Nube...

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There are some responses already that far exceed my limited knowlege of .22 caliber handguns. However, I can give you firsthand impressions of three of them.

My wife owned a Browning BuckMark for some time. It was a well made pistol. The trigger was decent, the sights were better than the average .22 handgun and it wasn't too bad to strip and clean.

I owned a Ruger MkII years ago. It was built like a tank. Trigger was decent, but nothing to write home about. Sights were average for a .22 handgun. It was a real PITA to strip and clean until you got the hang of it.

A friend has a S&W Model 41. Better trigger, better sights and not hard at all to clean.
 
What's the main difference between a 5" barrel vs a 7" barrel? Accuracy?
 
What's the main difference between a 5" barrel vs a 7" barrel? Accuracy?
 
Thanks for info and experiences guys.

What's the main difference between a 5" barrel vs a 7" barrel? Accuracy?
 
The longer the barrel the longer the baseline length between the front and rear sights. That SHOULD give YOU a chance to be more accurate. As for the bullet? It really doesn't care since tests have shown that it's as stabilized as it's going to get by the time it's passed down the first two inches of the bore.

Someone mentioned looking into your local clubs and attending the various hand gun events as a spectator. I'll echo that as being a GREAT idea. First off it gives you a peek at the event and an impression of your intrest to get involved. And likely as not when folks hear that you're in the mill to get your first gun you'll get a half dozen offers to try theirs along with some hints on how best to hold them.

It sounds like you're in the same situation as I am here in Canada. Namely the guns are only legal to shoot at a properley certified club range and have to be boxed and locked for transport. As such the club(s) you become affiliated with will be as important as the gun itself. So check them out and attend their events as a spectator. And any club will also welcome you as a visitor to their monthly meetings. Likely you'll be asked to introduce yourself and say what sort of shooting you want to get involved with. And I'd be amazed if you don't get a couple of the folks from those intrest groups walking up and talking to you at the end of the meeting.

So don't wait for the gun to arrive. Get out there now and get involved in finding a club that suits you.
 
BCRider is correct about barrel length. A longer sight radius will allow you to "fine tune" your sight picture, but the bullet really doesn't care. This is why rifles are more "accurate" than handguns. Mechanically, they are more similar than most would realize, but a longer sight radius makes one infinitely more refined (refering to sight picture, not quality) than the other.
 
Well, if you are limited to .22, I'd get a Ruger Standard Mk II pistol and load it with CCI Stingers. Ten shots of the 32gr JHPs ought to take care of most problems. ;)
 
Thanks for all the info! much appreciated, I learnt today that I don't have to limit myself to a .22, I misread the pages of red tape and licence info.

I cant get any pistols in the first 6 months, but after that I can get 2 of:

Centrefire up to .38
Rimfire up to .22
Air Pistol up to .177
Black Powder

But not a centre and rim together..

I also cannot acquire another pistol for another 6 months..

So in saying that, with the above restrictions "what would you recommend a beginner" or is it still a good idea to get the .22? ... Will the .22 become boring over 6 months? Is a 9mm too much to start with? All target shooting by the way...
 
I think its still a good idea to start with a 22LR.. Ive had some for 35yrs and have yet to become bored with them.

Up to .38 opens the doors quite a bit to almost anything under the sun though...


22 is substantially cheaper here for target/plinking... not sure of your location
 
Well, since money isn't an issue and you're limited to a gun that holds 5 rounds, I would buy a Pardini, Walther, or Unique target pistol, in that order. Personally I would stay away from the electronic trigger versions, but nobody has accused me of being a world class competitor either. :eek:

I'd really like to have a Pardini, but I'm trying my best to quit buying stuff; I need to get rid of a few guns since I don't shoot much anymore, maybe then I can talk myself into it.
 
Pinghat:
I'm a former NSW IPSC (practical pistol) state secretary, among other things.
Which club are you in?
Do you have a preference about the comps you shoot?
Does your club restrict you to a rimfire for the first year or can you go straight to centerfire?
Get back to me and I can probably point you to what's available in OZ.
 
