Looking for a good 22 pistol (besides the ruger mkII)

[atek3]

I'd like a nice 22 pistol to replace my ugly ruger mk II. It has to be reliable, ergonomic, reasonably accurate, and not unreasonably priced. Mainly it would be used for plinking, and letting new people shoot. Are sig trailsides any good?

thanks,
atek3

 

[caseydog]

Atek, the Browning Buckmark has proven to be a great little gun for me , very reliable, it's probably got ~7,000 rounds through it in the last 6 months and no problems. It has nice big safety and slide release buttons and a very nice trigger. Only issue is if you decide to put a Reddot on it , you have to pull off the sight base to field strip it every 2500 rounds or so , then you have to resight.

Shoot a 22 bowling pin league, between me and the wife with practice we've been averaging about 1000 rounds a week for the last month.

Just went shopping for a second 22 for the wife , went to a store that carries them all , Neos, Sig , S&W , Ruger and Browning, now my wife has a mind of her own when it comes to guns so she had to check them all out , when it was all said and done she bought a brushed nickel Buckmark.

So now "we" have 2

Edited to add prices , mine is the "Camper" model , $239 , her brushed nickel slabside was $279

Ray

 

[stealthmode]

i am also looking for another .22 but i am going the revolver direction. i am considering the S&W that holds 10 rounds.

 

[rwc]

Spend some time at http://www.rimfirecentral.com and you'll gain some good information.

 

[kennedy]

My sig trailside is one of the best handguns I have ever shot. Learned to shoot it well the first time out with it. It has a rail on the barrel for easy scope mount, I have a cheap red dot on it, since I have the fixed sight model. They can be pricey if you get all the add ons, like target sights and grips.

 

[Brian Williams]

I have a Ruger MKII Competition modeal and it is a great gun and shoots real well, But I was browsing thru a local establishment and found a 1st series Colt Woodsman, I mullled it over and over, It was a nice gun mechanically, but someone had let rust spots happen and then sanded the barrel with about 400 grit. I finally bought the thing yesterday and brought it home and WOW what a gun. It cleaned up real nice, I need to spend more time removing the rust but If I spend some time with 600 grit wet paper it will polish up real nice. Price tag was $225... It has some really crappy and broken plastic grips, I need to find a set of replacement wood grips with full checkering.
My reccomendation for Newbies is a S&W 35, J frame 6 shooter, 6" barrel with target sights. or My new Old Colt.

 

[whm1974]

I have a S&W Model 22A. Shoots well and it's easy to clean.

-Bill

 

[popeye]

I've got S&W K22 4", K22 6", MOD 41, and 617 4" 10 shot. I also have a DW .22 with 4" and 6" barrels. You can't go wrong with any S&W .22 revolver. The only drawback to the 10 shot is DA timing/trigger pull is really different than a 6 shot. I generally shoot it SA. Out of the bunch the DW is most accurate (using 6" HB in SA).

 

[Highland Ranger]

Can't go wrong with the Buckmark or Trailside.

I prefer the Buckmark.

For target, I have a S&W model 41 . . . . tack driver

 

[30 cal slob]

If you don't want a Ruger, I would suggest S&W model 41 hands down (it's the only Smith autoloader that I like). It's pricey for an American .22 pistol but it's a serious target pistol.

Breaks down easier than that !@#$@#$!@#$!@ Ruger Mk II.

For FUN (=plinking) and maybe even backup carry, you can't go wrong with a Walther P-22.

 

[Johnny Guest]

Two good ones - -

The Browning Buckmark comes in several versions. I prefer the most standard version - - No rail, no scope, just good, square, black sights. Some years ago, I gave one with the 5-1/2" barrel to Elder Son for his first handgun. It worked so well and was so much fun, I later got a 4" bbl version for my own use. The shorter barrel pistol fits well into US GI hip and shoulder holsters for field use.

Thirty-some years ago, I blundered onto a brand new-in-the-box S&W Model 34, the .22/32 Kit Gun. It had the 2" barrel and round butt. I thought it would make a good training piece for my wife's Chief's Special, and it did. But more than that, it is a wonderful piece to drop into a hunting vest. VERY high quality, and it's difficult to believe how accurate a short barrel revolver can be.

The M34 is discontinued, and nice used examples are a bit pricey, but I believe it is an excellent value. The current incarnation of this concept are the Models 317 and 317 Kit Gun. I have no personal experience with these, but they have the added advantage of being very light weight revolvers.

