Which .22 pistol?

If you want the handier, smaller gun then either the Ruger SR22 or S&W MP compact would be good choices. I'm an admitted Ruger fan and have handled and shot the Ruger SR22 and it shot well and really fit my hand nicely.

That said, I'd recommend you go with the larger .22 pistols and just reread post #9 from Chadio.
 
I also have the GSG 1911-22 and recently bought a Taurus TX22. The GSG runs fine but the TX22 has misfeed issues. I cleaned the TX22 magazines and sprayed DuPont Teflon inside the magazines and can see a great improvement. I also polished the TX22 feed ramp.

So, if you can get a TX22 for around $300 you might get a good one out of the box and be happy.

I also have the Ruger SR22 that eats anything. A great choice if you want reliability.
 
I’ll suggest the S&W 22 Compact. When the wife and I took the LTC course, the big problem was what the wife would shoot. I used my Beretta PX4, but she hates it (it has levers and switches and buttons). The instructor had a bunch of various pistols and he suggested the S&W 22 (even though it has levers and buttons). She went with that and shot great. She liked it, but doesn’t want one. You know…levers and buttons and stuff. It’s a nice 22 pistol. Easy to shoot well.
 
Another choice could be the Walther Colt Gold Cup Trophy 1911-22. It's almost completely compatible with stock Colt 1911 parts. Mine shoots standard velocity with no troubles. You can easily work on the trigger. I replaced my internals with a Cylinder & Slide hammer, sear and mainspring and got a 4.5 pound trigger.

The Walther P 22 also works well. Mine likes HV ammo, Blazer, Mini Mags and Velocitors.
Stingers give a muzzle flash that's very impressive but they are not 100% reliable in my gun.
 

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Not saying that all 'repli - racers' are no good (simulated Glocks, 1911's etc)

But - consider a pistol that was designed to be a .22 from day one. See my post above. Keep in mind I'm an old school grump who likes things that work.
 
The Rugers are a safe bet. I have had a Mk.II for decades; it has served me well.
I have many thousands of rounds through a 1973 Hamden made High Standard Victor…..a marvelous shooter (if you have the right magazines). An exceptional trigger.
If you own a 1911, there are reliable and extremely accurate conversiions available from both Marvel Precision and Nelson Custom Guns.
 
I have the S&W M&P 22 Compact and a Ruger MKIII 22/45.

The M&P is a great pistol. I have had problems with the rear sights on mine. Both windage and elevation screws loosened on their own. The 1st time cost me my rear blade, spring, and screw, lost at the range, all of wich we're replaced by S&W. 2nd time was elevation screw, spring, and detent. That was contained within my center console, so I was able to recover the parts and reinstall them. My rear sight sucks, but the gun is good.

The Ruger is a laser.
 
The Ruger SR-22 and S&W MP 22 are both good pistols but are plinkers, not Target or field guns. I wouldn’t consider these if they were going to be my only 22 pistol and they represent the better end of theses class of pistol. A Ruger Mark would be my choice, the old ones aren’t hard to strip if you have a modicum of mechanical skill. I never found them hard to reassemble.
 
get used 102 thru 107 high standard and be done. so many to choose from. all different bbl lengths and weights and all change with the push of a button.
 

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I already had a Smith 22A and Buckmark, but wanted something more like a compact 9mm size for cheap range practice. Went with a TX22.

But that SIG P322 looks tasty. I'd wait for long term field reports cause the ghost of the Mosquito still haunts.

I rejected the SR22; as someone already mentioned, the safety/decocker works backwards. Any pistol I own with a safety must work like a 1911.
 
^^
I agree about waiting long term. This is why it’s harder to gauge reliability with new firearms. You really have to put them through the wringer to figure out the pros and cons. YouTube reviews are especially hard to watch because you don’t know if that person got their gun for free. That influences your reviews imo
 
Browning Buck Mark, Ruger Mark whatever, S&W Victory


I have the Buck Mark and two Rugers. They're outstanding. My friend loves her Victory.

Those are very good pistols for casual target shooting, small game, or plinking.
 
