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Post by Jon on Jul 31, 2009 17:53:20 GMT -5
I have not had a hand gun since I left the service. I'm interest to learn what would be considered the best in a 22caliber? I'm trying to get a pistol while I still can. Any help would be appreciated. Jon
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Post by dans on Jul 31, 2009 19:34:58 GMT -5
I have two handguns (.22 cal.) That I still own and shoot after 40 years of shooting and owning them. I can recommend both without hesitation. The first is a Ruger semiauto with a 5.5 inch stainless barrel and synthetic frame. It has the .22/45 grip frame. The other is a Smith and Wesson 10 shot stainless revolver with a 6 inch barrel. I had this one custom gripped. Both these handguns are very accurate and reliable.
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Post by Jon on Aug 1, 2009 3:48:08 GMT -5
Dans thank you for the reply. Now I have something to look at. Jon
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Post by whyohe on Aug 1, 2009 4:05:27 GMT -5
i have a ruger .22 revolver. the nice thing about this revolver is that it came with a 22mag cylinder also, wich i didnt get cause i got it used, but it gives you the option of either cartrage. it shoot very nice and is accurate too. i also had the F.I.E. rough rider. it had fixed sights but when you got use to them it too was a very accurate revolver.a very inexpensive gun but nice. I think it is called a Heratage now.
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Post by wilmsmeyer on Aug 1, 2009 5:00:55 GMT -5
I have a Ruger Mark II with a 5.5 inch bull barrel. I have probably shot this pistol 10,000 times since buying it 5 years ago.
It is very accurate and dependable with good ammo. Mine likes CCI minimags and rarely jams with them. However, some ammo seems to hang up.
I will say that this gun gives me fits when I take it apart. I STILL have to get the manual out whenever I put it back together. Anyone else share that view with this otherwise excellent gun?
I would love a .22 revolver too. Ruger make very good, affordable products.
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Post by tcmech on Aug 1, 2009 13:30:50 GMT -5
I have a ruger mark 2 with a standard 6" barrel that I really like. I don't think you can go wrong with a ruger or a browning buckmark either one.
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Post by dans on Aug 1, 2009 20:21:31 GMT -5
I shot Ruger semiauto .22s for two years on an air guard pistol team. We shot them until they were so dirty they wouldn't reliably feed ammo and then we took them and turned them upside down with the slide locked back and sprayed solvent in the port and washed out a bunch of black gunk, wiped everything we could with a dry rag and let them air out over night. After 24 hours we started shooting them again. I don't take mine apart. Several hundred through it currently and I just wipe off the outside.
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Post by illinihunter on Aug 2, 2009 23:30:54 GMT -5
I have been quite happy with my Ruger Mark III "Hunter". It has the 6 7/8" fluted bull barrel and is very accurate. It s also quite attractive in appearance. I bought it mainly for squirrel hunting but I shoot it year around. It almost never hangs up and is not finicky about ammo. The CCI velocitor seems to be one of its favorites. I am sure that it has well over 1500-2000 rounds through it by now. Yes I do need to use the manual whenever I strip it down. I also have a colt .22 semi auto with a four inch barrel, it is not quite as accurate as the Ruger, but it is very reliable and lots of fun to shoot. The only ammo it does not like is the CCI stinger, for some reason it will not eject them. It would probably be more accurate if it had a longer barrel. I like to shoot the rimfire handguns during my bigbore handgun sessions to keep my shooting form in check. The little .22's don't recoil enough to cause a flinch. Whatever .22 you choose will be worth the money for you. They are inexpensive to shoot and tons of fun.
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Post by Harley on Aug 3, 2009 8:11:37 GMT -5
All the favorites listed have their merits; I have a new Browning Buckmark that I enjoy (other than the occasional jam); but Jon asked for "the best". In my not-so-humble opinion, the best currently produced and widely available semi-automatic .22 is still the S&W Model 41.
Harley
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Post by whyohe on Aug 3, 2009 9:00:19 GMT -5
when i comes to a semi-auto pistol, my best friend has a walther P-22. its pretty accurate. you do have to shoot the higher velocities to get reliable function. if i remember right it like CCI Mini Mags.
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Post by craigf on Aug 15, 2009 20:11:45 GMT -5
The Ruger semi autos are very good. I have a Mark II 22/45 with probably 10,000 rounds through it. It is a pain to reassemble though. The best thing I ever did to it was to put in a $17 vorquotsen sear. The trigger pull went from 6 pounds to 2.5 pounds and with a red dot is very accurate. I also have a Kimber 45 and a Kimber 22 conversion slide. This is just as accurate as the ruger. You can't go wrong with either.
