The journey into firearms for many, is something like the following...
You want something shiny, and loud. From there, some might find a calling with competitive shooting like IDPA or IPSC. For most everyone else, plinking away with a .45 acp or 9mm is just that, plinking... and the shine of shooting can wear off after a couple of thousand rounds.
I'm a shooter who got pretty bored with handguns, and take no extra delight in larger calibres. So I absolutely love going to the range with a .22 hand gun just as much as shooting something bigger.
What to buy? The GSG 1911 .22 is a great choice because you can master your draw and aiming of a larger caliber handgun with this .22. I've had zero problems with the gun, and accuracy is average at best. I did buy the baby browning, the Browning 1911 A1 which is 85% the size of a 1911. The small frame of the gun seemed to appeal to me, and I had purchased a fancier version of it. But it was way too small, and the magazine clip kept falling out due to downward pressure from my left hand (I am a right handed shooter, and the bottom of my left pinky finger would push out the mag).
Often it is said that the best gun you ever bought, you sold. In the .22 LR space, that is absolutely true for me. I owned a CZ Kadet .22 pistol, which had an identical frame to the famous CZ 75B 9mm. It was the most accurate .22 I ever owned... I own a Browning Buckmark Contour URX 7.25" .22, that offers just average results.
My only complaint about .22 handguns is that they are not exactly accurate guns due to such a light bullet.
I considered getting into long range rifle shooting, but cost and the prospect of reloading turned me off. Soon, a CZ 455 rifle will arrive, the combo one with a .22 and .17 hmr barrels.
I did find my true calling.... trap shooting. I purchased a Browning BT-99 Golden Clays trap gun, and it is the best $4200 I ever spent on guns.
