Accuracy and distance between sights

[GVMan]

I plan to purchase a 22 for plinking, small game, and teaching. I have narrowed the choice down to a Ruger Mark III 22/45 with the 6 an 7/8 stainless barrel and the Walther P22 with the 5 inch barrel. I would estimate that the Ruger has about a 2 inch greater "distance between the sights".

How much more accurate will that make the pistol for an average shooter or is it negligible? How about for a child learning to shoot?

 

[Xrunner]

Not much, especially when you are learning. I've found that the longer barrel results in slightly faster sight pick up time but more of it is due to how the gun fits you and if it naturally points well in your hand.

One other thing to consider is the style of the gun. Scaled down .22s (such as the P22 which is a scale of the P99) make it a little easier to transfer up to the larger caliber weapons as much of the muscle memory is very similar. Nothing major, but worth mentioning.

I've shot the Ruger and Walther and both a great guns. Good luck narrowing it down.

 

[LHB1]

GVMan,
FWIW, as part of my training and equipment selection for Bullseye shooting, I tested pistols with barrel lengths from 4" thru 8 3/8" in a given caliber at 25 yds. Did this separately for .22 LR and .44 Mag pistols. In both cases, I shot more accurately with pistol barrels around 6" to 6.5" in length. Shorter barrels gave up sighting precision due to shorter sight radius and longer barrels seemed to sag or droop (shooting without a rest) and drop too many low shots. The difference was just a few points in each case but consistent in both calibers for me. YMMV

Good shooting and be safe.
LB

 

[HGUNHNTR]

The sight radius between the two will not be the biggest concern. The walther is much lighter, and will probably be a little more difficult to hold steady. Not to mention the fairly poor trigger. A great third choice might be the MK512. The 5.5" Hvy bbl ruger MKIII. It balances much better than the polymer 22/45 counterpart, and is extremely accurate. I have had tremendous luck with this gun over the years, probably my favorite 22 plinker. Good luck no matter your choice....I've never shot a 22 I didn't like.

 

[mainmech48]

In theory, the greater the sight radius the less the potential deviation on-target from sighting error, making it relatively easier to shoot with greater accuracy.

In most cases, there is no inherent "mechanical" accuracy advantage to the longer barrel. This has been demonstrated numerous times in the course of experiments with rifles where the barrel has been systematically shortened incrementally and retested to measure the effect on both accuracy and velocity.

IMO, hand delivered accuracy is more about skill than mechanics. A Ransom rest will sort out which particular pistol has the inherent mechanical edge, but the better marksman will still outshoot the lesser no matter which one he's holding.