Author Topic: I need some direction on a good rimfire pistol. (Read 2304 times)

teddy12b · « **on:** January 10, 2007, 04:57:01 AM »

I’m in the market for a decent 22LR semi auto pistol.

I have owned a ruger single six with interchangeable cylinders for 22lr & 22 mag and a browning buck mark. I sold the single six because I wanted to shoot a little faster and waste ammo more efficiently than it could allow. I got rid of the buck mark because the top piece usually got loose and I would get tiny little hot specs blow right at after every shot.

That being said I’m not considering a single six, or buckmark. I am looking at S&W, Ruger semi-autos, Beretta Neos and anything else out there. I just want something that I can shoot tons of ammo through and have fun with. I’m not going to be doing anything serious with it other than punching paper. If anyone has some advice I’d appreciate it.

wienranch · « **Reply #1 on:** January 10, 2007, 05:21:39 AM »

My vote would be for a Ruger auto. I have a MkI Standard, got it as a gift in 1958, and think it's the best .22 auto out there. I don't think it's ever malfunctioned while firing - a few times it has flipped up the first cartridge while loading. It's the most accurate handgun I've ever fired, and I don't think it's ever going to wear out. The new MkIII Hunters sure look nice - if I was buying new, that would be the one.

jack19512 · « **Reply #2 on:** January 10, 2007, 07:29:44 AM »

For the money I think the Rugers are hard to beat.

Keith L · « **Reply #3 on:** January 10, 2007, 07:36:36 AM »

You took me out of the picture in that I have only two .22 repeater handguns: a Single Six and a Buckmark. And I like and use them both.

The Buckmark problem you describe is not one that I have heard of. My son has one as well, and neither of us have had a problem like that. And a bunch of folks where I shoot have them as well. Buckmarks get the nod around here for better factory triggers, reliability, and ease of re-assembly following periodic cleaning.

Having said that my Brother in Law has a Mk I that he uses for trapping. It gets used and abused on a regular basis and keeps on working. He cleans it once per year and it has never malfunctioned to my knowledge. It is not as accurate as either my Buckmark or my sons. All depends on what you want I suppose. The Rugers seem to be workhorses.

hardertr · « **Reply #4 on:** January 10, 2007, 07:46:01 AM »

I will vote for the Ruger MK series too. My personal vote is the 22/45 (or MK III). I own one and it is a dream to shoot. Nice trigger, slightly larger grip than the MK I and II, and VERY accurate.

I've been able to pop turtles at 50 yards..... and I've had maybe TWO stove pipes in over a thousands rounds without cleaning the gun AT ALL.

teddy12b · « **Reply #5 on:** January 11, 2007, 01:27:28 AM »

I think I'm going to take a hard look at the Sig Mosquito. I've got to find something that fits my hand better than what I've tried in the past.

Tom C. · « **Reply #6 on:** January 11, 2007, 05:23:31 AM »

The best American made .22 auto, IMO, is the S&W Model 41. I have had one for 20 yrs. and it is very accurate and works great.

The most cost effective American made auto is arguably the Ruger MK series. I just got a MK III Competition. Am waiting to take delivery.

If you have a 1911, there are a bunch of .22 conversions available. I have a Marvel No. 1. Very accurate.

If you have a CZ-75, the Kadet conversion is available. Nice and accurate and very reliable.

I have no personal knowledge of the other S&W, Browning, Beretta, etc. autos available.

Chris · « **Reply #7 on:** January 11, 2007, 06:08:23 PM »

Ruger and S&W offer a nice variety of .22's. If you looking at a Mosquito now, then you're looking at a gun in the ~$400 range. IF so, Ruger offers a nicer pistol (IMHO) in this price range. I've got a variety of Rugers from tin-can riollers to Comp models...a S&W 22A and a Model 41. The Ruger I plink with is very reliable and takes very little care...and I do not have any problems taking it down when necessary for a good thorough cleaning. The S&W 22A I plink with is a nice gun too, but finicky with ammo and requires more frequent cleaning...it's a snap to take down too. If I had to give either one up, I'd keep the Ruger...it's more rugged, very easy to operate and feeds picnic shells reliably.

