[The Wiry Irishman]

I'm the captain of the pistol team at my university, and the president of our gun club has given me a rather excellent oppurtunity. He wants me to pick out a .22 semi-auto pistol for the club to buy (the club has been rifle-centric for a long time, so the pistol side is hurting for high-quality gear) and price is not a concern.

I've never had the oppurtunity to shoot any of the really high end competition guns, and I was wondering, what's the best to buy? Walther? Hammerli? Pardini? Feinwerkbau? Morini? Something else I haven't ever heard of?

[bdutton]

FWB-AW93

http://www.pilkguns.com/tenp/spfwb93.htm

One of the BEST there is for international or bullseye sport pistols.

I wish I could afford one of these.

[ZeSpectre]

Don't know that much about the sport but my understanding is that the High Standard Victor (http://www.highstandard.com/guns.html) is still considered a "best of class" pistol.

[bdutton]

The High Standard is a very good gun.

But it's just not in the same class as a FWB. Believe me, I've owned a High Standard Supermatic Trophy 107 with the 6 inch fluted barrel. In fact, it was my first target .22. I was able to progress to Master level classification with that gun. I had a high score of 298 out of 300 in the 50 foot Gallery Course.

But its still just an average target pistol.

The FWB-AW93 is a Ferrari Boxer, the High Standard is a stock Ford Mustang. It looks nice and you can drive really fast but it doesn't go as fast as the boxer and doesn't handle corners as well.

Other guns to consider:

Hammerli 208s (out of production for years but still demands a high price)
Hammerli signature trailside
Morini
Benneli
Pardini SP
Walther GSP or SSP

[eagle_eyes91]

well for me i prefer pardini .22, walther GSP and Hammerli 280 which is my first pistol and had lead me to numerous victory. bcos i want a lighter n smoother weapon i decided to go with pardini. i've tried walther GSP, the recoil n trigger r ok but the sights cause a lil prob to me. as for walther SSP its great for rapid fire n u can barely feel the recoil but it kept malfunction numerous time. so i'll recommend u pardini n walther GSP.

[redneckdan]

If your group is serious about shooting bullseye, I would go with a 1911 platform (either a wad gun or ball gun) and marvel conversions. That way the same basic pistol can be used for .22 and center fire matches. I've found that the marvel conversions will out perform the model 41 and accurized MKIIs by a fair margin.

[wilkersk]

FWB-AW93

http://www.pilkguns.com/tenp/spfwb93.htm

One of the BEST there is for international or bullseye sport pistols.

I wish I could afford one of these

Yeah, me 2. I'd think it might even shoot better than my Marvel conversion:D Certainly it would be more accurate than my P22:banghead::banghead:

Would be entertaining to see 1911 pattern pistols in the ISSF 25m rapid fire event though

[M67]

Walther? Hammerli? Pardini? Feinwerkbau? Morini? Something else I haven't ever heard of?I've shot all of those in some variation or other, don't own any of them. I am thinking about a Morini myself, it's the one I have felt the most immediate "connection" with.

I don't think that any one of the guns mentioned is "the best". All of those, and maybe a couple of others, such as Tesro or Matchguns (yes, that's the name of the company), are good. Very good. It comes down to personal likes and dislikes, taste, preferences. One may suit your shooting style better than another, or the size and shape of your hand - although grips come in different sizes and can be changed, that's what Dremel tools and sandpaper are for.

Ideally you should of course shoot or at least handle different pistols and see what you like. I don't know how easy that is in Indiana, I can find gun stores that have all of those in stock, all within an hour or so from where I live. Search the net for reviews, although those will often be written by people who just bought a $2000+ gun and is very proud of it...

Buying a club pistol, any of the ones you mention will probably be "the best", compared to anything else out there.

[vaupet]

I personally like my Hämmerli 280 very very much.
Al the brands you mentioned are high end pistols but they al have individually adjusted grips and sights, which means that they are not shooter-interchangable, and it is to the personal liking of the individual sportsman which is best. So for club use, I would look at something like the browning buckmark with match barrel "bulbarrel". lt has a nice grip and can be used by lefthanders too.

have fun

peter

[SSgtG]

No money concerns?...
Well nearly anybody would agree that the Hammerli 208S is the deal but since they are on being produced anymore that would be tough to field a team-full. The High Standard of today in not the same gun as of yesteryear but the 10X may be alright. Smith 41 is OK but other than the Feinwerkbau AW93 there are no others except a 1911 conversion (Marvel Precision or Bob Marvel Conversions) that will be you the grip angle of the CF and .45 guns. (Unless you shoot a whole collection of Pardinis.)

[figment]

s&w 41

[wilkersk]

The $300-$400 conversions I've shot just haven't held a candle to my Supermatic Trophy (a 45 year old pistol), or my Ruger Mk-I ($250 used).

I've just got to imagine that a FWB or Pardini has got to be an altogher different animal.

I know that there are pistol leagues out there that are competing with Rugers and Buckmarks. But I can't believe that anyone would suggest a .22 conversion, even the Marvel (which is probably the best), for a collegiate pistol team. Is this for real?

[jmtgsx]

Holy thread resurrection, Batman! This is a 3 year old thread!

[cliffsgsr]

Years ago I tested a S&W 41, Ruger slabside and a High Standard Trophy model. The HS had the best trigger, and shot all tested ammo better than the other two. If you go for them look for the Hamden guns as I here they are considered the best. If you are looking for the best in a revolver, you can't beat the Freedom Arms M-83 22lr. These are fantastic.