Any .22 pistol to stay away from?

Rugers are great, MKI to III are solid performers for a plinkster. (all the whining about cleaning teardown is not an issue when you know how). Browning Buckmark is neat too as is the Ruger SR22 for smaller hands. Smith M&P works well and is reliable. The Sig Mosquito is a pile of Dog doo......Avoid.
 
had a sig/gsg 1911-22, did not like the trigger and zinc slide.
got rid of it (no regrets) bought a ruger mk2 and a browning buckmark. liked both but kept only the buckmark.
Preferred the grip, mag and slide release of the buckmark over the ruger.
 
The Mosquito I had was also a terrible gun, never did get a full mag out of it with out some problem. Ended up returning it and picking up a Norinco M93, have two of them now. I have had great luck with them and no problems as of yet. I also second the Buckmark, excellent gun with zero problems over the last 10 years or so I have had it. My new all time favourite though, is the newer Taurus TX22, fits the hand like it was made for you personally, cheap initial cost, cheap mags, what’s not to Like?!
 
Buckmark is a nice pistol, but still not as easy to take down as a Mark IV (I never tried I-III). Both are very reliable in my experience, and have nice ergonomics.

Ever read the manual on the Buckmark? You basically clean it with the slide open. They don't recommend you taking it apart, other than for repairing it. So Just a pull thru and a tooth brush is all you need.
 
I’ll probably get flamed for saying this but I’d stay away from the Ruger pistols. Ive owned a Mkii and a Mkiii. Both were very reliable and mostly excellent guns except for the accuracy. Neither of those guns were accurate enough for any serious target shooting.
 
Smith and Wesson 41, Victory and any of the High Standard pistols such as the Supermatic, Citation and my favourite the Victor model. Can’t go wrong with the Browning Buckmark or 1911-22
I also find my Glock 17 with conversion kit to be very reliable with Remington golden bullets in the pail. Plus when she gets familiar with it you can slide the 9mm upper on and has the same feel.
 
Ever read the manual on the Buckmark? You basically clean it with the slide open. They don't recommend you taking it apart, other than for repairing it. So Just a pull thru and a tooth brush is all you need.

Yes, I read the manual and usually just cleaned it as recommended. Once or twice I felt like trying a deeper clean inside the slide and stuff. I think this was encouraged by swapping in a rail top, which requires partial disassembly. You probably never need to actually disassemble it just for cleaning.
 
My Ruger 22/45 is no safe queen, eats everything I feed it, good accuracy, love the .45 grip angle, accessories galore, cheap easy to find magazines, huge support mod group.

To me it's all about a reliable reputation, accuracy, trigger, and support. Like the threaded barrel, that it takes .45 ACP grips, the 20mm rail, adjustable sights.

Had lots of .22s, now down to a single rimfire pistol.

 
I would look at the Ruger MK IV in all its variants.

I also have a SIG 1911-22, which is working wonders and it quite affordable. While it's the same pistol as the GSG, for the same price it comes with 2 magazines instead if one. Use high velocity ammo and it won't miss a beat.

For about $100 more than a base Ruger MK IV, you can also look at the SIG Sauer P226, which also comes in 22LR. Mine is as reliable as a .22 can be.
 
As for the Ruger MK's I-III, they are usually very reliable, accurate guns. Reassembly is a little tricky but once learned is nothing to be concerned with. The more you do it the easier it gets. Plus they have probably the most available accessories of any .22 pistol made which means you can tailor it perfectly to fit you. A good used MK II or MK III with the bull barrel can usually be found for $300-400 and will probably last longer than you will.

Rugers are great, MKI to III are solid performers for a plinkster. (all the whining about cleaning teardown is not an issue when you know how). Browning Buckmark is neat too as is the Ruger SR22 for smaller hands. Smith M&P works well and is reliable. The Sig Mosquito is a pile of Dog doo......Avoid.

