best .22lr semi-automatics and best ammo(plinking, varmint) ammo for them
- Thread starter chrisintexas
- Start date
Doc Holliday 1950
New member
We started using Federal Target Grade 40gr. ammo in Mrs. Doc's SR22. It seems to work with no failures yet. Any thoughts on this ammo?
Doc Holliday 1950
New member
We have those too. Thanks
My Ruger Mark II .22/45 has a documented 100,000 plus rounds through it in a little over 12 months.
The number of misfires could be counted on one hand & not one round jammed or failed to feed - out of all the 40 grain high velocity round I fired through it.
I did have some problems with jamming when I used some X-Pert 36 grain hollow points. Those are shorter than a regular .22lr 40 grain load.
I guess if you really want to pick a nit - that's not 100%.
But, it's close enough to it for me.
Model12Win
Moderator
Ruger Mk IV Standard.
No I would NOT use one for self defense.
No I would NOT use one for self defense.
All things considered I would lean towards the Ruger MK series, the Browning Buckmark and the S&W Victory which seems to be the all around general consensus. As to the ammunition? Short of going out and buying high end target ammunition like the Eley flavors my experience is that some guns simply shoot certain flavors better than others. My Ruger MK II shoots some of the Aguila stuff just fine and the CCI standard velocity stuff just fine, I have a few older and more expensive S&W Model 17 revolvers which, despite their bad rap, shoot the Remington Thundrebolts just fine as well as the Remington Golden Bullets. My suggestion to people is to start with a box or two of this, that and the other before buying a few bricks of any one brand or bullet weight, see what works for you in your gun.
As to the whole defensive roll with a .22 LR? No I would not use a .22 LR for any defensive roll. Why? Simply because I have other guns more suited for defensive use. I also never hunted deer with an AR15 in .223 Remington. Not because it won't work but because I have other rifles better suited for hunting deer. If my only gun was a .22 LR then I guess it would do just fine, no shortage of dead people as a result of a .22 LR.
Ron
Doc Holliday 1950
New member
For my generation, Stephen Stills sang a song "Love The One You're With".
To all of us who know Uncle Arthritis, male or female, the 22lr is one of their best options vs. having nothing except maybe having a shotgun. Unfortunately, one cannot easily carry this concealed. Following this train of thought, the 22lr semi auto Pistol is their only option. For all of the Purest, the 22 LR is very low on the list for SD.
David took out Goliath with a sling shot to the head. I would like to think that if David had a 22LR, that's what he would have used.
To all of us who know Uncle Arthritis, male or female, the 22lr is one of their best options vs. having nothing except maybe having a shotgun. Unfortunately, one cannot easily carry this concealed. Following this train of thought, the 22lr semi auto Pistol is their only option. For all of the Purest, the 22 LR is very low on the list for SD.
David took out Goliath with a sling shot to the head. I would like to think that if David had a 22LR, that's what he would have used.
FWIW, some years ago I did a little testing of various High Standard barrels at the slow fire target distance, 50 yards. The numbers show the 5-shot group averages in inches. In these barrels CCI Std Velocity shot okay but RWS and SK were clearly better. FYI: I tried some Eley match at 50 yards and, except in the free pistol, SK was tough to beat.
After owning a wide variety of .22s I've recently settled on the Ruger Mark IV 22/45 for my competition gun. I did upgrade the trigger with a VQ trigger kit. Pull is now very light and smooth. My backup is a Mark III with PAC LITE barrel. Both are 100% reliable and very accurate.
For ammo I use CCI Mini Mags for competition and Federal AutoMatch and Blazers for practice. Both have proven to be accurate and reliable.
For ammo I use CCI Mini Mags for competition and Federal AutoMatch and Blazers for practice. Both have proven to be accurate and reliable.
This is a bud's Feinwerkbau AW93
It has to be in the category of best, most accurate 22LR. Recently I was offered a used one, but the grips were not sized for my hand. I estimate that replacement grips were at least $500.00 so I passed. That Bud is having troubles selling his AW93, but some day, some where, someone with the correctly sized hand will love that AW93.
This Model 46 S&W has been a reliable and accurate 22 LR target pistol. I have been shooting this regularly in Bullseye Competition. I enjoy shooting a rare vintage (less than 500 made of this model) pistol. I remember where I was in 1968, and that was the year this was made. Brings back memories.
