Ruger Mark II vs Beretta U22 Neos
My two cents:
I own both and can compare side by side. 6 inch Beretta U22 Neos and Ruger Mark II 6 7/8 inch tapered barrel.
I'd choose Ruger, every trip of the train.
I love Beretta, and have others, but the trigger is crap. Most likely due to the striker arrangement. Really sad, because Beretta DOES know how to make a good trigger.
The first NEOS I took apart, and polished all of the mating services with a dremal, cotton pad and jeweler's rouge. I replace the stock spring with a trimmed down little light weight spring from a cheap lighter (Solar brand). Had proper diameter unlike the Bic.
It works better, but still has
1) gritty feeling,
2) long pull,
3) a little creep (which because of the arrangement, always resets when you release trigger pressure)
The break is a little better and lighter now. Still can't come close to the Rugers.
To be fair, I see used Mark IIs going for $4-500 or more on Gunbroker, and I picked these NEOSs up for $200 each.
The one other change I can make is add material to the firing pin, so the sear doesn't sit so deep. That would relieve some of the travel. But I don't know if it's worth the effort. I may just divest myself of it.