.22lr handgun

[.cheese.]

I finally finished my little buying spree. I ended up with a lot of stuff - about $14,000+ worth. I'll leave it at that.

Anyways, I somehow managed to end up with about $1,000 left. I figured it's time to replace my Walther P22 that I sold a year or so ago. I'd rather spend it on a gun than ammo. I don't really care if there is ultimately a tax on ammo. I'll fight it - sure - but I'm not going to be trying to stock up in response to it. It would be futile anyways with the way things are.

I want a .22lr pistol. I don't really care if it's an autoloader or a revolver.

The Walther P22 for me was unreliable and extremely inaccurate. I realize that this is atypical for the P22. Nonetheless it was a bad experience and I want the opposite this time.

Since I shopped for a .22lr autoloader, to my knowledge, there are new offerings now by Berretta and others.

Some recommendations would be great.

I would like to feed it CCI Stingers and Velocitors in addition to CCI Mini-Mags. That might limit me to revolvers, I'm not sure.

I know my Savage Arms .22lr bolt action rifle won't take the Stingers or Velocitors, so I imagine that might hold true with an auto-loader.

 

[Ohio Gun Guy]

I'm calling shenanigans.

 

[.cheese.]

on me wanting a .22lr handgun? Why call shenanigans on that? I want a .22lr handgun. No joke.

Edit: Oh, you're probably calling shenanigans on how much I've bought since January. Unfortunately for my wallet but fortunately for my safe, it's true. Search my past threads and you'll see from January till now I've been actively purchasing certain items I wanted. Add to that the fact that I usually buy guns in pairs and you rack up a bill pretty quick.

 

[Ed Ames]

I saw a nice S&W .22 in the gunshop a few days ago, but it was over $1000 by a few dollars. I would probably settle for a Browning or Ruger myself but it was a nice looking gun.

As I understand they aren't as accurate with stingers as with some other rounds.

I suspect you can get similar accuracy for about $500 from Ruger with some aftermarket parts to clean up the trigger.

 

[Cpt. America]

Another vote for the Ruger or Browning.

 

[TimboKhan]

I am a diehard MkII guy, but I will tell you that I think that the Beretta Model 85 Target is the nicest .22 auto on the market. I love my Rugers, but my buddy has the Beretta and it shoots and handles like a dream.

If I love them so much, you may be asking why I don't own one: $550.00 or so price tag, that's why. If I had the cash, I would be sorely tempted to pick one up...

 

[westtx28]

If you ended up with as much as you say then you surely have one or more CZ 75/85 guns. Tha kadet kit is hard to beat for the price. Feeds anything.

 

[.cheese.]

If you ended up with as much as you say then you surely have one or more CZ 75/85 guns.

Nope. I see why you recommend it though, the .22lr conversion kit seems nice.

About how much would the pistol and conversion kit run?

I'm not surprised by the Ruger recommendations. Back when I sold my P22, I was about to buy a Ruger right then and there. I don't remember why I didn't. The LGS has a Ruger with a can installed in a way that looks like it's one piece (I assume there is a seam somewhere, but couldn't see it). I would LOVE to get that, but sadly even if I could afford it (which I can't now), it would be illegal in MN where I'm moving.

 

[xmanpike]

I have a 40 yr old MK I and love the pistol. Unbelievably accurate. I also have a friend who has a Mark III that is great as well. Both take CCI stingers no problem, buit as mentioned before, they shoot other ammo more accurately. Post some pics of your new stuff!

 

[.cheese.]

Whoa. I didn't realize it's been made that long.

So, let's say I get the Ruger. Let's narrow it down. What are the differences for the most part between the models. They all look pretty similar.

 

[Cpt. America]

I traded my P22 in for a Kel-tec p11. I've missed having the little plinker around but mine had feeding problems. Next chance I get I'm going to just flip a coin or by my wife one and me the other between ruger and browning.

 

[.cheese.]

Of the Mark III the Bull Barrel Target version looks attractive. The regular Target is ok too.

Of the 22/45, the Bull Barrel also looks good.

Also, I've kinda been interested in a S&W 317 for a while now.

 

[.cheese.]

I've missed having the little plinker around but mine had feeding problems.

Same. It wasn't very accurate and had both FTF and feeding problems.

 

[Cpt. America]

The gun felt great in the hand and was very accurate but it just didn't deed right. If you loaded it with a full magazine it would only shoot 7 or 8 rounds without a failer.

 

[p89cajun]

I know if you are spending that kind of money, this may sound like a little "cheap" of a sugestion but I have a Rough Rider revolver with a 6 1/2" barrel and fiber optic front sight. I shoot everything from cb shorts to .22 mags. I picked it up brand new at academy for $199. I think the ruger model that is comprable to this is the single six but I may be wrong. I have heard it is a great little shooter but just being a plinker I opted for the rough rider and never regreted it.

 

[.cheese.]

Tell me about Heritage Manufacturing. I don't know anything about them.

 

[Ed Ames]

Standard model has the tapered barrel. Hunter has the fluted barrel. Bull has the heavy barrel. Gov't Target has the slab sided heavy barrel.

