First Handgun Reccomendations (22LR) - M&P 22, SIG 1911 22, or Browning Buckmark

i have the M&P22 and i like it for training to use my other M&P's but at the end of the day there is a LOT of plastic on that gun and its not uber reliable.
good training gun for its centerfire brothers, yup.
best choice for a pistol....... meh.

if your buying just to look cool than fine, but if you actually want a gun thats gonna work good and shoots good - Buckmark.

ive got the Sig/GSG 1911-22 as well, same as the M&P22, works good for training to use the centerfire 1911 but cheap pot metal just like the M&P.

will it shoot, sure, does it look cool, yup.

im in the same boat as you, when i picked up all my 22 pistols i wanted ones that looked cool.
but i keep coming back to the Buckmark.
damn thing is the workhorse.

i finally just said screw it, i like the Buckmark and its a dead-shooter.

at the end of the day they are 22 pistols, they are cheap, you can pick up a couple of them around the $400 mark on sale.
get a M&P22 and a Buckmark both or do like me, buy a dozen of them! haha!
 
Hi wayupnorth,

I like your style on just owning both haha. You are definitely correct...They are all fairly cheap and eventually I do plan on owning a couple.

But I think you have convinced me to purchase the buckmark. I want a good experience and the field strip does not look to difficult. It is cheaper and seems to be the forums favorite. Plus the more money I save the faster I can buy another .22 so it seems like a win win situation for me!

Thank you for everyones input.
I will post my final decision and views once I finally make a purchase and hold each of the guns in my hand :d

Cheers!


wayupnorth said:
i have the M&P22 and i like it for training to use my other M&P's but at the end of the day there is a LOT of plastic on that gun and its not uber reliable.
good training gun for its centerfire brothers, yup.
best choice for a pistol....... meh.

if your buying just to look cool than fine, but if you actually want a gun thats gonna work good and shoots good - Buckmark.

ive got the Sig/GSG 1911-22 as well, same as the M&P22, works good for training to use the centerfire 1911 but cheap pot metal just like the M&P.

will it shoot, sure, does it look cool, yup.

im in the same boat as you, when i picked up all my 22 pistols i wanted ones that looked cool.
but i keep coming back to the Buckmark.
damn thing is the workhorse.

i finally just said screw it, i like the Buckmark and its a dead-shooter.

at the end of the day they are 22 pistols, they are cheap, you can pick up a couple of them around the $400 mark on sale.
get a M&P22 and a Buckmark both or do like me, buy a dozen of them! haha!
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Unlike the other choices, it's an unusual day when a new handgun shooter says I should not have bought a Buck Mark. For reliability, accuracy, ease-of-use and care, long life, solid design and build, you can't go wrong with the Browning Buck Mark.
 
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Browning Buckmark is a good choice. Having said that consider a Beretta Neos. Mine is dead reliable with all types of ammo, easy to takedown and clean. Also my GSG is totally reliable with all kinds of ammo too. Only thing done to it is cleaning up the paint over spray on the slide and frame rails. Used 400 and 1000 grit sandpaper, ended up with polished rails.
 
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ST0NE said:
Does anyone have any experience with the M&P .22 ?


STONE
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I bought on used in October for 450 as a first gun. I love it no failures and mimics the size and operation externally of my m&p 9. If you like the modern style go for an m&p22 they eat everything and just work.

Happy shooting.
 
MrSharp said:
My GSG shoots anything I put in it, pretty sure I have the stock spring in it too, for a budget plinking .22 I would buy one again, but maybe I just got lucky with mine, I do run it with lots of oil.
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All of this^^^ mine is a Sig, but they're the same gun.
Golden bullet all day long. I bought it used, so maybe the last guy broke it in for me.
 
Save yourself the expense of trial and error with different pistols and get a buckmark.Check out the practical model nicer grips than the camper and has a fibre optic sight as well.
 
I have both gsg 1911 22 and a buckmark udx plus.
gsg is fun and works well with higher velocity ammo, mini mags etc, the buckmark is super accurate and shoots well with cci sv or target pistol ammo as weĺl as cci mini mags.
Over 1000 rounds through each and no problems, neither gun is "easy" to clean is there is no take down lever like on 9mm or 1911 models but neither is difficult to clean either......
if you want a full sixe feeling gun go with the gsg.
 
Have to mostly agree with wayupnorth.

True, the Buckmark is an acurate shooter, but it's ugly as sin and a pain to clean (unless it's the newest version that finally comes apart - but that's mucho deniero). I love my M&P .22. Shoots great,is a s n a p to clean and eats everything except win super x, but hey all .22s can be picky. It's no slouch for accuracy either. I put an RDS on mine to compensate for eyesight and I'd take on most Buckmark shooters...
I also like that the M&P feels like a big boy gun. Buckmark gets a check for accuracy, but the M&P gets 2 for fun. I use my M&P 22 more than my CZ 75b and that says something!

