Beginning 22 Pistol

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1911ShooterTJ

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Hello everyone!

I have another “what .22 semi-auto pistol should I buy” question (I can hear the moans now :evil: ), but I have a few things I’d like to find out that I have not found searching THR’s archives. I have read up on THR threads about Browning Buckmarks, Ruger MK IIIs, Walther P22s, etc., and seem to like the Browning Buckmark but…

I would like this gun to be for teaching others to shoot on, as well as for my own plinker. Given that it will be primarily for teaching, with the possibility of moving up to a larger caliber as time progresses, I would like to find a gun that is relatively similar in design to others, so that transitioning between a .22 and a “real” gun is easier. This is one reason I like the P22, except I have read about questionable quality :uhoh: . In addition, the clip release is on the trigger, not a thumb button as most guns. The MK III seems nice as well, but the safety is very different from other guns, as is the clip release on the bottom. Again I don’t mind, but might be confusing to a beginning shooting. Maybe I’m just worrying to much. :p

I will also use this pistol, with the possibility of a suppressor in the future. :D What 22 pistols are able to take suppressors?

Thanks everyone!
 
Get a 1911 .22 conversion kit? You've got the same mag release, trigger, and operation that the real thing has - except that some .22 kits won't lock the slide back on an empty mag.

As for suppressors, the P22 has a factory threaded barrel, IIRC, that you can order. Not sure about the other brands.
 
The MK III seems nice as well, but the safety is very different from other guns, as is the clip release on the bottom.
Click to expand...
The MKI & MKII have the mag release on the heel. The new MKIII has the mag release rin the conventional locatio, right behind the trigger guard. Ruger also made/makes the model 22/45 on the the MKII & MKIII platform. The 22/45 has a grip angle which replicates the 1911, and the mag release & safety are positioned to replicate their locations on a 1911.

A 1911 with a conversion kit is a great idea, as is the CZ Kadet. The Kadet is basically a CZ-75 with a .22 conversion kit. It's available as a top end conversion, or a full factory assembled pistol.
 
Get a 1911 style 45 that will accept the conversion slide Geronimo Mentioned. Not only will you be able to shoot .22 cal, you would be able to transition better to the .45 cal. Practice with the .22, then when you get better switch the slide assembly and your habits with the .22 should carry over. If you start to acquire bad habits you can switch back and practice some more with the .22 until you break those habits. Good luck
 
Walther P22s are just fine as long as you use quality ammo and keep them clean and lubricated. If you take good care of your guns, you don't have anything to worry about. I have at least 2000 rounds through mine and its perfect. I have never had a single failure with CCI Mini-Mags or Stingers. Everything else is a crap shoot.
 
Interesting. I didn't know the MK III had it in the conventional location.

I already have a Kimber CDP Pro. Would a .22 LR conversion be OK on an aluminum frame?

But for the money, I think a separate gun would be better. I believe there was a thread about that exact thing a few days ago (1911 conversion vs. a separate .22 gun). I’ll def check out the MK III. Are they able to be suppressed?

I have held the 22/45 Rugers, but they just feel more “cheap” to me than say a MK II. Dunno why, I’m sure they are nice guns.

Are Buckmarks controls in the same locations (or at least relatively close)? Thanks!
 
As someone who has quite a few .22 pistols and a couple of suppressors, my opinion is a Ruger Mark II or the Browning Buckmark are the ways to go.

The Ruger has the advantage of tons of aftermarket parts being available, including action parts and threaded barreled receivers. Both of my current suppressed .22's are built on Ruger guns for these reasons. The biggest negative of the Ruger design is the disassembly/assembly procedures and one does need to clean a suppressed .22. Once you learn the Mark II is it not too bad. Due to the Mark III magazine safety and the issues it causes during assembly, I would look for a used Ruger Mark II. I used one of the last Mark II's made as the basis for an integrally suppressed gun, and I am very happy with it. I use Remington "Subsonic" ammo and the loudest sounds during are the bolt cycling and the bullet hitting the target.

I have just now "discovered" the Buckmark as my wife wanted one, and I am impressed. The trigger is better than the usual plinker although accuracy is so-so. I am so impressed I ordered one for me, and I plan on getting a Tactical Solution threaded barrel with a Weaver rail for it so I can attach a can and a red-dot sight. The advantages of the Buckmark are the barrel is not the serialized BATF "firearm" like the Ruger and disassembly/assembly is a snap, so getting the threaded barrel is easy. The Buckmark also has the magazine release and thumb safety in the 1911 position, although the safety does operate differently than the 1911.

I have a project going to suppress one of my two S&W Model 41s, but it looks to be an expensive proposition as the non-round barrel will have to be machined. The Model 41 is a tack driver although it is ammo sensitive.
 
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Another vote of the 22/45

Its an awesome little 22 and the controls are very close to a 1911
 
Ruger Mark III 22/45 Target pistol owner here, stating that the difficulties in disassembling/assembling are overstated, IMO.

It is definitely much harder than for a Glock and other pistols that I have cleaned, but if you're patient and follow the instructions carefully, it will go back together, at least based on my experience.

Now, if I could only shoot the damned thing straighter.
 
Get a separate gun. Conversion kits seem like a good idea, so I got a Kadet. I didn't like tying up my gun when someone else was using the kit, so I sold it. The Sig Mosquito is a good alternative too. I have the Walther P22 and it's fantastic. The Brownings are nice, I have one, but they are a pain to disassemble and clean.
 
