Suggest a .22 cal pistol for target, plinking.

[NG VI]

Kadet kit for my CZ75 or a Ciener kit for my 1911, are these kits pretty accurate and reliable?

I can give you some firsthand comments on the Kadet Kit after I pick mine up next week, but everything I have heard about them is that they are excellent quality and a superb buy. I ordered mine with an extra magazine thinking it would only come with one, and got a surprise email today that it not only arrived early, but it has two magazines!!!

 

[VPLthrneck]

Go with the Rugers. I enjoy the MKIII for plinking and have yet to find ammo that it doesn't like (I usually get the 525 bulk packs). After you figure out the dissassembly/assembly process it's even funner to shoot, because then you're not cussing about haveing to take it apart and clean it.

 

[IdahoLT1]

Although the MKIII is a very accurate .22, they are a PITA to re-assemble and take apart. I re-assembled once shortly after i first bought it and skipped a small step. I didnt push the hammer all the way forward and when i got it together, it wouldnt function right. I couldnt strip it back down for the life of me. Its the only firearm i felt like throwing as far as i could down the street. It cost ~$80 and 5 weeks for my gunsmith to put back to gether and order a new spring or something that apparently broke/bent when it was put together wrong. It also hates every HP ammo i have tried. It jams on the feed ramp and deforms the end of the bullet. Round nose high quality ammo it likes (i.e. CCI ~$5/100rds). The only other .22 ive owned was a S&W 22A. It was a decent firearm.

It was my own stupidity or lack of attention to detail, but compared to my Beretta 92, its tear down/re-assembly is like an engine rebuild vs. adding windshield wiper fluid to a car(a bit exaggerated). Im thinking of selling it and buying a .22LR conversion for the Beretta or picking up a Browning Buckmark.

 

[Pilot]

The Rugers are easy to dissasemble/reasemble if you read the manual and follow it closely the first time. After that, its a snap. I don't understand why people can't do it. If you can read, you can dissasemble and reasemble a Ruger MK II/III.

 

[DrLaw]

Ruger

I bought a Ruger MkII 5" bull barrel last century, put a Millet Red Dot on it and have used it with great success at our pistol league of the local gun club. It is a great gun without tweaking, and there are plenty of add-ons now that I could use, but have not, yet.

I think that you will not go wrong with any Ruger .22 you choose, be it revolver or auto.

Also, another neat gun that I tried once and wish I could now find for what it used to sell for is the Harrington & Richardson Sportsman 999, a 9-shot top break double action revolver. A very fine gun for everyday use and even target shooting.

The Doc is out now.

 

[XD-40 Shooter]

I'd go with the Ruger, although I prefer the MkII's, they are accurate, affordable, reliable, and very well made. I've got a 22/45 that I really enjoy, bought it used in excellent condition for $150.

 

[Princi]

The Rugers are easy to dissasemble/reasemble if you read the manual and follow it closely the first time. After that, its a snap. I don't understand why people can't do it. If you can read, you can dissasemble and reasemble a Ruger MK II/III.

I don't mean to be confrontational, but I slightly disagree with this statement. In spite of reading, if you don't get the angle right, you can still get the hammer strut in the wrong position. I would add that you need to read and understand what is going on in the steps in the manual. I tried following it blindly and had problems. Once I understood how the pistol worked, and actually looked at the hammer strut when closing the main spring housing, I never had any more problems with that.

The other problem with these things is after removing the barrel from the frame and putting it back on. I've had several times that it was next to impossible to get the bolt stop pin back through the frame and receiver. Obviously it has to be back far enough onto the frame, but having ensured that it was, I still had problems. After removing it again and putting it back on, I was successful. I suspect that the barrel might have been slightly rotated. This has happened to me several times with different MK II's/III's.

Although I am a big Ruger fan and would prefer one to a Buckmark or S&W 22A, I must say that my first 22/45 was the only gun I ever sold because I was dissatisfied with it. I then listened to others say how great the MKII was and I bought one. I recently bought a MKIII 22/45 Hunter, and I love it. (I swore after the first one that I'd never buy another Ruger product. I don't swear anymore.)

 

[glk23]

When shopping for a 22 pistol recently, I wanted something easy to take apart and put back together. After reading the instructions for the Ruger, I wanted no part of it. I realize these are excellent guns, but for me I wanted simplicity. As a result, I chose a Bereta Neos and am very happy with it. I put an inexpensive red dot on it and it is quite accurate and very easy to take apart and put back together.