I am probably in the minority here but I still shoot my Browning Nomads more than any other .22 pistol I own. I also have a Ruger SR22 and a Mark II. They are great old pistols, made in Belgium. The only drawback is magazines have become somewhat expensive if you can find them.
 
Stuckinthe60s- The High Standard 102-107 are all great pistols.

Four things potential buyers should be aware of though.

1- even though the manuals at the time said HV ammo was ok [think minimags], the consensus after 50 years is that it is simply wiser to stick to SV ammo out of them, to avoid frame cracks [usually above slide stop cutout, in rail area].

2- The feed angle is controlled by the magazines- and the magazines will most likely need to be adjusted to your pistol to make them work properly. [I have a few HS semis, and more mags needed to be adjusted than didn't].

3- The early 102 design used a pressed in rod/pin for an ejector, and it could snap. I am still not clear if it also caused damage to the frame or not. Later models of the 102 modified the ejector design. This is not of concern in the 103 and later models. IF you are leaning toward a 102, investigate this before making it a heavy round count shooter.

4- be aware that HS made a Model HD Military as well as having a Military model of 106, 107 and later pistols. The magazines are NOT interchangeable. The HD Military was made around '46-49, and used a slanted grip angle, like a Ruger MK series. It had a mag catch at the heel. The 106+ Military models changed to a 1911-esque grip angle from the slanted design of the 'normal' 106+ model. The 106 Military had a different base design and had a mag catch at the bottom front of the magwell. If anyone buys one, they need to be clear on the magazine differences.

Rimfire central dot com has a subsection dedicated to the High Standard 22 firearms. You can learn a lot over there.


The HS has the potential to be better than a S&W Model 41, with the same SV recommendation as the Model 41. Yet, they can be magazine and ammo sensitive. If the goal is all around use, but not really high end precision target use, I'd probably pick something else. If you want a REALLY, REALLY NICE .22lr and are willing to be both patient and learn THAT design's quirks- the High Standard is a great firearm.

And, some of them just look so awesome- like the 102 'space gun' design! Check out this post if you are unfamiliar, but curious: https://thefiringline.com/forums/showpost.php?p=5136846&postcount=28
 
OP, what are you looking to do with it? I get having a .22 pistol… but is it just for the range? Going to give to new shooters? Use for pests? Any plans for a suppressor? Sort of the insight that would be helpful with recommendations.

I’m personally not a fan of Umarex guns… I mean, they work, but not something I want to buy. I was looking at a Walther PPK/S, mainly for a suppressor host. Nice until I held one. My dad has a Walther P22… same stuff. It works, it will put a round down range… but it isn’t something I’d buy.

I’m not a fan of conversions… with the CZ Kadet kit being a notable exception. I had the Ciener kit for my Beretta, and have experience with some Glock kits. If I’m converting a 9mm to .22… that means I can’t let someone else shoot .22 while I’m shooting 9mm. Kind of an issue of having one frame… which is the one AR lower argument all over again (multiple uppers usually equate to getting more lowers). SIG conversions, I’ve heard a lot of horror stories from. Conversions usually take a hit with reliability due to having to match up with the larger caliber’s frame (changing to blowback doesn’t mean everything else lines up). Going back to the CZ… just an awesome setup. I’m likely going to have mine threaded by Tornado Tech, just for an extra host.

Unfortunately, I’m going to hit trainers hard, too. Sorry, guys. While I get the idea of training with rimfire to cut costs, at a point… I feel shooting the larger caliber will give better returns on investment (time). Even when you go to agency training, something along the lines of Simunitions can give you better range training than rimfire (no lead, similar function, and can use in force on force). For trainers, if you are going to use it with that intent, magazines being similar sized is a very good plus. Putting them in pouches, and training on reloads would be a nice aspect to have. This is sort of where conversions would likely have an edge, because they have to fill the magazine well of frame.

To me, .22s shine with pest control and suppressors. I had the money to do multiple cans on my first buy (three; .22, 9mm, and .46)… but definitely recommend a rimfire can first, if you can do it. They are fun, and make guns noticeably quieter (closer to movie quiet compared to a suppressed 5.56mm).