Best,
Johnny

 

[sm]

Brian Williams -
I like them Woodsmans...
Great Gun! See http://www.colt22.com/

I concur with the plain Buckmark.

I also concur with the OLDER S&Ws , as mentioned - such as Mod 34, Model 18 for the Revolver, Still contend the Model 18 is one of the best to teach a new shooter, and to work out the kinks when one is having them on centerfire revos.

The Old High Standard Duramatic is a simple , plain semi. They just work, simple to keep up. About the only downside is magazines and not sure about parts If'n one should need.

Those old H&R 999, and High Standard Sentenials, for revos - sometimes you find a great buy, fun guns and a bit of notalgia as well.

 

[Brian Williams]

Great Gun! See http://www.colt22.com/
Yep I have been there and found it is a post-war gun built from pre war stuff
I just need some good wood grips now, numrich has some but not sure if they are checked wood.

 

[Flashpoint]

I have deceided to make the Trailside my next gun. It been hard to figure out whether to .22 or a .45. I don't have either and figured at this point it would be a better investment to get a .22. I really like the way the Trailside fit my hand, it's balance, the hairtrigger, and the fact that it has a rail. I'll be making a trip to the gun shop to pick one up soon. As soon as we pay our quartly taxes. :banghead:

 

[Walt Sherrill]

If you have a CZ, get the CZ Kadet Kit. (I had a stainless Ruger MK II Target Competiton with the long barrel, and the Kadet Kit was virtually as accurate. I traded the Ruger, kept the Kadet.)

CZ also makes a dedicated version of the Kadet, but its too costly. very, very accurate, however.

If you have a 1911, get a Marvel Conversion. Sub inch groups at 50 yards are guaranteed.

 

[jonnyc]

1. Buckmark
2. Buckmark
3. Buckmark

 

[enfield303]

Considered one of these?

I just picked up a Walther P22. I love this gun! The ergonomics are great, it comes with two different backstraps. All you need to do to swap them out is tap out two little roll pins. I bought this pistol for a lot of the same reasons you have mentioned. I took "My Favorite Blonde" to the range on Sunday. She loved shooting, but did not really like my Taurus PT-99(Grips are a bit large for her hands). So while I was looking around my local gun emporium, I spotted the Walther. It was perfect. Price was a little over $200, and the safty features are pretty good. The weapon WILL NOT function if there is no magazine in the gun. This also has one of the best triggers that I have ever seen in a stock firearm. Great function, great ergonomics, great price. Check one out.

 

[9x19]

Browning Buck Mark would be my first choice... followed by:

Sig Trailside

Firestorm (Bersa) FS22

Walther P22

 

[ZeroX]

I second the recommendation for the CZ Kadet kit/stand-alone gun.

 

[Onmilo]

The Hammerli made SIG Trailside would be an excellent choice.

If the shooters have small hands the Beretta Neos is an excellent pistol and about half the price of the SIG.

 

[Black Snowman]

Another vote for the Buckmark. My Dad's S&W 22A has been good and they're resonably priced.

 

[YammyMonkey]

Another vote for the Buckmark here.

Only problem is when the gun is dirty and I'm shooting the cheap Winchester red/grey boxed "X" ammo. Not sure if it's their SuperX line or not, but it's not hot enough to cycle the slide when dirty (500++ rounds).

REm/Fed/CCI all run great in it.

 

[WVleo]

S&W 34-1 .22lr

Hi, Shop around the corner has a S&W 34-1 4" for $355 , I could probally get him to $340 OTD. Looks unfired , has original box, paperwork . Is it worth it ? ....WVleo

 

[MaterDei]

I have both a Buckmark (Camper) and a Ruger MK II. Until cleaning time I prefer the Ruger.

The Buckmark is a good pistol too, just not as durable IMO. I have a problem with the top strap screws working themselves loose when I'm shooting. Both are fine guns. I like the MK III but would never buy one because if the billboard Ruger insists on printing on their new pistols.

my ugly ruger mk II

I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I think that the Mark II is a fine looking gun (even though it doesn't have the fancy-smancy gold trigger that the Buckmark has).

 

[rick_reno]

I picked up a Buckmark for use in Bullseye winter league shooting. It worked great and was accurate enough to compete with. I used it for a year before my father gave me his High Standard. The Buckmark is a nice pistol.