Which .22LR Pistol?

[TheSigmaEnigma]

I am thinking about buying a semi automatic .22 pistol, but I don't know which one to get. It looks like its between the Ruger Mark III, Mark III 22/45, and the Walther P-22. I'm pretty sure that the 22/45 is polymer and the plain Mark III is all steel, is that true? If so, is the 22/45 any less reliable? Any problems with any of them? Other then the Beretta Neos, are there any other well known ones that I'm missing?

Thanks,

Enigma

 

[jbkebert]

I have owned a number of semi-auto .22lr handguns. The two the stick out in my mind as the favorites are #1 the Browning Buckmark and #2 the Colt Cadet and #3 the Colt woodsman. By far my favorite was the Browning.

 

[Frozen North]

My number one by a mile is my Buckmark.

 

[TheSigmaEnigma]

The Buckmarks look nice, but $400 is a little steep for me. After just reading about a lot of Walther P22 problems, I guess my real question is about the reliability of the 22/45 vs the plain Mark III. Has anyone had any problems with them?

 

[vvanders]

Mark 3, accept no substitutes

Only downside to them is they are a pain to tear down & clean. The range I go to has 4 of em they rent out, never clean them(that I can tell) and they still run like a champ.

The 22/45 are polymer from what I understand, I find that I prefer the grip of the Mark 3 more, the 22/45 is a bit narrow for my hands.

 

[jbkebert]

Buds gun shop has several models in the $270-$325 range. of the Buckmark which you would not be disapointed in.

The Walther p-22 yes I have read many many reviews trashing the gun. I don't know what to say. I have put 2-3,000 rounds through mine and have yet to have a hiccup. Just about all have been CCI mini-mags. I could count the failure to feed and failure to fire combined on one hand. I sometimes carry it CCW when I want a little something but it has to be small. Not one single shread of doubt in my mind. I could trust my life to it.

I have owned a ruger or two and they are nice guns don't get me wrong. IMHO it just ain't a Browning in feel, shootability, accuracy, not even close.

 

[BLB68]

Rent both and shoot both, then pick. I like the Buckmark better, but you may like the Ruger or Walther better. The only one who can decide is you.

Quality-wise, I think the Rugers and Brownings are on par. Not sure on the Walther, no experience with them.

 

[Frozen North]

I am one of those Walther trashers..

From what I gather, there are some good ones and allot of bad ones. I got a bad one.

 

[Kingofthehill]

I had a Walther, won't do that again. The Walther and Mosquito were major let downs for me.

I have a buckmark and a few Ruger 22/45's. Since i shoot 1911's the most i gravitate towards the 22/45 Ruger. Especially the newer "RP" version (Removable Panel) so you can put your own 1911 grips on it.

I have 2 now, my MKII 22/45 cleared 68,000 rounds and i just got a new MKIII 22/45 that is at 1,875. They have been dependable as can possibly be and they are accurate too. I love the 22/45's.

Other good ones that should be considered are the Beretta NEO and the S&W 22a. the 22a is an amazing .22 and both of those take down easier to clean than the Ruger/buckmarks.

I really liked my CZ Kadet but i hated loading the thing. Feed lips of the mag were sharp and a heavy day of shooting .22's would rip my thumbs up.

Overall i dig the 22/45 most followed by the 22a.

I also tried the Advantage Arms conversion kit for my Glock 19 and didn't really care for it. It wasn't as crisp as i expected.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

Ain't nothing wrong with a MK I or MK II, either.

 

[GLOOB]

IMHO, there's no contest. The Ruger Mk (not the 22/45) series pistols are indestructible. If you take one apart, you'll see why. There's practically nothing TO take apart. Barrel and receiver are laboriously milled from one huge chunk of steel. The grip frame is made from thick steel, itself. They will never design a gun like this ever again. I'm surprised they still make 'em like this, and I can't believe my MkIII is one of my cheaper handguns.

 

[Pilot]

Try to find a Ruger MK II or a MK II era 22/45 to avoid all the lawyer crap Ruger added to the MK III. There are ways to remove the stuff from a MK III however.

 

[viking499]

Buds gun shop has several models in the $270-$325 range

But, they have nothing in stock.....

My vote is also for the Buckmark.

 

[MikePaiN]

I've owned many .22s.....I finally broke down and bought a Buckmark URX Camper last month and it is hands down the best I've had. Its comfortable, accurate, rock solid reliable(how often do you hear this about a .22 ???) and easy to maintain. After my wife shot the Buckmark.....she forbid me to ever sell or trade it.

 

[mbopp]

Ditto on Pilot - A Ruger MK I or MKII. Or there are ways to de-lawyerize a MKIII.

 

[weregunner]

I did not vote due for a few reasons.All are very good picks.

The Browning and both Rugers are very accurate pistols and that's well documented. Even recently in the written media.

