advice and opinions on .22 autoloaders

[RP88]

I've been looking over threads in search of good info on .22 autoloaders. I need one because I'm a poor, lowly college kiddie who is not going to fare well with even bottom-tiered 9mm continuing to be about $18/50rnds. So far, so good, but I had some specific questions so I can narrow down my choices.

I was looking at the Rugers a lot. My shop sells the 22/45, MKII, and MKIII models. Apparently these are all good choices, and will eat anything fed to them. They are also built like tanks, which is good because I've heard of some .22s being made out of way too light and/or shoddy materials.

But then I looked at the Sig Mosquito. It's a real nifty .22 - light, retains the same ol' Sig design for the most part, and was nice to hold, and trigger was great. But I've also heard of these being extremely finicky. And the light weight makes me remember what I had just said in the previous paragraph.

Can anyone offer any in-depth insight on these? How easy is maintenance and stripping for the Sig compared to the Rugers, and vice versa? Do they all work very reliably unless they are woefully neglected? Is there a significant difference in accuracy?

Thanks for the help.

 

[Snarlingiron]

I just posted this on another forum:

My boss bought a Sig Mosquito. Two days later I bought a Stainless Browning Buckmark.

The day after the boss bought the Sig, he said he was selling it. He took it home a put around 100 rounds through it and had ~30 jams. Now, with that said he was using mixed brand ammo that had been dumped into a bag. He bought some CCI Mini Mags, and has had no further problems. He's keeping it.

The Buckmark stove piped the first round I fired from it. I thought "Oh, boy, here we go." However, that is the only failure that it has experienced in about 450 rounds. I have had 3 failures to fire, but that has only been with Federal Auto Match ammo. I have tried 10 or so brands of ammo in it, and it has digested all of it with no issues. Bench rested and with the proper ammo it is capable of quarter size groups at 50 yards (I have a Sig red dot on it). Very nice trigger. It is a ton of fun.

A good friend of mine has a Ruger and it is scary accurate. No function issues. Great .22 pistol. I have read in several places that in terms of reliability and accuracy, the Ruger and Buckmark are about a toss up. I think the Buckmark's trigger is a little better, but the Ruger is all steel and should outlast an anvil.

 

[rcmodel]

You simply can't beat a Ruger or Browning Buckmark for the money and long-term heavy use.

The SIG is a SIG in name only.
It & the Walther P22 are "price-point" plastic & zinc diecast guns.
The SIG even uses plastic mags.

The Ruger or Browning will still be running strong after they are trashed.

A lot of people seem to have trouble taking a Ruger apart and putting it back together.
Actually, it is very simple and can be done blindfolded once you figure out how it has to be done.
http://xavierthoughts.blogspot.com/search/label/Gun Maintenance

The Buckmark is more complex, and requires you to unscrew the sight base to get the slide off.
http://www.notpurfect.com/main/buckmark.htm

rc

 

[usp9]

The Mosquito was (and still is) the gun I most tried to love, but couldn't because it was a real piece of crap.

A great .22 for a poor college student is the Beretta NEOS. While it isn't my favorite, it has some endearing qualities, the main one being; it is cheap. It is accurate, reliable and did I mention cheap. They have a pretty good trigger and are easy to clean.

A Buckmark is my favorite current production model but they aren't all that cheap. My 5.5 Field is a real jewel.

 

[wally]

My newer Rugers have been very finicky with ammo until I replaced the extractor with a Volquartsen.

My personal favorite is the 7.5" fluted bull barrel S&W M22A despite it being sent back to S&W twice in the four years I've had it -- its all on their dime both ways both times. None of the other .22 makers will match that!

In terms of shooting cheap ammo accurately and reliably I rate mine:

Ruger MK1
S&W M22A
Buckmark Camper
Beretta Neos
The four above are very close
The four below are close, but the gap between four and five is pretty large.
Ruger MKII
Walther P22
Ruger 22/45
Ruger 22/45 MKIII


You have to be careful to keep the right side grip screws tight on the Buckmark as it holds the trigger mechanism together.

The Walter P22 needs things tightened constantly, but mine has shot everything

All the newer Rugers will still stovepipe with cheap ammo about every 300 rounds, was about every 30-50 rounds before I changed extractors (PITA, but only about $12 per gun for the parts).

--wally.

 

[punkndisorderly]

I've owned two of the Rugers. A MKII Bull Barrel that was simply perfect. I had no problems over the course of thousands and thousands of rounds. I sold it to help pay college tuition and still regret it.

I purchased a MKIII Competition Target last year and it was a jam-o-matic over the course of a 700 or so rounds consisting of 7 different brands of ammo. I tried everything from dripping wet to totally dry and 3 different magazines to no avail. Sent it back to Ruger and 3 months later it came back and has been perfect ever since. It will eat anything I run through it.

