.22's

[rtaylor61]

I've got a .38 special, .9mm and a .380. But with the price of ammunition too high, I'm thinking I want a .22 hand gun. I've got a Ruger 10/22 rifle. And this is NOT for carry. Any suggestions? Express pros and cons. Good experiences or bad.

Randy

 

[Leche]

I wouldn't suggest a .22 for carry even though the .22 is quite deadly in the trained hand. In a fight for your life though? If your looking for practice, some pistols can be converted for practice. Or a .22 revolver for plinking is always nice. I would carry a heavier round for defense though.

 

[Topgumby]

Ruger MK III, or a used MKII. Simple, accurate, affordable, reliable.

I have the bull barrel MKII with adjustable sights. Never have felt the need for another .22 pistol.

If I was to make a change, it would be to the Ruger 22/45, and that's the same gun with controls closer to an M1911 style pistol

 

[armenakadino]

if its for target practice 22s are great just for the reason of the ammo being greatly cheaper. I have a converted kimber it still shoots like a charm

 

[SRock]

Have you considered a mosquito? The form/shape and function of it lend towards a little practice (though fundamentally firing such a small caliber is much easier) towards carry/concealed weapons.

Fun option that is similar to what you might carry.

 

[Cmaster03]

That Mosquito looks neat. I've really lost touch with newer products and only get the American Rifleman magazine these days.

As far as a .22 handgun, I've always had good luck with Ruger .22s for plinking. Robust, built like a tank, last forever. Triggers can usually use some work, but are okay for plinking. Mine is also a MKII with bull barrel.

Now, if you want a really Cadillac experience and don't mind a wheelgun, look around for something like this: older Smith & Wesson K22. Target grade gun, beautifully made. Mine was made in 1953. Still shoots like a dream after umpteen thousand rounds. (These can be picked up on gunbroker and such for reasonable money IMHO considering the quality.) I happen to prefer the older K22s but S&W still offer similar models, too.

 

[Justin42]

I was in the same situation as you. I ended up getting a Browning Buckmark. I have never has a problem with this gun. You may also want to consider a Ruger, Beretta Neos (odd look but performs flawlessly), or a revolver. I've had plenty of experience with these guns, and they all perform great. I would suggest staying away from the Sig and Walther. They are not bad guns, but very picky when it comes to ammo.

 

[mparker762]

The wife's got a .22 S&W revolver in stainless that is a dream to shoot - she prefers it to her .22 semiautos (as do I). Semiautos are too picky when it comes to ammo; even just sticking to LR they tend to be picky. But you need a revolver if you want to try 22L or 22S, much less the 22CB and 22BB that have recently become available again and are *very* handy for the sorts of tasks that the old .38 cat-sneeze rounds were good for.

 

[TwelveBravo]

This might be something to consider. Hoping I was good enough this year for Santa to bring me one! http://www.1911-22.com

 

[blary54]

I would consider the Ruger MKII. Its a quality gun. My buddy has a sig mosquito. Its a sweet gun however it jams all the time(I think he just needs to get some new mags though). He also has a Taurus .17 HMR revolver that is fun to shoot. Check out that caliber too.

heres more info on the .17HMR if interested

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.17_HMR

 

[Barbarian]

Have you considered a mosquito? The form/shape and function of it lend towards a little practice (though fundamentally firing such a small caliber is much easier) towards carry/concealed weapons.

Fun option that is similar to what you might carry.

Ooh, I want one!

 

[stobes21]

...Now, if you want a really Cadillac experience and don't mind a wheelgun, look around for something like this: older Smith & Wesson K22. Target grade gun, beautifully made. Mine was made in 1953. Still shoots like a dream after umpteen thousand rounds. (These can be picked up on gunbroker and such for reasonable money IMHO considering the quality.) I happen to prefer the older K22s but S&W still offer similar models, too.

+1. My father in law has a beautiful K22 that is a dream to shoot. I saw one at the local gunshop yesterday for ~$650. That place is always way overpriced, so my guess is if you shop around you can get one for way less.

