New Fullsize .22LR?

[desmobob]

I have .22LR conversion kits for my 1911s, my CZ-75, and Glock 22. Love 'em.

 

[KansasTrapper77]

I'm of the same opinion, but I won't disregard the concept of a rimfire trainer for certain pistols that are difficult to shoot, namely small pocked pistols, which is why I see the purpose of the .22 LCP even tho I wanted a .32 LCP.

Its a mouse gun alright but it falls into a pocket so easy yet holds 10 rounds and since its a .22 you can mag dump into a dinner plate at 10 yards. The sights are the greatest draw back.

 

[ms6852]

I do a ton of training with 22's rifle or pistol. When I carried a 1911 I used the browning buckmark and then bought a smith and Wesson 41. Now that I carry a 686, I use the 617 from smith and Wesson.

 

[JB111]

The Taurus tx22 boxes well above its price point. I bought one to use for pest control and general use/plinking and wound up surprised by how much I like it. It has a very nice single action trigger and is accurate out past 50 yards. Ive put several thousand rounds through it and the only malfunctions were ammo related (a couple of bad rounds and a case that got stuck int he chamber from swelling). The thing chews through just about every kind and name brand ammo Ive put through it, from armscor, aquila, winchester, federal, cci, and some very old remington bulk pack. Its also simple to strip for cleaning. For 300 bucks, it cant be beat.

 

[Tallball]

I have two Ruger Marks and a Browning Buck Mark. They're my most accurate handguns, period. (On a good day my K22 can give them a run for their money.) They fit my hands well, have great sights and triggers, almost no recoil, etc.

After owning and shooting 22 pistols like this for a number of years, I no longer have any patience for 22 pistols that are harder to shoot well.

I've owned an SR22 and one or two others that were similar. Their triggers and sights are inferior. The fact that they mimicked the inferior triggers and sights of service pistols did not interest me.

I always start a shooting session by shooting a couple of nice 22 handguns to ease myself into it. I concentrate on the basics and get good results right away. Those good results are what I compare my other pistols to.

After the 22's, I usually shoot four different centerfire handguns of various types and calibers. My goal is to shoot the others as accurately as the nice 22's. I never do, but it's a good goal. I prefer to shoot a large variety of handguns. It more or less turns out that with each one I'm struggling against one or more things: it fits my hand imperfectly, the trigger pull is not ideal, the sights are hard to see, the recoil is excessive for its size and weight, etc. I work to overcome those limitations before a box of ammo runs out.

IMHO it's not particularly useful to limit yourself to one platform. If your 22 and your HD piece and CC piece are all the same platform, that's great, but limiting.

It seems to me that in most cases handgun practice is handgun practice, and it generally carries over pretty well. Over time I seem to be slowly getting better with all of them, whether I practice a lot with that specific platform or not.

 

[FL-NC]

I have a Ruger standard that I have owned for years that I bought cause I always wanted one, and haven't shot for a long time. My "trainer" is a S&W M&P, full-size- it more or less mimics a full size Glock. My suppressor host is a Keltec P17.

 

[crestoncowboy]

In a new gun, I dont think you can beat the MK4, but any of the older Ruger models are good too.
Im partial to the old S&W 422 family myself-
View attachment 1123218
Mine have been 99.9% reliable, laser accurate, and eat every flavor of .22LR Ive fed them- better than any other rimfire autoloader Ive tried.
Prices are creeping up pretty high on nice examples, but they are worth every penny, IMO.
In fact, I detest clearing jammed pistols so much Ive sold every other .22 auto I owned except for a single remaining Ruger Standard and these two S&W.
Now .22 revolvers, thats a whole 'nother story, lol.

I could probably come up with 20 full size 22s I own if I needed to. The 422 would be the last one I'd pick. Lol. I didn't have one until covid and a buddy had one they wanted to sell for 100 or 125. I bought that one too help him out and then another mutual friend had one to sell that nobody would buy and he came to me. Lol. Of all my smith guns, the the 916 twelve guage and the 422 are two that I just don't like at all. Most short lived guns i say "wonder why they killed those of". Not with those. I don't even care so much for the nicer "41" but it's in my safe as well. Excellent guns but not my favorite and I despise that mag release. Some love it. Can't go wrong with either the 422/622 or 41. They use the same mags too, so mags are available.

