.22LR Pocket Gun: J-frame or PPK 22LR?

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DMK

DMK

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I've been considering a little .22LR pocket gun for a range toy/plinker. I'm considering either a J-frame or a Walther PPK in 22LR.

Does anybody have any experiences with either? Any benefits or drawbacks over one or the other other than the obvious revolver vs. semi thing?


Edited because I apparently don't know what I'm talking about. I meant a PPK in 22LR, not a P-22. Sorry for the confusion.
 
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If you're considering an auto, stay away from the P22. Too many bad stories. Go handle a Ruger MKII or Beretta U22 Neos. There are lots of other 22 auto pistols, but the rest are probably going to be over $350 or $400.
 
I have a Ruger MkII slabside and a S&W J frame Mod 35 and a Ruger Single six
The MkII is a great gun and I have 4 good mags for it. I can get 6" groups off of a rest using my 2x leupold scope. It is a target gun not a pocket gun but is still fun to shoot.... Then you have to load the mags... and you have to remember the mags and bring them to the range, not a problem if you leave them in the case, I have naver left the mags at home due to leaving them in the case all the time.

The Ruger Single six is a 22 mag and I want to get a lr cylinder for it but it will probably be later. 22 mags are expensive, so I do not shoot it much. Besides loading 1 at a time is slow and emptying 1 at a time is slower.

So now to the fun gun... I have a S&W 35-1 a 6" barrel blue steel and 6 shots on a J frame. No Mags to load or sore thumb, swing out the cyl and dump all 6 at once, no mag to forget, just fill a pocket with 22sand go about your shooting business. The 6" barrel precludes a pocket gun but makes it very accurate. If you want shorter get a 34.

I have looked at the P-22 and have shot a few other J frame 22s but I like my 35 best. The other j frame 22s were a 317 aluminum frame kit gun that was nice and had a 3" barrel adjustable sight and made for a nice lightweight Pocket gun, the trigger needed a little work. And the other was a Stainless J frame, I cannot remember the model number but was 22lr and mag swap cylinder with a 4" barrel that handled like my 35, only had fixed sights. Both the 317 and the stainless gun had the Uncle Mikes J frame grips and made for some extra bulk for a pocket 22, the bantam grips would have made for better pocket time.

Get a couple they make the range more fun.
 
The .22 J frames are a hoot. There was the 63, all stainless, and a carbon steel version I'm forgetting the number of. The 317 is about 1/2 a hoot. It would be a full hoot, except that it literally weighs nothing. The triggers can be a bit heavy but improve if you clean it out, re-lube and just use it a few thousand times. And, doing so isn't hard, since even though it weighs nothing, it's a .22, so recoil is almost non-existent (unlike the .357 Ti/Sc Js).

I have only fired one P22 and it worked fine. I sort of got the impression that they've worked the issues out with the P22, but the early ones seemed trouble-prone and I suppose it's hard to know where the one you might buy fits into the production cycle.
 
I've got a P-22.... had to do a little kitchen-table gunsmithing to deal with an overly sharp chamber edge, but that's about it. Mine runs perfectly, 380 through with no malfs so far and I plan on another 550 bulk pack as soon as I can afford the ammo and range time :)
 
Forget about those two, the KING (imvho)

of the .22 pocket pistol is the North American Arms Mini

magNEW.jpg

It is the well made, very,very small, and comes with two Cylinders to shoot .22long or .22wsm. If you really want a .22 pocket gun this is the best out there(Again IMVHO)

Here is a LINK TO NAAMinis

Now, this is a recomdendation stricktly on the "pocket" part of your inquiry. If you want more of a shooter, a single six is good, as are all the Ruger autos. However, I prefer the Browning Buckmark Camper to either of them. I just like the 'feel' of the Buckmark better, but all are good guns.


051353m.jpg



Here is aLink to the Buckmark Camper
 
The Buckmark is a nice Pistol, as is the MK-II, the 22/45, the Trailside, etc, but I already have a CZ-Kadet and a Single Six so I'm looking for something smaller than those.
 