 

[airplanedoc]

The K-22 is without a doubt the cadillac, I have both the taper barrel and bull barrel Ruger Mk2 both are excellent.

None would be sufficient to carry, in my opinion, but all are great for target shooting

 

[pal]

I own a Sig Sauer Trailside. It is a great little gun. My gun is like this one except that it has competition handles.

 

[Olive Drab]

I owned a high standard and now have conversion slide kits for several of my semi auto so that Im using the same trigger pull but the cheaper ammo. of course recoil is reduced. Investment ranges around 3-400 bucks but the reward is recognized after the savings from a few thousand rounds. I also own 2 mkII's but to be honest I use the conversion kits and the mkIIs just sit there

 

[rth97601]

I did a lot of plinkin' with a .22 revolver as a kid, and it was really a lot of fun.

My dad had it specifically for rattlesnakes, and used to carry it (loaded with birdshot) when he was out cruising timber.

Of course, I started out with it b/c it was really the only kid-friendly gun we had--his other guns were a .300 Wetherbee, a .357 revolver, and an antique .32 rifle (which didn't get much attention, though it is a decent rifle).

 

[Gravy]

I own a Sig Sauer Trailside. It is a great little gun. My gun is like this one except that it has competition handles.

+1 on the Sig Trailsides. I have 2 of them and they are even more reliable than my 5.5 Buckmark.
As for a misquito, I hear they can be pretty finicky about ammo.

And I love my Buckmark. While .22's are not the best for protection, my Buckmark did just fine protecting these
Shrimps's and Homebrewd Tripel.

 

[pennhead]

From another thread, but I wanted to place it here for anybody interested.

First, let me say that I've owned multiple MkI and MkII Rugers that were GREAT! Following is my experience with the ONLY MkIII I'll ever own:

I had a MkIII slabside target .22 in stainless, with cocobolo thumbrest grips.

It WAS the most disappointing Ruger I have ever owned, perhaps the most disappointing gun, period! Could they make the LCI (loaded chamber indicator) MORE unattractive? I doubt it. Now you have that in addition to the paragraph of gun safety/read the manual info stamped into the gun. Are they that afraid of lawsuits? IT'S A GUN, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! I think we know to be careful with it.

The real problem with the gun was that it continuously FTF and FTE, and I personally believe the LCI had something to do with it... the way it rests against the rim/casing and slides all the way down the case (because the LCI is stationary and doesn't move with the slide like on other automatics). I've read where people have removed the LCI... problem solved! I grew tired of messing with and traded it off.

 

[pennhead]

I just recently acquired a Beretta 21A .22 automatic... the "Bobcat"

It is probably the single most fun .22 I've owned. It's tiny, it's a mousegun plinker, but could easily become a pocket pistol should the need arise.

I've heard this (or something like it) said a hundred times... a .22 in your pocket in a time of need beats the biggest gun sitting at home in the nightstand or safe.

 

[pennhead]

That Mosquito looks neat. I've really lost touch with newer products and only get the American Rifleman magazine these days.

As far as a .22 handgun, I've always had good luck with Ruger .22s for plinking. Robust, built like a tank, last forever. Triggers can usually use some work, but are okay for plinking. Mine is also a MKII with bull barrel.

Now, if you want a really Cadillac experience and don't mind a wheelgun, look around for something like this: older Smith & Wesson K22. Target grade gun, beautifully made. Mine was made in 1953. Still shoots like a dream after umpteen thousand rounds. (These can be picked up on gunbroker and such for reasonable money IMHO considering the quality.) I happen to prefer the older K22s but S&W still offer similar models, too.

THAT is beautiful!!!

I was at the range the other day, and an older gentleman had a High Standard Sentinel 6" .22 revolver he was shooting... said he bought it new in 1965. He let me put a cylinder of 9 rounds through it, and it was an incredibly sweet shooter. I had some Super Calibri subsonic rounds with me that we put through it, too. Nice.

Either one of these fine revolvers I would be proud to add to my collection.