Alright, the best .22 handgun?

the S&W 317

More about the 317.
'm curious about the Smith and Wesson 317 and aluminum guns in general. Aluminum does not have the material strength or recoil-absorbing weight of steel. Recoil-absorption is far less important in .22 but I worry about the strength. It is certainly enough for a reliable CCW or emergency gun but do they really stand up to the long-term stress of plinking and regular range use?
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Weblance pretty much covered it. My own experience has been completely positive. I bought the snub nosed version some years ago. It goes in my back pocket every time that I am out in the woods, every trip to the range, is in my hunting vest when I am in the Uplands looking for grouse.....it works, is accurate, and one hardly knows that it is being carried.
A very neat little gun.
Pete
 
Two of my carry guns are .22s. One is an American Arms (no longer made) Px22 in a Walther style. Other is a Beretta Mod. 21A.
I have had to present a firearm three times in my life to thwart life threatening situations. Potential assailant turned quickly and left all three times. The gun was a Ruger Single Six .22lr.
 
I like my Buckmark. I also like my SS Bearcat. I couldn't find a DA revolver with a decent trigger pull in DA. I liked the looks of the Bearcat - so that became the wheelgun.
 
No matter which gun you choose, I think you would be better off with adjustable sights. Most ammo shoots to about the same place, but not all does, and it makes better sense to me to be able to easily adjust the gun.

Particularly today, when a steady supply of a given .22 ammo is problematic.:(

A Smith & Wesson 41 is an awesome gun. A friend of mine has one, I've shot it a bit. Gripping that gun is like slipping your hand into a glove. You literally have to try to miss in order to do so, or so it seems. HOWEVER, it is ammo finicky. An awful lot of .22 autos are, to one degree or another. My friend's 41 had a problem one day firing CCI BLazers we were using for plinking. Several "duds". The same ammo (including the duds) ran through my Ruger Mk I like a sewingmachine, all fired perfectly.

For a Revolver, SA, Ruger Super Single Six, no question. Get the convertible, if you want. I have one, but in a couple decades, have only shot .22 Magnums a couple times. Just too much cost to benefit, for me. Get the Super version, it has adjustable sights.

DA? I have a S&W Model 17-6. ALL STEEL 6 shots, and with the full underlug mine has, the same weight and feel of an N frame (which I also have a couple of), so it makes a good practice piece for them as well as being a solid, accurate .22, and a pre-lock S&W. NOT cheap. Actually cost more than the N frame magnums I have! But if there is a better DA .22 out there, you won't find it cheap, either.

I've got a Ruger Mk I target, and a Browning Challenger, both fine .22s with adjustable sights. Both not in production these days, but guns very similar, are.

And finally, while neither an auto or revolver, one of the neatest .22s you can get is a T/C Contender with a .22LR barrel. If you want to know if you can shoot, that gun will clearly show you! And, as a plus, you can get barrels for other, bigger calibers, too!:D
 
first off, you have to be logged in... then go to one of the main forums, such as the one you are in Handguns: General Handgun Forum. Up at the top left of the list of "threads", or topics, is a button labeled New Thread. Click on that, and it will allow you to start a new thread, and title it whatever is pertinent to your thread.
 
Many excellent suggestions. But, I have to agree with JonnyC. The Beretta 70 series (70S, 71, et al.) are the most reliable 22 semiautomatic pistols I have ever fired. Compact, relatively lightweight, accurate, and can take one down in 1-2 seconds. What's not to like?
 
I noticed no love for the SP-101 in .22 in any category and have heard mixed reviews. Does it just not stack up?
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My sole experience with a .22 SP 101 was a gun in which the trigger locked up in rapid double action fire. Three trips to Ruger did not fix the problem, so I dumped the gun and have since stuck to Ruger Standard semis, S&W Model 17s and 18s, and guns in the Beretta Model 70 series.
 
.22

I would suggest any .22 that comes ready to mount a red dot on ie grooves or rail. Ruger, Browning, Neos, S&W. A micro red dot, even a cheap one, makes them a different firearm altogether. I've owned the above and all are good pistols. Hard to go wrong with any "name brand" .22 pistol.
 
I've been thinking more about this topic. I guess it really depends on what you want the .22 handgun for. Is it for target shooting, plinking, hunting, or self defense?

You can spend thousands or less than $200. It slipped my mind the other day that I have a .22lr/.22magnum American Heritage revolver that looks like a Colt SAA. It is a fun pistol to shoot and while not a tack driver it is accurate enough for plinking. I paid a whopping $167 for it brand new at my LGS.
 
I've owned a lot of .22 rimfire handguns and there's very few I didn't like.
I've found the really cheap ones have been the least likable, as you might imagine.
Stay away from the really cheap 22s and you'll most likely be pleased.
 
I don't have much experience with several of these other 22s but I do have a neos with 6 in barrel. I added a red dot and it is very accurate. I have fired 22 ammo of all types from it with no issues. I also picked up the extra carbine kit when they could be found and it really makes it a flexible combo.
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Best is such a subjective term,,,

Best is such a subjective term,,,
It implies that there can be one that outshines all others.

I don't think "best" exists.

Narrow the specs down a bit please:

Best for target shooting,,,
Best for self defense,,,
Best semi-auto,,,
Best revolver.

Aarond

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I will speak of the ones I own. There are better ones I'm sure.

Revolver is a ruger bearcat. Awesome little shooter. Just wish it had a little bit better sights.

Ruger SR22 for a semi auto. Definitely not a target pistol but an absolute blast to plink with. Feels good in the hand and I'm here to tell you I've shot subsonic through it and it feeds it like cci stinger. An SR22 would be a great gun to take camping.

Rifles are a 10/22 and a Marlin model 70 papoose. Both run great.
 
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