looking for a nice .22 pistol

[kir_kenix]

my girlfriend has taken an interest to shooting latley. we bought her her first gun (a synthetic stock ruger 10/22 carbine) at sheels about 4 months ago and she really likes it. we also got her a 20 guage shotgun (marlin model 500 youth) for her to shoot doves with. we pretty much just got her into shooting pistols and i would love to get her one (and ill have something else to shoot as well). for right now i'd like to narrow it down by just asking about .22's...as she didnt like shooting the 9mm or .40. she shot some of our old revolvers and liked them, but the cost of coming up w/ one might be too high for her first pistol. she also shot some auto .22's, like a browning challenger and the like. she's pretty sure she wants an automatic, and we are looking around at different guns right now. i suggested the ruger mark III, but she didnt like the way it felt in her hands. so any suggestions on a good first gun for her would be great. keep in mind she has pretty darn small hands, and that pretty much narrows down the search to about 2 guns at the local gun store. we are planning a trip to omaha, and we want to go in and look at some pistols, but it would really help if we had some suggestions and ideas of what to look for when we go in. thanks alot.

 

[MatthewVanitas]

Good to see that you're listening to what she wants instead of trying to push her choice one way or the other.

The S&W 22A is really popular with shooters of both genders at the UT range. Accurate, runs forever with minimal cleaning, and costs about $189 new here in Texas.

There's also the Walther P22, but I don't have any experience with that one. You might want to run a THR Search on the topic to see what other members have had to say on them. It's very compact, but the design had some teething issues earlier on, which Walther may have sorted out by now.

There's also the Bersa Firestorm .22, which is all-metal and strongly resembles James Bond's PPK. I've heard good things about that model, and maybe around $220ish if you can find them or special-order them. Here's a review of the Firestorm: http://www.gunblast.com/Firestorm.htm

-MV

 

[Oldnamvet]

Buckmark? Beretta? Walther? Take her to the store and just let her hold each model/brand and see which "feels" right in her hand. Include revolvers too. You never know..............

 

[kir_kenix]

the bersa was one of the few .22's at the local gun shop that she could stand. we almost just bought it then and there, but she wasnt so sure. it looks like a pretty nice lil gun, but i said i didnt know a darn thing about bersa and the old guy at the counter said that bersa used to make some pretty "cheap" guns. he didnt know how reliable the little thing was.

 

[ugaarguy]

Well it sounds like you guys are on the right track. I'll throw a personal favorite, the Ruger 22/45. Pretty much a MKIII top with a polymer gripframe made to mimic the feel of the 1911. To me it's a much more natural feel than the steep Luger-like grip of the regular MKI/II/III. The Browning Buckmark has also been a good one for me to shoot. I've got smallish medium hands with short fingers, so I somewhat know how it can be.

If she's open to a revolver let her handle S&W mid frame (K & L Frame) S&Ws with different grips in whatever caliber. If she finds a grip she likes then you can put that grip on a S&W 617 which is K frame 22 revolver. There are also some nice compact (J Frame) S&W wheelguns in 22 LR. The nice thing with revolvers is you can quickly and easily change to any number or widely available grips to fit the shooter. If she likes the 617 the older, and incredibly well made, S&W K-22 Target and Combat Masterpiece revolvers (which became the Models 17 and 18 respectively) are among the finest 22s made. While I'm on my revolver soap box, I'll also tell you from experience - master the double action pull on a revolver and you can shoot anything well.

However, it's her gun so if she wants an auto that's what to get. You've got the right plan though; head to a big shop or three in the city and let her find what fits her. Have fun looking and hunting; that's half the fun.

 

[JediJJJ]

Beretta Neos

I just got one of these and really like it. It fits my hand well and I've had no problems after about 250 rounds through it. Not everyone seems to like the grip angle though so you need to try one. It can be had with three different size barrels and a couple of standard and deluxe combinations. The standard 6" model was just on sale for $199 at Gander Mountain. Bass Pro had it for the same price a few weeks before that. I got the 6" Inox (SS) Deluxe model because I liked the look and wanted the changeable sights and semi-adjustable trigger. Also just ordered a couple of extra mags for $10 each, can't beat that.

 

[MatthewVanitas]

but i said i didnt know a darn thing about bersa and the old guy at the counter said that bersa used to make some pretty "cheap" guns. he didnt know how reliable the little thing was.

