Best 22 for under $400

[tideguyinva]

I have been wanting to get me a 22 for a while now. I will be using it to practice with at the range to have better accuracy and experience. I am looking for a auto 22. Something under $400. I have read some of the other post about the browning buckmark and the ruger mkII and III. Are there any other I should be looking at? What other criteria should I be looking at? Such as barrel length or anything that would help me out.

 

[10-Ring]

I'm not sure what the going price is on them anymore, but the Ruger MKII and the Browning Buckmark are really nice, dependable shooters. There are some more modern guns out there but these 2 seem to be the standard

 

[B. Adams]

I have a 5.5" stainless Ruger 22/45 MKIII. It's easily my favorite range gun right now. My range is less than 5 minutes away, and oftentimes I'll just grab the Ruger, a bulk pack of Federal's, and a grocery bag of empty soda cans. It makes for a great afternoon. The only modification I've done to my 22/45 was to remove the magazine disconnect and replace it with a spacer. Disassembly and reassembly are not as difficult as some have made it out to be (for me, anyway).

Personally, I think you'd be happy with any of them, but I particularly like the 22/45 and the Buckmark, mostly because of the grip angle. The angle of a steel frame Ruger (MKII, MKIII) is steeper, kind of like a Glock. I shoot them fine I guess, but I prefer a shallow angle.

I also like the styling of the Ruger and Browning better than S&W and Beretta, and I'm not a fan of the little guns from Walther and Sig, although I've never shot any of those, just held them in the shop.

The longer barrel lengths offer increased velocity and a longer sight radius, although the inherent accuracy of the guns will be about the same. Get a long enough barrel for a good sight radius, but small enough that it balances well in your hand and won't be awkward to take to the range. I like a barrel length of around 5", but you might be different.

If you can find a 22/45 MKII at a reasonable price, I'd go for that, otherwise I think you'll be happy with any of the offerings from Ruger or Browning. Based on hearsay, I'd recommend a full size pistol rather than a small one (P22, Mosquito, etc.). Apparently they're much more reliable.

BTW, a .22 pistol is a great idea.

 

[Anna's Dad]

I'd stay away from the Walther P22 & Sig Mosquito.

If you can find (not made anymore) a Sig Trailside in your price range, they are fantastic!

Otherwise, the Ruger Mk II or III or a Browning Buckmark are also good choices.

I have owned the Trailside and Buckmark and have fired multiple Rugers although never owned one personally.

 

[kamagong]

Another Ruger fan here. I have a blued 22/45 and it's a wonderful gun. More accurate than I am, it's what I use as my 1911 trainer. My girl likes it too, she has tons of fun shooting it.

 

[swan hunter]

Can't hardly go wrong with ruger or Browning

We run a local pistol league and the Buckmarks are the most popular.

 

[-C4-]

I have a Ruger Mark II and a Sig Trailside (both under $400). Both are very nice guns. My main issue is that the Ruger is particular about its ammo.

 

[CajunBass]

I've got a Ruger MK II and a MK III 22/45. They're both good guns for the money.

I've never heard anything bad about a Buckmark either.

 

[bakert]

The Buckmarks I've shot were very nice pistols but I'm another Ruger MKII fan. Mine was bought used with at least 2 or more previous owners and still shoots like a new one. Did replace the extractor ad recoil spring unit. Many complain about field stripping and putting back together but Not that much of a problem if one just reads the &#%^*& instructions

 

[cellar dwellar]

Have a look at the Beretta Neos. They make a 4.5" and a 6.5" as well as a 7.5" barrel that can be purchased and installed on either of the other two. The gun is easy to field strip with no tools and is very reliable. It has a full length rail attached to the barrel if you ever want to add optics. The 4.5" version can be had new for under $200. The only down side to the Neos may be its looks. Some people don't care for the shape.

 

[tnieto2004]

I like my S&W 22A

 

[Brian Williams]

I had a Ruger Slabside and sold it and bought a Colt woodsman for $295. It is just as accurate and much nice fit and finish. Take down is a breeze.

 

[madcratebuilder]

+1 for the Ruger MK II or III

 

[m4coyote]

I have owned several Ruger MK II & MK III pistols, and now own a Browning Buckmark. My reasoning for the Buckmark is that barrel assemblys can be mail ordered and shipped right to your door. The barrel - reciever assembly on the Ruger pistols are the serial numbered part and are considered the "gun", and therefore require bieng shipped to an FFL holder.

