22LR Pistol Suggestion...

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I think I saw a super simple mod for the Buck Mark on the internets that helps the trigger significantly, but I dislike the take-down.
Yes, the Buckmark trigger spring flip. I did it, very simple, many videos take you through it step by step. Sounds more complicated than it actually is. It definitely works to lessen trigger pull and does not affect reliability. I found it very easy to do the take down since I had a video to refer to.

Can't beat the price, free, uses existing trigger spring, and takes all of 10-15 minutes.
 
have owned all thee of those you listed. Still have the buckmark hunter and the Victory. Have never handled a ruger MK series that ever felt decent without trigger work done on it. I love me some rugers as I have a safe full of them But in the 22 pistol category. I think they are last out of those you listed (in the OOB configuration).
 
The buckmark/Ruger/ and the victory are very comparable. They don't really feel like anything made for defense. I'd get whichever I wanted and felt good to me and give it little thought. Ive shot a ton of buckmarks and Rugers (and own a couple of each) and a couple Smith's (although I don't own a victory) , as well as others I've bought along the way such as high standard, colt woodsmans, sig, beretta etc and As far as the triggers, if your wanting to build skill with your defense guns, the stock trigger on the worst buckmark/victory/Mk whatever/ neos/woodsman/ etc. Will beat the best Sig, Glock, HK, Beretta, M&P, XD or whatever from the factory. After all they are built for target shooting and hunting while the others are built with defense and liability involved. The neos is kind of in between a target 22 and a defensive one in my opinion. Ive put quite a few thousand rounds through mine but I despise the safety placement. All of them have terrible takedown methods. The older Rugers and Buckmark can be annoying to take apart to really clean if you plan on shooting a ton (not so much the taking apart as the putting back together) . The beretta is better if everything works as it should but has a thumb screw that would be easy to screw up, although I've never seen one screwed up. Actually the Neos is very simple in mechanics compared to everything else beretta made.
If your wanting a true target gun then maybe Trigger work will be necessary someday. But compared to your M&P or any other carry/duty gun, other than a pretty nice 1911 trigger, it will feel great and accuracy will be better too. IMHO
 
Recently a friend of mine decided to buy a 22 pistol &went through the same process as you. Initially he was going to buy a S&W Victory. However he changed his mind when someone told him that the Victory barrel has a tendency to loosen after certain number of shots. Then he looked at Buckmarks & Rugers. Ended up with a Ruger Mark IV. After he bought the Ruger he wasn't entirely happy & added new sights, new grips & a new Volquarsten trigger system. In the end he paid more than what I paid ($500) for my used S&W model 41. My Model 41 is in very good condition & in my opinion a much better pistol than the Ruger, Browning & Victory without any modification issues.
To summarize, if all you need is a nice 22 pistol Ruger, Browning & S&W's will all be fine but they all will have minor issues which eventually you may have to spend more $ to improve. I prefer to buy a used top quality target pistol. That way I'll have a very nice gun right from the get go for a reasonable price. Finally, if you already own a 1911 you should consider a 22 conversion. Ive heard very good things about some of them & a good one can be purchased for less than what you.pay for a new 22 target grade pistol.
 
Recently a friend of mine decided to buy a 22 pistol &went through the same process as you. Initially he was going to buy a S&W Victory. However he changed his mind when someone told him that the Victory barrel has a tendency to loosen after certain number of shots. Then he looked at Buckmarks & Rugers. Ended up with a Ruger Mark IV. After he bought the Ruger he wasn't entirely happy & added new sights, new grips & a new Volquarsten trigger system. In the end he paid more than what I paid ($500) for my used S&W model 41. My Model 41 is in very good condition & in my opinion a much better pistol than the Ruger, Browning & Victory without any modification issues.
To summarize, if all you need is a nice 22 pistol Ruger, Browning & S&W's will all be fine but they all will have minor issues which eventually you may have to spend more $ to improve. I prefer to buy a used top quality target pistol. That way I'll have a very nice gun right from the get go for a reasonable price. Finally, if you already own a 1911 you should consider a 22 conversion. Ive heard very good things about some of them & a good one can be purchased for less than what you.pay for a new 22 target grade pistol.

You got a great deal on your 41, just like I bought my first Dillon 650 for $200. It's a once in a lifetime event. One is not likely to find a 41 for $500.

The idea that one HAS to start swapping parts on a Ruger MK pistol is foolish. Just like the idea that one MUST swap parts on a factory 1911.

Buy the gun, shoot at least 1k rounds through it then decide what you NEED to change.

If ya have a good 1911 get a conversion kit, hell, if ya got a Glock ya like get a conversion kit for it.
 
-Walther PPQ .22lr have one and it has been great, and very reliable with different types of ammo.
-Ruger MK IV really nice with the takedown feature, also allows one to buy separate uppers to swap around (in a matter of seconds) for different activities

Obviously, my suggestion is based on the fact that I own these two, so take that into consideration on bias.
 
Honestly right now if I were looking I'd almost wait on some long term reviews of some of the newer higher capacity guns. The single stacks of all the target guns mentioned is pretty much limited to 10.
 
Honestly right now if I were looking I'd almost wait on some long term reviews of some of the newer higher capacity guns. The single stacks of all the target guns mentioned is pretty much limited to 10.

Not all, the GSG isn’t a 10 shot but it also depends on the configuration. Just like kel-tech pmr 30.
 