My favorite is the Gov't...mainly because I transitioned from pellet guns to firearms on a Ruger MkII Gov't Target. (Stainless slab-side w/ fancy wood.) At first it was bone stock and sometimes wore a 1.5-3x scope. Later it had Volquartzen trigger/hammer and grit shield. That thing regularly saw 1,000+ rounds a day when it went to the range. It was (and is) the perfect training aid because you could disregard the inaccuracy of the gun...it would create one hole with the right ammo if you did your part.

The MkIII differs mainly in that (IIRC) it has a magazine disconnect.

 

[xmanpike]

My MK I is a target model with 6 7/8" barrel and adjustable sights. Truthfully I dont know much about the later models but if they have improved from what the MK I is I would buy another one in a second should I feel the need.

 

[xmanpike]

I just got on Ruger's website and the Target model second from the bottom of the MK III section looks exactly like my gun. The big differences I see are the mags I have are 8 and 9 round, the new ones are 10. Also the magazine release on mine is on the bottom which is the only complaint I have. It says they have changed that and it is located in the more common spot on the left of the frame behind the trigger guard.

 

[BCRider]

It'll be your choice in the end of course but here's what I found from my own .22 pistol exposure.

Ruger Mk II and a Mark III with bull barrel- Both shot darts for accuracy but both were heavy almost to the extreme. This resulted in me wondering if it was my gun shooting or the one in the lane next to me. OK, it's not that bad but it's not far off that. For hunting or competitive shooting the accuracy may win out for you but up here a .22 is mostly for fun since we can't hunt with handguns. So the weight causing the almost crazy light recoil was a downer for me. I know, this is a silly reason but for me it was a valid one.

S&W 22A- This was a rent-a-gun at the range I shoot at. Ridden hard and put away wet so I had typically one failure every couple of magazines on occasion. When I got it right after a cleaning one time it worked flawlessly. One of these was high on my buying list thanks to the very moderate price but then I found the used 422 described below.

High Standard- The range owner let me shoot a couple of his boxed target High Standards. Not sure which models. WONDERFUL guns and clearly far more accurate than me. And because they were built more or less like a Buckmark (as in much lighter than the Ruger) the one was fun to shoot while the other had barrel weights on it when I shot it so not so much pure fun.

S&W 422 - I bought this one used and love it. VERY reliable on high velocity ammo. Not quite so reliable on standard velocity. I also found info on the net that supports this need for the HV ammo. And it's light so you KNOW you're shooting something. And it's easily way more accurate than I am.

I also bought and shoot a polymer framed gun that you can't get down in the US so I won't tease you about how nice it is...



If you'll just be using this for shooting .22 then why not just buy a Kadet in the first place? But if you don't mind the fact that the Kadet kit is priced about as much as some of the lower priced .22 full pistols and even a lot of 9mm pistols then go for it.

Again it's YOUR priorities that matter.

If you want revolver then I'd suggest sticking with the hand ejector type. As you know .22 just begs to be shot in massive quantity. So while the Ruger Single Six has a very loving following I just can't see ejecting each case individually and loading each round individually. A flip out cylinder makes short work of this and it takes almost no skill to be able to load two at a time as well. One that I thought would be interesting again from the weight and recoil standpoint is the little J framed Model 63. It's a light gun at 29 oz but this assures me that you'll feel it firing as compared to the 617 which agian has a massive following but at 45 oz you'll be hard pressed to know when a round fires or not. OK, so I'm exagerating again but feeling the gun shoot is an important part of the game for me.

 

[gb6491]

I love my .22 semi autos, but for shooting a wide variety of ammo (to include shot, CBs, Super Colibri, etc.) it's hard to beat a revolver. If you make it a convertible, like a Ruger Single Six, you can throw in Magnums as well
I'm partial to my S&W 617:


Then again, it's little brother is much easier to tote around:
Model 63

Regards,
Greg

 

[lexjj]

sent you a PM cheese.

 

[weisse52]

I currently own two Ruger MKII's, a Government Model and a blued 4 inch model with fixed sights. I really like the MKII's.

But if I was going to spend close to a grand I would be looking to buy another Smith Model 41. It is the .22 autoloader to own. And I will own another one.

 

[maroast]

Man, those Smiths sure are sweet....

I always wanted a P22 until I actually shot one... sorry to offend anyone, but I was appalled at how crappy the gun was (and my standards are fairly low and unrefined).

I ended up purchasing a Ruger MKIII Hunter 6 7/8" and have been very pleased with this pistol. I've found it to be VERY accurate and trouble free.... it eats all kinds of junk ammo without even a hiccup. I've since installed a volquartsen comp trigger/sear/extractor....what a fantastic shooter!!

 

[MCgunner]

Try as I might, over the years, I could not find a .22LR handgun as good, especially for what it costs, as the Ruger. Oh, yeah, I've fired Smith M41s, but that ain't in your budget if all you have left is a grand. I finally picked up a used Mk2 at a gun show and I could NOT be happier. 1" 50 yards accurate (scope mounted on it) with about any ammo I've tried (haven't tried stinger) and flawless function.

Save yourself some time and get a Ruger now so you can enjoy it for longer than I will be able to now. I was 55 years old before I finally bought one.