I've yet to hear a bad thing about Bersa.

Maybe Bersa made some cheap pistols back in 1963 or something, or far more likely this old gent is confusing Bersa with Llama, Ruby, or who knows what random pistol from Spain or Latin America.

If the guy at the counter says "I used to own a Bersa Model 64 back in the 70's, and the extractor wore down to a nub in 2000 rounds", I would definitely listen to that.

When the guy at the counter says "Yep, them Spanish pistols or whatever that is are junk", I'd let it in through one ear and out the other.

I took some heavy ribbing from a "informed" gunshop owner who derided me for buying a Makarov. "Hah, them Eastern European pistols are all junk, stick to German or American!" For what it's worth, his main stock-in-trade was Phoenix .25ACP, so at least he's consistent.

-MV

 

[cookekdjr]

I'd have her pick up everything in the store, but I'm betting a BuckMark or the Walther p22 will fell the best.
-David

 

[Anna's Dad]

Sig Trailside

My wife didn't like the Ruger or the Buckmark but absolutely loves the Sig Trailside. They don't make them anymore, but they are still pretty available, even new in the box at many gun stores.

They show up online with really low price tags from time-to-time as well.

Oh, its my favorite .22 as well (not that my opinion matters). I like my Buckmark, but the Trailside's weight and balance just seem to work better for me and my wife.

 

[steelhead]

These are great!

 

[Rabbi]

I would also recommend trying a Ruger .22-45 ................. reasonable price and dynamite accuracy. User-friendly, too but some folks don't like the takedown procedure.

Buckmarks are also great for a few more dollars.

If she'd be at all interested in revolvers, the Ruger Single Action comes with both .22 LR and .22 magnum cylinders and are scary accurate.

 

[kir_kenix]

thanks for all the help. i guess i learned something new about bersa. the older gent must have had some problem w/ them long ago or something, becuase i have been doing some serious research and i cant find anything wrong with the company. seems like maybe that is something we should take a look at again, seeing as how we just spent 2 hours at my old mans house handling everything there, and the only thing she seemed to like was a few old walthers. i handled and fired a few rounds through a walther p22 today, but it wasnt quite to her taste. that new neo (cant remember who makes it) is going to have to be boughten for me tho, i really liked that thing. old man said that new sig .22 out there that handles like alot bigger gun, but he had only fired a few rounds through it. we will pbly head up to omaha tomorrow and see what we can dig up. thanks for all the help, should give us an idea (and relative price range for some) of what we are looking for. at the moment i think we are kind of leaning toward that bersa that we turned our noses up at the other day...lol. its funny how the person who should be "knowledgable" behind the counter can turn people away from something that might not be too bad just because they heard of/had a bad experience w/ a certain brand.

 

[MatthewVanitas]

The Neos is made by Beretta, and there are plenty of reviews of it posted here on THR, just hit the Search button and all is revealed.

IRT the Bersa .22LR: I've got a jonesing for one myself, I just need to start dating someone petite again so I can justify buying one. I'm not positive on this, but it might be possible to replace the Bersa grips with fancier looking ones, if your girl would enjoy that as a stocking-stuffer down the road.

Good luck in your search, let us know what you end up choosing. -MV

 

[CajunBass]

the bersa was one of the few .22's at the local gun shop that she could stand. we almost just bought it then and there, but she wasnt so sure. it looks like a pretty nice lil gun, but i said i didnt know a darn thing about bersa and the old guy at the counter said that bersa used to make some pretty "cheap" guns. he didnt know how reliable the little thing was.

With "cheap" ammo, my wife's Bersa will jam from time to time. Not really a problem at the range, but with CCI mini mags, that thing is 100%. She loves that little gun and she can shoot the lights out with it.

She uses it as her carry gun. She's knows all about the 22's limitations, but she says she has confidence that it will go bang when she pulls the trigger, and she knows how to shoot it.

Spare magazines for them are somewhat pricey.



I think it's a hoot to shoot too.

 

[JR719]

If you are not going to carry, my fav is the S&W 41. I love the way it shoots, takes down ok. My wife has no problems with it and my oldest daughter (8) wants to shoot it. I think she will be stuck with her Chipmunk for a while, we'll see.
It is extremely accurate, and an overall great shooter.