 

[Harley Quinn]

glk23, I did something similar with that 22A S&W. nice easy take down and clean with a brush, or you just run a bore snake through it in place...Piece of cake.

 

[Pilot]

I tried following it blindly and had problems. Once I understood how the pistol worked, and actually looked at the hammer strut when closing the main spring housing, I never had any more problems with that.

The other problem with these things is after removing the barrel from the frame and putting it back on. I've had several times that it was next to impossible to get the bolt stop pin back through the frame and receiver. Obviously it has to be back far enough onto the frame, but having ensured that it was, I still had problems. After removing it again and putting it back on, I was successful. I suspect that the barrel might have been slightly rotated.

You are correct the angle of the gun while reasembling is critical in getting the hammer strut into that little cup. You are also correct that sometimes it can be difficult to get the bolt stop back into the frame. I have solved this by pressing the barrel downward on a piece of carpet on the bench. I've never had the barrel rotate on mine. Usually once you dot it a few times, the gun seems to break in a become less difficult.

 

[SGW42]

We should sticky the ".22 Auto for Plinking?" topic. Anyway...

My vote is for a Ruger Mark II/III. I have both. Get a II if you can find a nice one. The III is just as nice a gun but I learned on the II and prefer it. The mag release I couldn't care about, but the new "taper" on the bolt ears actually cuts into my fingers more than the non-tapered one on the II. The Loaded Magazine Indicator I couldn't care about except that it makes the receiver a PITA to clean.

As for reassembly of the Rugers, I honestly have a more difficult time putting my Mosin-Nagant bolt back together.

 

[MCgunner]

I avoided the Ruger for years even though I enjoyed shooting ones that belonged to friends. I finally broke down and joined the crowd and wonder why I didn't do it in the first place.

Used Mk 2s are great bargains. Mine currently wears a 2x scope. Great squirrel medicine and great range fun.

 

[Conqueror]

I love my Ruger MkIII. So much so that I quintupled its price with accessories!

 

[Bullseye57]

The other problem with these things is after removing the barrel from the frame and putting it back on. I've had several times that it was next to impossible to get the bolt stop pin back through the frame and receiver. Obviously it has to be back far enough onto the frame, but having ensured that it was, I still had problems. After removing it again and putting it back on, I was successful. I suspect that the barrel might have been slightly rotated. This has happened to me several times with different MK II's/III's.

There is an easier method to get the frame and barrel aligned for the bolt stop pin. Place the mainspring housing in the top of the receiver like in step 2 of this link.

http://www.guntalk-online.com/2245detailstripping.htm#m3fsreassembly

Then you can rotate the barrel slightly, or move it forward and back, until the bolt stop pin goes all the way through the hole. Once the mainspring housing touches the receiver, you have both parts aligned properly and can install the bolt and insert the MS housing up through the frame to complete the reassembly.

Hope this helps.

R,
Bullseye

 

[Conqueror]

I have no idea what problem you guys are talking about. I can get my MkIII apart and back together, probably under 1 minute, but definitely under 2 minutes.

 

[Princi]

Bullseye, I never thought of trying that; I'll try it the next time I remove a receiver, if I can remember.

Conqueror, we are talking about removing the barrel/receiver from the frame, which isn't something you normally do when cleaning unless you are doing a detailed strip where you need to get at the parts in the frame. When you put the receiver back on the frame, the holes that the bolt stop go through must line up perfectly or it can be a bear to get the pin back in again. I've also found that the tighter the fit between the frame and receiver, the more difficult it can be.

Bullseye, I forgot about the forum, but just looked there and found this link interesting: http://guntalk-online.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=862

To me this has been the hardest part for me working on the Rugers. I think the hammer strut is what drives the novice crazy until they understand it.

 

[Conqueror]

Conqueror, we are talking about removing the barrel/receiver from the frame, which isn't something you normally do when cleaning unless you are doing a detailed strip where you need to get at the parts in the frame.

I know. I do this every time I clean the gun and can definitely do it in under two minutes with only a dental pick.

 

[Conqueror]

I just went into my workshop to find out for sure. I removed the mainspring housing, the receiver from the frame, and the bolt, and reassembled the whole mess, in 46 seconds, and that's including a screwup that caused me to remove the mainspring housing a second time.

 

[texastony]

Beretta Neos 7.5

I bought the Neos with the 7.5 inch barrel a couple of years back. It looks like they do not make them with the 7.5 inch anymore.

Excellent firearm. I never owned a Beretta, let alone a semi auto .22 pistol. This thing rocks!! You can field strip it within 30 seconds.

