Advice requested: choosing a .22lr bullseye pistol

redhead

redhead

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Hello Folks,
I wasn't sure whether to post this here or in the Rimfire forum. I'll start here and see what kind of response I get.

I'm thinking of kicking my bullseye plinking equipment up a notch, and I'd appreciate some advice and opinions on the way to go. It's not that I'm able to outshoot the capability of what I have now (Ruger MkII, Browning Challenger I and III), but I have the gumption to start practicing with something more along the lines of what serious bullseye shooters use. Some day, with lots of practice, my skill may rise to the capability of the pistol.

I was thinking of something in the design and style of the Walther GSP or similar. I've seen pictures of the Walthers, the Hammerlis, and such, but I don't know enough about them to choose where a guy like me should start.

Any .22lr bullsey shooters out there with some advice? Opinions on handling, ergos, adjustability, maintainance/durability, price and where to buy would be appreciated.
 
When you get into quality pistols such as the Walther GST, Hammerli etc, then ergonomics also come into play. What you may think is excellent is not what someone else likes. The size of your hand etc makes a difference.

In my opinion, you would do best by going to a club & seeing if you can try a few different ones. I feel sure the shooters will be more than happy to help you.
 
I would look into a High Standard Victor. Unusual, bu there are two makers of this famous pistol, Mitchell Arms and High Standard, using the same name. I would get the High Standard version.
 
My thanks to those who have already posted their advice so quickly. After posting my question, I dug deeper into the backpages of CGN and found that this question had been kicked around a few times already. I apologize, normally I do better research before posting a question.

http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57009
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=164280&highlight=walther+gsp
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=148320
And there were others if I was go back into the 2005 ages.

Not quite as much talk about what brands of ammo (and why) that a guy should buy if he's shelling out significant money on a higher end .22lr bullseye pistol. Opinions on this would also be appreciated.
 
Just got my High Standard Supermatic Trophy today for bullseye shooting. Had one before and regretted selling it. This one is definitely a keeper.
 
redhead said:
My thanks to those who have already posted their advice so quickly. After posting my question, I dug deeper into the backpages of CGN and found that this question had been kicked around a few times already. I apologize, normally I do better research before posting a question.

http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57009
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=164280&highlight=walther+gsp
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=148320
And there were others if I was go back into the 2005 ages.

Not quite as much talk about what brands of ammo (and why) that a guy should buy if he's shelling out significant money on a higher end .22lr bullseye pistol. Opinions on this would also be appreciated.
Click to expand...

If you have a smaller hand, be on the look out for a Unique DES69. As for ammo, try as many brands as you can as some of the bullseye Pistols like different fodder. Ely will cost you more but growing up in the UK it served me well.
 
If money isn't an issue, look at the Hammerlis and Walthers. Those are high end pistols. Good pistols, but inexpensive they ain't.
For less money, find a Smith 41. The 41 is very particular about what ammo it will both cycle and shoot well though. The cost of said ammo means nothing. You'll have to try a box of as many brands as you can to find the ammo that particular M 41 will cycle and shoot well. No two will like the same ammo either. Mind you, most .22's are like that.
If and when you find a 41, it may or may not have target grips. Herrett makes 'em if it doesn't. I found the factory grips kind of small and don't give much support. The Herrett's are a bit bigger and provide lots of support. They're not exactly cheap though.
 
You could check out the Russian target pistol Vostok. They are high quality and will not break your wallet. I personaly have never been a big fan of those Hammerlis or Walther GSP types of pistols. I think they look awful. This is just my opinion here but, once you start distorting the look of a pistol so much that it doesnt even look like a firearm anymore with wild ergonomic concepts it almost isnt a realistic competition anymore. I dont know, I guess I just don't understand it I suppose.
 
When I shot a Walther I was disappointed. I didn't like the ballance and some other things I can't think of right now.

I put some of my guns through a Ransom rest and found my S&W model 41 to be the most accurate with my High Standard model Citation to be very close to the same. This was with expensive and cheap ammunition.

I have shot my S&W 41 in free pistol matches and have been surprised how well I did compared to others shooting actual free pistol guns. While I was not as good as them I was not that far behind and considering I don't practice this I was pleased with the results.

While my S&W 41 is a slightly more accurate gun than the High Standard I still shoot the High Standard better in most events. It feels better in my hand and I think this is the reason.
 
there was a time when you mentioned bullseye the automatic answer was smith 41- however , having shot the hamerelli, etc
 
This will all depend on what particular sport you wish to persue. The Walther GSP and Hammerli SP20 are designed for ISSF centerfire competition. Thus they are optimized for matches that have both slow and rapid fire stages.
The S&W41 will work in this type of competition but it isn't really optimized for it. My personal recommendation is the Walther GSP. It is very well built and fairly well supported. Hammerli has been struggling for years and their service and QC have suffered as a result.
For 50m events the free pistols are a whole different thing. The Vostoks are relatively cheap and quite competitive.
 
A Walther GSP is a pretty safe bet. They've been around long enough that some nice used ones can be had. The newer ones are really sweet too. They are so easy to maintain and shoot when compared to Hammerlis, Pardini, Morini, Sako TriAce and Match Guns. Will pretty much digest any ammo too, which some of the other ones are more fussy about. Really depends on how serious you want to get and what type of competitions. For ISSF, it's Walther, Hammerli, Pardini etc. all the way. For NRA Bullseye, where you're allowed longer barrels and scopes, sure, the S&W 41 starts to appear regularily. But that's at the national levels. For club level competitions, 41s, Hi-Standards, Ruger Mrk 2's and even Browning Medalists are okay. If you want to get fancy, take a look at the new Walther SSP. It's supposed to be the cats meow these days. Hammerli has also been bought out by Walther.
 
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