Ruger Mk III or Walther P22??

Which would you choose?

  • Ruger Mk II

    Votes: 19 27.5%

  • Ruger Mk III Bull Barrel

    Votes: 38 55.1%

  • Walther P22

    Votes: 7 10.1%

  • Forget the .22s and get a 9mm instead!!

    Votes: 6 8.7%
  • Total voters
    69
EEJayde

EEJayde

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Hey all

I'm looking at buying my first handgun and I want to start with a .22 (or so I've been told ;) ) I've fired a couple of 9mm and a .45 before, but no plinkers - I figured if I could handle the big boys, the small ones would be easy! Plus the larger cals are just more fun :p But in the end it comes down to $$ so a .22 it is for now...

I've narrowed my choices down to the Ruger Mk III (bull barrel) or the Walther P22. What are people's experiences with these two? Either one stand out as being more reliable? Accurate? I'm coming down on the side of the Ruger at the moment. Actually I've been seeing a lot of praise for the Mk II on the forums so I'll throw that one into the argument as well. Mk II, Mk III or P22?
 
comes down to this

do you want a gun that looks like a real pistol (ok real might not be the best word) but spotty reviews. or something reliable as a brick but doesnt look like a real pistol

me, i shoot a sig in IDPA so i may pick up a mosquito till the .22 conversion kits come in for practice
 
The P22 is probably only for you if you have tiny hands, as it has a very small grip. You'll find both good and bad reviews on the P22, but you'll be hard pressed to find somebody who thinks poorly of Ruger .22 pistols. As far as aesthetics are concerned, I don't think the look of the gun should be a primary focus. Your first gun should be practical and affordable so you can develop your skill... a .22 is definately a good choice if you're on a tighter budget, since ammo is really cheap. MKII's are getting hard to come by, since they aren't made any more and not many people sell them used. The MKIII gets good reviews, despite the new (and annoying) safety features. I have a MKIII 22/45 Hunter and it's great. It will shoot any brand of ammunition with no trouble and accuracy has never been an issue.
 
Of the two .22's I'd say get the Ruger with the 45 grip, first it's a very comfortable grip angle, second it feels like a 'real' gun. If however you're buying a 22 because someone says you 'should' I'd question that. You can get a very nice quality 9mm for less money than at any time in the last 20 years, in the early '90s I paid almost $800 for a Glock 17, the same gun today can be found for $600. Ammuniton costs are higher with 9mm but that is relative - shooting is still much cheaper than golf, even with high round counts of factory 9mm.
 
I'm not convinced that the P22 integral locking issue has been fixed; still some debate on this topic.

I'd stick with a Ruger mark II...simple, less to go wrong, no loaded chamber indicator.
 
ian_in_vic said:
If however you're buying a 22 because someone says you 'should' I'd question that. You can get a very nice quality 9mm for less money than at any time in the last 20 years.
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Yeah, my practical side is saying start with a .22. All the usual reasons - cheaper ammo, perfecting technique without much recoil, etc, etc, etc.
But then I see something like the SR9 (which - recall aside - seems to be gaining a good rep) selling for only $480...Guess I'll just have to hit the shops and see which one feels the best in my hot little hands.

Only problem with physically going to the stores is I'll see all the other really sweet guns that I can't possibly afford. How about if I just take out a loan and buy them all? Too many guns, so little money :D

PS Hey misfire, I love the avatar!
 
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CZ 75 Kadet (.22)

If you want a .22 who look like a real pistol but with a better quality than the P22.

comfortable grip, accurate, full size metal pistol and work well with all kind of ammo. :dancingbanana:
CZ%2075%20Kadet.png


with this gun you will have a lot of fun, guarantee !!
 
I have both a P22 and a MKIII 22/45.

The P22 is small but still fits in my larger hands, looks good tends to not like lead rounds but no problem with any copper washed rounds. I purchased on of the first ones to come to Canada, about 10k rounds later the slide cracked, Walther replaced the slide no problem but I think they have resolved that problem with the newer ones?

The MKIII fits better in my hands but IMHO doesn't look near a good as the P22. I have had no problems with ammo (haven't tried lead). Tends to be more accuate than the P22 if I do my part.

I figure the P22 is more of a plinker and the Ruger is more of a target type pistol. All depends on what you want.
 
My advice is, since you're in Burnaby, you should head down to DVC Ventures and pay for a day pass. You can then go through their selections of .22LR and/or 9mm at the range, put a couple of hundred rounds down the range and decide for yourself, what fits well in your hand and what you like before you buy.
 
justin1628 said:
My advice is, since you're in Burnaby, you should head down to DVC Ventures and pay for a day pass. You can then go through their selections of .22LR and/or 9mm at the range, put a couple of hundred rounds down the range and decide for yourself, what fits well in your hand and what you like before you buy.
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Yeah, I've heard of the place. Been thinking about heading out there for a while, but just keep putting it off. Lo and behold, I was just checking out their website and discovered they have a Ladies Night. Three guesses where you'll be finding me on Friday night :D:ar15: Cheap shooting for me!
 
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I'd have to vote for a good used Mark II, for reasons stated above. Also, there's all kinds of aftermarket parts available for them if you're into that.

You'll likely shoot your .22 more than any of your other guns just because of the price of ammo, so make sure you get something you like and are comfortable with. I have no problem with the grip angle of my Mark II, but some people prefer the 22/45. Nothing wrong with either one. The CZ Kadet looks like a lot of fun as well. Another one you may want to check out is the Browning Buck Mark. It all depends on how they feel on you when you try them out.
 
EEJayde said:
Yeah, I've heard of the place. Been thinking about heading out there for a while, but just keep putting it off. Lo and behold, I was just checking out their website and discovered they have a Ladies Night. Three guesses where you'll be finding me on Friday night :D:ar15:
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Damn! I won't make it on Friday! Have fun buddy! Try to talk to all the guys and gals behind the counter. They're all good people and would be more than glad to help a new guy out choosing a gun that fits and shoots well for you personally.
 
I started with the P22 and it was an OK plinker to learn on.

Traded the P22 in on a new Browning 5.5 Target. Haven't missed the P22 at all.

As mentioned above get to a range with rentals and try a bunch of their .22's. You will at least narrow down which firearm grip feels best to you.

Nothing wrong with the Ruger's, I'll probably get one at some point too.

.22's are only the start.....soon it will be a 9mm, a .45 and so on!!
 
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