.22 plinker Which one?

Status
Not open for further replies.
S

Sullyman

Member
Joined
Mar 24, 2008
Messages
126
Location
Back in Wis after being a corporate hobo for 25 ye
Which one for general plinking. Want a .22 auto loader. Which eats most if not all brands of ammo.

Ruger MkIII?
Buckmark?
Sig Misquito?
CZ 75 Kadet?
S&W 22A?

Any other suggestions.
Price in the $300-$350 range New or nearly new

Don't like the Walther (to small in my hand)
NEO (to futuristic)
 
I have a Ruger Standard that I'm going to go plinking with for the first time tomorrow. I'll report back next week with results. It's vintage around 1966 and looks like it hasn't ever been fired. Just got it last week and I'm looking forward to tomorrow!
 
CZ

I have the Kadet conversion on my 75B. Great shooter. Tons of fun and it's a CZ!
 
It's not what you asked, but consider this;

I like a .22 revolver for plinking because it will eat any ammunition from shorts to Stingers.

I dont own a .22 auto currently, though I did have a Walther P22. I get much more use from my Iver Johnson wheelgun.
 
I've got a Mosquito, and I like it a lot. It is NOT tolerant of a lot of .22LR ammo though. I have had almost no issues with mine using CCI Minimags, but have had some problems with Federal bulk - I've bought multiple boxes of 550 rounds from a couple of lots. One lot was no problem, and one lot had a good number of feed and extract issues. So, it's likely that the Mosquito is on the edge of good performance with some ammo.

You'll find posts for pretty much all .22LR's that talk about issues. Some are more vocal than others. With the Mosquito it seems that some guns work just fine and some are nightmares. I have no experience with the others, but my Mosquito works well enough that I'll be keeping it.
 
I love my Buck Marks and shoot my best with one, but function deteriorates if the sight base screws work loose. It's a quick fix if you have the correct size Allen wrench (screwdriver on older versions) on hand. When the screws are tight, it's quite reliable with the different ammo (to include bulk) I use in it. Great shooting guns.

I'm also very fond of the Ruger MARK IIs. Mine are reliable with all the different (again to include bulk) ammo I use. I have a Target model that is my favorite field gun (well the 22/45 gives it a run:D)

As highorder did, I would also suggest looking at a revolver for reliability and plinking fun with a wide variety of ammo. The Ruger Single Six is hard to beat in that regards.

jrpdvk.gif
sep192.gif
262xopx.jpg
260psg3.jpg
Regards,
Greg
 
I started out with a Ruger MK1 in 1960. It was in a fire in 1995, so I immediaely bought a MK II 22/45, which I still have.
I recently bought a MK III 22/45. It would not shoot a whole magazine without jamming. I removed all the "lawyer stuff" and it works about 95% now.
I wish I had found another MKII instead of buying the MKIII.

I also have a Buckmark. Nice gun but not as reliable as the Ruger MK II, especially with "bulk" ammo.


So my answer to "which 22?" is, look for a new or good used Ruger MKII.


I mounted a rail and Streamlight TLR-2 laser/light on my 22/45. This makes it a all around handy 24 hour gun. During the day I can plink with it. At night I can get inexpensive laser/light practice and at night it's a handy light when walking around the place.

TLR2andironsights-1.gif
 
Last edited:
Ruger MK I, II, or III work for me. Also the Single Six is great for a revolver. The S&W 422 that the wife has has works great and the Buckmark has a good reputation but have not shot one. 22 autos are fun guns, have fun : Bill
 
I my favorite is the CZ Kadet... I also own a Ruger MarkIII and a Browning Buckmark, I still like the CZ better.
 
Which one?
Ruger MkIII?
Buckmark?
Sig Misquito?
CZ 75 Kadet?
S&W 22A?
Click to expand...

YES!

You have five excellent choices. If you are thinking of getting a 9mm, the Kadet is the way to go, as you'll have a 2-in-1 situation. Either the Ruger or Buckmark would be my choices, with the Buckmark getting the nod for me. Ruger has more aftermarket stuff available, but the Buckmark fit me better. It's a serious shooter with bulk stuff. I don't even mess with the expensive stuff b/c the cheap stuff shoots better than I can shoot it.

Q
 
I have a S&W .22a and its an amazing gun,fun and reliable.But what it has over other guns is a lower price $225-$250 can get you started.
Add a $35 red dot scope and you will be doing 2" groups at 25 yards.

I will say tho the Buckmark is hard to beat also,its what i originally wanted.But i ran into my .22a for $160 when a guy was trying to sell it at a Gander Mtn store and i offered more than they did.Ohio is great about no hassles on private sales.

These are a great deal also,i dont have one yet but i will some day.
You also get a .22mag cylinder also as well as many choices alot under $200.
Heritage Rough Rider 22/22M
http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=Heritage&x=16&y=4
 
I have a Ruger MKII 22/45 stainless w/5.5" bull barrel. I also have a Walther P22 which is cool, but doesn't hold a candle to the Ruger. The ruger is solid, tough, eats cheap ammo and loves stingers, and is a tack driver with the bull barrel. Also, it just feels so crisper and better than the walther, as well as almost every other .22 I have shot. However, it can be difficult to put back together after you field strip it until you get used to it, but that's the only thing I can think of that could be changed.
 
Pretty much impossible to go wrong with the Ruger 22/45. Its a very accurate, rugged, reliable plinker, all the way around.
 
The Ruger would be my choice as it is reasonably accurate, sturdy, reliable as a rock and very popular. How can you go wrong with that?

Flash
 
The heavy barreled MK1 & 2 would sit at the top of my list with the Browning following.
My love for the MK1 goes back 20+ yrs. and many bricks of bulk ammo ago. For the money I can't think of a better one.
 
The only thing I didn't like about the Buckmark was that to take it down for cleaning you needed the allen wrench, and if you torque too hard, you crack the sight base. (I understand they are now aluminum, but mine was plastic)
I'd go with the .22/45 if I could do it again, or the S&W 617, but you said auto.
 
Ruger MK3, hate the trigger (yeah it ain't bad, but it could be so much better)
buchmark is good too
Other pistols line the neos and mosquito are known to be a little difficulty with the ammo they will eat
don't know about revolvers
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Steve H
  • Locked
Which .22 autoloader?
Replies
13
Views
688
bigfatdave
B
E
  • Locked
Choosing a .22 Autoloader
2
Replies
40
Views
2K
browningguy
B
T
  • Locked
U22 Neos, Ruger MKIII, Buckmark, 22A
2
Replies
26
Views
2K
rocky1
R
cluttonfred
  • Locked
Inexpensive, reliable .22 auto
2
Replies
26
Views
1K
thunder173
T
P
  • Locked
Which .22 for training?
2
Replies
27
Views
1K
okespe04
O
Back
Top