Well, I'm partial to the Rugers. I have a 5.5" slabside barrel Mark II (kind of an oddball model - MK512GCL) with an Ultradot. It's a bunch of fun - very accurate and reliable (well, the reliable part came after a trip back to Ruger to repair a stovepipe issue - it's been perfect ever since). The only other .22 I have is a great, old S&W Model 17 - not a fair comparison to the pistols you're interested in, though.
The advantages of the Ruger include very good customer service, a bunch of aftermarket stuff and lots "community" knowledge. As far as I can tell, they run pretty much forever. I do hear regular complaints about the grip angle and disassembly. In my limited experience, it took me about two tries to get the disassembly figured out - piece of cake after that. The Glock-like (as opposed to 1911-like) grip angle on the metal guns bugs some folks (not me - I'm a Glock guy, too).
That's my 2 cents - you certainly can't go wrong with the Ruger or Browning.
-SlimeDog
PS: I'm not sure what you mean about needing a "permit" for longer Ruger barrel from TS. Can you explain?