Inexpensive, reliable .22 auto

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cluttonfred

cluttonfred

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I am thinking of getting a .22 for general plinking and practice. A quick check of real world prices (I used Buds Gun Shop just because their site search function is handy) shows several choices for new .22 autos under $300. I have eliminated the tiny .22 pocket pistols since that's not the kind of gun I have in mind.

Beretta Neos
Smith & Wesson 22A
Ruger 22/45
Ruger Mark III
Sig Mosquito
Walther P22

I know there have been some threads on these before, but I'd like to hear some first-hand commentary on the pros and cons of these options. I'd also welcome any other suggestions for new guns in this price range.

Thanks!
 
Of your choices:

Beretta Neos No idea
Smith & Wesson 22A Good choice
Ruger 22/45 Good choice. Solid reliable gun.
Ruger Mark III Good choice. Solid reliable gun.
Sig Mosquito Piece of Junk. Don't buy
Walther P22 Piece of Junk made from pot-metal (slide is Zinc) jam-o-matic. Don't buy
 
Beretta Neos - Owned 2x at the same time, Never a jam if you used CCI Mini-Mags (my .22lr of choice), and I never tried anything else

P22 - Mine has been great, required a little bit of work to the slide safety (otherwise enough firing with the safety on and it would creep towards fire, just increase the dimple, done)

Heard good things about the 22/45... =)
 
Ruger Mark III

My vote is for the Ruger Mark III target. I would have to say that this .22 is by far one of the best made .22s out there. I love mine. Mine has the heavy bull barrel and is a real tack driver. It come with a scope base mount and I put a red dot on mine; I can break shotgun clays at 50yrds 1st shot all day long. I've had "0" FTF or FTE with thousnads of rounds.
 
Ruger Mark III
Barrel length depending on what you are going to do with it.

Don't just look at the cost to buy it, but the cost over the life time of the gun and resell value if you are a person who sells.
 
Seriously - there are three on your list that you should consider. The Ruger Mk III, the Ruger Mk III, and the Ruger Mk III. Of course, this is my opinion, and I'm stuck with it... Any questions? :D
 
I'd vote for Ruger or Buckmark or a Neos.

There has been a Ruger Mk1 in the house since I was born and it has always been reliable and accurate. Contrary to what you may have heard, they are not hard to reassemble.

I know more than a few people with Buckmarks and they are almost universally loved.

The Neos is a copy of the Colt (Cadet) 22, which is a copy of a High-Standard Duramatic and they are all fine guns. If I find a nice Colt 22 it may just come home with me.

I lust after a Woodsman Match Target to go with my OMS...:D
 
I am a Ruger fan, but the truth of the matter is that you will probably be happy with any of the pistols you mentioned, except maybe the Walther and the SIG.

The Walther has developed a reputation for being very picky about what ammo it will feed reliably. I have never had one, but my dad has, and that was his experience. After 500 rounds or so, he reports that it is functioning better. If you want to roll the dice, thats up to you. As far as the SIG goes, I might even be thinking of a different gun, but I know SIG made a .22 that was strongly disliked. If it wasn't the Mosquito, I apologize to all of you Mosquito lovers.

The others that you mentioned will generally all work right out of the box. Accuracy may vary between loads, but function should be good. I happen to like the Ruger MkII above all others, but I have owned, and enjoyed, a Buckmark. I would also like to get a NEOS one of these days. I don't have any personal experience with the Smith, but I have never seen anything that woudl lead me to believe that there is a problem with them. It's not hard to find a .22 that you will like, really.
 
I have a S&W 22A, Hi Standard HD Military, and a Browning Buckmark. All have been solid performers.

I got the S&W back when they used to go on sale for $170. It was a great deal for the money. I have no idea what they cost now.

I paid a bit more for the Browning. Probably a little nicer gun.

The Hi Standard was a gift. My mother-in-law was going to bring it to the police because it had been her father's and she wanted it out of the house. I told her I'd take care of it. They run about $500 in similar condition. It has the best trigger of the three.

Forget the Sig. Do a search either here or at TFL. I bet the opinions are drastically skewed against.
 
I have a Ruger MKIII and it's ok. I really like my Buckmark though. The Ruger can be a little quirky sometimes but the Buckmark just shoots and it's really accurate. If I had to choose one of the 2 it would be the Buckmark
 
I like my Ruger.
Once I figured out how to clean it, it runs super well.
The CCI Mini Mags never jam, I buy the non HP's at the range 100 rounds for $5.50, if I am letting kids run round after round, I run the Federal or CCI Bulk Pack. It jams every now and then on the Bulk packs, sometimes, doest fires, but most of the time is great!

I can run 5k rounds without stopping on the thing. Then clean it.
 
Simple get a Ruger most proven-reliable .22 out there.
Even though I love my p22, I would get a ruger first.
 
Beretta Neos
Ergonomics were off, finicky with ammo, and extremley sharp requiring de-horning.

Smith & Wesson 22A
Nice gun, recommended.

Ruger 22/45
Recommended and the neat version is the 4" bbl which is real easy to tote and kids seem to be able to shoot this one better than the longer bbl.

Ruger Mark III
Every darn one me and mine have shot, has had troubles of some kind and gone back to Ruger.

Sig Mosquito
I did not like the first one I shot , it felt odd.
The second one I wanted to try went "clink" as the thing busted some part ( forget?) and it was new.

Walther P22
I had choice of shooting this or the Neos.
My lady friend shot this gun and and hated it.

--

I like and recommend OLDer Ruger MKI, MKII, S&W 422/622, Buckmarks, High Standard not made in TX , Colt Woodsman, Beretta Target...
 
As does it always, it seems like a two way race between Buckmarks, MkI/II/III and 22/45. I said earlier I like the Ruger better, but there is nothing wrong with a Buckmark either. let me give my two cents on why I like the Ruger better. I would stress that I like MkII pistols, not the MkIII's.

1. Despite claims of the horrible difficulty of taking down and reassembling the MkII, it isn't that bad. You just have to follow the instructions to the letter. Do that, pretty easy. Try to figure it out on your own? Good luck. Keep in mind that there is no particular reason to break down a .22 pistol all that often. They simply do not (or at least the Rugers do not) need frequent cleaning to shoot straight and run good.

2. I flatly don't care for the topstrap over the chamber on the Buckmark. In many ways, it's my only complaint with the pistol. Rarely, but sometimes, stovepipes occur. I also don't like that the screw that keeps it all held down is virtually impossible to keep tight.

3. In my experience, Buckmarks are a touch more finicky that the Rugers. I have never had ammo that wouldn't work in a Ruger, I have in a Buckmark. Thats just my experience, and is likely not everyones, but there it is.

Thats it really. I will own another Buckmark one day. I like shooting .22, .22 pistols are not that expensive and I can't think of a reason in the world not ot own as many as I want, and Buckmarks are fine guns. If I could only have one, give me the MkII. But, I can have more and so I shall.
 
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