I have probably put 5 bricks of ammo through it, and it has NEVER, failed to fire or eject. None, zero! I looked at the Rugers and Buckmarks, but once I held the Neos, it followed me home. And you can easily change the barrels.
Best 225 I ever spent.

 

[Bullseye57]

Bullseye, I forgot about the forum, but just looked there and found this link interesting: http://guntalk-online.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=862

To me this has been the hardest part for me working on the Rugers. I think the hammer strut is what drives the novice crazy until they understand it.

I have to agree with you about the hammer strut positioning. But once a new owner gets used to how to place it on the strut properly they rarely have problems with dis/reassembly anymore. The key is flipping the pistol upside down and ensuring the hammer is fully forward by pushing it with a tool.

The new Rugers have been a little tighter than the older ones. This is especially true for the bolt stop pin. They do loosen up over time with repetition of maintenance.

Aligning the receiver and frame can be a little tricky, which is why that technique of installing the bolt stop through the top works so well. When the pin can be fully inserted, the frame and receiver holes are aligned properly. This makes installing the mainspring housing much easier as the user knows the two parts are in alignment.

The Ruger 22s are simple to operate but sometimes can be a little frustrating to maintain. Understanding how the internal parts interact help isolate the problematic causes down to relatively simple remedies. They're kind of like one of those wooden chinese puzzles; push the right piece and the whole thing falls apart, but push the wrong one and nothing moves.

Hope this helps.

R,
Bullseye

 

[NGIB]

I'll be different. I picked up a Bersa Thunder .22 on a trade last weekend and it is the most fun gun I've ever owned. (It is not the long barreled Firestorm version but rather it looks exactly like the .380 they make). I brought every kind of .22 ammo I had with me and even bought a box of Remington Thunderbolts just for giggles - and it ate everything with no malfunctions of any kind.

No, I'm not going to outshoot any Ruger or Buckmark - but I'm not clearing jams either. The absolute best thing is that it fields strips in 2 seconds and goes together just as quickly. Very, very fun gun - and a good training platform for a Sig 232 or Walther PPK as they feel very similar...

 

[Zip7]

Although the MKIII is a very accurate .22, they are a PITA to re-assemble and take apart

I just totally disassembled, cleaned and reassembled two Colt Woodsmans - so don't talk to me about your petty problems!

But seriously, the Ruger does look complicated to me. The Woodsman 2nd and third series is like a Chinese puzzle box - especially if you've never done it before. Complete with the obligatory parts flying out of it that aren't really mentioned in the directions...

 

[Princi]

...and that's including a screwup that caused me to remove the mainspring housing a second time.

I rest my case.

Sorry, just couldn't resist that - it came from that little red guy with horns that sits on my shoulder.

I think Bullseye is right that some of the newer ones are very tight fitting. If the receiver to frame fit is real tight and you get it slightly out of alignment, you can play fits getting it back together. Incidentally, if the fit is too loose, you can tighten it by putting the frame in a vise and ever so gently apply pressure until you get it right.

Ahhh, y'all know I am a big Ruger fan - right?

 

[CajunBass]

CajunBass,
I just commented about picking up a scope for my 22a, I see you have one (ascope) how do you like it? Do you move it around to the others or just the one shooter?

Actually that's a BSA red dot, not a scope, but it's the same idea. I really like it. That's the only gun I've ever used it on. I'm getting old, and my eyes aren't what they never were, so I've thought about putting it/one on something else, especially the big Dan Wesson there. Someone used to make a clamp on scope mount that clamped onto the vent rib I believe, but I can just never make myself go through with putting a "scope" on a revolver. I'm just too old fashioned I guess.

Now to the Ruger disassembly/reassemble problem. Really the key is to READ and then FOLLOW the direction to the letter. Now, I'll admit that some of the wording could be better. At one point "the book" tells you to "manipulate" the hammer if needed. Well I thought of that as maybe wiggle the gun a little, shake it or something. No, it means PUSH the hammer. Duhhhh. A pencil or a small screwdriver works just fine.

And then there are the just plain brain fade things. The first time I tried to seperate the upper from the lower I finally gave up. That thing would NOT budge no matter what I did, and I did everything but hit it with a sledge hammer.

Then I read the directions again. Oh. I'm hitting the wrong end. Popped right off the next time. :banghead: Duhhhhhhh

 

[Meowhead]

Another vote for the Ruger autos. Very accurate, reliable and fun.