In my shop the other day I was talking to a hard-core Mopar guy/ Ford hater (who of course has 3 mopar and a subaru...2 of which are broke down) . His subaru has been so bad he said "I'll buy a Ford before I buy another subaru". His wife was in shock... and I told him, it's a great thing we all like different things, it would be boring otherwise. And if everyone only drove xxxx brand, none of us would be able to afford one.

Id have to say the Beretta 87 or 76 would get my vote if picking one. But that might change by the day. The Glock 44 would get the vote lots of days.
If the mosquito/ firefly wouldn't break every several bricks....I actually liked it. I had two and both broke the slide. Lol. Now they are just junk in my safe.


The neos, mk series, woodsman, buckmark, 22A , victory, hammerli/sig etc etc just don't feel like normal guns to me. They are all great though. I have every one. If your not wanting one that's mimicked a centerfire, those are great.

 

[Armored farmer]

Because, once you go beyond the stage of learning the basics, it doesn't really matter - there are too many autoloaders with different manual of arms, so the investment in a specific rimfire handgun that mimics it's centerfire original is a little bit pointless to me. In this occasion, quality of the said handgun is more important to me. People learn and do it quick - it's not a big deal if the new gun will have different controls or trigger mechanism, you will just learn how to use it and it will happen quickly, trust me on that. And once you become more efficient with a centerfire auto, you should train with it for proficiency and not with a rimfire "knock-off" - this is not training, it's plinking. Beyond target practice and fun time with friends at the range, or introducing a novice into shooting, I see no real use for rimfires as substitutes for something else. Just train with the real thing for best results.

I agree for the most part.
I bought this GSG 1911-22 as a fun plinker. Having the controls I'm the exact location of your HD/SD gun can't hurt.

 

[zaitcev]

For purely irrational reasons, Ruger 22/45 always seemed wrong to me. It clearly is a conversion, although done at the factory. If I wanted a pistol of that style, but with a more upright grip, I would get SW22 Victory. Oh wait, I did.

 

[I6turbo]

I've owned several 22 LR handguns, and fired a bunch more. I've kept the ones that I like the most, and acquired multiples of my favorite, the Browning International Medalist. If I had to reduce down to just one, it'd be a Browning International Medalist (aka FN 150), the top-center and top-left guns in the photo below. That decision would take a fraction of a second for me to make and I'd have no reservations about it.

 

[Dave DeLaurant]

I'm a fan of .22 LR conversions -- I had to sell my CZ75 and Kadet conversion a couple years ago, but I still have a Ciener 1911 and Advantage Arms Glock 19 units:



They aren't target grade and are a bit fussy on ammo (CCI minimags are my gold standard), but I've been quite happy with them otherwise.

BTW, I also have a pretty neat Erma .22 LR single shot conversion unit for a K98k rifle:

 

[Speedo66]

I've only had three .22 pistols, a High Standard Victor, a Ruger Mk. II, and a Browning Buckmark.

Over the three, my first choice would be the High Standard, unfortunately, long gone.

Of the other two, I've keep the Buckmark, so I guess that would my my recommendation based on accuracy, best trigger from the factory, goes long periods without cleaning, and its ability to eat any .22LR without a problem. And it's a Browning!

 

[bannockburn]

I have .22 pistols in medium and large size. Start with my Beretta Model 70S, a nice compact .22 that is easy to shoot and carry as well. Not super accurate but decent enough for a fun afternoon just plinking at pop cans and water bottles.

One that's somewhere in between being a plinker and a sort of target gun is my SIG Trailside. It's got the fixed sights of a plinker but the trigger and pedigree of a top notch .22 target pistol.

Next up would be my Ruger Mk.II, the heavy bull barrel Model 512. Very accurate and incredibly reliable, this gun makes even a casual shooter like myself look good.

Then there's the two full size semi-auto conversions: the CZ P07 and an old Essex Arms 1911 frame that I built. The CZ has a factory .22 conversion on top and is another fun plinker. The Essex frame has a TacSol 2011 unit on it though it's accurate, it can be a bit finicky with ammo.






