Advice on 22lr handgun for plinking & fun

[Underdog 1,593]

Check out a Ruger Mark III 22/45 Lite.

[ogfarmer 138]

I think I'm gonna be getting the new Walther PPQ 22lr or the  new Sig P938 22lr Target, both debut @ SHOT Show

[Buns of Guns 7]

Nothing new to contribute to this thread...  I have a Ruger SR22 which I bought a week and a half ago and hit the range hard.  No problems at all except with Remington Thunderbolt and Federal American Eagle 38 gn.  CCI Standard velocity 40 gn lead round nose has never let me down, and Remington Golden Bullets work fine.

 

Also, my Dad has a Beretta Neos which was less expensive and a better competition pistol.  You can even mount a scope on it or red dot if you like.  I will post pictures later comparing the two if you want!

 

Last but not least I have a North American Arms mini with 1 5/8" barrel that shoots .22lr and .22 mag.  Also a fun gun but not to the extent of the Neos or SR22.

[kirk2022 43]

I will be picking up A Sig P226 22LR Classic tomorrow, Then the search starts for someone with A 40 S&W X-Change kit in stock.

Went into the LGS intending to buy A Sig Mosquito, But they had the 226 in stock and it was A no Brainer. Pick up then straight to the range to give it A run.

[Gunnz 49]

Might want to order the caliber exchange from Sig. When you register your p226 online for warranty info, you get a 20% off coupon if you buy directly from them. It's back ordered on their site, and don't know the potential stock date, but it will save a large chunk of cash.

[kirk2022 43]

Thanks for the heads up on the discount, I will see if I can put one on Backorder with sig. Picked the gun up the morn went to the range and ran 100 rds thru it.   Nice shooting gun right out of the box after A clean and lube.   Had A couple hiccups but no worries, I will run it some more and be good to go.

[Gunnz 49]

I have one too, and it's very picky with ammo. It's fun to shoot, and sometimes frustrating at the same time.

[louu 399]

I'll be picking up the Sig 1911 22 on wednesday (f#(¿↓ing OGAM) in the olive paint job with the walnut grips. Looks like its going to be a great 22. Has the same feel as a "real" 1911. The Gun Rack in Vineland is awesome, they let me test fire a couple diffrent ones and I settled on the Sig. Put a tight group at about 35 feet.

[Buns of Guns 7]

I'll be picking up the Sig 1911 22 on wednesday (f#(¿↓ing OGAM) in the olive paint job with the walnut grips. Looks like its going to be a great 22. Has the same feel as a "real" 1911. The Gun Rack in Vineland is awesome, they let me test fire a couple diffrent ones and I settled on the Sig. Put a tight group at about 35 feet.

 

Wow they actually let you test fire before you buy?

[Porthole 15]

Thanks everyone,

 

Seems my shortlist so far looks like:

 

Ruger SR22 (main candidate)

S&W MP22

Walther PPK/S in 22

Sig P226 Classic 22

 

 

My favorite 22 is still my Ruger MKIII

Especially now that a couple of simple mods make it quite a bit more user friendly (hammer bushing and take down pin)

[94dak 0]

1 more vote for the walther, step mom has 1 and loves it, good gun to start shootin with

[Newtonian 453]

I have a S&W 617 (revolver) and a Browning Buckmark pistol. I prefer the former overwhelmingly over the latter. There are more things you can do with a revolver, and they're infinitely easier to clean compared with any of the decent production-type target pistols.

[average joe 5]

Ruger MKIII 

[Sixtytwo327 14]

Second plug for a S&W 617. If you find one, buy it; you will not regret it. 

 

A classic in a way that other production .22s just cannot compare.

[PD2K 115]

Shot both the Sig Mosquito and the Ruger SR22. Had no problems with either and both shoot equally well (no FTF/FTE).

 

The Mosquito:

Pro - looks and feels like a real gun

Con - shoots the expensive stuff, and the trigger REALLY sucks.

 

The SR22:

Pro: better trigger, and also shoots the cheaper stuff

Con: has a "toy" feel

 

I would lean toward the Ruger SR22 because of the trigger and ammo.

[Underdog 1,593]

Ruger SR22 going up for sale and/or trade as soon as I get my permits.  Interested in either a NAA Sidewinder with both cylinders or a Ruger 22/45 Lite.

[Newtonian 453]

Approximately 75% of the rounds I shoot on my range trips are .22lr. I always start the day with my S&W 617, a 10-shot revolver. I could shoot it all day. To me that's a real f-ing gun. I then put about 100 rounds through my browning buckmark, and am amazed (suddenly) at how well I shoot. Not really -- I'm not a great shot. But I discovered that if you can shoot a revolver you'll be 2x as good with a semi-auto in the same caliber. 

 

In my brief experience I've found sharing calibers across platforms (revolver, pistol, rifle, etc.) is quite satisfying. It gives you a full appreciation of the caliber, and of your own capabilities. 

[Sota 1,191]

Ruger SR22 going up for sale and/or trade as soon as I get my permits.  Interested in either a NAA Sidewinder with both cylinders or a Ruger 22/45 Lite.

hit me up if you're serious about parting with it, and for how much. I'm considering adding a 2nd one, because I like it that much and would be mad as hell if it went down and I couldn't plink 22's for a while.

[mrg455 6]

Mikk1,

  Have you looked at the ISSC M22? they are under $300 and as close to a true Glock .22 as you can get....at least until Glock makes one.