No preference as I am so new to it all, I like the "look of" service pistol and metallic silhouette. Being so new I haven't into IPSC, but it doesn't mean I won't prefer that either.

I don't believe there are club restrictions on calibre.

Still figuring out what I like.

I read in Handgun magazine that a 9mm parabellum is "the writers" recommendation for a first gun to buy, as buying a .22rf may restrict us in comps for 6 months. But I read ALOT on .22 being a perfect gun to buy, cheap ammo, good for basics.
 
I don't know Australia laws. I believe semi-autos are limited to 22's. I hope you know better since you are there. The S&W M41 is excellent but expensive. I personally have been very content with a Ruger Mark II or III with a 5" bull barrel. If you prefer the 1911 grip style, then the Ruger 22/45 should do nicely and it comes with a 5" bull barrel as one of its versions.

The Browning Buckmark is very good. It is one of my standard recommendations for a semi-auto 22.

If you decide on a revolver, the S&W M617 is hard to beat and it will last a lifetime. The old M17 or M18 has a 6-shot cylinder.
 
Sorry for the delay in replying.
Service pistol is basically a revolver match, you are restricted to 9mm, .38 super, .357 Sig, .38 Special or .357 Magnum.
Look at a S&W 686. www.grycol.com.au is the distributor.

Metallic Silhouette can be a .22 match or a centerfire match. For the .22 the S&W 617 is the most common, for the big bore match most use it as a reason to get a permit for a .44 magnum. S&W 460 or Model 629 will be the most common guns, the Ruger Redhawk also gets a look in.
www.nioa.net.au is the Ruger distributor.

For the .22 Olympic style matches Pardini and similar are the winningest guns. I don't shoot rimfire competitively, Grycol for Pardini, www.frontierarms.com.au/ for Hammerli.

For IPSC standard Dvision an STI 2011 in 357 Sig is the best option, but ammo is very expensive. http://www.edgefirearmimports.com.au/

For IPSC Open Division a .38 super STI Grandmaster.

For IPSC Production Division a CZ 75 SP01 Shadow is the bees knees.
http://www.pbaimports.com.au/ is the CZ distributor.

The Glock 17A is also a very popular gun for club level comps, and cheap. Expect to pay $750 for a new one.

You can get .22 conversion units for some 9mm handguns, ranging in quality from poor to excellent. Avoid the Ceiner conversions. You can purchase a centerfire handgun and a .22 conversion unit on your probationary license, they are considered spare barrels and not firearms.

http://www.rpgfirearms.com.au/ has good pics and pricing for most of the guns on the OZ market.

Hope this helps.
 
If money is no issue, buy a Ruger Single-Ten AND a Ruger Mark II or III with a 5" bull barrel.
 
All those attachments are only useful for defensive shooting or if you're old and half blind like some of us older shooters.

If you're still semi keen of eye then just use the sights that come on the gun and enjoy that ability for as long as you're able to manage effectively. Soon enough you'll reach the time where you need to resort to "aids" such as red dots and handgun scopes and *shudder* bag rests for handguns to make up for the erosion of old age to our frail physiques. In the meantime enjoy your handguns the way they were intended to be enjoyed with plain iron sights and shot with one or two unsupported hands. And just say NO! to the junk that is added by the Tacticool squad or the old guy aids needed by some.

I say this as an old guy in training that is likely going to need some of these aids to keep shooting decently well in about 10 years from now.... at least I HOPE I make it to 10 years before I need that "stuff".... :D



I gather that down your way that they put a limit on how often you can buy and expand your collection. 6 months isn't a bad time to wait for a center fire gun if you can have a rimfire to learn and practice with in the meantime. A rimfire will give you a chance to learn the basics with little or no flinch issues and serve you well when you get to buy and begin using a center fire when allowed.
 
Further clarification. You are restricted to 10 round magazines for handguns, 10 round detachable magazines for centerfire rifles, 5 round magazine if you have a lever action, pump or semi auto shotgun or semi auto centerfire.
 
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