You won't be dissapointed with either, just depends what type of shooting experience your looking for. Best is to try both before you buy.
 
ST0NE said:
Thanks for the input,

So far the buckmark seems to be the way to go. The only thing stopping me is the style compared to the more modern handgun (M&P .22) that I am looking to purchase.

Cheers
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In the end the only two things you need to replicate the feel of other guns is to have a similar grip angle and grip size. And the Browning has that. What the guns look like sitting on the table doesn't mean much It's what it feels like in your hands and how having a fairly consistent grip/frame angle puts the sight picture into view in a consistent manner.

I've heard nothing but great reports from all the Browning owners in this area. Not interwebz stories but there in person owners. I've had the chance to shoot a few of them too and they have really nice triggers.

I've gotten to shoot two M&P .22's. They are nice enough but I didn't really like the trigger all that much. Plus the plastic lower frame and need for lightweight alloy slide to work with the light ammo means the guns feel light and rather toy like. They do shoot well though. But the light weight of these and any other guns that use a lot of alloy means you don't really have a good training matchup to get familiar with center fire guns which all weigh more. In that respect the Browning and Ruger and some other all steel guns are a far better training and familiarization option even if they do not LOOK like center fire guns.
 
ST0NE said:
Thanks for the input guys.

I chose the three guns I listed because they are also available and on sale. The ruger style pistols are very accurate but I am more focused on affordability and training. I want the feel of a full sized firearm but also do not want to shoot mini-mags only.

The gsg/sig is very attempting but I read mini mags or High grain/fps only. I plan on using mini mags with my .22 only when i comps or training. I do not want to be restricted to a certain type of ammo.

My overall budget is around $650. The m&P 22 is used which makes it affordable. This is a hard decision aha

STONE
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There's some M&P 22s out there that you can get for new for under $650.

They're very very nice pistols. They don't feel dinky or wimpy. They make a great companion when you go ahead and buy an M&P 9.

Doooooo it.
 
BCRider said:
In the end the only two things you need to replicate the feel of other guns is to have a similar grip angle and grip size. And the Browning has that. What the guns look like sitting on the table doesn't mean much It's what it feels like in your hands and how having a fairly consistent grip/frame angle puts the sight picture into view in a consistent manner.

I've heard nothing but great reports from all the Browning owners in this area. Not interwebz stories but there in person owners. I've had the chance to shoot a few of them too and they have really nice triggers.

I've gotten to shoot two M&P .22's. They are nice enough but I didn't really like the trigger all that much. Plus the plastic lower frame and need for lightweight alloy slide to work with the light ammo means the guns feel light and rather toy like. They do shoot well though. But the light weight of these and any other guns that use a lot of alloy means you don't really have a good training matchup to get familiar with center fire guns which all weigh more. In that respect the Browning and Ruger and some other all steel guns are a far better training and familiarization option even if they do not LOOK like center fire guns.
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Good advice if your planning on moving up to a CZ, Barreta or other full steel handgun, but more and more manufacturers are moving to hybrids. Take the USArmy's new hybrid / modular Sig P320 for example.
One of the reasons I chose the M&P 22 was it felt almost exactly like the M&P 9 & 40. I was going to go to an M&P CORE in 9mm, but now the M&P2 is out and there is a Sig P320 RX on the way.
Don't take me wrong, there is a much different feel to an all steel gun like my CZ 75b New Eddition, but the times they are a changing!
 
i think a testament to the Browning is that everyone ive taken out shooting and let use it have purchased one for themselves.
keep in mind i have the nice one with the rubber grips and the fiber optic sights.

its just a pleasure to shoot.
youd have to TRY to miss bulls-eyes with it.

im not running the red dot on it anymore, i prefer the open sights on it.

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Buckmark gets my vote too as mine shoots CCI subsonics and bulk high velocity stuff with no problems. Worth the $ if you plan on keeping it forever! :)
 
Elkbooger said:
Have to mostly agree with wayupnorth.

True, the Buckmark is an acurate shooter, but it's ugly as sin and a pain to clean (unless it's the newest version that finally comes apart - but that's mucho deniero). I love my M&P .22. Shoots great,is a s n a p to clean and eats everything except win super x, but hey all .22s can be picky. It's no slouch for accuracy either. I put an RDS on mine to compensate for eyesight and I'd take on most Buckmark shooters...
I also like that the M&P feels like a big boy gun. Buckmark gets a check for accuracy, but the M&P gets 2 for fun. I use my M&P 22 more than my CZ 75b and that says something!

You won't be dissapointed with either, just depends what type of shooting experience your looking for. Best is to try both before you buy.
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What newer version of the Buckmark that is easier to clean are you talking about? Are you confusing it with the new ruger mark 4?
 
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