The comparative complication of the Ruger Mk I - III disassembly is WELL PUBLICISED and universally accepted (it is not whining), and a valid concern for a new shooter, in this case the OP's GF. You may be an adept qualified gunsmith or mechanical wiz, however, not all individuals are or will ever be. This is Why Ruger made the Mk IV an easy to disassemble pistol. Complicated maintenance for new shooter = maintenance not done = stoppages/failure to feed/failure to fire = discouraged new shooter getting rid of pistol = one less firearms owner = one less voice and vote for firearms ownership issues. Just looking at it from the big picture perspective.
 
Stay away from the Siq Mosquito. Blew up in my FN hand.

Yup, I second that. Was neat to watch though, once I knew you weren't hurt

In my experience, gsg 1911 is cheaply made as well. Not built for durability. Had a duramatic that slamfired every time you racked the slide back after loading.
 
In my experience, gsg 1911 is cheaply made as well. Not built for durability. Had a duramatic that slamfired every time you racked the slide back after loading.

Perhaps you had a lemon or you didn't know how to shoot it. Even a unmodified GSG/Sig Sauer 1911 is much better than you think:

Sig Sauer 1911 after 30,000 rounds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sHDRGZKyxc
Sig Sauer 1911 after 10,000 rounds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qu3wNveH5Yw
GSG 1911 after 5,000 rounds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EONkWhF94E

I have a GSG 1911 with 3,500 rounds already through the pipe and it has been running without any problem whatsoever. Fact of the matter is that right from the beginning I installed the ZRTS Performance Package which helps a lot. One thing to remember is that the GSG/Sig Sauer 1911 requires HIGH VELOCITY (HV) ammo: Federal Champion HP (1260fps), CCI Mini Mag (1235fps) and CCI AR Tactical (1200fps) works the best.
 
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Perhaps you had a lemon or you didn't know how to shoot it (nice). Even a unmodified GSG/Sig Sauer 1911 is much better than you think:

Sig Sauer 1911 after 30,000 rounds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sHDRGZKyxc
Sig Sauer 1911 after 10,000 rounds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qu3wNveH5Yw
GSG 1911 after 5,000 rounds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EONkWhF94E

I have a GSG 1911 with 3,500 rounds already through the pipe and it has been running without any problem whatsoever. Fact of the matter is that right from the beginning I installed the ZRTS Performance Package which helps a lot. One thing to remember is that the GSG/Sig Sauer 1911 requires HIGH VELOCITY (HV) ammo: Federal Champion HP (1260fps), CCI Mini Mag (1235fps) and CCI AR Tactical (1200fps) works the best.

I have a Ruger Mark II since 30 years, didn't have to install a thing, it digests most accurately any .22 ammo and it still looks and performs like new after 10s of thousands of rounds.
 
Browning Medalist or Browning Challenger from the 60s.
Both are excellent guns, extremely well made and accurate.
 
The comparative complication of the Ruger Mk I - III disassembly is WELL PUBLICISED and universally accepted (it is not whining), and a valid concern for a new shooter, in this case the OP's GF. You may be an adept qualified gunsmith or mechanical wiz, however, not all individuals are or will ever be. This is Why Ruger made the Mk IV an easy to disassemble pistol. Complicated maintenance for new shooter = maintenance not done = stoppages/failure to feed/failure to fire = discouraged new shooter getting rid of pistol = one less firearms owner = one less voice and vote for firearms ownership issues. Just looking at it from the big picture perspective.
Actually disassembly is a piece of cake. It's the reassembly that is the challenge. However, it's not rocket science and you don't have to be a mechanical whiz to figure it out. Once the technique is learned (and with a little practice it's very simple) it is no more difficult than stripping a 1911 or any other pistol. If the design was really that discouraging Ruger would never have sold literally millions of them (over 3 million MK IIs alone). Also, I think that if you are going to get someone into shooting you should also teach them to maintain their firearm including basic disassembly. Are the MK IVs more convenient to disassemble? Sure they are. However, cost seems to be a concern with the OP and a MK IV is going to cost almost double what a good used MK II or III can be had for and it will not shoot any better.
 
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