Best (cheap) plinking .22 auto pistol?

B

Battler

New member
I'm after a pistol that's reliable with most 22, accurate, low maintenance, single-action (or DA/SA) and preferably has some sort of high-caps still available.

And cheap. ~$200-ish? May be willing to go a bit higher for good features.

This is my "dry firing" gun - I shoot too much 45, which seems to be both making me flinch a little and making me poor (even reloading). And I have hundreds of .22 left, and need a gun to rid the world of it with.

The Rugers are the only ones I can think of; but I don't know much about the differences between them.


thanks,
Battler.
 
Browining Buckmark is my fav. Cheap, easy to clean, accurate, well-balanced, reliable with a variety of ammo.
 
I like my Ruger 22/45. The grip angle is "normal", and the safety is a sweepdown, so it's more like my USP than some others on the market.

Mine has been relible and accurate. GREAT tool for newbies, too.
 
I love my Ruger MkII, stainless, bull barrel. It keeps 'em in the black all day long! If you want something to complement your .45, you can go with the Ruger .22/45, with the grip that matches the 1911 .45 pretty closely and most of the controls in the same places. I've seen those on sale under $200 in Southern California. (The grip frame is polymer and you can get the barrel and action in either stainless or blued steel. The blued version is the one I've seen on sale.) Be careful dryfiring a .22, though. Get some "snap caps" to prevent the firing pin from dinging up the mouth of the chamber...I learned that the hard way with a High Standard Sportking.
 
Ruger or Browning. Of the two I prefer the Buckmark. I shoot a lot better with the Buck and it feels a lot more comfortable to me.
 
Don't worry, with the cheap cost and low recoil of 22, I consider using it loaded to be dry firing :) :)

I'll look at the Rugers - 1911-ness would be a big plus.

Battler.

[This message has been edited by Battler (edited June 09, 2000).]
 
Ruger 22/45. Feels similar to your .45 and great fun to shoot. I have ten 10 round magazines for mine. --plinker2--
 
I just got a 22/45. these seem to be much more refined than the MKII, feeding everything ive tried (including those mushy hollowpoints) without a hiccup. It is very much like the 1911 except no hammer. And guess what? an added feature is the freedom to dry fire it all you want without worry. (Ruger designed it that way) There are a ton of aftermarket parts for it as well.

A couple things to remember with the 22/45.

1) The front sight "WILL" come loose and fall off. To fix this, simply put some high temp. locktite on the threads.

2)The gun is post ban and hi-caps are not available.

3)learning to strip and clean this pistol can be a nightmare in itself. Its not hard, but does take practice.

I have no problems with any of the above drawbacks since hi-caps are no biggie since its not a carry gun and if you plan to compete with it only a certain amout of ammo is allowed in the gun anyway. The stripping becomes second nature after some practice. And since i put a holoscope on mine the front sight was removed.

Great gun. Highly recommended.

Tim :D


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Washington DC does not allow citizens to own guns, Yet it's the murder capital of the U.S.
 
I've got a S&W 22S. This is the stainless (the blue is the 22A) version of S&W's answer to the Ruger .22's and the Browning Buckmark.

Nice gun. I've got a ProPoint3 on mine. No complaints. It's quite on par with the Ruger and Browning .22's. I bought it because I knew I'd be putting the scope on and liked the optics mounting base. I'm sure I would have been just as happy with the other guns.

One other possibility is the Colt .22 (that's actually what it's called), but I'm not sure if they still make it.
 
If you are using a .45 acp 1911, why not get one of the conversion kits so you can use the grip of your current gun, while shooting .22? The conversions run in the $200 category. The conversions are made for the Glock also.
 
Naah - I was hoping to spend that sort of money and have another complete gun.

I'd also like to avoid putting wear on an expensive gun/trigger job in plinking.

About how much should the rugers cost me? I would hope they're cheaper than on Ruger's site.

Do ANY of the rugers take preban mags?

thanks,
Battler.
 
Battler:

There arent many hi-cap pre-ban mags for a Ruger MK I orII or 22/45. Ramline made a 14 rounder for it but they really were pieces of junk. Used to you could send them back for replacement but now you just get credit for them to spend on something else. Not sure if the 22/45 and MK II use the same mags. The old mags will work in the new guns but may not lock the slide back after the last shot. Your limited to 10 rounds. Gun show prices should be around $200 and used a little lower. High Standard and old S&W model 41 are the cream of the .22 crop but they are very expensive. You might also consider a .22 revolver to cure that flinch problem. S&W, Taurus,Dan Wesson, and others make revolvers in that same price range and are pretty sweet shooters. Learning to shoot double action cures lots of ills. :D
 
Greetings; I own and often shoot a Ruger Mark II KMK-512; that's a stainless bull barrel job, and as the other poster stated it will
keep 'em in the black all day long!!! :D

Regards,
Ala Dan, Life Member N.R.A.
 
Hello, I have a Ciener 22 lr. conversion kit which cost me $175.00, and fits right on my Colt .45 Government frame.
It also allows me to maintain consistent trigger control as it uses the same lower frame that I had trigger/sear improvements done on my .45.
As I`m shooting .22 lr rounds downrange, I am also reinforcing my .45 skills at the same time...
At a fraction of the cost!
And it`s pretty darn accurate...
Anyways, this is what has worked for me, and I hope you find a selection that works as well for you. :)
May your .22 hunt be an enjoyable learning experience, both of yourself and your weapon of choice. ;)

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SHOOT,COMMUNICATE AND MOVE OUT !

[This message has been edited by GIT_SOME.45 (edited June 10, 2000).]
 
Battler: It looks as if the Ruger MarkII, 22/45, and the Buckmark are the favorites. I don't think there's a hill of beans difference in quality or accuracy in these pistols. They will all cost you right around $200 so they should all qualify as potential Battler pistols. I would recommend you go to a store that has all 3 and fondle them all. Pick the one that picks you. I went through this same decision earlier this year and ended up with the Browning Buckmark. The Buckmark just felt better in my hand and I have never regretted the choice. There is not a wrong answer to your question, all are fine pistols. If you go in a fondle with an open mind, the right one will choose you.

Search the auction sights first to get a good idea on what these guns should cost. I've seen new 22/45's for about $190, MarkII's and Buckmark's for around $210. Either of these should serve you well.

:)

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bullet placement is gun control
 
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