]

Not "small", but it was on your list:

You can't go wrong with a Ruger .22. My 1958 vintage "Standard Model" (Same as a Mark I, but with fixed sights) is probably good for another 50-100 years of regular use, and should still look great as well.

[hifi]

The TPH is neat as heck, too much money though and not really a plinker.

[wally]

Remington hi-velocity 40-gr solids were about 650 FPS, while the CCI Stinger 32-gr HPs ran up to 1100

I'm suspicious of your CCI Stinger velocity from a 2" barrel. 1100 fps is just about the velocity of sound, you need to be sure you are measuring the bullet and not the muzzle blast that crosses the screens first. The Rem loads may not have a stong enough blast to trip the chrono.

American Rifleman magazine embarrassed themselves years ago from this effect in an article where they were testing a 44 Mag Dan Wesson revolver and systematically reducing barrel length to get an idea of the length vs. velocity function -- it stayed constant despite further barrel reductions once it dropped to about 1050-1100 fps. Getting the same velocity from a cylinder with no barrel installed as from a 2" barrel was a red flag they had missed :)

My Beretta 21 is prone to misfires with too many brands of ammo -- they generally go on the second strike. Other than that its a fun little gun.

--wally.

[PowderBurn]

you need to be sure you are measuring the bullet and not the muzzle blast that crosses the screens first.
Interesting point. But I was getting reasonable readings from other guns from the same bench/chrony arrangement during that range session. 850 fps for 250-gr 45LC Cowboy loads from a 4-5/8 bbl Ruger, 1075 for hotter handloads, 1365 fps from M629 .44 mag, 900 from 230-gr .45ACP handloads.

[albanian]

I'm gald to see that others like the Bersa .22s. I have an older all steel model 23 in nickel and I love it. It is the one gun that seems to get taken to the range every time I go. I have put about 7K rds through it give or take since getting it about two years ago. I got it used but I don't think it was shot much because when i took it home, it wouldn't feed anything. I think the owner tried to shoot it and it jammed on him so he sold it or traded it to the gunshop that I bought it from.

I removed a burr and polished the feedramp and chamber with my Dremel and it has been every bit as reliable as any of my Rugers or Buckmarks! It is also VERY accurate. I recently bought a newer Bersa Thunder in .22lr and have not been as impressed with it. It is not quite as accurate but it is reliable.

I have a Beretta 21A that is very reliable for a tiny auto but is not very accurate.

[38Mike]

Browning Buckmark Micro; not really small....but lots of fun :) got mine for about 300 bucks.....