Finally getting a Restricted License. Need some advice on purchase.

A

Advoc

Regular
EE Expired
Rating - 100%
7   0   0
Location
Lethbridge Alberta
Hi guys. I graduate this Christmas with my undergraduate degree (finally) and I think to celebrate this winter I'm going to renew my FAC (PAL now?) which has been expired for about 8 years, and I'm going to get my restricted license as well.

Mostly I'm just going to buy a safe and get all my guns from dads house and have them here. I've got a nice Mauser .243 Winchester which has been my hunting rifle since I was 16. A Savage 12 Gauge pump for Pheasant hunting (which I"ve never actually done before). Its a nice piece, old (the way I like 'em) but its really easy to short shuck, I have to work on that, it makes my skeet shooting horrible. And my grandpa has a .264 Magnum he was going to give me too.

Aside from that I don't have plans to buy any rifles except for one of those inexpensive Maverick 12 gauge pumps. (or a KSG if I can ever get a straight answer on their legality in Canada)

What I'm really looking for is a .22LR pistol for plinking. I don't think I"m rich enough for anything bigger, although a 9mm may be in my future some day.

So from those of you who are in the know, I'd like an opinion. Here are the ones I'm looking at, although if there are other good choices I'm open to suggestions.

Walther P22: Because I'm a fan of the look. I have an APS RAM p99 (a replica .43 paintball pistol) and I like it. Although I've heard these things have a few maintenance problems. I know they've had something like 4 revisions in the decade or so they've been in production, but I haven't heard anything about whether or not that fixed the issues or not.

Ruger SR22: Stumbled on this looking at reviews for the walther, and because a guy I work with says he uses a Ruger pistol for his 9mm, it has decent reviews.

Smith & Wesson M&P 22: (the S&W website seems to be having problems ATM) This one I like because its nearly full sized, as fun as the smaller pistols are, this one would be nice, especially if I end up getting an M&P in 9mm later. The training would be mostly the same. It gets pretty good reviews.

I realize that all 3 of these are technically owned by the same company, but they're all different anyway.

Any other ideas? I looked at a few but between these 3 is the choice I can't seem to make. I'd love to at least handle if not shoot all 3 before I decide.

I'm not interested in a 1911, unless it were a .45
What about Glock? do they make .22LR pistols? I didn't even think to check.
Sig? H&K? Colt?
 
Regarding the KSG, yes it is legal in Canada, but good luck finding one.

The Ruger SR22 pistol is prohibited because the barrel is too short.

I would go for the Smith and Wesson M&P 22.

You may also consider the Norinco M93 because it is cheap, and it's a copy of a Colt Woodsman. I have one and I like it.
 
I wouldn't write off a Norinco 1911 either. They're solid guns, are easy to operate and simple clean. I've found the commander length in particular to be very forgiving to newbies. Nice balance, plenty of weight to soak up "recoil". I learned the basics of pistolmanship on a 1911 (but I didn't start to master it until I got a Glock).
 
Hmmm... isn't the Walther's barrel shorter than the ruger? according to my 2 links the ruger is 3.5" and the Walther is 3.42" and I've seen BST posts in Canada where the P22 is for sale. Odd.

Good to know though. The KSG would be a toy, so I'm not hell bent on getting one. Although i'd love to have a decent shotty to get into some 3 Gun.

I was leaning toward the S&W a bit more than the other 2 in any case, but I'll take a look at the Norinco and the Colt. Thanks for the help!
 
sig p226 Classic comes in .22, and for $350, you can get a conversion kit to make it 9mm, .357 or .45. The kit take about 5-10 seconds to swap from one caliber to the other.
 
Advoc said:
Looks nice. I'm reading up on it now. Where do you normally find information on conversion kits? Are they usually from the manufacturer or a 3rd party?
Click to expand...

Wolverine had the conversion kits recently, not sure if they are still in stock. Sig 226 Classic is a great way to go (but more expensive) if you want the convertibility of multiple calibers on the same frame. The M&P 22 is getting great reviews. It is made by Walther for S&W. Ruger has several target pistols which I didn't like when I tried (others do like them). The GSG 1911 22 is also a good pistol. Lots of choice out there now.

Also some revolvers available at a higher cost.
 
The first pistol I ever fired was a .22 revolver and I've never in my life heard something as damn loud as that monster. I'm going to stay away from revolvers from now on. lol. I've never fired a high caliber rifle that made as much noise.
 
linuxbman said:
sig p226 Classic comes in .22, and for $350, you can get a conversion kit to make it 9mm, .357 or .45. The kit take about 5-10 seconds to swap from one caliber to the other.
Click to expand...

+1 to that suggestion. wish i woulda gotten that one instead of a 9mm. now i have to have both
 
The only p22's i've seen are the ones with extended 5 inch barrels and the ventilated barrel weight and from what I have read they are a pain to remove to clean.
 
You're shooting yourself in the foot by not considering the Ruger Mk III in either the regular grip shape or the 22/45 variant or the Browning Buckmark. Both the Ruger and the Browning have reputations for the utmost reliability and great accuracy this side of a snazzy dedicated match level pistol.
 
Like many other have said, consider the Ruger mk.1,2,3. I have the 22/45 version of the Mk.3, with a heavy barrel. Love it. Never jams, very accurate and well made. The Rugers can usually be had for good deals on the EE.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom