When someone asks "what semi-auto rimfire pistol,,,?"

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aarondhgraham

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When someone asks "what semi-auto rimfire pistol,,,?"

What do you recommend?

Yesterday afternoon/evening I took a young man pistol shopping,,,
He wanted a .22 semi-automatic but not a SA target style.

So no Mk-II's or III's, 22/45's, Buckmarks, 22A's, or NEOS'.

Not a lot of selection here in Stillwater,,,
But we were able to handle a Ruger SR-22,,,
And the S&W M&P .22 in both the compact and full-size versions.

He has already fired my Bersa Thunder 22 and liked it,,,
But he wanted to look at American made pistols.

He made no decision as the money isn't there yet.

I must admit I was gently nudging him toward the SR-22,,,
I like the fact that it is DA/SA with de-cocker and an external hammer.

The absence of those features steer me away from the two S&W pistols.

My SR-22 is an absolute performer,,,
It feels good in my hand
And is easy to hit with.

I do love my Bersa Thunder 22,,,
And I love the fact that it pairs with the Thunder 380,,,
But Ruger has a customer service reputation that just can't be beat.

I think that from now on out,,,
My instant short answer will be the Ruger SR-22.

What is your recommended .22 pistol?

Aarond

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I would recommend the M&P 22, but that is purely because it is the only one that I have any experience with. I bought one for my wife a few years ago and it has always worked great, so I haven't felt the need to try out any others.
 
I like my SR22, though it's not as accurate as my mkIII.

It also tends to get leading fast with non_plated rounds, but that has eased up after a thousand or so rounds of plated. It did develope the little mark on the bottom of the slide near the slide stop, I seen some others complain about.

I just don't shoot it as much as my mkIII, it tends to only come out for younger shooters.

I hear good things about the S&W M&P 22s, but no direct experience with them. Their larger size makes them more adult friendly I think.


In the end, I think both are good choices and it will come down to personal reasons to choose between them,
 
Yesterday afternoon/evening I took a young man pistol shopping,,,
He wanted a .22 semi-automatic but not a SA target style.
Click to expand...

If someone would ask me that, I'd want to know why they had those restrictions.
 
Hello Lee N. Field,,,

Yesterday afternoon/evening I took a young man pistol shopping,,,
He wanted a .22 semi-automatic but not a SA target style.

If someone would ask me that, I'd want to know why they had those restrictions.
Click to expand...

Because he's fired my:
  • Ruger 22/45
  • Beretta NEOS
  • S&W 22A
  • Taurus 22-PLY
  • Ruger SR-22
  • Bersa Thunder 22
  • Beretta 87 Cheetah
  • CZ-75B Kadet
  • S&W Model 18
  • S&W Model 34
  • Charter Arms Pathfinder

He likes the duty style semi-auto pistols better than target style pistols or revolvers.

I'm not being snide here Lee,,,
But he's been shooting with me quite a few times,,,
The only handgun I own that he hasn't fired is my virgin Buckmark.

So he's not choosing out of total ignorance,,,
He has a small bit of experience to base his decision on.

He likes duty style semi-auto pistols the best.

I don't have any DAO or striker fired pistols to let him use,,,
That's kind of why I started this thread.

If someone recommends a pistol such as the M&P 22 or M&P Compact,,,
I would be interested to know what it is about them that they like.

Honestly, I'm trying to not pass my personal bias onto him. :o

Aarond

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If someone would ask me that, I'd want to know why they had those restrictions.
Click to expand...

Indeed.

When you eliminate the Ruger Mark III and Browning Buck Mark, you have eliminated the best two reasonably-priced options.

The Ruger SR22 would be worth looking at if you want to step down from those options.

I never recommend the potmetal junk like the SIG Mosquito, Umarex (not a real Walther) P22, and the like.
 
I always recommend one of the MK's. As for your friends preference, I would then say the SR22 or M&P22 and to avoid the Walther P22 like a plauge or bad burrito.
 
Hello Fishbed77

I'm glad you mentioned the P-22,,,
We did see one of those and I forgot to mention it.

But it was used and he wants a brand new gun.

Now let's hear from the "Why does it have to be new?" crowd. :p

Because he's a young man and wants a brand spankin' new gun.

~sheesh~

Aarond

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I would try to talk him into a MKII or MKIII or 22/45 regardless. My 22/45 shoots circles around my buddies SR22 and P22. Sure they look cool, but that's about it.
 
I love Ruger and went to buy a SR22 and walked away with M&P 22. I just felt like it was better. Better trigger, IMO. Better ergonomics.

That being said, I would still like to get a SR22. I think it is a different gun than the M&P 22. The M&P is a full size pistol and the SR22 is smaller.

I would recommend the M&P, but you can't go wrong with the S22 and I will have one at some point.
 
I'll be the odd one out and suggest the Browning 1911-22.

Yes, it is smaller than a 1911, and if you have large hands its a slight inconvenience to manipulate the controls.

Yes it is expensive, at or around the $450-$500 range.

Yes the sights are quite small, to scale with the rest of the pistol.

But put one in your hand and a few magazines down range, and if you're like me at all, you will absolutely fall in love with the little browning. Its a high quality pistol that deserves a shot(pun intended) if the budget can be built up to it. I know for me it was worth every penny.
 
So, you don't want to hear about the most reliable and most durable 22 autos? Hmm.

From the gunsmith:
* Ruger SR22 is not a good option, they break after a few hundred rounds and are frustrating as hell for most shooters
* Walther P22 is basically the same pistol, so the same applies.
* Bersas are a different pistol, but with pretty much the same issues, they turn into jam-o-matics and won't work after a few hundred rounds.
* Browning's new 1911 22LR is kind of cool.
* Chiappa's 1911 and M9 22s are not a good choice, break just by firing them.
 
I second the recommendation of the Browning 1911-22. It's duty style, smaller than a full size 1911, and available in alloy or polymer frame.
Now that I think about it, I might just go get one myself.

ETA: And if he likes a full size 1911-22, there's the Sig.
 
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