If I were starting over again I would begin with a Ruger Mk.II and some Browning Buckmark variant that appealed to me.

 

[Mike J]

I always wanted one of the Ruger Mark series pistols but it seemed like life always got in the way. A few years ago I found a deal on a Browning Buckmark Camper. If I recall correctly it was $350 after rebate. I like it a lot.

 

[KansasTrapper77]

I like the Ruger Mark series. Can’t decide if I want a longer bull barrel or perhaps a shorter sporter profile.

 

[gc70]

I like the Beretta .22LR conversion kit.

 

[Remington1911]

Only thing I can say about the smiths, are they are fat. It was just not comfortable for me with small hands and long fingers, just felt like I could not get a good grip on it. Sure was well made however.

 

[mavracer]

I like the Ruger Mark series. Can’t decide if I want a longer bull barrel or perhaps a shorter sporter profile.

4" balance nicely when you hang a can off the end lol.

 

[trackskippy]

I like the Beretta .22LR conversion kit.

View attachment 1123458

One thing that amazed me with the M9-22 is, unlike most of the other 22 copies of the larger caliber guns, you cant tell if its a 9mm in your hand or the 22. The weight and balance of the gun are very close to its 9mm cousins, as is its trigger.

You have to pay close attention when you pull it out of the safe or you might end up at the range with the wrong ammo.

 

[Mauser lover]

I have a Buckmark. I chose it over the Ruger, and I’m not unhappy. Ruger is probably a pretty good choice too.

I also have a CZ75 compact, and I got a conversion to go with it. I bought it so I could train inexpensively with my carry gun, but I keep shooting it because it’s a great rimfire pistol. The trigger quality is dependent on your CZ75 frame, but otherwise, it’s a beauty in its own right. Unfortunately, I don’t know how available the 75 conversion is anymore! I wouldn’t hesitate to get one of their other kadet versions though, if I had the frame to match.

 

[Spats McGee]

4" balance nicely when you hang a can off the end lol.
View attachment 1123474

Indeed, it does.

 

[kidneyboy]

What do you fellas run and like?

I run the top 2 in this pic. A GSG and a 22 conversion on a Springfield frame. I like the 1911 platform.
If I was shopping for a new fullsize it would be Ruger MK series. Probably one of the 22/45 models.

 

[bannockburn]

Mauser lover

I also have a CZ75 compact, and I got a conversion to go with it. I bought it so I could train inexpensively with my carry gun, but I keep shooting it because it’s a great rimfire pistol. The trigger quality is dependent on your CZ75 frame, but otherwise, it’s a beauty in its own right. Unfortunately, I don’t know how available the 75 conversion is anymore! I wouldn’t hesitate to get one of their other kadet versions though, if I had the frame to match.

I have a Kadet conversion for my P01 and though it looks a little bit ungainly on the P01 frame, it does have an adjustable rear sight, and overall it works just fine.

Unfortunately I believe CZ stopped importing the Kadet conversion kit earlier this year and the price of one has gone up considerably.

Here it is along with a Kadet conversion kit for the P07:



This it what the two pistols look like when they're set-up as .22s:

 

[desmobob]

I used to be skeptical about the reliability of .22LR conversion kits. I think that's a hold-over from the 1911 conversion kits of the old days.

I have the CZ Kadet conversion for my CZ-75B and it's a big favorite of mine. It is very reliable and runs on most everything I've tried in it. My 1911 and Glock 22 conversions are from Advantage Arms. These kits definitely have a preference for a few different .22LR loads, but run very reliably with those. I even have an OEM Colt Sporter .22LR conversion kit that came in a package with my HBAR. These kits have all been trouble-free and fun to use.

I also enjoy a bunch of dedicated .22LR pistols, but none of them seem to have the same "full size" feel as the big bore pistols with conversion kits installed.

 

[DDDWho]

These are the ones in my 22 handgun life. A Ruger mark lV Competition with VQ 2# trigger. I like the sights and grip over the Hunter . A Smith 41 with 2# factory trigger. A Mark lll Target w/TRS25 red dot. A Rossi “Plinker” a lot more gun than its price would dictate.