If you can find a MkII used, I'd go that route. The MkIII doesn't add anything of value over the MkII. It does however add a few extra steps to disassembly and reassembly. You'll have people try to tell you that the Ruger's are a nightmare to take apart. They really aren't once you've done it a few times.

 

[Jed Carter]

I have owned a Browning Buckmark for years, my wife loves it, I on the other hand have never really warmed up to it. I really wanted to like the .22lr but until Friday I never did. Friday I went to bud's gun shop in Paris, KY to maybe purchase a Mossberg 930 SPX for USPSA 3gun. They had one for the asking price of $519, not bad. What I walked out with was... a Beretta model 87 target for just over $600. Took it to the pistol pits at BGSL and fell in lust with it. Just don't tell the wife, she will want it too!

 

[Confederate]

Rating the Ruger Mark I higher than the Mark II is, I suppose, just preference. I love the Mark IIs in stainless steel and wouldn't have anything else. As for "fun" shooting, I have the utmost faith in the Ruger Mark II for self defense and hunting small game; however, I can't really say I find the target models a whole lot of fun to shoot.

Again, preference.

When I was a college student, the funnest gun in my possession was a little RG .22LR single action revolver. Bought it for about sixty dollars and it was chrome plated. Lightweight, it could be kept in its box and left in the trunk of my car. When I had time, I could go up into the canyons and shoot it. It never misfired and I learned where to point it to hit what I was aiming at.

It was so fun that a few years ago I purchased a stainless steel Ruger Single-Six. It's an astoundingly nice revolver, but I'm not comfortable throwing it around like I did the RG. Still, it's a joy to shoot and to clean.

The Ruger will rapid fire, which gives it a decent self defense function, but if I got the Mark II, I'd get it in the fixed sight version. It's easy to pack outdoors, too, and is the finest little .22 auto I've ever seen.




The Ruger Single-Six is a "fun" gun, perhaps more so
than the wildly popular Mark II Standard. Both are great
pistols for outdoors.



 

[Walkalong]

I have a Browning Buckmark and a Sig Trailside. Both are great guns. The Mosquito is nowhere in their class. I sold mine and bought the Trailside. I have had a Ruger Mk I, and it was a great little gun as well. Used Buckmarks, Rugers, and even the occasional Traiside, are reasonably cheap and will serve you well.

 

[JDGray]

Love my 22/45, but really like my Brothers MKII Once you learn the assembly procedure, the Rugers are not as bad as your about to here

 

[OrangePwrx9]

Look for a clean/minty MkII and grab it while you can. I've got two target models (old one has the long slender barrel, newer one is the gov't model) and neither have given the least trouble. Both are quite accurate but the older one shoots best.

Only have experience with one 22/45 and it wasn't good. A friend bought one new and had FTF problems and a painful trigger slap. I think it went back to Ruger. The FTF was fixed but the trigger slap wasn't.
Bob

 

[jeffesonm]

Love my Buckmark... so far it has eaten up all the cheap-o ammo I've fed it.

 

[hkmp5s]

I recomend the buckmark too. Buy the camper model then swap out the barrel for a tactical solutions barrel and you have a lite acurate plinker. Make sure you get the threaded barrel so you can use it for a suppressor host.

 

[NGIB]

Where to start. I have a Mosquito that's very reliable and fun to shoot. It eats Federal and Winchester bulk with no problems. I have a Ruger MkII and a Ruger MKIII as well. The MkIII was very problematic until I did some tweaking with the magazines - shoots great now.

My current favorite is the Sig P220R SAO. This is a regular Sig 220 with the .22 top end, got it at Bud's for $399. Shot it last night at our rimfire pin match and it was flawless and accurate. The great thing is the gun comes with a coupon from Sig which allows you to buy the centerfire top end for $399 - very cost effective...

 

[Carl Levitian]

I've had a Ruger standard model I bought new when they were 39.95, and I can't tell you how many ten of thousands of rounds have been through it. But after more than 40 years, it's still my favorite pistol.

I've got rid of alot of guns, but that little Ruger is with me till the end.

 

[Jim Watson]

Of the guns in the OP, I would favor Ruger Mk II, Mk III, .22-45 in that order. Mosquito not at all. Buckmark is good if you can find one these days. The Sig-Sauer P2xx in .22 for $399 would be a good deal, not so great at the $600+ on the only ones I have seen in person.

Friend of mine bought a .22-45, passing over a pristine Mk I that I recommended.
Sight loose in dovetail, add Loctite.
Malfunctions with bulk Winchester hollowpoints, search for Federals that it works with.
I think it will be a fun gun for her, though. Everybody needs a good .22.

 

[RP88]

Look for a clean/minty MkII and grab it while you can.

are some of my choices no longer being made?

Thanks for the help so far. So far, still looking at Rugers. I consider the buckmark out of my range for a .22.