My favorite .22 pistol currently is the M&P15/22 Pistol. It may not be a traditional pistol, but it is an awesome setup. Lightweight, accurate, and reliable. If you want something between the long gun and pistol… good purchase. Magazines were hard to get for a little bit, but think they have got back into the market.

Where a lot of threads lead to… Buckmark verses Ruger MK… I call Ruger. It’s just a design that has more traction, especially with aftermarket. My father gave me a 5.5” stainless Target MKIII, which I really set up nice. Looking to do a shave/haircut with it… make something like an Assassins pistol with my Rugged Oculus. Originally wanted to get a second handgun or upper, but costs were a little too much for what I wanted. Put the barrel around 2.1”, move the front sight on the receiver, and will be a nice host.

Another one, with much less credit, is the Beretta Bobcat. Small pistol, but really is a nice rimfire handgun. They have the tip-up barrel for easy loading, but also lack an extractor (blowback pressure pushes the case out when the slide is cycled). Bring that up being you can’t just rack a round out of the chamber without creating a double feed. I bought the Covert model, which is threaded from the factory, and have been very happy with it.

Probably the funnest rimfire pistol I own is the NAA Sidewinder. Unlike the traditional revolvers NAA puts out (cross pin is removed, and the whole cylinder comes out for reloading), the Sidewinder has a swing out cylinder. There is the Ranger II, which has a break open design, sort of like a Webley or S&W Model 3. Probably a completely useless revolver, especially the smaller ones, but does put a smile on your face when you mess around with it.

Only other .22 pistol I have is an Iver Johnson Cadet… which I only picked up because it was the same model as Sirhan’s gun from the RFK assassination.

Only other pistol that is close to a .22 in my collection is my .25 Raven. I remembered my dad having one when I was little, and him putting it in his booth when we went to the city. Found a nicer one with the later safety (sort of 1911 style) for about $125… so couldn’t pass up for the nostalgia.
 
There are lots of good choices in .22 pistols, and I'm in the camp that thinks every shooter should have at least one. I have a Ruger Semiautomatic Pistol (from before they were called "Mark" anything), a Mark IV 22/45 Lite, and Mrs. McGee has a 22/45 Target that she lets me borrow. I'd love to have an M&P Compact .22. I'd also love a Beretta Neos, S&W Victory, Browning Buckmark, etc.....

If you go with the Ruger, I'll suggest getting a Mark IV, if for no other reason than the fact that Volquartsen sells uppers on clearance, like this one: https://volquartsen.com/inventory_configurations/3794?clearance=1

At this time, that's $40 + shipping, transfer and tax for a bull barreled upper. Buy a Mark IV of some other kind, and you effectively wind up with 2 pistols for a pretty good price.

ETA: I bought one they call the Bare Bones (https://volquartsen.com/inventory_configurations/3950?clearance=1) for $25 + transfer, shipping and tax, slapped it on top of my 22/45 Lite and it runs like a champ. I think it cost me something like $80 all total. Now I just need sights and to have it threaded.
 
Choose better friends?

I usually bring 3 when going on a range trip, I have reduced that to two.

I've an old High Standard Supermatic, lever release it does shoot like a laser beam, and yes the mags are fussy.

The High Standard stays home now. I reckon I could just bring SV .22 ammo only, but where's the fun in only one flavor?

Seems like every time "someone" puts HV ammo in the old girl, despite my warnings not to do so.

So the old Supermatic stays home, I'll take it out to play by my lonely.
 
I have several, most I would rate 6 or better on a 1-10 scale.

Mostly have Ruger, S&W, High Standard & Colt.

My favorite is S&W M41 ranked at the very best.

Also have a Sig Mosquito that is absolutely terrible which I rank at ZERO.
 
OP, what are you looking to do with it? I get having a .22 pistol… but is it just for the range? Going to give to new shooters? Use for pests? Any plans for a suppressor? Sort of the insight that would be helpful with recommendations.
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It would be for target practice only. I have the Ruger 10/22 takedown lite but wanted to add a 22 pistol into the mix
 
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