Looking for a .22

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SW40

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Hi folks,

My first post here on this forum. Was looking for a great place to talk about various aspects of gun ownership and was told this is a great place to start.

Anyways, I own a few firearms. I have a S&W .38 Special that I love. I also have a S&W SW40VE that I friggin enjoy. Its a Sigma but 1000 rounds and not one FTE, FTF, or FTC. Can hit a soda can at 100ft with 180 grain.

The reason I am here is because I need some advice. I love the two handguns I have above. But Spending $40 on ammunition for a couple hours at the range ADDS UP. I am looking to get a .22LR Pistol.

So far I have been looking at:

Walther P22: Friend has the P99 and I love it. Walthers feel like they were made for my hand. Read reviews both good and bad on this one. I know what to look for when I look at them.

Ruger MkII or III

Browning Buckmark Camper

SigSauer 1911-22

My goal is to have a .22 for under $400. Something I can go shoot 500-1000 rounds with and not break the bank. Also want something that is reliable. I understand that .22 is not the most reliable in a semi auto pistol.

I just want something fun to shoot. Any advice?
 
The Ruger and browning are going to be alot more accurate and will last more than a life time the walther is alot of fun to shoot because it has that combat handgun look and feel but accuracy and quality are not up the the same level as for the sig I can't say alot because I've never shot one but if you like it you should look at the gsg 1911-22 they make the guns for sig and will cost a hundred or so less without the sig name on them

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
 
The Browning and Ruger will provide greater reliabilty than your other two choices.
 
The Browning and Ruger will provide greater reliabilty than your other two choices.
Click to expand...

One of these will be your best bet for years of fun. Personally, I lean a little more towards the Ruger Mark II/III.

Walther P22: Friend has the P99 and I love it. Walthers feel like they were made for my hand.
Click to expand...

I also own a P99 and it is an EXCELLENT pistol - probably the best polymer-framed, striker-fired pistol out there (sorry, Glock-fans.)

That said - be warned. The P22 is a different beast entirely, and I would not even consider one as long as quality guns like the Ruger and Browning are out there.

The P22 is not made by Walther (all real Walthers are made at the Walther factory in Ulm, Germany). The P22 is made by Umarex, Walther's parent company, who is better know for airsoft guns and cheaper potmetal firearms., and it shows. The Walther name is slapped on for marketing purposes.
 
Hmm. That being said, what about the PK380? Thinking about getting one for carry.
 
i like the underrated guns,i like sigmas, so i got to shoot a smith wesson 22a ,guess what ,it was a dandy.shot a new ruger too,both good choices.
 
As a Walther P22 owner, my advice is don't go there! It just won't hold up over the long run and because of the short sight radius and poor trigger it is not nearly as accurate when shooting offhand.

I think any of your other choices would be far better.
 
Ruger or Browning.

And for my fanboy input, I really got a grin loading and shooting the failures cleared out of my buddy's Ruger this last weekend into and out of my Buckmark. He mumbled something about needing to clean his. Maybe I do too, it's been at least 5000 rounds since I have.
 
My favorites:

S&W M22A
Beretta Neos
Buckmark
Ruger

My wife's:
Buckmark
M22A
Neos
Ruger.


They are all very good.

The Walter P22 is just not in the same class, although we use ours to practice point shooting because its size is a pretty good analog for our carry guns.
 
I will add a vote to avoiding the P22. While it is a very cool looking gun, and has a nice grip, mine had so many FTF's with almost every type of ammo I eventually ended up selling it after only about 6 months. The only ammo I could ever get to feed reliably was CCI Stingers.

You just cannot go wrong with a Mark II/III. It's a classic looking gun and will shoot anything you put into it.

Good luck!
 
Get the S&W 22A without question! If you want a shooter that is easy to clean, and so easy to feild strip without messing with the sights, yeah this is the one you will always take plinking, run and get U one. I have had mine for 600 rounds so far without any function problems that were not directly attributed to the ammo.
Yes most of the finish is like powdercoat paint or something, but that is the beauty, you do not have to worry about fingerprints, you just take it and shoot and enjoy!
 
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I have several .22 pistols, and my ranking would look like this:
First overall-Browning Buckmark.
Second overall-Ruger MkIII
Third place-S&W 22A

All three of these have been reliable as heck, the Buckmark edges out on accuracy, S&W easily wins the easiest to disassemble prize.

