cheap .22 plinker?

N

ninjatoth

Moderator
I'm in the market for some sort of .22 plinker to mess around with,I already have a Taurus double action .22 revolver,but i'm looking for something a little different to send some bulk .22s downrange.I thought of maybe a heritage arms single action revolver,or maybe a little taurus .22 auto or beretta bobcat.That's about all I can think of.Does anyone else have any more ideas or do you think one of my thoughts would be a good choice?
 
Depends on what you want. First of all, I assume that, by "cheap" you mean something that sells for under, say, about $500. In that price range, there's the Ruger Single Six and several of the Ruger Mark III models. I understand that the Ruger Mark IIIs (IIs and Is, too) are very accurate and high quality semiautos. If they're not up to bullseye standards they're not that far off. As for the Single Six, it's a fun gun, comes with interchangeable cylinders that let you shoot .22 lr and .22 mag. However, like other "convertible" .22s, it isn't all that accurate. I had one for a year, had fun shooting it, but got a little tired of seeing 4" and 5" groups despite my best efforts.

If you want a revolver and are willing to be patient, look for a used Smith & Wesson model 617 or its predecessor, the model 17. You'll occasionally find examples out there for $500 or less. If you do, jump on it, because it won't stay on the market for long. These are outstanding double action revolvers, as accurate as any revolvers out there. Whenever I want to feel good about my shooting I take my 4" 617 to the range.
 
I bought a brand new S&W 22A for $270 a few weeks ago. I have shot about 400 rounds through it now and it has really surprised me with its accuracy and functioning.
 
Any of the Ruger or S&W 22s are great and can be found used if you shop. The TP22 and the Bobcat are a close range back up gun and will not be versatile for all around plinking. For value for the dollar the Ruger standard model (MK I, MKII or MK III) can't be beat JMHO. Good luck: Bill
 
Have a look at the Browning Buck Mark as well. Comes in enough configurations to meet most budgets and use-cases. I like my Plus just fine, but I have heard good things about the Target & Hunter. Two different grip styles as well, the URX for those with larger hands and the UDX for smaller hands, like mine. Okay, they're not actually billed that way, but I found the URX to be uncomfortably large.

I don't know how it is elsewhere, but the darn things are hard as heck to find around here.

Good luck,

Jamey
 
If you just want to plink and have fun, not serious target shooting, the Walther P22 is a good little gun. Not very expensive. Earlier ones had some problems the newer ones are fine (mine shoots anything I buy). Just plain fun to shoot.

Ruger Mark III, Bearcat, and Single Six are great plinkers too.
 
Beretta U22 Neos. I paid $300 for one with an Inox (stainless steel) slide, but the blue model is even less. Buds has them in IN STOCK for $243.00! Hurry!!

Scott
 
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I bought a Ruger MKI 6-7/8" tapered barrel 22LR pistol in 1975, then a MKII 5.5" bull barrel in 1985 and finally a 2005 MKIII with the same bull barrel. All are accurate and reliable pistols. Nothing has broken in any of them over the years.

If you like the feel of the grip (much like a Luger) you can't beat them. If you don't like it then check out their other model with the 45ACP style grip. Same receiver but a polymer frame instead of steel. There're also fixed sight versions of both if you don't want to pay extra for adjustable.

Lots of good choices so try them all out. I did but keep coming back to Ruger.
 
Of course, if you already have a 1911, you can pick up a conversion kit and have a bunch of fun with that, and you'll be practicing with the same trigger/action as your defensive firearm. I've had pretty good luck with one on my Kimber.
 
Taurus and the like

My Taurus 94 only misfires when using the cheap bulk ammo (Rem Golden Bullet) . The Baretta's and other mouse gun type .22's seem to be finicky with ammo. My PT-22 will only cycle 40 grain .22 ammo, but I have never had FTF w/ mini mags.
 
i'm torn on which way to go.I know I can get a high quality s&w rimfire pistol for like $300,but I use a weaver grip when using my "real" gun .357 revolver,I don't want to mess my hand up or change my grip that works well for me,but that just leaves me with cheap revolvers,and cheap revolvers aren't as good as cheap pistols
 
.22

I own a number of .22 pistols (no revolvers). I have fired them for years with my wife, sons, grandchildren and daughterinlaws. All of them are accurate, reliable and relatively inexpensive to shoot and maintain. I can't tell that one is better than another in either accuracy or reliability. I own Mark IIs, Mark IIIs, 2 Browning Challengers, and a challenger III, and Buckmark, Colt Woodsman series III and maybe another one or two that I'm not remembering. They are all fun to shoot, relatively cheap to acquire and shoot, and reliable (they last all your life with reasonqable care).
 
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the only two 22 revolvers I own are the Heritage Arms and the Ruger single six. Both fun guns to shoot but very slow at getting ammo down range. A lot of nice 22 autos listed in previous post. Every pistol out there will have people tell you that they did not work for them. Find one that strikes your fancy and go with it. I recently picked up a Beretta Neos and while a fun gun to shoot it is no where near as accurate as my Beretta Jaguar with 6" barrel or the SW22 and certainly not like the buckmark hunter. These are of course just my observations yours will most certainly vary.
Remember the fun is in the hunt.
 
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