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Post by dxt20 on Aug 16, 2009 7:32:39 GMT -5
i have a ruger mark 3 22/45 hunter. its a good gun. VERY accurate for a semi auto. the only two things i don't like about it is one trigger has creep even after being worked on and i do not like the sights. I'm not a fan of fiber optics on pistols. if u want a nice gun get a kimber in a 45acp with a 22 conversion kit. they are fun and you get 2 guns. but they have a nice price. thats just my opinion
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Post by rossman40 on Aug 16, 2009 20:39:03 GMT -5
New ones I like is the Walther and the SIG Mosquito for plinking. For quality target shooting the Colt Woodsman, Browning Medalist, High Standard Supermatic and the Rugers, any of these in a target style with heavy barrels and quality sights are good. You will see used ones pop up at fair prices but a well used, tricked out Olympic match quality can run you a grand easy. Buying new the Rugers are tough to beat. The High Standards are being made again but I haven't heard if they are as good as the old ones.
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Post by billc on Aug 17, 2009 17:29:20 GMT -5
Colt Woodsman and a Sig Trailside. The Colt isn't the target model. The Sig is a target model.
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Post by rossman40 on Aug 17, 2009 17:47:56 GMT -5
Another thing to think about is if your going to buy other pistols. I shoot SIGS so the Mosquito fits me. If you were looking at maybe a Beretta 92 in you future then a model 87 would be a excellent choice. 1911 guys go with a conversion slide or a Ruger 22/45. The thing is to get a plinker (more like a cheaper to feed practice model) with simuler controls and grip angles. You can shoot a .22 a whole lot cheaper then a .45 and with a pistol that closely matches you get quality practice. Start off the day with a Beretta NEOS and then switch to say a Browning Hi-Power and you would spend the rest of the day just getting use to the grip angle.
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Post by rossman40 on Aug 17, 2009 19:12:14 GMT -5
A Colt Woodsman Match Target is more of a wish and a collectors item. But I have seen them for sell in the $500 range but I have also seen a 98% 2nd series with the box and original bill of sale, the guy wasn't budging from $1700.
I should be taken out and beaten with a cleaning rod for leaving out the SIG Trailside. The SIG Trailside is the wolf in sheep's clothing, SIG didn't make that pistol, it was actually a Hammerli (one of the SIG group like Sauer rifles till 2006). Hammerli was sold to Walther and now the SIG Trailside is the Hämmerli/X-esse at about $300 more.
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Post by wilmsmeyer on Aug 17, 2009 19:21:27 GMT -5
Rossman makes a great point. If you will be shooting your .22 a lot for the sake of practicing your skills, you will be starting over if you shoot 200 rounds through your Ruger MarkII and then pick up your Ruger GP100 in .357 mag.
These are the only 2 pistols I own and they have a completely different feel, recoil level etc. I will say that the sight picture and radius is about the same. Simple square black edges. Being familiar with both, I don't suffer too much as I shoot them both well. But I shoot them a lot and know them inside and out.
As a wise man once said "beware of the man with one gun...he may know how to use it." If you have a bunch of guns but don't shoot them a lot, switching means getting re-familiarized with them every range session.
Everyone owns pistols for different reasons and you should be 100% familiar with your gun so that it shoots where you aim with no thought. Practice with a .22 is great and if it is for the eventual graduation to a bigger bore and saving ammo, the mechanics, sight picture, action, safety location, and "feel" should be similar.
If it's just to shoot a lot, most will work great.
I always wanted a charter arms pathfinder in .22 LR....Rossman, what has become of this gun?....it's a small revolver. I think they also offered the "bulldog" in .44 spec at the same time. Both similarly designed IIRC.
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Post by rossman40 on Aug 18, 2009 7:18:20 GMT -5
The Charters are still around. They went thru some rough times like in the mid 90s, 2 or 3 different bankruptcys, a rough fight in change of ownership in like 2000. I know after the Concealed Carry passed here in Ohio one of the local dealers was selling a ton of the .32 and .38 Charter model that is like a S&W J frame plus since it had a aluminum frame it was popular with the cops as a back-up in a ankle holster. I remember the dealer had a stack of them and the frames were anodized in red, blue, black and pink for the ladies. Being about 1/3 less then the cost of a S&W didn't hurt ether.
I seen where SIG is now offering a rimfire conversion for their more popular models like the 226, 238 and 239. A 226 is a great pistol. Of course you could almost buy another pistol for what they want for the conversion but it would be money well spent.
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Post by jims on Aug 18, 2009 10:52:01 GMT -5
I have a High Standard Supermatic Trophy (military) that I believe has the same grip angle as a 1911. It has an excellent trigger and shoots very well. Mine has the fluted barrel and barrel weights. I have a Beretta Model 21a "flip top" that I do not care for at all.
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Post by billc on Aug 18, 2009 18:26:28 GMT -5
Rossman,
I couldn't spell Hamerli so I took the liberty of calling my Trailside a SIG ;D
Bill
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Post by rossman40 on Aug 21, 2009 14:23:20 GMT -5
I think they were selling them as the SIG Trailside until the sellout to Walther in 2006. Walther has some kind of partnership with S&W, I quized a S&W rep on it and he said it was a "strong working relationship". Supposedly SIG was on the verge of buying the civilian side of Colt but the deal fell thru over something about product liability and warranty on existing product. SIG would have probly brought back the revolvers and the woodsman to fill out their product line and give S&W and Ruger a real run for the money.
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Post by billc on Aug 21, 2009 20:47:47 GMT -5
I could really get worked up thinking about a SIG Python!! Please keep us informed if the parties go back to the table.
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Post by rossman40 on Aug 21, 2009 22:34:48 GMT -5
You got me worked up now! Just thinking about the feel of a E series, LIKE BUTTER. Of course it took a real gunsmith to put those together, it wasn't just assembling parts.
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Post by thelefthand on Sept 27, 2009 19:06:51 GMT -5
IMHO it depends on what you want the pistol to do. I think that the S&W model 617 was about the best training weapon ever made. A full size 22 DA revolver. Perfect for developing good trigger control. I don't think it gets much better than that.
Performance wise, I really like the Ruger Mk I,II,III. Plenty of accessories available to make them tack drivers if you have the $$. I have an old MkI with a valquartzen trigger. Very nice.
I also love to squirrel hunt with my 10" 22 contender barrel. So, like I said, it depends on what you want to do with it.
My browning buckmark has been in my collection the longest, but I have to admit that it has more jams than the others, and it has more misfires than the others as well. I also don't like that you have to take the rear sight/scope rail off in order to disassemble the gun. I still like it though because it fits my hands better than my MkI.
Mark
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Post by pposey on Nov 6, 2009 21:28:37 GMT -5
Anuder vote for a ruger 22/45 good gun,,, also have a 22/22mag ruger revolver, also a good gun
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Post by deadeye on Nov 8, 2009 18:22:52 GMT -5
All the favorites listed have their merits; I have a new Browning Buckmark that I enjoy (other than the occasional jam); but Jon asked for "the best". In my not-so-humble opinion, the best currently produced and widely available semi-automatic .22 is still the S&W Model 41. Harley +++1 on the model41, i think this one flew above everyone's head
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Post by whelenman on Nov 8, 2009 19:26:59 GMT -5
I'll have to vote for the Ruger MKII. I'm on my third now. Like a fool I traded off a stainless and a blued bull barrel model. Just this year I reaquired a slab side and have been pleased with it. I like the MKII the best. I like the scalloped sides in front of the bolt grips which the MKI doesn't have and I don't like the cocking indicator cut out of the rear side of the receiver in the MKIII. These things are just cosmetic but I like the looks of the MKII best.
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Post by ourway77 on Dec 27, 2010 8:00:12 GMT -5
Well I have always had wheel guns from the police days, and even today I still have a K-22 6" and a K-48 8-3/8" and a SS 2" Mod-60.They are so old I can't remember when I bought them. I've shot a 45 auto in the service and later in the Police Dept. they went to the Glock I still like my wheel guns better. Lou
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Post by rick59 on Dec 28, 2010 9:47:08 GMT -5
This is my Ruger Mark II Target. When I bought this gun new I dropped it off at my gunsmiths shop on my way home and had him drill & tap the upper receiver and fit it with a Redfield steel base & ring set, then he smoothed out the action and set the trigger up with a 2lb pull. It’s wearing a 4X Simmons Pro Hunter scope and Pachmayr grips. This is a very fun little gun to shoot!
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Post by littlejoe on Dec 28, 2010 13:12:00 GMT -5
I've got to agree with Hammerli, also if you happen to like bolt actions the Anschutz Exemplar is tough to beat. Might be hard to find
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