I'm talking about the long term 50k plus durability. People talk about it with centerfire but very few ever fire that much, but with 22lr it does happen often. That's only a brick a month for 8 years. Not just one internet story but countless Ruger/Buckmark/smith 41/beretta 87 target/ woodsman/high standard/trailside etc get there without incident. Those are all great (and all 10rd mags) and i wouldn't discourage any of them if they fit the buyer. A few of those are in the price range mentioned by the op. I might throw in the Neos as mine is getting up in the round count and although one gun means very little, the solid slide and simple design makes me think it's a good gun, but I haven't seen enough hit those high round counts yet to decide and the safety placement is invasive to me. I have a GSSG (mosquito) that cracked the slide somewhere between 6-10k in a junk box and I've seen many that didnt make it that long. Mine had no hyper velocity ammo ran through it either, all cci and golden bullets but I didn't have the reliability issues many have. The gun ran fine till it broke. And actually still runs but will seperate if shot much more. I'm not mad about it and I knew it was a pretty weak metal slide anyway. I havent used their 1911. I'd buy the Taurus double stack if it holds up but only time will tell.

Just like kel-tech pmr 30.

Neither of my kellgren 22 mags will see 50k, Between jamming and cost of ammo but 22 mag is a different subject altogether. I'm not entirely against Keltec but would have to be more impressed with 22 than the 22 mags I own now (pmr and the Grendel predecessor p30). Both are double stack.
 
The Rugers are a bit heavy to carry, but they stand up to what seems like a million rounds. The newer model is much nicer to clean. The older ones are a bit tricky to get the hammer strut to the (captured) mainspring but once you do it, it's fairly easy. If you disassemble the strut/mainspring, its a safe gun that the kids or thieves won't be able to fire. They won't even be able to pull the slide all the way back.
 
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If you disassemble the strut/mainspring, its a safe gun that the kids or thieves won't be able to fire. The won't even be able to pull the slid

I don't know how many I have "worked on" that were reassembled that way. The slide will come back partially but it "wont work". They tend to leave out that they took the gun apart. Lol.
 
I'm shooting every week in either rimfire challenge or steel challenge. Lot's 'O 22 pistols there. While I don't ask everyone I see what they think of their rimfire guns, hands down the most popular is the Ruger MK IV. Next is the S&W Victory. Both are fairly inexpensive stock and shoot well. There are tons of aftermarket add-ons for both. I see very few Buckmarks or S&W 41s.

I'm not a rimfire pistol honcho but I do shoot Open rimfire pistol fairly often. I personally use the Victory. I used it a few times stock and it performed well. At this point I have it set up for open. With a C-More dot sight and 6 additional magazines and the other assorted open bric-a-brac, I have including the gun less than $1K in it. I think it a good idea to get a rimfire pistol and to get one that can be made into an open gun. I'm not recommending anything but all you might want right now is something to shoot at tin cans with but 6 months from now you might want more. Both of my kids have Ruger mark IIIs 5.5" target. Other than being a pain to take apart they are great guns for the money. So either the Ruger Mark or the S&W Victory.

Rimfire pistols can be difficult to get to work when new. Most of them are ammo picky so you need to try a bunch before buying by the case load.
 
What about Heritage Rough Rider?
At $100, it's too tempting but looks like it's more for fun than training. View attachment 842768

heritage roughrider is really quite ok, but i would only buy new and both 22lr/wmr cylinders. back to your original question: ruger sr22. handy enough to be a ccw if you are happy with 22lr for defense. reliable, eats anything except “quiet” rounds. easy to fieldstrip. as much as i’m a revolver guy at heart, if i were starting out and wanted an all around fun and useful plinker, one and only handgun, it would likely be a ruger sr22.
 
The Fun really shines with a Ruger LCR22. Build those point and shoot skills with a short barrel. It will make you a better shooter in the long run. That said, I would not mind a Ruger Mark IV with a scope for long range squirrel hunting, rather than dragging around a Rifle in the woods all day.
 
I have a soft spot for the Buckmark, it being the first .22 I ever fired (age 8) and I still plan to give it some thought going forward. Main reason I don’t yet own one is the Beretta Neos I bought that fills the same niche as an accurate plinker.

I really like the Mk Series for accuracy and balance, but always shied away because of design. Much like a grandchild the experience of spending the day then handing it back to a parent made it perfect. With the Mk IV it’s matured into an easier buy. Definitely my pick of the 3 you list.

No experience with the Victory beyond glancing at one behind glass with no desire it lay hands on it.

Now a Beretta 89 or S&W 41 would stand head and shoulders above the others IMO and still be relatively affordable. Not inexpensive but not the sort of purchase I’ve ever heard people lament over. They won’t fall within everyone’s budget though, just know they should be on the radar.
 
Lots of good choices out there.

I went with the S&W Victory. It shoots well, I like the fiber optic sights, and take-down is easy.
 
The Ruger MK in some series would be a great choice. I own and collect .22 pistols. I have Colt Woodsmans, High Standard, older Brownings, a S&W model 41, but the one I carry more than any is a Ruger MKii stainless with a 5 1/2” barrel. If you read and think about it, Ruger .22s are the reason none of the others are made anymore. Rugers are reasonable for what you get, they work, gunsmiths can work on them and you can get all kinds of aftermarket parts for them. You won’t be going wrong. The plastic stuff is just not got me, plastic firearms are about what a good hammer is, just a tool. The Ruger MKs would serve you well.
 
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