.22 Pistols

.22s

One of my .22 pistols is a S&W 317 Airlite...it is my woods walk gun. It goes in my pocket when I hike and when I hunt.
My other .22 pistols - a Ruger MK.II Gov't, a High Standard Victor, a T/C Contender with a 10" barrel, and an old Pardini Free Pistol, are all target guns.
Pete
 
I've got three right now,

S&W 17-4, 6". This was a have to have. Most accurate 22 I own, they don't get much better. It punches lots of holes in paper.

Ruger MKIII Target, lots of fun and a rabbit killer. The kids love this one, lots of rapid fire. PIA to clean, but been super reliable.

Heritage Rough Rider 4" Birds Head. Loads of fun paper puncher. Only SA I own currently, this one is just a blast, especially with the magnum cylinder.

Would like to add a 1911 and a model 18. The 18 just because, even though it's gonna be hard to get.
 
Why doesn't the Colt .22 Target Model receive any love? It is my favorite plinker. We see these threads often about .22s and I can't remember the last time anyone even mentioned these. May not have the allure of the older Colt .22s, but still a good piece.
 
When everything goes sideways....

When everything goes sideways or if the balloon goes up(a old expression of the late gun/tactics trainer Jeff Cooper), I plan to have a camo type AR-7 Henry Rifle & maybe a add-on kit for a Glock 22 .40 to convert it to a .22LR if needed.
I've been thru or worked armed first responder/security details for Charlie, Ivan & Wilma(2005).
If a storm like Katrina or Super-Storm Sandy hits, I plan to be armed & have a few weapons that can convert quickly to pistol calibers & .22LR.

Years ago, as a teen, I read a military surplus book that stated a trained marksman with a bolt action .22LR could knock out & control a city block.
Even in 2013, I think there's a lot of truth to that statement.
.22LRs are low recoil, low muzzle flash, lightweight, economical to train with, & easy to buy in most locations.
The newer Henry type AR-7 system is considered a improved weapon too.

CF
www.ready.gov www.dhs.gov www.gunsamerica.com
 
I only have one, a Buckmark Pro Target 5.5 bull barrel that I absolutely love. The only addition to it I really want is a good revolver. Model 17 or something.
 
I had to get out the list. I have Twenty-nine .22 handguns. I have several favorites.

Smith & Wesson 2213. Small, absolutely reliable, and can use the 12 shot magazine of its larger sibling, the S&W 422. Real sights.

Colt/Walther/Umarex 1911-22 Gold Cup Trophy. Yeah, I know its made of sintered metal. I dont care. Its accurate, reliable, and feels just like a real 1911.

Taurus PLY-22. Great little pocket rocket. Low cost, reliable, and simply FUN.

Ruger SR22P. Not terribly accurate. Feels great in my hand. Nice Double Action trigger, a rarity in a 22 pistol. Perfectly reliable.

Ruger Single Ten. All the great things of the Single Six, and 4 more rounds. Will shoot sub 2" groups at 25 yards all day long, with any ammo.

Ruger SP101-22. A beautiful Double Action revolver with a nice trigger. For a "do-all" 22 revolver, this one is it.
 
I use/carry a Ruger 5.5" bull barrel 22/45 more than any other gun I own. I would estimate it's with me at least part of 200+ days a year. That gun will put a bullet on an 8" gong @ 100 meters consistently and I would depend on it to handle whatever need I encounter in my area.
 
Any Ruger auto. Long barrel for open sights, with optics it doesn't matter. Buckmarks are good too. A friend has a Berretta Neos which seems to be a good pistol. I had a S&W 22A that worked, as do their upper end models. Colt made some nice models. High Standards are good. Do you see a pattern. It's almost hard to go wrong. I don't care much for some of the smaller models, but thats probably due to pre-concieved notions that they would be hard to shoot accurately. Whatever you get, handle it, and if its comfy in your hand, go for it.

Oh, there are good revolvers too.
 
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I have a few, all semi's, and all for targets & plinking. I don't carry any either, prefer something a tad larger in dimater and smaller in overall size. Here's my list:

S&W Model 22A-1, 5.5" Barrel
Beretta U22 Neos, 7" Barrel
Browning Buckmark RX Pro Target
Sig Sauer 1911-22
Ruger MK III 22/45 Target, 5.5" Bull Barrel
Ruger MK III 22/45 Lite, 4.4" Threaded Barrel
Ruger MK III Target, 5.5" Stainless

They all shoot good, and are more accurate than I am, but I have fun shooting them. I'm lucky enough to say that none of mine are very picky about ammo either, except the Sig 1911-22. That heavy slide requires a little more velocity I guess.
 
I have a Beretta U22 Neos 6". It's been very reliable and not picky about ammo. It's a great plinker and more accurate than I am.
 
I have both autos and revolvers, the autos are Ruger Mk. II, a S&W, and a 1911 clone. The revolvers are Taurus, Ruger, Smith & Wesson.

I'm partial to the revolvers, just like them better.
 
I've had 4.

