help me pick a new plinker

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mdchambe

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I've decided I want to buy another handgun. It will be used primarily for plinking. I'm not too attached to a single caliber and currently own handguns in 22, 9mm, and 40. Price range would be 300-600 bucks or so. Although, cheaper would be better.

My main priorities are:
Higher quality
Availability of aftermarket wood grips
Blue or stainless rather than parkerized

I know this is pretty vague, but im open to your suggestions!

Thanks for your thoughts!
 
Hard to beat a Ruger Mark II or III (or similar 22/45).

Accurate, reliable, inexpensive, fun, and it will last longer than you will.

Higher quality - CHECK
Availability of aftermarket wood grips - CHECK
Blue or stainless rather than parkerized- CHECK
 
Wow, three in a row. Thanks for your thoughts all. I do winder if my use of the term plinker has biased the responses towards a rkmfkre cartridge. I'm fine with that but would considerarger calibers as well.

I probably should have described my use as plinking/informal range shooting.

I've got a buckmark .22 that i like and meets most of conditions except for the aftermarket grips. Maybe i should trade it for a ruger (I think 22/45 rather than mkII/III) and then get something else.
 
Walther SP22 M2 .22LR 6-inch match pistol. Please do not confuse with a Walther p22! It is not the same gun. Read the reviews and you can get one for under $300. Very accurate and you can add stuff to it. Laser, top rail, grips.
 
I've got a buckmark .22 that i like and meets most of conditions except for the aftermarket grips. Maybe i should trade it for a ruger (I think 22/45 rather than mkII/III) and then get something else.

The Buck Mark is a great pistol as well. I prefer the Ruger ever-so-slightly just because it's much easier to customise and accessories cost a little less. The Buck Mark has a better out-of-the-box trigger, though. Personally, I probably wouldn't trade a good Buck Mark for a Mark III or 22/45 unless you really just had to have something new.

Walther SP22 M2 .22LR 6-inch match pistol. Please do not confuse with a Walther p22! It is not the same gun. Read the reviews and you can get one for under $300.

IMHO, I would never consider the now-discontinued "Walther" SP22. Like the P22, it is not a "real" Walther, being manufactured instead by Umarex. The OP requested a "higher" quality pistol and the SP22, with it's alloy bolt just isn't up to snuff. These pistols were discontinued by Umarex due to ongoing quality problems and poor sales, and CDNN has been clearancing them for a few years now.

For just a little more money, the Ruger Mark III and Browning Buck Mark are vastly better firearms.
 
The Buck Mark is a great pistol as well. I prefer the Ruger ever-so-slightly just because it's much easier to customise and accessories cost a little less. The Buck Mark has a better out-of-the-box trigger, though. Personally, I probably wouldn't trade a good Buck Mark for a Mark III or 22/45 unless you really just had to have something new.



IMHO, I would never consider the now-discontinued "Walther" SP22. Like the P22, it is not a "real" Walther, being manufactured instead by Umarex. The OP requested a "higher" quality pistol and the SP22, with it's alloy bolt just isn't up to snuff. These pistols were discontinued by Umarex due to ongoing quality problems and poor sales, and CDNN has been clearancing them for a few years now.

For just a little more money, the Ruger Mark III and Browning Buck Mark are vastly better firearms.
http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/...angId=-1&parent_category_rn=48316&isFirearm=Y

Site shows them still available but I could be wrong. It does not have an alloy bolt and is nothing like the P22 the only similarity between the two is the caliber and 22. Read reviews and do some research on the SP22 please. Shoot one, handle one, and then make a comment. The link is to the SP22 not the P22. The only aluminum is the bolt cover.
 
Yep Ruger MK lll or a MK ll if you find a good one.You can,t beat a .22lr for plinking.Plentiful and cheap to shoot.
 
Heading to a show tomorrow and will keep my eyes peeled for rugers. Any other thoughts? Different calibers? My only hangup about the ruger is owning a buckmark already.
 
owning a buckmark already

In that case, you already have the perfect .22LR plinker, and you'll get nothing from a MK III that you don't already have. If you can reload, consider a "full-sized" .380 such as a Beretta 84/85 or the companion Browning, a Bersa, a PPK, or a CZ-83. Some of these are locked breech; others are blowback. Make sure you understand the differences. These .380s are easy shooting, fun, and plausible for SD. But the ammo is expensive if you don't reload.
 
Message heard loud and clear all. I think this is the most concesus I've seen in a post looking for a firearm recommendation! Of I decide I want another 22 it'll likely be a 22/45.

Now, say I don't want a 22 but want seething else. What might you recommend then???

Keep em coming!
 
Do you currently have any auto loaders for which a .22 conversion is made? Sig, Tanfoglio, CZ and a few others offer factory conversion slide assemblies and magazines that often require no fitting. Glocks and 1911s and a few others have 3rd party conversions. These canbe quickly swapped back to their origional configuration. I would also look into a .22 revolver. If I can get my hands on a Dan Wesson Model 22 without breaking the bank, I'm all over it. These suggestions are in addition to what everyone else has said.
 
A Ruger MK.II would fill the bill quite nicely. My preference is for the 5 1/2" bull barrel model.
 
I'm going to the other end of the spectrum since you already own a 22 pistol (assuming anyone has actually read this thread) and suggest a 9mm.

CZ75B. In your price range, accurate, cheap to shoot, can fill the SD/HD/truck gun role and is a jack of all trades. Can be had in stainless or polycoat, and there's many grip makers; my fave being VZ Grips.

Keep your BuckMark, its a fine gun. But, since you asked, might as well step it up a notch.:)
 
Thanks for the continued thoughts. I've actually got a cz 75b SAO in 9mm, a sw 617 .22 revolver, and a stoeger cougar in. 40. Was at the show this morning and kinda was looking at 1911s. Not sure I want another caliber though.

Saw a couple mark IIIs, but no 22/45.
 
How about the Kel-Tec PMR 30? It's like a turbo-plinker. 30 rounds of .22WMR, supposed to be a well made, innovative and accurate shooter. The ammo is more widely produced than the 5.7 ammo in the FN products (which are super-turbo-plinkers:). Seemingly in the price range, and has received a lot of good reviews.
Yes yes many will say you can't find any Kel-Tec product (they don't actually manufacture guns, they just build a few protos for reviews and then go golfing) but they do seem to be popping up and there are few complaints heard about them.
Cool gun.
B
 
Lemann, is that a urx frame buckmark you've got? That seems to be the issue. I have yet to find anyone that makes wold grips for the smaller framed urx buckmarks.
 
Buckmark or Mark II/III--you simply can't go wrong. Hopefully people will stop hoarding the ammo soon(so I can hoard some more:evil:).
 
You're due for a single-action revolver. Since you already have a (double-action) revolver in .22LR, the new one should be in a centerfire chambering.

Pick one up in .357Magnum, and you can shoot the lesser-expensive .38 Special in it, too. The Ruger New Vaquero should be a good choice. Uberti makes 'em, too.
 
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