The Buckmark is also much easier for me to field strip. The trigger action on my Buckmark is also much better than any unmodified MKII - MKIII that I have owned.

They are both great pistols, but in the end, you just have to handle them both and make your own decision.

 

[TX1911fan]

I own both a Walther P22 and a Browning Buckmark. I'll take the Walther any day. It it fun to shoot, looks good, and feels good. And, it disassembles easily for cleanup. The Buckmark is a PITA to disassemble. If you are one who doesn't clean their 22s then it won't matter. But if you like to clean your guns, the Buckmark sucks! You will almost undoubtedly bend the recoil guide rod, which can then affect function the next time you shoot it. Get the Walther and have some fun. Some P22s are picky about ammo, but then so was my Buckmark, so I don't see much difference. I've never had a problem with Remington Golden Bullets for bulk, and all the premium ammo has worked just fine. Plus, the barrel is already threaded for a supressor. Can't get much better than that.

 

[FLORIDA KEVIN]

i will second the Berreta Neos ! It shoots great is easy to maintain ! has a weaver type top rail attached to the barrell so you can mount a red dot or scope ! Replacement or spare barrels are about 90 bucks and the sights stay on the barrel !i want to get a 4 inch barrel with iron sights and leave my red dot on the 6 inch !It also has an ambi safety ,which most of the others dont !I bought mine for under 300 bucks with the 6 in barrel !

 

[Headless]

Browning Buckmark or Ruger mk3.

 

[bobaloo]

I bought a Walther P22 when they came out because it looked "cool" and I was teaching my kids to shoot handguns. It's very small and fit their hands well. However, the safety is "reversed", meaning you push it up to fire and the mag release is unique, and hinged portion of the trigger guard. For training it was less than desirable because of its uniqueness, they had to relearn everything with "real guns". Last summer the slide cracked, just broke almost in two about an inch from the front, apparently it's a fairly common problem with the pot metal slides. Never could shoot it very accurately due to its small size and light weight.

Bought a Buckmark couple of months ago, night and day difference. Operation is like most other pistols, weighs enough that it works for cross training, meaning that it weights as much as a standard semiauto. Nice trigger, crisp and light, and shoots far more accurately than I do. I've put a couple thousand rounds of about 7-8 types of ammo through it with no problems at all. Breakdown is simple and easy for cleaning, just remove two screws and loosen one screw and the gun is broken down. Wish I would have bought it years ago, but making up for lost time now.

I looked at the Rugers, as I know a lot of people love them, it basically came down to feel, the Buckmark just fit my hand perfectly and felt more comfortable than the Rugers.

 

[hexidismal]

I don't know if the Beretta neos is the 'best' gun for under $400, but.. I just recently posted a thread with my complete Beretta Neos tuning guide. If you're willing and able to do the work , you can have a gun with a better action than anything you can buy off the shelf for the low price of the neos.

http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=320915

 

[harbinger_j]

Go for the Buckmark!

I've got two.

"I looked at the Rugers, as I know a lot of people love them, it basically came down to feel, the Buckmark just fit my hand perfectly and felt more comfortable than the Rugers."

+1!

 

[rxraptor02]

The Ruger is a great choice. All of the .22s spoken about are all good guns.
I have a Ruger MKIII Hunter. Talk about a fun gun. I have only shot CCI mini mags and the federal bulk stuff. I used the mini mags for the first 200 rounds then switched to federal. cant beat 550 rounds for 12ish dollars. I have only had one issue. a case did not ejectand stovepiped. That was after about 400 rounds without cleaning.

The take down is tricky, but after reading and trying it a few times it is very easy and simple to clean.

now my brother has a sig mosquito, he like it but can only shoot the CCI mini magas and can only put about 150~200 down range before it starts turns into a jam-o-matic

 

[kd7nqb]

+1 for the Neos, it looks funny but its pretty cool to shoot.

 

[DWARREN123]

Check out the CZ 75 Kadet. www.cz-usa.com

 

[Bill B.]

I would say Ruger MKIII on new but with a bit of shopping maybe a used S&W revolver or a High Standard auto might be something else to consider. Even used they will easily last longer than we will! Best with whatever your choice is.

 

[shamus]

A used ruger Mark II.