Decent .22lr handgun
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wickedsprint
Member
I had good results with a Buckmark. Lots of Ruger fanatics too.
mbr
Member
If you do a search you will find the Ruger and the Browning seem to be the most often recommended .22 autoloaders. There are some nice revolvers out there, too, such as a Ruger Single Six.
CHEVELLE427
Member
i have 2 ruger MKII both are great guns
(tricky to put back together
after cleaning )
i also have a 1964 browning NOMAD
this is a great little gun .
and a taurus 22mag also has been good.
would love to find a deal on a browning "Medalist"
i see more RUGER MKII AND III AT the gun range then any other 22lr hand gun
(tricky to put back together
after cleaning )i also have a 1964 browning NOMAD
this is a great little gun .
and a taurus 22mag also has been good.
would love to find a deal on a browning "Medalist"
i see more RUGER MKII AND III AT the gun range then any other 22lr hand gun
walker944
Member
If you are looking for something more compact than the Rugers or Brownings, I have a Bersa .22 that is really fun to shoot. It's built on the same basic frame as the Bersa Thunder .380. I've had it for a year or so and have never had any problems. Others on this forum have the same pistol, and have had similar results.
woad_yurt
Member
Yeah, H&R! Listen to rogertc1. They're all good. The capacity is almost the same as a semi-auto's (9 rounds) and there's no ammo finickyness. An old DA H&R is the best .22 deal out there. They made a lot of DA convertibles, too.
Good ones are all over:
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=127488002
Good ones are all over:
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=127488002
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JImbothefiveth
Member
I think they are more like $500 (at least) or more around here.
tprice
Member
Had both Browning Buckmark and Ruger Mark II; sold the Buck. Yeah, the mark II is a pain in the $&% to clean, but the thing's like a solid chunk of stainless steel, so an archaeologist from the future will probably dig it up and it will go bang (so long as the springs didn't rust, and the ammo is dry, the oil didn't dry up, and....)
I have a friend with a Sig Mosquito, and he swears AGAINST it. It's not a bad plinking gun for me, but accuracy with a fixed-barrel 22 like a revolver, the Buck or the Ruger, is easier to achieve.
I have a friend with a Sig Mosquito, and he swears AGAINST it. It's not a bad plinking gun for me, but accuracy with a fixed-barrel 22 like a revolver, the Buck or the Ruger, is easier to achieve.
searcher451
Member
The possibilities -- in manufacturers, in styles, in price, in performance, in reliability, in functionality -- are just about limitless. You have to decide what you want it for and what you want it to do. But it's tough to go wrong with a Ruger, a Browning, or a Smith.
bigfatdave
Member
Pick up a Ruger mkII or III, in the configuration you prefer. Yes they are a bit of a challenge to clean, but the reliability/durability is hard to beat, and there is a huge aftermarket to trick them out if that interests you. They are also great out of the box, by the way.
Confederate
Member
Everyone should have at least one Ruger Mark II/III pistols. They're wonderfully accurate, reliable and easy to clean. Notice I didn't say easy to take apart. Well, they are easy to take apart, just not to get back together. The SECRET is that they should not be field stripped every time they're cleaned.
I've always been able to clean the guns to a great degree with patches down the bore and a small toothbrush. Twenty-two ammo doesn't cause rust or corrosion...just grit. Most of it can be removed easily without field stripping.
Years ago, some fellow decided to take his apart before he shot it. Bad idea. The gun needs some serious shooting to loosen up enough that it comes apart and goes back together again. He brought it into the gun store in a brown paper bag. The gunstore owner was busy, so I took the gun into a quiet corner, asked the guy to come back in twenty minutes and then deftly used a rubber mallet to get it back together. I was sweating like a hog afterwards, but I did it.
If you shoot it first, you shouldn't have a problem.
I also love the Ruger Single-Six. It's a fun gun to shoot, funner than the Mark II, but that Mark II spits out ammo faster than a Spitfire (in fact, that would make a great name for a .22LR auto). Still, fun is fun and business is business.
DA revolvers are a bit of a let down after shooting centerfire, but they can be fun to shoot. Some of the old semi-autos, however, were better built than they were target guns. Some of the Bucks were forged steel, beautifully blued, had polished wood grips and cost a chunk, but they just couldn't match the Rugers for accuracy, durability and speed. Parts would frequently fly off these beauties, but they made great safe queens. Alas, I sold mine thinking I could always pick up another one if I wanted it.
Stoopid, stoopid, stoopid.
These AMT Lightnings were nice little guns, but had
target sights, trigger and wrap-around rubber grips.
Ruger thought they looked a bit too familiar and took
AMT to court...and won. Now you have to pay $$$ to
get the etras.
I've always been able to clean the guns to a great degree with patches down the bore and a small toothbrush. Twenty-two ammo doesn't cause rust or corrosion...just grit. Most of it can be removed easily without field stripping.