I used to own a couple of those little toy .22's. I had a NAA .22 LR that was about useless past contact range. Lousy trigger, no grip to speak of and a lot more recoil than you would imagine from a .22. Finally traded it for a .22 rifle. I had a Beretta Bobcat in .22 that took a little experminting to find a couple of different loads that it liked. After i discovered It seemed to like CCI Minimags better than anything it made a fun little plinker. I let a dealer friend talk me into trading it in on a S&W 60. I should have kept it. I carried it along with a couple of extra mag when i rode my ten speed and never even knew it was there. It's a neat little gun.
 
DMK, be careful with the PPK. It's an old design and, although I don't remember any of the specifics, I know there are safety/functionality issues with the centerfire versions. I would guess that the issues are worse, if anything, with a rimfire version of the same. I know a guy who got one against the advice of several folks and came to agree that it was a mistake. I'd search the archives here and at TFL on the PPK before I bought one.

The 317, on the other hand, will go bang every time, and if you ever have any issues, even with a used one, S&W will stand behind it, replace it if necessary, and their turnaround time is usually under 2 weeks door to door. Plus, in this rare case, the revolver might actually hold *more* cartridges than the semi! :)
 
DMK, be careful with the PPK. It's an old design and, although I don't remember any of the specifics, I know there are safety/functionality issues with the centerfire versions.
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Really? :confused: I have an old Manhurin PP in 32ACP and it's a beautiful piece of craftsmanship. Completely reliable and very accurate. I'm not sure of the year, but its got to be late 50s, early 60s.

The 317, on the other hand, will go bang every time, and if you ever have any issues, even with a used one, S&W will stand behind it, replace it if necessary, and their turnaround time is usually under 2 weeks door to door.
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Yea, I have a few S&Ws, including a 642 J-frame. They do make a fine revolver.

Plus, in this rare case, the revolver might actually hold *more* cartridges than the semi!
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Not in this case. The PPK holds 10 .22LR rounds, while the 317 holds 8.
 
Unless something snuck by me, the PPK is no longer made in .22. A few were made in the post-war period, but most seen are pre-war and are collector's items, plus being quite expensive. PP's in .22 are more common and affordable, but a nice one will set you back a grand. If you find one, it is a really sweet shooting pistol, but stick to standard velocity ammo as they were not made for high speed ammo.

I can't really think of a decent real pocket pistol in .22; most are of the SNS type and are of poor quality. Unless you can find a used Beretta or one of the good French pistols once sold by Sears, you might have to forego the idea of a .22 pocket auto. For your wants, I would go with the revolver.

Jim
 
Unless something snuck by me, the PPK is no longer made in .22.
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That was my understanding as well.
A few were made in the post-war period, but most seen are pre-war and are collector's items, plus being quite expensive. PP's in .22 are more common and affordable, but a nice one will set you back a grand. If you find one, it is a really sweet shooting pistol, but stick to standard velocity ammo as they were not made for high speed ammo.
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Hmm, that is very interesting. I have a line on a 22LR PPK and it ain't selling for a grand either. :)
 
.22 LR PPK? They made a lot of them!

I have fired 2 or 3 and all fed just fine. But you need good Hi-Speed ammo for positive ejection. There's just too much junk .22 ammo out there these days in my humble opinion.

The size of the PPK is what bothers me. If I was going to carry a PPK it's gonna be .380.

Having said that I dearly LOVE the J-frame S&W .22. The real beauty is that you then have the ability to fire the widest variety of ammo possible.
Everything from RWS BB caps to Colibri to Stingers to 60gr SSS to shot loads. And you can fire them all, as they used to say, " interchangeably and without adjustment". :D Caps, shorts, long, long rifle, it don't matter.
All with an adequate hammer fall.

Add to that the choice of single action or double action along with not having to bust your thumb loading magazines make the revolver the choice I recommend.