Walther P22
I got it with the 5" "target barrel," because I thought I'd like the longer sight radius and a little extra velocity. I later bought the regular 3.4" barrel sleeve and I liked the appearance and balance better this way. The sights and trigger were only so-so, and it often failed to feed the first cartridge or two when the magazines were loaded to capacity. It came with a laser sight that was fun at an indoor range, but it was too dim to be of much use outside (where I do 99% of my shooting). Sold the gun with little regret.

Browning Buckmark URX Camper
Came with 5.5" bull barrel. Replaced with Tactical Solutions 4" barrel, which dropped the weight from about 2 lbs. to 1.5 lbs. making it handy as a trail/camp gun. I've added Williams Firesights, which show up nicely even in limited daylight. I like the trigger. Not too fussy about ammo, but it doesn't seem to like Winchester Wildcats. Has the most comfortable grip (for me) of the four guns listed here.

Ruger MkIII Hunter
Stainless with 7.25" fluted barrel. Long barrel makes it quieter than the others and minimizes what little muzzle jump there is in a .22. Longer sight picture definitely helps my shooting, but I sometimes mount a red dot on it anyway. I maybe like the Buckmark trigger a little better, but I wouldn't complain about the Ruger. Eats any ammo I feed it. It's a bit long and heavy for a trail gun, but if I'm going for maximum accuracy from a handgun or were to hunt small game with a pistol, this be the gun I'd grab.

Taurus PT-22
The pistol has hand-filling grip, but can still fit in a pocket. It's not a bad-looking little thing and mine appears well-made. The small black sights, short sight radius, and long, heavy DAO trigger pull make accuracy a questionable proposition, which limits fun when plinking. The short barrel also makes it loud by .22 standards, and the low profile of the barrel--and, therefore, the slide--has resulted in slide bite on a few occasions... something I've never experienced with any other gun. Like the Walther, it struggles to feed the first cartridge out of a full magazine.
 
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Pistol

The best .22 pistol I've owned was the "real" Browning Buck Mark Pro Target 5.5 bull barrel. By "real" I mean the older version discontinued around 2003. The new one looks similar but is quite different in manufacture. Smith 41's, Colt Woodsman, Hi-Standard etc. have nothing over the original Browning.

For an inexpensive everyday .22 pistol the extremely ugly Beretta Neos is very reliable but has a poor trigger. Just my opinion and your mileage may vary.
 
I think I've got about ten .22 handguns. Nearest to my heart is a S&W Model 17-6, but I don't shoot it a lot.

For pure grins & giggles, my GSG1911-22 with the new mag followers (allowing 14 rounds) is a blast for hunting empty 12ga hulls.

LOVE my KMK-512, stainless, bull barrel Ruger Mark II. This gun can improve -ANY- range day.

Lately, I've fallen deeply in love (or re-fallen!) with Colt Woodsman variants. As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing out there quite like them. (admittedly, I have never had the pleasure to work with a High Standard)

I love rimfire handgun shooting. I could do it all day long.
 
I have 7 total .22 handguns. Pretty sure I'm done, too.

4 semi-autos, 3 revolvers.
  • Buckmark Standard - reliable, no complaints. Comfortable grip. Now used as a loaner/backup.
  • Buckmark Hunter - also reliable. Handsome cocobolo grip panels. A bit longish for general use.
  • Ruger Standard MKIII, 6" - reliable, great balance. Good all-purpose gun. Feels tougher than the Buckmarks due to all steel construction. My go-to semi-auto .22.
  • Firestorm (Bersa) .22 - fun gun, surprisingly easy to shoot for short barrel length, sexy Walther PPK-like looks. Great gun if you get one that isn't picky (mine isn't).
  • Ruger Single Six, 5.5" stainless - built like a tank, surprisingly accurate. Only real knock against it would be the heavy weight. Lives in my fishing backpack.
  • S&W 317 with custom stainless cylinder - awesome kit gun. Long story behind and road to stainless cylinder. With nice wood boot grips, I tend to baby it. So I have jokingly named it "Princess".
  • Ruger SP-101 - What I really wanted all along, and ended up being the last one I got. They were hard to find for awhile there. Great all-around .22 revolver, I am very satisfied.


I don't need any more. Can't hardly feed the ones I got. Don't plan on selling any, although the Hunter has crossed my mind a time or two.
 
I have a few but the one I am going to wright about is my Walther P22.

I recently got a suppressor (Silencer) for it and it has changed completely. No longer do I get all kinds of jams. The gun now runs as reliably as my Ruger MKII now.

Take the suppressor off and its goes to crap again.

That said if you are looking for a new 22 pistol skip the Walther P22 unless you plan to only shoot suppressed.
 
The neat thing about .22 handguns is their are so many different flavors to own and they are generally affordable. I just did a quick count in my vault and I have 6 semi-autos and 5 revolvers in .22 LR. Five of them are Rugers.
 
I have a Ruger Mark II and a couple High Standards for bullseye.
A Ruger Single Six for a belt gun
A full lug 6" S&W Model 17 for a fun gun
All are fun but serve different purposes. I want a 4" Model 17 or 18 and I'll be all set.
 
.22 Handguns

During last month my Korth was the rimfire handgun used exclusively. In S/A my S&W K-22 is as pleasant to shoot but the D/A of the Korth is unbelievably smooth for a reliable rimfire revolver.

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When I have to shoot seriously, I go with the old Hämmerli 208.

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