 

[kir_kenix]

well...the search finally completed...kind of. we searched ALL over, and we held literally every .22 we could find. ended up w/ 2 new pistols for the collection. for her we got her a like new S&W k22 w/ really skinny grips (i cant believe she picked a revolver after all the autos she looked at). i ended up picking up a beretta neo. both are pretty nice guns. kinda felt bad buying the S&W, considering i already own 1 almost exacly like it, and 2 others that are the j-frame, but it makes her happy for it to be her gun. kind of a wet day here so we only got about an hour or so to shoot, but overall both guns worked out pretty well. we threw a whole bunch of golf balls in the back yard and spent our time plinking them to death...quite a bit of fun even if i did wreck my new shoes in the mud. must say that both of us really enjoy the trigger pull on the k22, it is very crisp and accurate. she has a shoerter barrel then mine, but it is just as accurate. the neo is performing very well also, but it would not feed federals or remington goldens at all. shot pbly 500 rounds or so between the two after coming home and cleaning them and dark. she really likes what she chose, and im happy she got what she wanted. sorry about asking for help finding an auto and then having us go 180 on yall, but it suprised me as well. well thanks for the help anyway and happy shooting to everybody

 

[Geno]

Ruger Mk II

Ruger Mk II. One of teh best ever made for autoloaders.

Not to be overly intrusive, but before you two had a "pistol" together, you did get a prenup...didn't you?!

Doc2005

 

[mindwip]

I have a Bersa and have shoot over 600 round through it, not one problem, it has only jammed with one ammo brand (independence i think), and not one jam with any other ammo.

looks up www.bersatalk.com


here is a link about what i heard at a store were i bought my bersa and other poeple replys
http://bersatalk.com/forums/thread/15404.aspx


Here is what clerck one said to me one day at the place i bought my bersa, he did not own a bersa pistol

Bersa only last 250 rds Thats right i heard it from a clerk at On Target in Cal. The main spring breaks, mag diconecter breaks, buttons stop working, and after 250 rds it just falls apart. A useless gun, if fact the guy knows this becuase he teaches a pistol class

here is what a clerck said to me who owned a bersa

O I bought it at OnTarget and this time the guy that was letting me play with it and helping me with the paper work, owned a bersa him self, said it was a great gun only two bad things happend. After 130 rds of firing it in a row it started to rub the web of his hand, and at -20 degrees his did tend to jam. Over all everone was great, passed my safty test-missed one. 7-31-06 my birthday gift to my self.

this is talking about the 380 model and i have shoot 150 and the web of my hand felt fine. Make sure you buy bersa mags, promags make some cheap ones that dont work great

 

[TECH79]

dont forget the sig mosquito as another option

 

[hksw]

i suggested the ruger mark III, but she didnt like the way it felt in her hands.QUOTE]

Doc2005

Ruger Mk II. One of teh best ever made for autoloaders.

keep in mind she has pretty darn small hands,...[/

As others have mentioned, I would suggest a Walther P22 also. Run a brick of high velocity ammo through it first to break it in.

 

[Justin]

If you can swing the cost, I strongly recommend that you pick up a Smith & Wesson Model 41.

They're twice the price of a Ruger or Browning, but the best US made .22 LR. Better intrinsic accuracy, and they don't have the godawful heavy trigger pull that the Rugers and others have.

Out of the box, they are good for anything from informally plinking tin cans to shooting in pistol matches.

 

[Frandy]

They're twice the price of a Ruger or Browning...

Huh? Have you looked at the prices of 41s lately? How about three times the price!

 

[Justin]

Haven't looked lately, actually. And buying a used one will save you some more money. You'll have to keep an eye peeled for a used one, but they're not uncommon.

 

[HMMurdock]

After a few bad experiences with Walther P22s I've moved along to Sig Mosquitos. Anyone else here back me up on this one?

TRL

 

[Remander]

You guys were smart to handle several models before buying, so you each got a gun that feels good in your hand. Congrats!

I bet you both have tons of (cheap) fun shooting your .22's. I know I do. I blasted about 6 boxes today in my Ruger Mk II with an Ultradot and had a lot of fun.

You may want to try a red dot of some kind on that Neos. I bet you will love it. A friend has a Neos with a cheap ($35 or so) BSA dot, and it works fine. That pistol feels like it was made for my hand, though the trigger is a bit stout.

The Ultradot ($120 or so) is much brighter and more clear than the BSA, but you pay for it. Either way, it will add to the fun factor and make you much more accurate.