[gleninjersey 2,139]

Might want to order the caliber exchange from Sig. When you register your p226 online for warranty info, you get a 20% off coupon if you buy directly from them. It's back ordered on their site, and don't know the potential stock date, but it will save a large chunk of cash.

 

Wow, this sounds like a very good deal. I'll have to get my hands on a P226 again to see how it feels. I shot one last year but made the mistake of shooting a CZ 75 SP01 at the same time. After holding, and eventually purchasing a CZ 75B, many othe guns feel blocky or chunky.

 

I'm looking for a 22 as well and thought I had it narrowed down to the Ruger Mark II 22/45 Target. Maybe I'll just have to get both the Ruger and the Sig P226 Classic and then add the 9mm conversion kit to the Sig!

[Kingsoverqueens 10]

My aesthetic preference so far goes towards group #2. I'd really like to have a 22lr handgun that would look ... mm.. like a handgun :-) 

How do you feel about the M&P 22?  I actually like shooting mine more than it's 9mm big brother. : )

 

I also have the 22 kit for my Beretta, but I do like the feel of the M&P.  

[Steve_G 51]

Wow, this sounds like a very good deal. I'll have to get my hands on a P226 again to see how it feels. I shot one last year but made the mistake of shooting a CZ 75 SP01 at the same time. After holding, and eventually purchasing a CZ 75B, many othe guns feel blocky or chunky.

I'm looking for a 22 as well and thought I had it narrowed down to the Ruger Mark II 22/45 Target. Maybe I'll just have to get both the Ruger and the Sig P226 Classic and then add the 9mm conversion kit to the Sig!

If you like your CZ, why not pick up the Kadet conversion kit for it.

[RubberBullets 65]

I hear armatrix makes this cool new .22 handgun

 

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

[mikka1 2]

From the time I started this thread in January I actually acquired 2 handguns in 22lr - Ruger SR22 and Sig Sauer P226 Classic. 

After putting ~200-300 rds through each of them I think I can share my personal opinion.

 

1) Ruger SR22

I just LOVE it. I never thought I would ever love any handgun that small, but surprisingly that's the case. It is very accurate, eats pretty much any ammo I load into it (including cheap 36gr HPs sold in boxes of 333 or 525 rounds) and has an extremely nice feel in my hand. 

On a negative side I still can't form a proper grip so that the hammer in a cocked position sometimes burns my hand, especially after shooting for quite a long time.

I can seriously say that if you want to start with something truly inexpensive in 22 (and still looking like "real" handgun), SR22 might well be the perfect choice. 

 

2) SIG P226 Classic

I consciously bought it together with 9mm X-Change kit right away making a mental decision that 9mm will be my MAIN caliber for this gun with 22 being an inexpensive substitute for practice. If you want to eventually have P226 in 9mm or .40, this is definitely the way to go, because buying P226 in 22 AND X-Change kit might be even cheaper than buying P226 in a "big bore" caliber from the very beginning alone, so you essentially get 2 guns for the price of 1 (and with 1 permit which is also a serious consideration here in NJ).

Unfortunately I can't yet say too much good about it in 22lr. I admit I haven't tried it too much with 22 barrel and slide mostly using 9mm kit with it, but even with those 150-200 rounds I was not too impressed. It is very (no, _VERY_) picky with ammo (maybe because of the weight of the slide or because it is brand new and needs some time to break in), but the fact is I had MULTIPLE FTEs and FTLs all the way. It is better with CCI Minimags, but still with some hickups. 

I still don't want to say that it is a bad gun, non at all, especially given that SIG states in the manual that "rounds with lighter loads and lower velocities might have issues cycling through semi-auto handguns" (or something like this), but just for pure plinking with 22 I'd go with SR22 without any doubt...

 

Hope it helps

[Newtonian 453]

Mark lll, Browning Buckmark, revolvers are cool, and Ruger SR22 is a blast

A beech to take down and clean. Unless you're a real competitor not worth it. Try a revolver. S&W 617, which I shoot better than my buckmark.

[DSD1026 48]

If you like your CZ, why not pick up the Kadet conversion kit for it.

good luck finding them..  one place had a few in stock a couple weeks ago but went quickly..  and they are like $400...

[Gunnz 49]

Wow, this sounds like a very good deal. I'll have to get my hands on a P226 again to see how it feels. I shot one last year but made the mistake of shooting a CZ 75 SP01 at the same time. After holding, and eventually purchasing a CZ 75B, many othe guns feel blocky or chunky.

 

I'm looking for a 22 as well and thought I had it narrowed down to the Ruger Mark II 22/45 Target. Maybe I'll just have to get both the Ruger and the Sig P226 Classic and then add the 9mm conversion kit to the Sig!

The 226 classic is fun to shoot. Shot about 200 rounds on Saturday, and had a few issues, but were ammo related. With 22 still scarce, I have been shooting golden bullets which are junk IMO.

[fordperf 0]

I love my Ruger Mark III Competition.

[Sota 1,191]

I don't know why people consider permits to be an issue when considering one or multiple guns.

You find an FFL willing to work with you, you start stacking guns with them as you go through the permitting process, and you "check out" a gun from your FFL every month. I did that for nearly 6 months straight.

 

IMHO an SR22 should be in everyone's safe. they're awesome little guns.

[AlexTheSane 236]

I bought my wife an SR22.  We both love shooting it.  It eats any cheap ammo I've fed it with nary a problem.  Fits well in my large hands too.