Browning makes the finest .22 I've ever seen. Love mine to death. For $200, you can get a threaded barrel and have it sent to you, whereas the Rugers are serialized, and have to be sent to a FFL for transfer (dunno why the upper is serialized). Grip, sights, etc. seem really natural, work really well.

Buy one. You won't regret it.
 
I went thru all the various 22 pistols for a year or two - always putting off the purchase of a 22 for something else - but researching all the way. A couple of months ago, I was pretty pos I would get a Ruger Mark 3. But, I knew my local range had some 22s to rent - I went to rent their Neos, but the rear sight was messed up. the sight screw was missing (I've since seen this as a common complaint among Neos owners). But, the range had a Buckmark. I shot 100 rounds thru it and knew I wanted one.

A week later, I went to a gun show and went thru all of the models again. The Buckmark has the most ergonomic grip, in my opinion. I ended up getting a Buckmark for $248 + tax.

They are MUCH easier to take apart than the ruger. And, I got a longer barrel for mine and a fiber optic sight. I was able to replace both on my own in just a few minutes. Very easy design to modify.

Go get ya one :)
 
I'd suggest the Ruger 22/45 series of guns. Their controls mimicks those on a 1911 right down to the thumb activated mag release. The angle of the grip does also. I bought one specifically for how it fit me. I'm glad I did as it turned out to be highly accurate and reliable also. I bought the heavy barrel model. It's quite muzzle heavy on that light frame, but that adds to stability. I later bought the Pac-Lite aluminum barreled receiver for it and it became so light that it almost feels like a toy. It's great for field carry that way and especially for teaching smaller shooters who find the weight of the Ruger bull barrel to be too heavy.
 
The absolute finest 22 pistol on the market today is the S&W model 41 but they are rather pricey (i.e. $825 to $1000) if this is not within your budget you might also consider the Ruger MKII which will offer comparable accuracy with just a little work and can be purchased for about $340 to $425. If you are more interested in revolvers I would highly recommend the Colt Diamondback but again this pistol comes at a premium $625 to $1200 or S&W model 17.
 
id buy a rugar mark 3 hunter they are very nice pistoles and im shure that you wont be dispaointed in them and their cromes better then their blueing
 
Get a Ruger. They seem to be one of the more trouble free .22's and are excellent training guns. The 22/45 (any version) or the new Mk III both have the mag release behind the triggerguard.

The Browning Buckmark is the only other "inexpensive" .22 I'd seriously consider. I prefer the Ruger myself, but the Buckmark would also be OK.
 
Get the Buckmark with a metal rear sight base; NOT the Camper
model that has a plastic rear sight base. Make the right choice here,
and I believe that you will be very pleased~! ;) :D

FootNote: See a picture of my Buckmark in the Autoloaders section
entitled "Buckmark Grip Help"~!
 
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If teaching beginners get a revolver. Even better a single action revolver. They are the safest handguns short of the single shots. Teach the basics of shooting and let your students master those feats. Don't worry about transitioning to other models, actions, and designs. That doesn't come into play until the students actually start to shoot other guns and they shouldn't start that until the basics are mastered.
When your students can consistently drill the "X" in a target at varying ranges then you have done your job. Too many so call teachers are in a hurry to teach other aspects and the basic foundation of shooting is never fully learned. Teach one thing at a time and make sure they learn that.
 
You should just play with all of them and see what you like.

I really love Ruger .22s, but I hate how skinny and blocky the MKIII 22/45 grip is. I think the MKII 22/45 would be a good choice if you want the 1911 grip angle.

A lot of people really love the Buckmarks, but they don't seem like the tanks that Rugers are and I personally don't think they look nearly as good ... but there's no doubt that they're great guns with a lot of fans.

I think the CZ Kadet is also a great recommendation if you really want to mimick a more "normal" gun, but I guess that depends on what you're transitioning to.

My GF had never shot a gun in her life and I showed her how to use a MKII, then she had no problem shooting a Glock 17 after that. It's not like the gun has to mimick what you're trying to transition to -- and in a way, that might be a bad thing. For example, if you had a 1911-like .22 then transitioned to a .45 that was very similar but had a different safety it could be confusing, but if the controls are in different places there won't be any bad assumptions about how they work.
 
Get a Smith 22A, it's worth every penny just for the simple way it breaks down to clean....think High Standard....
 
Had a Ruger MarkIII Hunter and the SW M41. Both excellent.

The III ate everything I gave it. The M41 found what it liked and that was that.

I just bought a second M41 from http://www.waregunshop.com/ and although they had to raise their prices from last year, they sent one to me for $775

For training either would be fine. I liked the iron sights on the M41 better. The Ruger Mark III does have the colored plastic sight-rod on front which I do like, however.

cavman
 
Another vote for the Buckmark. Owned a 22A - hated the grip's feel compared to the buckmark, didn't like the mag release not being a thumb release... i don't see the buckmark as being particularly harder to disassemble than the s&w 22a..just needs small tools whereas the 22a doesn't. Shot for shot i find them to be directly comparable accuracy-wise, which is to say that i can hit nail tennis balls easily with either gun out to well above 30 yards.
 
Here's what you do. Buy a used CZ 75 or P01/PCR, 9mm or .40...your choice. Then snag a Kadet .22 kit for ~$200. I think there's one or two for sale in the classifieds. Best of both worlds.

Thing is, if you buy the P22, you'll be getting another gun soon with a larger caliber and different grip. It'll cost more than the CZ route. Ask me how I know.
 
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