Just my tuppence. YMMV
 
What are the safety issues?
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The older ones aren't drop-safe. You should be able to duplicate the experiment that someone I know performed with a primed, empty case. Strike the hammer with a deadblow hammer and see what happens. Hint: wear ear protection and observe all safety rules. Better yet, dig up some of the articles written on this and skip the home science demonstration and related risks. I know Ayoob wrote something about this a few years back.

For the record, I am not recommending that anyone perform such a test.
 
Thanks, JNewell... Mine is a year 1995 or 96 production (interarms)..Has the hammerdrop safety, so it should be ok with the saftey on. but I don't know about it with safety off...I'll do some research...Thanks again.
 
I had a lot of fun with my S&W 63. 4" bbl kinda kept it out of the "pocket" catagory, but it was a great plinker and tackle box gun.

Taurus 94 is much the same, but with 9 rd cylinder. Generally not as slick OTB as a Smith, but improves nicely with some use. Around here they can be had for 1/3 to 1/2 less money - new or used.

Want a 317 badly! Same fun with half the weight. Just can't bring myself to pony up the $s yet.

Outfit called "American Arms" (IIRC) used to make an Erma Werke-designed budget clone of the PPK in .22. Model was called RX-22 or PX-22, IIRC. I only saw a couple in actual use and only got to fire one. That one worked just dandy, and they were a lot less expensive than even a "beater" Walther. You might turn one up at a show for next-to-nothing.

A Beretta 21A used to be my "always" gun until the nifty little Keltec P-32 came along. Kinda picky about ammo, and I never did find anything that would run absolutely 100% for more than four or five mags full. Still a hoot to plink with, which I do semi-often. Just would be wary about entrusting my Personal Favorite Behind to it unless I had no other choice.

Astra, Star, and a few others also made teeny little pocket semis for a bunch of years. Almost all of the rimfire versions were .22 Short only. Most were of very nice quality and can be had in VG condition at low prices due to the chambering. If you've got some Shorts hoarded, they're a gas to play with.

The older Beretta "mid-sized" .22s like the "Jaguar", the Star "F" series, Astra Constable, etc. are still out there, but some are getting pricey due to collector interest.

Maybe not a true "pocket" gun, but the current favorite of my young nephews (and their old uncle) for a plinkfest is the Ruger Bearcat. Simple, sweet and hard to beat.
 
I have a S&W 317 - 3 " w/ adjustable sights , 8 rounds ~ 11 oz. It's fun, but the DA trigger is terrible. SA is not bad, but nothing like most other S&W revolvers. If I had it to do over again I'd probably go with the shorter (1 7/8) barrel and fixed sights. Either will fit in a pocket and you won't feel the weight.
 
I've never shot one, but a Ruger SP101 in .22 might be a option. It's a 6shot in stainless with windage-adjustable rear sight. It comes with 2- and 3-inch barrel. The only downside I can see is that it is fairly weighty for its size.

For me, it's my lead candidate for a .22 revo. I have no desire for a revolver with more than 6 rounds. Too many holes to clean.

Anybody tried one?
 
PP/PPK
"The older ones aren't drop-safe. You should be able to duplicate the experiment that someone I know performed with a primed, empty case. Strike the hammer with a deadblow hammer and see what happens. "

Nothing will happen.

The original German PP/PPK have some kind of hammer-block passive safety. Until the trigger is not fully pulled back, the hammer can not contatc with the firing pin.

(The only way they can be fired without pulling the trigger is to drop from 3-4 meters height on concrete, because the firing pin itself is not blocked.)

I have one WW2 German PP (.32 ACP) here in the safe right now...
 
DMK,
The .22LR PP is very rare, but can be had...for a price!!

Here is what one will cost you!!

PP .22LR 5.6mm
(.22 LR) $ 1095.00
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Well, I ended up buying a Manhurin .22LR PP for less than half that price. I should get it sometime this week and I'll make a post in the semi forum. I'll probably still get a .22 J-frame sometime, but I always wanted a .22 PP/PPK.

With the a .32 PP, a CZ-70, a Mak, a .38 J-frame and now a .22LR PP, I'm starting to build a real collection of pocket guns. :p
 
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