For the money, I have been very happy with the Ruger MKII
This is an accurate and reliable pistol, once I replaced the factory firing pin with a Volquartsen.
Factory firing pin peened itself to death. Soft metal.
I am going to state an opinion that others may not share. The best ammunition in a 22 LR pistol is the ammunition that most reliably functions the things. Having had many alibi strings, if the gun don't go bang, you drop points even with the most accurate 22lr in the world. These blow back pistols are sensitive to ammunition.
This shooter, a two times Bullseye National Champ, was using Lapua OSD in his Hammerli. Just shoot that well with one hand at 50 yards and 25 yards. The ten ring is four inches at both distances.
Same guy shot this composite group at a 25 yard reduced Bullseye Match. Just do this standing, holding your pistol with one hand, for ninety shots.
It has to be in the category of best, most accurate 22LR. Recently I was offered a used one, but the grips were not sized for my hand. I estimate that replacement grips were at least $500.00 so I passed. That Bud is having troubles selling his AW93, but some day, some where, someone with the correctly sized hand will love that AW93.
This Model 46 S&W has been a reliable and accurate 22 LR target pistol. I have been shooting this regularly in Bullseye Competition. I enjoy shooting a rare vintage (less than 500 made of this model) pistol. I remember where I was in 1968, and that was the year this was made. Brings back memories.
For the money, I have been very happy with the Ruger MKII
This is an accurate and reliable pistol, once I replaced the factory firing pin with a Volquartsen.
Factory firing pin peened itself to death. Soft metal.
I am going to state an opinion that others may not share. The best ammunition in a 22 LR pistol is the ammunition that most reliably functions the things. Having had many alibi strings, if the gun don't go bang, you drop points even with the most accurate 22lr in the world. These blow back pistols are sensitive to ammunition.
This shooter, a two times Bullseye National Champ, was using Lapua OSD in his Hammerli. Just shoot that well with one hand at 50 yards and 25 yards. The ten ring is four inches at both distances.
Same guy shot this composite group at a 25 yard reduced Bullseye Match. Just do this standing, holding your pistol with one hand, for ninety shots.
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chrisintexas
New member
what .22lr would you recommend aa self defense rounds? and what .22lr would you recommend for small game? thanks
I have two Ruger autos. Both 22/45s...a standard MKII 4 3/4" and a Target MKIII 5.5" bull barrel, both stainless. I have had others, including MKIs.
Standard model shoots Federal AE 36 grain HP best
Target model shoots CCI Small Game ammo best, this is a solid lead, semi wadcutter type load.
This was after shooting more than a half dozen different brands through each pistol to find out what each likes best and are RELIABLE with. They are tack drivers and function reliably with their chosen loads. Other examples of the exact same pistols might and will like something different.
BTW, you will have occasional malfunctions of different types with ANY 22 auto. I think this can be attributed to the ammo rather than the pistols being unreliable...an example, I experimented with CCI Stingers in my autos (not recommended by Ruger) and would get continuous jams of every description, especially failures to extract. Others will say "my so and so 22 auto never jams", but this has been my experience after 1000s of rounds through a good many 22 autos.
As far as the Stinger, this is mainly because the case of the Stinger is made longer than standard to accommodate the extra powder that propels the lighter bullet at higher velocities. Generally, not recommended for autos. Just one example of 22 ammo that can cause problems in 22 autos...then again, in some pistols they might function fine.
Experiment to find the right combo of accuracy and reliability in your pistol.
Standard model shoots Federal AE 36 grain HP best
Target model shoots CCI Small Game ammo best, this is a solid lead, semi wadcutter type load.
This was after shooting more than a half dozen different brands through each pistol to find out what each likes best and are RELIABLE with. They are tack drivers and function reliably with their chosen loads. Other examples of the exact same pistols might and will like something different.
BTW, you will have occasional malfunctions of different types with ANY 22 auto. I think this can be attributed to the ammo rather than the pistols being unreliable...an example, I experimented with CCI Stingers in my autos (not recommended by Ruger) and would get continuous jams of every description, especially failures to extract. Others will say "my so and so 22 auto never jams", but this has been my experience after 1000s of rounds through a good many 22 autos.