If I could only have one? Buckmark.
 
My first choice would be a Ruger MK.II, followed by either a Browning Buckmark or a Beretta Neos. Probably the biggest thing here is finding one whose grip frame design best suits you.
 
Can't go wrong with the Ruger MK series. Lots of aftermarket parts available to customize it how you want. Very accurate too. The Buckmark probably has a nicer trigger out of the box, but the Ruger is my choice.
 
Hmm. That being said, what about the PK380? Thinking about getting one for carry.
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The PK380, like the P22, is an Umarex gun. I'd avoid it if I were you. There are too many other high-quality .380s on the market to bother with an Umarex gun with a potmetal slide, especially if you plan to carry it.

If you want a small Walther to carry, you should be looking at the fantastic PPS. The PPS is an extremely well-made pistol that fires a more powerful cartridge (that is cheaper to shoot as well if you go with 9mm). It's also about the same size as a PK380.

Sorry to get off topic!
 
I have a Ruger MKII and a MKIII Hunter. I love the MKII, especially since I upgraded it with a Volquartsen accurizing kit. But I have to say, the MKIII Hunter has a pretty nice trigger right out of the box. I love the fluted barrel and cocobolo grips, too. Very nice firearm overall. But you'll be very happy with either model. Go for the MKII, or replace the MKIII internals with MKII ones to remove the magazine disconnect for easier cleaning, if that bothers you.

Even made a custom case for my pair of Rugers:
DSCF6542.gif

Now I wanna go shooting... dang it! :p
 
Wow nice kit. Thanks for the responses everyone. I believe I am going to go for the Ruger MKIII. However now I have been looking at the S&W M&P .22. Held one yesterday and it felt good. Heard great things about it. But my gut says Ruger.
 
Fishbed77 said:
One of these will be your best bet for years of fun. Personally, I lean a little more towards the Ruger Mark II/III.



I also own a P99 and it is an EXCELLENT pistol - probably the best polymer-framed, striker-fired pistol out there (sorry, Glock-fans.)

That said - be warned. The P22 is a different beast entirely, and I would not even consider one as long as quality guns like the Ruger and Browning are out there.

The P22 is not made by Walther (all real Walthers are made at the Walther factory in Ulm, Germany). The P22 is made by Umarex, Walther's parent company, who is better know for airsoft guns and cheaper potmetal firearms., and it shows. The Walther name is slapped on for marketing purposes.
Click to expand...
I believe you error on the P-22. Mine is marked with the manufacture as Carl Walther Ulm/Do Made in Germany. The importer is Smith and Wesson. These have nothing to do with Umarex which is an importer located in Missouri. To my knowledge Umarex doesn't manufacture any guns but they import a number of different brands that Walther builds such as the Colt AR15-22.
 
I believe you error on the P-22. Mine is marked with the manufacture as Carl Walther Ulm/Do Made in Germany. The importer is Smith and Wesson. These have nothing to do with Umarex which is an importer located in Missouri. To my knowledge Umarex doesn't manufacture any guns but they import a number of different brands that Walther builds such as the Colt AR15-22.
Click to expand...

Incorrect. Umarex is the parent company of Walther. Recently they have put the Walther name on a number of firearms that they manufacture (including the Colt AR15-22, and a whole slew of rimfire H&Ks), but the reality is that the only "true" Walthers are those designed and manufactured by Walther in Ulm. Smith & Wesson is the importer for Walther-branded firearms in the United States (and also manufactures the PPK in the U.S. under license from Walther).

Yes, the P22 has "Carl Walther Ulm/Do Made in Germany" printed on it. That doesn't mean anything. That's just Umarex brand marketing. You have to look at the proofmarks on the gun. See that shield with the three crowns. That confirms that the P22 was proofed in Cologne (Koln), about 45 minutes away from Umarex's Arnsberg factory that makes the P22, PK380 and a slew of other zinc-alloy guns.


For example, here is the proof from an Umarex-manufactured P22 proofed in Cologne:

p22proofs.gif


The guns actually made at the Walther Factory in Ulm carry the staghorn mark. Here is a proof from a P99 manufactured and proofed at Ulm:

3-1.jpg



Here is a link to various proofmarks and what they mean:

https://store.bluebookinc.com/Info/PDF/Firearm/Proofmarks.pdf
 
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