Years ago, some fellow decided to take his apart before he shot it. Bad idea. The gun needs some serious shooting to loosen up enough that it comes apart and goes back together again. He brought it into the gun store in a brown paper bag. The gunstore owner was busy, so I took the gun into a quiet corner, asked the guy to come back in twenty minutes and then deftly used a rubber mallet to get it back together. I was sweating like a hog afterwards, but I did it.
If you shoot it first, you shouldn't have a problem.
I also love the Ruger Single-Six. It's a fun gun to shoot, funner than the Mark II, but that Mark II spits out ammo faster than a Spitfire (in fact, that would make a great name for a .22LR auto). Still, fun is fun and business is business.
DA revolvers are a bit of a let down after shooting centerfire, but they can be fun to shoot. Some of the old semi-autos, however, were better built than they were target guns. Some of the Bucks were forged steel, beautifully blued, had polished wood grips and cost a chunk, but they just couldn't match the Rugers for accuracy, durability and speed. Parts would frequently fly off these beauties, but they made great safe queens. Alas, I sold mine thinking I could always pick up another one if I wanted it.
Stoopid, stoopid, stoopid.
These AMT Lightnings were nice little guns, but had
target sights, trigger and wrap-around rubber grips.
Ruger thought they looked a bit too familiar and took
AMT to court...and won. Now you have to pay $$$ to
get the etras.
Jimbo- I said they can be found, which implies it's possible but not guaranteed. I agree most sellers ask $500 or more for a good K22 these days but if one is willing to wait and look that price can be beaten.
I got this at a local show a couple months ago. Shows some use and wear but works fine. Paid $325.
I got this at a local show a couple months ago. Shows some use and wear but works fine. Paid $325.
LibShooter
Member
I have a Ruger 22/45 that is a nice go to pistol, I have often wanted the Walther .22, but have heard some bad stuff about those...My .02 worth
The Walther P-22 is what it is: A great fun plinker. Mine is fun and reliable but not in a league with a Ruger MK anything or a Buckmark.
The Walther SP-22 tries to be a high tech version of the Ruger or Browning. IMHO, it's not there yet.
The Walther P-22 is what it is: A great fun plinker. Mine is fun and reliable but not in a league with a Ruger MK anything or a Buckmark.
The Walther SP-22 tries to be a high tech version of the Ruger or Browning. IMHO, it's not there yet.
Jefferson Herb
Member
The s&w 2213/2214 is a neat little gun.The mags drop out like one of the bigboys,Use mini-mags not stingers.Stingers will blow up at close range even with these 3in bl guns.
JHK94
Member
I bought a 6 inch bbl. Ruger standard about 6 months ago; great condition, for ~200 bucks.
The previous owner must have followed Confederate's advice and not cleaned it much, though! Like he said, though, no rust, no corrosion, just gritty inside.
The previous owner must have followed Confederate's advice and not cleaned it much, though! Like he said, though, no rust, no corrosion, just gritty inside.
TimboKhan
Member
Not if you read the manual. They aren't intuitive at all, but if you read and follow the instructions, they aren't bad to put back together at all. I can do it by memory now, and it takes me maybe 10 seconds to get one back together.
So, to the question, I am a pretty diehard Ruger fan, and I specifically like the MkII. I have owned and shot Buckmarks with complete satisfaction, and I have shot most of the other popular .22 pistols/revolvers. I really can't say I dislike a one of them, though the Walther P22 and the SIG Mosquito don't exactly have sterling reputations for reliability.
While it is too expensive for my tastes, after my Ruger, I would go with the Beretta 87 target. If there is a better .22 pistol on the market, I don't know what it is. My Ruger gets the edge for me because it is rugged, reliable, accurate and affordable, but that Beretta 87 is a Cadillac, man. I just cannot justify $600+ for a .22 pistol...
NGIB
Member
One thing to look at may be the Sig "classic" series of .22s built on their regular centerfire frames. They make them in the 220, 226, and 229. Included with them is a coupon to buy the centerfire top end for a reasonable price. I have a P220 SAO arriving today from Bud's.
While the 220 is a bit large, it has the SAO trigger which I much prefer over the normal DA/SA Sig trigger. Bud's price is $399 and the .45 kit from Sig is another $399. So for $800 you get a NIB Sig of your choice with a factory installed .22 conversion kit...
While the 220 is a bit large, it has the SAO trigger which I much prefer over the normal DA/SA Sig trigger. Bud's price is $399 and the .45 kit from Sig is another $399. So for $800 you get a NIB Sig of your choice with a factory installed .22 conversion kit...
electric wombat
Member
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I'm going to agree with everyone else, a browning buckmark or a ruger mark II or III. Both are great pistols and both are very accurate. The ruger is more of a pain to strip down & put back together for a full cleaning... that's really the only downside. I ended up getting a buckmark only because it fit my hand better & was more comfortable.
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