As far as the Stinger, this is mainly because the case of the Stinger is made longer than standard to accommodate the extra powder that propels the lighter bullet at higher velocities. Generally, not recommended for autos. Just one example of 22 ammo that can cause problems in 22 autos...then again, in some pistols they might function fine.
Experiment to find the right combo of accuracy and reliability in your pistol.
The best plinking gun is the 10/22, use CCI Tactical or mini-mag in it. If you take care of it you may never have a jam. As for a pistol, NONE of them. The 22LR semi auto pistol is the jam-o- matic of the pistol world. If nothing else it'll pick up a piece of lead and the bolt/slide won't be completely closed and you get a mis-fire. With the pistol it will shoot most of the time if you keep it clean, use real good ammo, good magazines, it'll work most of the time. It helps to clean the bolt face and the rear bbl face often. Most of the time I got thru the 30 match by doing this, most of the time.
pete2, I completely agree on your take of .22 auto pistols, gremlins abound, everything except "use real good ammo". IMO, it should read use ammo your particular 22 auto shoots well and functions reliably with despite the brand.
This is easier said than done and takes a lot of sampling and expense even with low cost .22 ammo.
As I said in my above post, my 22/45 standard is most accurate and functions best with Federal AE 36gr hollow points. These are considered generic and inexpensive "plinking" ammo, BUT it is what it is. I arrived at this after shooting a lot of brands, both higher and lower cost.
But, to confirm your opinion, I can usually count on at least one jam every 100 rounds, usually a stove pipe even with this best functioning ammo. Maybe there is something out there that won't malfunction at all but I doubt it, I've tried just about all there is including the higher priced stuff.
Even though this is a bit off topic , the answer is a Ruger SP101, 8 shot revolver. These are double action, handy, accurate, and as reliable as you can get in a .22 handgun.
This is easier said than done and takes a lot of sampling and expense even with low cost .22 ammo.
As I said in my above post, my 22/45 standard is most accurate and functions best with Federal AE 36gr hollow points. These are considered generic and inexpensive "plinking" ammo, BUT it is what it is. I arrived at this after shooting a lot of brands, both higher and lower cost.
But, to confirm your opinion, I can usually count on at least one jam every 100 rounds, usually a stove pipe even with this best functioning ammo. Maybe there is something out there that won't malfunction at all but I doubt it, I've tried just about all there is including the higher priced stuff.
Even though this is a bit off topic , the answer is a Ruger SP101, 8 shot revolver. These are double action, handy, accurate, and as reliable as you can get in a .22 handgun.
I have shot, owned several .22LR pistols so I make my choices accordingly.
My all time favorite is a Hi-Standard made sometime in the mid 50s. I now have a Smith & Wesson M&P 22 Compact that has been outstanding.
I traded my Ruger SR 22P for the Smith after the slide release level broke while shooting. Something about a slide coming at your face is disturbing.
The Smith is pretty accurate, not as accurate as the Hi-Standard, but pretty close. It shoots as good as my eyes can see.
The main thing is reliability. It has functioned with all brands of ammo with alarming reliability. Most .22 pistols favor one or two brands. My M&P 22 Compact shoots everything! I do emphasize the Compact version. It is made in the US as opposed to the full size version, which I have heard has problems, the is made off shore by Walther.
There are some nice choices out there, this just mine.
PS- I still have the Hi-Standard and it is not for sale!
My all time favorite is a Hi-Standard made sometime in the mid 50s. I now have a Smith & Wesson M&P 22 Compact that has been outstanding.
I traded my Ruger SR 22P for the Smith after the slide release level broke while shooting. Something about a slide coming at your face is disturbing.
The Smith is pretty accurate, not as accurate as the Hi-Standard, but pretty close. It shoots as good as my eyes can see.
The main thing is reliability. It has functioned with all brands of ammo with alarming reliability. Most .22 pistols favor one or two brands. My M&P 22 Compact shoots everything! I do emphasize the Compact version. It is made in the US as opposed to the full size version, which I have heard has problems, the is made off shore by Walther.
There are some nice choices out there, this just mine.
PS- I still have the Hi-Standard and it is not for sale!