I have both a Ruger MK.III and the 22/45 MK.III.

The 22/45 is lighter of the two and has a grip angle, both, of which I like.

The Ruger MK.III sits in the hand a bit more solidly. That is a bonus.

I've had minor experience with the Browning Buckmark, but find it a good sturdy gun. Just like the Rugers.

The Browning Buckmark has a easier take down for field stripping for cleaning.

Rugers and the Buckmark dominate the bullseye shooting matches in numbers present for those who do not wish to plop down a lot of money for more expensive .22lrf match grade pistols.

Since their accuracy is excellent I can see why this is so.

Ruger MK.III pistols can be transformed into more of a match pistol with the adding of trigger assemblies,barrels, and other components from www.volquartsen.com .

Though there are those who have not had good experiences with the Walther ( and for good reasons) I have seen enough threads for those who like and use the Walther P-22.

So this is a case of what fits you and your needs best.

For example I have small hands and the Ruger 22/45 fits me best for that. Then the Ruger Mk.III. Follow that up with the Buckmark.

For you it very well might be different.

Handle and shoot,if possible, as many of the brands and types you've listed and then go with what fits you and your needs the best.

 

[Ala Dan]

I voted for the Browning BuckMark; as it is easier to clean than the other
choices~!

 

[Armored farmer]

I can't speak for the Buckmark, but I know a few friends who have 'em and shoot 'em well.
I can speak for the Ruger. It is super accurate out of the box. Will eat any ammo made. I cannot remember when I had a FTF or FTE.

 

[millertyme]

Of the ones listed the only one I would NOT get is the Walther. You can toss the Sig Mosquito in the same trash can as well.

I've posted on this subject on this forum probably half a dozen times. Maybe a few less. Basically, I searched for a month to find one I liked and the 22A was on the list since I could get one for a little over $200. If you're willing to spend as much as $300 on a 22LR pistol, the Ruger and the Browning are the only ones worthwhile. I ended up buying the same Browning as MikePain when BSP had sale on them. I got it for $292.34 OTD. If it hadn't gone on sale I was leaning pretty hard towards a MkIII Target. The Browning had a better trigger, IMO, and the price made it a no-brainer. Knowing what I know now, I would have gladly paid the difference in price if it had not been on sale. Awesome pistol.

 

[Pilot]

The Buckmark as a better trigger out of the box, but the Ruger has a lot more aftermarket support to make the trigger and the gun match grade. If you're willing to spend a few bucks on some mods, the Ruger is tough to beat. Stories about disassebly and reassemble are far overblow, especially with Youtube. Just following the manual though will get you there. Read it.

 

[millertyme]

Stories about disassebly and reassemble are far overblow, especially with Youtube. Just following the manual though will get you there.

I felt the same way. After you do it a few times you really get used to it. That's one thing I liked better about the Ruger - You don't really need any tools to get into it and clean it up like the Browning. And as for the aftermarket, yes, Ruger has a ton of parts that are relatively cheap that you can add to make it pretty amazing.

 

[Col. Plink]

Buckmark - unlimited good times. Accurate, reliable (it's where the 'bad' rounds go to be sifted out) nice balance. Mine has ???-thousand rounds through it, no adjustments EVER to the sights, only repair has been a recoil buffer replacement. A total joy; my best piece.

 

[Impureclient]

Another vote for the Buckmark. After mulling it over for more than a year I went with a Buck mark standard S.S. URX. I read so many reviews on the buckmark and MkIII that I now know for a fact the extra hundred or two was worth the wait to save up. I went Buckmark from reviews of the trigger being better from the box and also easily lightened doing the heggis flip, which is reversing the sear spring. I couldn't see spending more on a .22 plinker than my CCW so that's why I never took the plunge. After realizing that either of those two choices would be with me probably forever(I don't sell any guns) from the reputation that preceded them, I figured it was better to spend a little more and be happier in the end. I never buy a gun unless I know it's exactly what I want and that means sometimes I have to do without until the money is all there. Life is too short to shoot crappy guns. I'd recommend looking in the auction sites as well. I got mine for $375. That was a full $100 less than MSRP.

 

[PoserHoser]

the 22/45 is just as reliable as the mark III only difference is the grip angle and material


s&w mp15-22p not practical but alot of fun also

 

[Kendal Black]

The Rugers work very well. As already mentioned, they are a nuisance to reassemble after cleaning. It's certainly something you can live with, though. I like the Mk I oldies best. Note that they take a different magazine than the later ones. My Mk I Target has many, many rounds down it and is still accurate and dependable--never had a problem with it that didn't come down to dirt inside or a bad ctg.

On the other hand, my shooting buddy is quite happy with his Buckmark, and with good reason. It's an excellent pistol. I'm not too keen on the idea of removing the rear sight base to get it apart, but the thing shoots up a storm.

Choosing between Ruger and Browning .22 pistols is win-win.