Looking for Small 22lr Pistol Suggestions

[Tallball]

I'm looking for a small 22lr pistol similar in size to my Kahr PM9. It won't be for SD, just for plinking and shooting targets for fun.

I already have Ruger Marks and a Buck Mark and some 22 revolvers. Looking for a small autoloader.

Do you have a nice one with a barrel under four inches? Tell me about it. What do you like (and dislike?) about it.

Probably looking for something a little bigger than the tiny tip-up barrel kind and the LCP.

It won't be for SD!

 

[Gork10]

I like my FN 502 alot. Accurate and reliable. 10 and 15 round magazine's available. Replaced the recoil spring at around 45000 rounds. Up around 6000 rounds at this time. Think I paid a little over 400 for it.

 

[tubeshooter]

If you can find a Bersa .22 Thunder/Firestorm that is not overly finicky, that is likely almost exactly what you are looking for.


Mine doesn't see much action but is fun and fine for what it is. I have other .22 handgun bases covered, much as yourself.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

SR22, Glock 44, or TX22?

Anything but a SIG Mosquito!

 

[dieselchief]

keltec p17. shoot its older brother the 30. they work for pocket money....

 

[chicharrones]

If you can find a Bersa .22 Thunder/Firestorm that is not overly finicky, that is likely almost exactly what you are looking for.


Mine doesn't see much action but is fun and fine for what it is. I have other .22 handgun bases covered, much as yourself.

For an old school .22 pistol with a 3.5" barrel, it sure is hard to pass one by when they can be had for $300 new in my area.

I've had my Bersa Firestorm .22 LR for years. It is a fun little blaster that is easier to shoot than smaller .22 pistols.

 

[5-SHOTS]

Maybe a Walther P22Q ?

 

[Dave DeLaurant]

I guess the closest I've come to this size recently was the Advantage Arms .22 conversion slide on my Glock 26. I got rid of the 26 when I decided the 19 was small enough -- I have an AA conversion for that one too. It has a smaller footprint than my Woodsman, but not by much. Both make pretty neat plinkers.



Long ago (mid-1980s) I had an Iver Johnson .22 rendition of the Walther PPK that I rather liked. Shot OK, but the finish wasn't particularly durable.



I suppose that if I really wanted a .22 pocket pistol today, I'd hunt down a rimfire version of the Walther PP.

FWIW, my shooting buddy Bob really likes his new Ruger LCP II. I prefer something a bit larger myself.

 

[Terry G]

If you can find a Bersa .22 Thunder/Firestorm that is not overly finicky, that is likely almost exactly what you are looking for.


Mine doesn't see much action but is fun and fine for what it is. I have other .22 handgun bases covered, much as yourself.

I have two .22 BERSA's. Using HV ammunition and they won't fail, but I really wouldn't call PPK sized gun "small". Taurus PT22 is a small gun. There's just so many good one's out there. I have had good luck with all pictured. '

 

[Jim Watson]

I own a S&W Plastic M&P .22 Compact and have shot Sig P322 and Walther PPQ22.
All are handy and reliable.
Practical accuracy, for me, at least, is somewhat limited by light weight and indifferent triggers.

 

[Shortgrub]

Beretta M21A in .22

 

[zaitcev]

I'm looking for a small 22lr pistol similar in size to my Kahr PM9.
I already have Ruger Marks and a Buck Mark and some 22 revolvers. Looking for a small autoloader.

Most 22s aren't that small. Even the Walther P22Q and Ruger SR22, otherwise thought by enthusiasts of rimfire as very small, are larger than PM9.
So you're going to be looking primarily at Ruger LCP II (they discontinued the .380 version but left the 22 in production).
There's also a Beretta 21A, which is smaller than your PM9 in all dimensions except thickness.

Personally I think you'll have to step up to a larger class, at least the size of M&P 22 Compact.
There just aren't many choices otherwise. I looked through other replies in this thread and folks
just cannot wrap their heads about your requirements. Compared to PM9, a Bersa is huge.

 

[doubleh]

From many years of use I am going to recommend a Ruger SR22 for a small 22. Wife has one of the newer PPK/s 22 guns and it hasn't been shot nearly as much as my SR22 simply because of age difference but it has been just as dependable. I'll also throw in the Phoenix at a much lower cost. I had one for a time and it was as accurate as either of the others and never had a problem as I stuck to SV ammo like the owner's manual says to do. Three safety's to deal with but you put one in the off position and forget about it, a piece of wire disables another, and then it works like any other semi-auto with a safety. I had good luck with a Walther P22 but let a grandson talk me out of it. That's been years ago, he still has it, and it's still working. It and the SR22 are about identical in size and shape but with different controls. The Ruger take a little getting used to it safety/decocker and with the Walther's mag release.

The SR22 is great for teaching kids to shoot a handgun as it works well with their small hands. Load it with one round to start them and go up as they show responsibility.

 

[chicharrones]

I'm looking for a small 22lr pistol similar in size to my Kahr PM9. It won't be for SD, just for plinking and shooting targets for fun.

I already have Ruger Marks and a Buck Mark and some 22 revolvers. Looking for a small autoloader.

Do you have a nice one with a barrel about 3" - 3.5" ? Tell me about it. What do you like (and dislike?) about it.

