Help me choose a .22 pistol

P

Prairie Plinker

CGN frequent flyer
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Location
SK
So I've been toying with the idea of buying a .22 pistol. I already have a Golden Boy and a CZ 452 Varmint in 22LR. I was content using my 9mm and .45 in the indoor range during the winter, but now that it's nice out I'd like to do a lot more shooting, both at the outdoor ranges and silhouette range. I've also been adding to the .22 ammo pile over the winter, so I'm good on the ammo front, at least for this year.

I have no real preference as to it being a semi-auto or revolver. Was looking at a few new pistols, some used ones, and one that has very recently caught my eye, a Beretta Model 71. Don't know if I want to go down the surplus road again, bought a TT-33 that is a joy to shoot, just can't hit much with it. I've spent the last couple of days pouring over .22 reviews and articles, still as foggy as ever!

So let's have it! What would you purchase if you were looking for your first .22 pistol and wanted to keep it around $500, preferably around $400? :confused:
 
I am thinking of going with the sig p226 in .22 because it's a full sized handgun then getting the 9mm xchange giving me the .22 for cheap shooting and practice with a quick change to shoot 9mm the best of both worlds in one gun
 
Ravage said:
I am thinking of going with the sig p226 in .22 because it's a full sized handgun then getting the 9mm xchange giving me the .22 for cheap shooting and practice with a quick change to shoot 9mm the best of both worlds in one gun
Click to expand...

That's a great way to save some cash and then move up to a nice 9mm SIG..
 
The mod 71's are classic's available at a good price today...... maybe not tomorrow.
For a revolver you will have to pay a little more but I'd look at the Alfa Project's if you want new.
 
IMHO I found the s&w mod. 41 to be outstanding but picky with ammo and a little pricey .....Ruger is a good value , but a pain in the butt to disassemble and clean.....Browning benchmark is pretty good overall.....15 years exp. shooting all 3
 
samcan said:
IMHO I found the s&w mod. 41 to be outstanding but picky with ammo and a little pricey .....Ruger is a good value , but a pain in the butt to disassemble and clean.....Browning benchmark is pretty good overall.....15 years exp. shooting all 3
Click to expand...

Well I guess Ruger's are out. I just spent the last 3 hours doing a really good clean on a couple pistols, I hate cleaning more and more each day! If I ever win a bunch of money I will have a gun butler! A couple times a week he (she) will come over and clean my dirty firearms, and if I can afford a gun butler you can bet I'll be keeping them busy!

I think I'd prefer a revolver actually, I'll take a look at the Alfa's. I'd like a S&W but if I'm spending close to $1000 I'll be buying a .357 or .44. I also considered the Kadet kit for my CZ Shadow, but for the price I think I'd rather buy a separate gun and not put any more wear and tear on my CZ, plus I can't find one in Canada.

Seeing as rimfire ammo, at least the bulk stuff I'm shooting, is much dirtier than centerfire, I'm curious how many rounds you can put downrange before things start messing up. My CZ is apparently failure-proof, as I've put 350 rounds through it one day and 250 the next with not a hiccup. My R1 1911 on the other hand really doesn't like much more than 100 rounds through it before a quick clean. I'm assuming a rimfire revolver would be much less likely for failures than a semi-auto, correct?
 
Hey
I have found regarding 22lr and handguns it will be trial and error to find the correct ammo that gun likes...I have the gsg 1911 and it does not like the cheap white box winchester ammo..everything else is runs great....
when it comes to cleaning I went months before cleaning my gsg and not one problem...(wanted to see if it would start to fte or something as it got dirtier and dirtier) broke down and cleaned it after months of shooting almost 2-300 rounds at a time..
Mags are kinda high in price but most are anyways, since you have a 1911 you may like the 1911 in 22lr...tune up kit also available for the gsg which I would get aswell...
good luck with your search and let us know what you chose..with pics
Glenn.
 
Prairie Plinker said:
Well I guess Ruger's are out. I just spent the last 3 hours doing a really good clean on a couple pistols, I hate cleaning more and more each day! If I ever win a bunch of money I will have a gun butler! A couple times a week he (she) will come over and clean my dirty firearms, and if I can afford a gun butler you can bet I'll be keeping them busy!
Click to expand...

Not sure if that's referring to a Ruger 22 automatic or revolver. I recently purchased a used SP101 in 22 and normal revolver cleaning is not difficult. I haven't tried actual dis-assembly yet. The DA trigger pull is as bad as reviews warn, but it shoots fine SA.
 
I've run my Smith and Wesson 617 for over 700+ rounds in one outing before cleaning with no issues...It eats anything I feed it and I'm sure this thing will outlast me plus no mags to buy!

The majority of modern larger caliber pistols have kits or ways to run .22LR out of them. If you want to use the .22LR as a trainer for 9mm (or whatever caliber) just becareful as not all kits will run on generic .22LR ammo. If you start having to buy high end .22LR to feed it that might be harder to find and more expensive than bulk 9mm which can be reloaded!