I too like the look AND feel of the Mosquito as it handles like a full-sized Sig and I came close to buying one a while back. My guess is that it will serve you well if that is what you decide to buy. If it performs like a center-fire Sig, I'm sure you'll be pleased.

Let us know what you end up with and how you like it.

...Chris

Graybeard · « **Reply #8 on:** January 11, 2007, 07:04:13 PM »

The S&W 41 is nice for sure and very accurate. But back in my competition shooting days I saw more jams and malfunctions with them than with all the rest combined. I shot one for awhile too but finally gave up as it just wasn't dependable enough in feeding and function. Now it was a LOOONG time ago when I was shooting competition but back then the High Standard was really the gun to beat and is what many of us who were winning were shooting. But I admit the guy who was probably the best of us used a S&W 41 and some how managed to keep it feeding whatever ammo he was using. At least a lot more regularly than most did.

greener · « **Reply #9 on:** January 12, 2007, 12:46:48 AM »

I have a 22A, MKIII Hunter and MKIII 22/45. All three are accurate and reliable. I paid $175 for the 22A. At that price it is the best pistol considering price. If you want to tweak and tinker, Ruger's have a huge aftermarket. There aren't many options other than barrel length for the 22A. The "best" one is the one that fits your budget and "feels" best.

OLDHandgunner · « **Reply #10 on:** January 12, 2007, 04:36:13 AM »

I agree with greener. The Ruger Mark I, II & III are the best for the money. I've had my Mark I Target 5 1/2" for 30+yrs. Shot indoor postal league for years with it, held my own against the S&W's HS's & Browning's. I managed to keep my scores in the mid 280's. No jams or malfuctions like some the other guns incountered from time to time.(I know this gun could shoot better than me.) Now I just put on a Tactical Solutions barrel on the old Ruger. The gun now seems to weights less than what the 5 1/2" barrel did buy itself and shoots just as well ,if not better. NOTE: I did have a Clark trigger & Bo-Mar rear sight on it for competition shooting.

teddy12b · « **Reply #11 on:** January 12, 2007, 07:19:00 AM »

The biggest problem I have is that I have larger hands and not all pistols fit me very well. I've held the rugers and smiths and they seem good. A buddy of mine has a smith 22A and loves it. I've been doing a lot of reading across the internet about the sig mosquito and it sounds like many of the people who bought one are having problems. It's sounds like one of those guns where the people either love it or hate it and my luck would be to get a bad one. Regardless of whatever I want to tell myself it sounds like the rugers are the standard. I'll probably pick up a ruger this sunday if I can get away from my wife for a little bit. I just want to be able to punch holes for $10 per 500 rounds.

Keith L · « **Reply #12 on:** January 12, 2007, 07:45:36 AM »

Whatever you decide to do enjoy it. I don't know of any more fun gun than a .22. pistol. They are all great fun.

hardertr · « **Reply #13 on:** January 12, 2007, 09:25:10 AM »

Quote from: teddy12b on January 12, 2007, 07:19:00 AM

The biggest problem I have is that I have larger hands and not all pistols fit me very well.

I have "monkey hands" too, according to my wife. THAT is why I went with the 22/45 and use a Hogue universal slip-on. It fits like a dream.

Like Keith L said, you'll enjoy WHATEVER you get. I just picked up a Walther P22, and it is pretty small for my hand, BUT I still enjoy shooting it. 22 pistols are hard to beat when it comes to "fun guns".

teddy12b · « **Reply #14 on:** January 12, 2007, 09:55:33 AM »

I've held the 22/45 models before and the angle fit like a grove except for the thin grip. I usualy double check Hogues website before I buy any gun because I know what will end up happening. I have not seen anything on their website about the 22/45 grips. Am I missing something, where did you find hogue grips for your 22/45?

hardertr · « **Reply #15 on:** January 12, 2007, 12:53:26 PM »

The Hogue Universal fits the 22/45
http://www.getgrip.com/main/overview/handall.html

tennbuck · « **Reply #16 on:** January 12, 2007, 03:05:42 PM »

i shoot a 5.5" bull ruger MKIII 22/45. with open sights i shoot 3" groups @ 50. it is a pain to "learn" assembly, but once learned you will love this pistol. i have $400 in mine and i wouldn't take $600.

Jim n Iowa · « **Reply #17 on:** January 13, 2007, 02:22:11 PM »

In a auto you will be well served with a Ruger MK2 5.5" bull. This was advised to me from a knowledgeable employee of Ruger. A S&W 617 is one of the finest DA's on the market.
Jim

ibfestus · « **Reply #18 on:** January 16, 2007, 06:41:31 AM »

I cannot imagine why the High Standards haven't been mentioned more. I have 2 HD Militarys a 4.5" and the 6.75" and I love them both. They are very accurate even with the cheapo ammo but are really super with the target stuff. You can find them in VG to excellent condition for around $300... IMHO the Rugers are OK but nowhere as smooth as the HD.

teddy12b · « **Reply #19 on:** January 16, 2007, 09:11:51 AM »

I held another ruger mark III with bull barrel and the target model. I'm sure everything is just as nice, at this point I'd rather go with the gun that set the standard.

teddy12b · « **Reply #20 on:** January 16, 2007, 01:51:06 PM »

Ok, so I slipped, fell, and bought a stainless 5.5" ruger Mark III. This thing is sweet. I really like the way the Mark III ejects an empty magazine with it fitting my hand on the way out and the loaded chamber indicator is a nice safety bonus. My wife already saw it and approves. She doesn't like to shoot but she said she'd like to shoot that gun. Doesn't get much better than that.

OLDHandgunner · « **Reply #21 on:** January 16, 2007, 02:39:35 PM »

Congrats teddy12b: You got a good gun & an understanding wife. Don't get much better than that.

teddy12b · « **Reply #22 on:** January 22, 2007, 01:39:59 AM »

I took my new ruger to the range yesterday. There was a small blanket of snow so I didn't even bother to set up targets. I just aimed for different clumps of snow on the backstop and it was easy to see if I hit it. My little Mark III performed great! I ended up shooting about half of one of those 500 round boxes for $10. Out of all the rounds I fired I had two misfires. One of the rounds was a complete dud, and the other round fired once reloaded. I've never bought one of the bulk boxes and had every round fire, so I know it wasn't the guns fault. This gun was extreamly easy to shoot fast and spray lead with, it is also very accurate. I'd recommend it to anyone. I'm looking forward to some small game hunting with it.

OLDHandgunner · « **Reply #23 on:** January 23, 2007, 01:54:25 AM »

teddy12b
Glad your enjoying the Mark III. You'll have many years of fun & enjoyment with it. There are better guns out there but not for the price of the Ruger's. GOOD LUCK & GOOD SHOOTING!!!!

siloram · « **Reply #24 on:** January 25, 2007, 02:47:29 PM »

I vote for the HI STANDARD. I have a Victor model and was going to up grade to a Smith 41 but was advised by the long time target shooters to stay with the Victor. I had a Ruger MK 1 and it shot good but the trigger was not too good.
Also it depends what you are going to use it for. For plinking and casual target shooting the Ruger is the best deal.
Siloram

K.K · « **Reply #25 on:** February 01, 2007, 05:40:41 AM »

I don't think that you can go wrong with the Rugers in Mark I II or III. You may find a good deal on the older models. I love my Mark III Hunter.

teddy12b · « **Reply #26 on:** February 01, 2007, 06:23:18 AM »

I took my Ruger Mark III to the range again and there were no jams or any problems. The more I shoot that little gun the more I like it. I only have 2 magazines for it right now and I'd like to get about 3-4 more to really take advantage of 22 practice. I just wish there was something in season that I could go hunt with it. Next trip I'm going to try to dial in the sights at 50 yards.