Probably looking for something a little bigger than the tiny tip-up barrel kind and the LCP.

It won't be for SD!

I have two .22 BERSA's. Using HV ammunition and they won't fail, but I really wouldn't call PPK sized gun "small". Taurus PT22 is a small gun.

Most 22s aren't that small. Even the Walther P22Q and Ruger SR22, otherwise thought by enthusiasts of rimfire as very small, are larger than PM9.
So you're going to be looking primarily at Ruger LCP II (they discontinued the .380 version but left the 22 in production).
There's also a Beretta 21A, which is smaller than your PM9 in all dimensions except thickness.

Personally I think you'll have to step up to a larger class, at least the size of M&P 22 Compact.
There just aren't many choices otherwise. I looked through other replies in this thread and folks
just cannot wrap their heads about your requirements. Compared to PM9, a Bersa is huge.

While the OP mentioned similar size to his PM9, he did open up the prospects by writing about a pistola with a 3" to 3.5" barrel.

 

[chicharrones]

Might as well throw out this photo.

Barrel lengths in 5.5" for the Buckmark, 2.4" for the Bobcat, and 3.5" for the Bersa.

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

The smallest one i have is a Jemenez JA 22. But if i was going to carry one of my 22's. It would be my Glock 44.

 

[BreechFace]

I'm looking for a small 22lr pistol similar in size to my Kahr PM9. It won't be for SD, just for plinking and shooting targets for fun.

I already have Ruger Marks and a Buck Mark and some 22 revolvers. Looking for a small autoloader.

Do you have a nice one with a barrel about 3" - 3.5" ? Tell me about it. What do you like (and dislike?) about it.

Probably looking for something a little bigger than the tiny tip-up barrel kind and the LCP.

It won't be for SD!

Well, the Ruger LCP II 22LR is the same size as the PM9.

Most 22s aren't that small. Even the Walther P22Q and Ruger SR22, otherwise thought by enthusiasts of rimfire as very small, are larger than PM9.
So you're going to be looking primarily at Ruger LCP II (they discontinued the .380 version but left the 22 in production).
There's also a Beretta 21A, which is smaller than your PM9 in all dimensions except thickness.

Personally I think you'll have to step up to a larger class, at least the size of M&P 22 Compact.
There just aren't many choices otherwise. I looked through other replies in this thread and folks
just cannot wrap their heads about your requirements. Compared to PM9, a Bersa is huge.

As said above most common well regarded “compact” 22’s are going to be slightly bigger than a PM9.

 

[rust collector]

You may want to check out the Gen 2 Taurus TX-22 compact. Comfortable to shoot and to carry.

 

[22250Rem]

Not made anymore but the S&W 2206 series are reliable, quality, rimfire autoloaders. Might be some floating around for sale on the internet or various gun shops. Picked a new one up in the 1990's. Mine has over 3000 trouble free rounds through it since then and for my hand I consider it neither too big nor too small. Mine's the target model which came with a nice set of adjustable sights.. .. ...

 

[MachIVshooter]

For a nice small-ish .22 plinker, you'll be hard pressed to beat the Beretta Jaguars. The model 71 is most common, though the steel framed 70S does turn up from time to time. Longer barreled and target variants, the 72, 73, 74, 75 & 76 are out there. The 76 Target is not small, though. It's a steel 70 series frame, but with extended full size grips and a large barrel shroud.

I have a 71 (top right, no suppressor installed) and a 76 Target (wood grips with our skinny Salamander suppressor), and they are among my favorite .22s. I like the 87 Target plenty, too, but the 70 series have a better trigger (the 87 is the one that looks like a smaller Robocop gun, top-center)

 

[sigarms228]

The M&P 22 Compact would be one worth checking out. They are known to be extremely reliable with a wide variety of ammo, as mine has been, and decently accurate. I enjoy shooting mine once in a while but shoot my Buckmark much more.

 

[Dan-O]

The Kel Tec P-17 is larger, but carries real thin, and backup mags have a very small footprint too.

Also like the taurus tx-22 line, especially with some easy upgrades from tandem kross.

My P-17 is the direct from factory optic version. I took the suppressor off my Taurus and I think it fits better on the kel tec.

 

[Targa]

I really like my PPKs. The only thing that I don’t like is the absolutely horrible DA trigger pull, I think it is pushing 20lbs and I am not exaggerating. Other than that, it is a great shooter.

 

[Tallball]

TY for the suggestions. Apparently I should have said, "Barrel under four inches"? I'll fix that on the OP. I was misjudging the sizes a bit.

I was kinda looking at the Glock, Taurus, and Ruger SR22. Didn't think of the Bersa or Smiths or others.

I already have the Beretta tip-up. Too tiny for my XXL hands. Can't hit anything with it.

Beretta 21A 22lr

• Tallball
• Aug 30, 2020

 

[jmorris]

We had a lot of fun at Jacobs Plane, shooting rats with this P22. I used to carry it a lot mowing, light weight and quite useable accuracy.



Kids like it but the grip does seem a bit small to me. 3.4" barrel (without suppressor/threads).

It's quite a bit smaller than the one I use for 60+ yard plinking.