Compact .22s

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Kestrel

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I'm thinking about a compact .22LR, to keep in a tackle box or pocket while fishing. I once had a Beretta M21, but it was a jammer.

What are some other options out there? (I wish the Walther TPH were still available, but I don't have any experience with them.)

Thanks.
 
Taurus has something in that size.
Beretta has the Jetfire(?).
But there are compact .22 LR revolvers too.
 
NAA has a few mini guns to choose from
Beretta bobcat
Taurus
TPH is a jewel (got one a few months ago and love it)
not so mini- walther p22, bersa, Phoenix arms.

Iver Johnson made a TPH clone as well as American Arms...do a search to find these used guns.
 
My Beretta Bobcat M21A has been flawlessly reliable after the first two mags. You have to use good ammo. I use CCI Minimags.
 
usp9 - Is your TPH reliable?

Pilot - Maybe I'll try another Beretta 21A
 
I never trust rimfire in an autoloader for anything serious. If you're just lookin' for a plinker, it's dirt cheap, but fairly reliable and REALLY accurate for a tiny gun and you can buy one with pocket change, the Phoenix HP22. I have one and like it for plinking, dispatching vermin. It's the only pocket gun I've ever fired with the accuracy to shoot small game at longish ranges. It's totally amazing to me, but that little gun will but 10 rounds of CCI stinger into 3" at 25 yards. :what: Since I consider .22 way to short on horsepower for anything serious like self defense, this little gun is as good to me as any Beretta which might have less accuracy. I have the spare 5" barrel/mag with finger extension, too, and with cheap federal, it'll shoot 2" 25 yard groups. The extra sight radius is why, I'm convinced. It defies logic, I know, but it's true.

If you want something 100 percent reliable in rimfire, consider an NAA mini revolver, maybe a mini master. If a round fails to fire, there's another one ready to rotate into position. Depending on brand of ammo, I get quite a few failures to fire with .22 in several guns. Guns with a wider firing pin helps, but they're notorious for priming flaws in the rim. And, no rimmed cartridge with heal/external lubricated bullet is fit for autoloaders IMHO. The HP.22 is amazingly reliable at feeding 'em, but no autoloader is immune to problems with such a round. Give me a good revolver for rimfires every time.
 
Kestrel asked...

"usp9 - Is your TPH reliable?"

using normal cheap ammo I occationally get a mis-feed. Using high velocity quality ammo the TPH is very reliable. At 12 yards and in I shoot a 2" to 6" group. It is a fun gun to shoot, doesn't "bite" my hand, cleans up easily. A very curious phenomenon occurs when I shoot Aquila hyper velocity ammo. The bullets turns into a wadcutter of sorts...punches a perfectly round, 40 cal. or so, hole.

Here is a link to a previous discussion of this odd event;http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=186676
 
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Check into a Bersa firestorm 22. I have one and it is a great little gun and the price is good as well.
Basicly a less expensive Walther PP in 22LR with a better triger pull and a lot less money.
 
Another vote for the Phoenix HP-22...

...Two 10-rd mags, a mag lock, 3" barrel, 5" barrel, cleaning kit and lockable case, incredibly accurate for a $200 cheapie. BTW, the manual does not recommend Hyper-velocity ammo, McGunner...


And as to 22 misfires, I have never had a .22 LR that failed to fire that wouldn't fire by simply re-cocking and trying again. This suggests to me that my firing pin is either gummed up by too much oil in cold weather (my Browning BLR-22 was prone to this), or powder residue and/or other crud binding up the firing pin (my wife's HP-22 will do this after a couple hundred rounds or so at the range. The Remington thunderbolts are especially dirty). If there was no primer in that part of the offending rim, I could re-cock till doomsday, 'cause no primer is no primer. I've never experienced a misfire with a thoroughly cleaned gun with good hammer or firing pin springs. I have never had a failure with my MKII, even after firing a whole brick at the range, although it sure was incredibly grungy...
 
Some people have very good luck with .22 TPH and some don't.
I wasn't a lucky one and have been looking for another in .25acp.

The Walther .22LR PPK isn't a whole lot larger than the TPH and a lot more reliable.
Accurate beyond all reason to the size too.
Priced about the same as a TPH for a postwar version.
Something to look at anyway.
 
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