Which .22 handgun?

Myself I prefer my handguns to have mostly reassuring heft in the hand.
Mostly means predominantly steel construction.
I prefer light weight in my upland shotguns mostly.
Too much alloy and plastic in a handgun feels inspiring to myself. But my shooting style mostly just bullseye.

rant over
 
If you want a Glock 44 or a GSG 1911 because it looks cool that's certainly a criteria, but in general when you have to make a firearm look like something there are design compromises that are made.

Objectively the best .22lr handgun is one designed from the ground up to be one, Ruger mk1-4, Browning buckmark, and S&W SW22 Victory are examples of this class of firearm. Designed to be a .22lr they have small slides made of steel or aluminum tuned for blowback.

On the other hand GSG 1911, Glock 44, TX22 and Walther PPQ-22 you have firearms that mimick their centerfire ones and have to move a huge honking slide which is made of aluminum or zinc alloys. This complicates the blowback system and can cause problems in failure of eject or extract if the ammo doesn't get the recoil impulse just right.

Personally I own a GSG 1911 with a CW accessories kit, it makes it more accurate and more reliable with a different strength recoil spring, a longer guide rod for improved reliability, and a tighter bushing to eliminate the need to fix the barrel to frame with a screw ensuring better accuracy.

I would choose the 1911-22, or if you want a striker fire looking one the TX22 has better reviews than the Glock 44 but it's less common as there is only 1 model approved for import because the standard barrel is 4.1" (104mm) and requires a Canadian legal barrel
 
You are never going to achieve the same reliability with a 22 handgun where the entire slide cycles. Purpose built 22 pistols are superior reliability across a variety of brands of ammo.

The Ruger is very reliable, accuracy is unfortunately crappy. I’d look at the buckmark pistols or maybe a S&W 41
 
I’d go with a good old fashioned ruger mk with the 5.5 heavy barrel. I have a 1980’s vintage mk2 that is without a doubt my most accurate handgun. My 6year old can shoot it no problem so your wife should have no problem and from what I’m told the new models are very user friendly for maintenance.
 
fridge450 said:
I’d go with a good old fashioned ruger mk with the 5.5 heavy barrel. I have a 1980’s vintage mk2 that is without a doubt my most accurate handgun. My 6year old can shoot it no problem so your wife should have no problem and from what I’m told the new models are very user friendly for maintenance.
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This is also my experience, with a Mk.1. Definitely my most accurate handgun, even out to 50 yds.
 
I started with the sig 1911-22, did not like the slide quality and take down and it was shooting all over the place.
Then got a ruger mk2 target and a buckmark camper.
Like the buckmark best, fits my hand better and mag and slide release are better than the ruger imo and it never jams so far.
 
I have Glock 44 to mimic the feel and fit of my 19. I have shot over 4000 rounds through it with out any complaints. Its a fun gun for plinking. I also have a Smith and Wesson Victory and a Ruger Mark 4 competition. Both of these are target specific guns. It all depends on what you you want to do with your 22 cal.
 
I have owned or currently own a Buckmark camper, Ruger Mark IV, SW victory 22 with a tandemkross trigger, GSG 1911-22, Beretta Neos 6 inch, Grand Power Xcaliber K 22, Chiappa M9-22, Sig Mosquito and a SW Model 41.

Bang for the buck...Buckmark every time. It fits my hand very well, is very accurate and is very reliable if kept clean. The trigger is fantastic. It will cycle very well on decent bulk high velocity. I probably have about 20,000 rounds through mine. The rifling is almost gone but it is still a tack driver and I have yet to replace a single part. Mine is the cheapest version but if i were to do it again I would get one of the mid level trim models although you cannot go wrong with any of them.

Best one, hands down, would be the model 41 as it is near perfection however at 1600$ it isn't a fair comparison to the other candidates....but if you want the best production semi auto target 22, this is the standard.

Honorable mention would be the SW victory and the Ruger Mark IV. I prefer the feel of the buckmark over the victory but overall, it is a very very close second. The Ruger Mark IV is a very high quality piece but I did not like how it felt in my hand and the trigger was garbage when compared to the buckmark and the victory.

I currently own a buckmark, victory, Model 41 and the K22. I sold all the others. The mosquito and the m9 were absolute garbage. The rest were good but not on the same level as the ones i have kept. I have let many people shoot my buckmark (especially youngsters and women) and they all really liked it.
 
Ramzzz said:
I currently own a buckmark, victory, Model 41 and the K22. I sold all the others. The mosquito and the m9 were absolute garbage. The rest were good but not on the same level as the ones i have kept. I have let many people shoot my buckmark (especially youngsters and women) and they all really liked it.
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I have had the same experience. When I take someone new to shoot, they almost all love the Buckmark.
 
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