My AA glock conversion gets around 350 rounds before I'll start to notice the effects of it getting dirty. Never has it stopped on me just when from no problems to 1-2 FTF or FTE ever 100ish rounds
 
Prairie Plinker said:
Well I guess Ruger's are out. I just spent the last 3 hours doing a really good clean on a couple pistols, I hate cleaning more and more each day! If I ever win a bunch of money I will have a gun butler! A couple times a week he (she) will come over and clean my dirty firearms, and if I can afford a gun butler you can bet I'll be keeping them busy!

I think I'd prefer a revolver actually, I'll take a look at the Alfa's. I'd like a S&W but if I'm spending close to $1000 I'll be buying a .357 or .44. I also considered the Kadet kit for my CZ Shadow, but for the price I think I'd rather buy a separate gun and not put any more wear and tear on my CZ, plus I can't find one in Canada.

Seeing as rimfire ammo, at least the bulk stuff I'm shooting, is much dirtier than centerfire, I'm curious how many rounds you can put downrange before things start messing up. My CZ is apparently failure-proof, as I've put 350 rounds through it one day and 250 the next with not a hiccup. My R1 1911 on the other hand really doesn't like much more than 100 rounds through it before a quick clean. I'm assuming a rimfire revolver would be much less likely for failures than a semi-auto, correct?
Click to expand...

The Ruger pistols are pretty easy to figure out.

For revolvers the Ruger Single six is nice as well and usually you can get one from the EE for around $400.00
They are built to last and fun to shoot if you find the pace or reloading to your liking. The older (3 screw)Single Six's are my favorite.

Double action .22lr revolvers are good for training your trigger finger's strength and also the longer pull requires good technique to keep the sights on target.
They can be easily fired Single action as well for less strain and increased precision for most of us.
 
Bittereinder said:
Not sure if that's referring to a Ruger 22 automatic or revolver. I recently purchased a used SP101 in 22 and normal revolver cleaning is not difficult. I haven't tried actual dis-assembly yet. The DA trigger pull is as bad as reviews warn, but it shoots fine SA.
Click to expand...

Wolf now has some .22lr specific springs available for the newer style SP 101.
I have some but I haven't tried them yet.... :) My SP 101 has really smoothed out nicely with lots of dryfire practice ( cylinder loaded with drywall anchors to cushion the hammer).
My finger has also gotten stronger to the point that combined with the break in, I don't mind the SP 101 .22lr double action.
 
Ravage said:
I am thinking of going with the sig p226 in .22 because it's a full sized handgun then getting the 9mm xchange giving me the .22 for cheap shooting and practice with a quick change to shoot 9mm the best of both worlds in one gun
Click to expand...

I have a Sig P226R in 9mm. I got the .22LR kit for it. It works great with CCI Velocitor, Mini Mag & Blazer. It will fail occasionally using bulk cheapo ammo. With cheap ammo, it works well in warm weather but in cold, I get many FTE & other jams.

For 100% reliability in a semi .22LR using any ammo, go with Buck Mark or Mark I,II,III
 
Can-down said:
Wolf now has some .22lr specific springs available for the newer style SP 101.
I have some but I haven't tried them yet.... :) My SP 101 has really smoothed out nicely with lots of dryfire practice ( cylinder loaded with drywall anchors to cushion the hammer).
My finger has also gotten stronger to the point that combined with the break in, I don't mind the SP 101 .22lr double action.
Click to expand...

Thank you, I think I'll get that pack from Wolff. I can see the benefit of strengthening the trigger finger, but also for me one of the reasons for having a 22 hand gun is for my wife and kids to try, so I don't want to make it hard for them.
 
First off thanks for all the advice! I'm starting to lean towards a revolver, just for ammo simplicity. If there wasn't a .22 shortage I'd probably end up with a semi-auto, but with my luck it would hate the available ammo and only function with something that I can only buy once every two years. Me thinks it's time to get some EE access and see what's out there!
 
tazzharm said:
Hey
I have found regarding 22lr and handguns it will be trial and error to find the correct ammo that gun likes...I have the gsg 1911 and it does not like the cheap white box winchester ammo..everything else is runs great....
when it comes to cleaning I went months before cleaning my gsg and not one problem...(wanted to see if it would start to fte or something as it got dirtier and dirtier) broke down and cleaned it after months of shooting almost 2-300 rounds at a time..
Mags are kinda high in price but most are anyways, since you have a 1911 you may like the 1911 in 22lr...tune up kit also available for the gsg which I would get aswell...
good luck with your search and let us know what you chose..with pics
Glenn.
Click to expand...

Will do! Hopefully within the week.
 
I have had good luck with the buckmark over the years, some 22 45 s I have looked at lately have not been finished well???, machine marks , and fit finish issues. I would be tempted to try a sig 226-22lr for sure!!!! good luck
 
Well I couldn't pass up the deal at NASgunsandammo. So I bought myself a Beretta model 71! I'm assuming I'm just waiting on the CFO.

Thanks everyone for the advice and suggestions. I'll post a pic and impressions once I receive it and get it to the range!!! :d
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom