Best new .22 handgun?
- Thread starter Sorrowbcboy
- Start date
If you intend on later using a 1911 in 9mm or .45 acp for shooting, go with the GSG as it is a great training aid for shooting the 1911. If bulls eye type shooting, start with a Ruger...and move on up in target guns.
I predict you will end up with both down the road...so is doesn't matter which one first....
I predict if you get the GSG first you Will want to get a Ruger. If you get the Ruger first you May want a GSG….
Or get a kimber 45 ( your choice) and a 22 LR kit and call it a day
$821 is a bit much for my budget. Need beer and mortgage still needs to be payed.
Or get a kimber 45 ( your choice) and a 22 LR kit and call it a day
I don't hear a lot about these conversion kits, and I don't see a lot of their use on the line...( I do however see them on sale in the EE fairly regularly. "low round count, fired 10 rds to test, basically brand new.")are these kits not jamomatic exercises in frustration?
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Ruger 22/45 .22lr 4.5" slabside
Ruger MK II .22lr 5.5" Bull barrel
Ruger SP101 .22lr
Great fun, super tweakable, reliable, cheap too shoot, what's not too like? Yes, I own all 3 and they always come to the range with me
Ruger MK II .22lr 5.5" Bull barrel
Ruger SP101 .22lr
Great fun, super tweakable, reliable, cheap too shoot, what's not too like? Yes, I own all 3 and they always come to the range with me
I would recommend a Ruger MKIII Target. Here's why:
The Ruger is more accurate, better built, less finicky about ammunition and usually better functioning than a GSG. They come with a weaver type rail as well so it's easy to attach a red dot. (A laser might sound like a good idea now, but if you want a useful electronic sight on a .22 you'll end up with a red dot.) The only drawback is that it's harder to field strip and reassemble than a GSG, but after a few times you'll be able to do it easily.
GSGs (as a model) are notoriously unreliable. Some work out of the box, some don't. Mine was one of the latter. After many fruitless hours of failures to fire, jams, failures to load, trying different ammo, polishing, oiling, field stripping it, then taking it to two different gunsmiths, the kinks are finally worked out. My advice is to save yourself the trouble, especially since it's your first pistol.
But OK, you may want a GSG anyway because the 1911 design is ergonomic and generally cool. And suppose yours works (i.e. cycles reliably, always goes bang when you pull the trigger and accepts more than one kind of HV ammo.) Then you have a nice handy pistol that yields so-so accuracy, wears a light alloy slide that will tend to peen on the slide stop, has mediocre sights, can't wear a red dot (because you can't mount one on the slide) and likely has a trigger pull like a tractor clutch. (The first time I tried a friend's gun I thought the safety was on the pull was so heavy.) It's not much good for even half serious target shooting and blazing away at big targets 10 yards away gets old pretty fast for most people.
Still, if you decide to get a GSG here's a tip. Making sure the chamber is empty, remove the magazine, pull back the slide (the hammer is now cocked) and release it. Then push on the rear of the slide. If the slide moves a little bit further forward that means it was not completely in battery. That is caused by some roughness or misalignment of the rails and is the cause of failures to fire and feed. If the slide moved all the way forward on its own you are probably good to go.
You'll end up owning more than one pistol anyway, so your initial choice isn't all that critical. But it's a lot more fun to start with a gun that works.
The Ruger is more accurate, better built, less finicky about ammunition and usually better functioning than a GSG. They come with a weaver type rail as well so it's easy to attach a red dot. (A laser might sound like a good idea now, but if you want a useful electronic sight on a .22 you'll end up with a red dot.) The only drawback is that it's harder to field strip and reassemble than a GSG, but after a few times you'll be able to do it easily.
GSGs (as a model) are notoriously unreliable. Some work out of the box, some don't. Mine was one of the latter. After many fruitless hours of failures to fire, jams, failures to load, trying different ammo, polishing, oiling, field stripping it, then taking it to two different gunsmiths, the kinks are finally worked out. My advice is to save yourself the trouble, especially since it's your first pistol.
But OK, you may want a GSG anyway because the 1911 design is ergonomic and generally cool. And suppose yours works (i.e. cycles reliably, always goes bang when you pull the trigger and accepts more than one kind of HV ammo.) Then you have a nice handy pistol that yields so-so accuracy, wears a light alloy slide that will tend to peen on the slide stop, has mediocre sights, can't wear a red dot (because you can't mount one on the slide) and likely has a trigger pull like a tractor clutch. (The first time I tried a friend's gun I thought the safety was on the pull was so heavy.) It's not much good for even half serious target shooting and blazing away at big targets 10 yards away gets old pretty fast for most people.
Still, if you decide to get a GSG here's a tip. Making sure the chamber is empty, remove the magazine, pull back the slide (the hammer is now cocked) and release it. Then push on the rear of the slide. If the slide moves a little bit further forward that means it was not completely in battery. That is caused by some roughness or misalignment of the rails and is the cause of failures to fire and feed. If the slide moved all the way forward on its own you are probably good to go.
You'll end up owning more than one pistol anyway, so your initial choice isn't all that critical. But it's a lot more fun to start with a gun that works.
Thanks for the info. Was a great read.
The S&W MP .22 is a fussy little beast. Eats only certain ammo or won't eject properly. Very disappointed with this firearm. My 617 is a gem, great out of the box except for a heavy trigger pull. Simple fix of RP spring kit available and duty free.
Buy the 617 you won't be disappointed, pricey but worth the money.
Buy the 617 you won't be disappointed, pricey but worth the money.
I agree about the M&P 22, when it works, fun to shoot.. can only load 9 rounds, or first doesn't cycle, and very picky about ammo.. I regret buying it, it was cheap, but should have bought the SIG 226 Classic, or the Ruger.
Trying to teach my kids to shoot, hard to get in the groove when every other round has an issue. Maybe would would work better with CCI Minimags, but at this point those are like Unicorns and Fairies!
Trying to teach my kids to shoot, hard to get in the groove when every other round has an issue. Maybe would would work better with CCI Minimags, but at this point those are like Unicorns and Fairies!
