Good .22lr for a nubie?

As a old handgun guy, my option which is not worth a damn, But having gunsmithed them for many years, any gun made out of pot metal that you have to upgrade is not cheap at any price.
The old MK 2 and up Ruger's are a good gun, old ones had good triggers, a bit fuzzy to clean, but that is because owners forget how to put them back together.
Very good value at 3-400, I love Hi Standards, Will out last most shooters, as will the S-W 41's, but the 41's are ammo finicky, plus past the starter price these days.
I have bought them at 500.oo , but that is not a retail price on the old ones.
The New SW victors seen to be a good value, and you can run a red dot on some.
The old brownings are nice , but finding mags is almost impossible in Canada. If you buy one ,make sure you get at least 2 mags with it. Old colts are the same.
Right now there are a couple of great Hi Standards listed, in the 500-600.00 range . 2 yrs ago those guns would be 200.oo more. Last Victor I sold , in the box , was 1200.oo
One of the dealers has/ had a very nice one listed at a bargain price. All the Hi Standards, in the 104-107 series and citations and up are much the same guns ,quality wise, sights , grips , barrel weights may be the only difference.
Mags for them are getting to be a problem, Triple K still has them, in the US.
The New Buckmarks ,I have not worked on , Everyone seems to like them.
Than if you want old school, there are great 22 revolvers out there, S-W model 17 or 617 ( stainless), Ruger single six, their pricing has got stupid, Ruger double actions are great guns. New ones are hi price point.
I would suggest , go to ranges and ask to shoot a few difference ones, if that is possible. I like all guns, but some I like way more than others, and price point is not always a factor.
 
Can-down said:
OP, You should start making a list of the guns that look good aesthetically to you and then ask if they are any good as far as function and reliability here.

There are many good options and unless you are extremely tight for money you will likely end up buying more then one so don't stress too much on getting the perfect one first time out.

Double action revolvers are a great way to strengthen and train your trigger finger and control.... anyone that can shoot double action revolvers well can quickly master most any handgun trigger.
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Yes have got a bit of a list going. I have looked at all rec. ones, wrote down ones that I preferred. Long list....lol
 
My first pistol was the M&P22. I have put about 25,000+ rounds through it and it has been repaired under warranty 3 times. It is kinda dead now but super fun and is great for developing muscle memory and control. I also purchased a Glock 44 - Love this pistol. It is super lite but the magazines are not the greatest and tend to have problems on the 1st round but no biggie ... it teaches IA and stoppages. Also bought the Walther PPQ 22. Fun to shoot and good accuracy BUT warranty repair is CRAP. I sent it into Elwood Epps on October 1 2020 and got it back only this week - 11 months later. DO NOT buy a Walther for this reason. The other pistols mentioned (Ruger and S&W) are in a different category. Better quality and something that you will keep and use for a very very long time. Hope this helps.
 
I don't know. Don't go out looking to marry the first girl you date, either. Last thing in the world you want is for your first one to be your last one, lol.

chiappa makes a cheapie single-action revolver. pretty fun. Keltec are neat- cheap and plastic, but neat.




Don't settle down with the best right away. Shop around a bit first. Get dirty with the cheap options (not too cheap). I bet you can find an almost-cracked sig mosquito for $100 these days, lol. Great fun little pistol....
 
REM3200 said:
Several S&W model 41’s have come and gone but always hung onto the Ruger Mk 11’s.

Bit of a pain to take apart but otherwise great guns.


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I'd recently grabbed a MkI for cheap to see if it was a comfortable shooter, and after a few range trips picked up a MkIV (also got a deal). Great pistols, PITA to clean the older models though, if you're not familiar with it.

mTzIsKu.jpg


I've since picked up a Lite barrel and installed some Tandemkross and Volquartsen parts, and grabbed more mags from Tenda. Great little package!
 
lerch641 said:
I'd recently grabbed a MkI for cheap to see if it was a comfortable shooter, and after a few range trips picked up a MkIV (also got a deal). Great pistols, PITA to clean the older models though, if you're not familiar with it.

mTzIsKu.jpg


I've since picked up a Lite barrel and installed some Tandemkross and Volquartsen parts, and grabbed more mags from Tenda. Great little package!
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That's a pretty neat looking pistol
 
BellevilleMXZ said:
I get what you are saying.....But the reason I want to start with a .22 is to used to a hand gun. This is all new to me, so less to learn all at once is my reasoning. And really its not a ton of money, so if I get something decent, I;'ll just hold on to it.
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I totally agree with your logic.. starting with .22 is never a bad idea, especially if you are not made of money with today's ammo prices. It lets you go to the range more often, shoot more rounds, and doesn't scare off new shooters (especially kids if you got 'em). Plus it keeps it fun and still lets you train the fundamentals.

Not sure if it was mentioned, but EASE OF CLEANING should also be something to consider with your choice of firearm, not all firearms are equal in this area, .22's get dirty quickly and reliability can suffer when they do. Definitely do your own research!
 
Great thread! Lots of info here.


I'm also looking for something to plink away with, and -stupid as it may sound- I don't like the look of the Rugers etc, not sure I'd want to buy one.
Has anyone used both the PPQ M2 22lr and the P22Q?

Just like the looks of those, and the GSG Firefly and/or 1911's don't look too bad either.
 
fire@will said:
Just had a quick look on the EE and found this High Standard for sale on page 6 -
WTS : High Standard Supermatic Trophy - Military $599
Started by Kelaw, 08-03-2021
It is in your price range. I have one just like it. Really nice, solid pistol. Very nice trigger, not fussy with ammo. If I didn't already have one, I would buy this.
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Great idea. FWIW there are lots of old steel and wood .22 pistols around. They are often in this price range and are better in every respect than the new made plastic/pot metal options. Look for Colt Woodsman, S&W 41, Browning Nomad/Medalist to name a few. Parts are still available but are rarely needed, the frames and slides don't wear out, and they look much better (this is of course subjective).
 
cowboy99 said:
. Also bought the Walther PPQ 22. Fun to shoot and good accuracy BUT warranty repair is CRAP. I sent it into Elwood Epps on October 1 2020 and got it back only this week - 11 months later. DO NOT buy a Walther for this reason. The other pistols mentioned (Ruger and S&W) are in a different category. Better quality and something that you will keep and use for a very very long time. Hope this helps.
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That sucks to hear.....really like the looks of them.....
 
End of the day if you have fun with a GSG firefly who cares what everyone else thinks. If you have the most perfect gun in the world (AR-15) yet don't like shooting it what's the point?

That said, tactical trainers/replicas of centerfire pistols always perform worse than purpose built 22 pistols like the Ruger Mk's, Browning buckmark etc. Because the main purpose of the trainer is to look cool and not necessarily work as well. A 22lr pistol uses blowback force from the cartridge to cycle. The Ruger's, Buckmark and S&W's put a itty bitty steel/aluminum slide sufficient to contain the 22lr force and enough to cycle the action.

The GSG 1911? Giant honking huge 1911 slide it has to move back and forth, same with the PPQ slide and any other tactical trainer pretending to be something else. This always makes them a bit more finicky in operation.

I've used the Walther PPQ 22 before, I had the 5" barreled version. It was a decent enough gun trigger was okay, no takeup beyond the safety trigger and it hit the wall right way and broke cleanly. It is an internal hammer fired though not striker fired so not the same as it's bigger brother.

The Fibre optic front sight was a nice QoL improvement you don't have to buy and the magazines were easy to remove and insert since the magazine release was large and easy to actuate. Takedown was a breeze pull down the take down levers jiggle it around and bam it's 90% field stripped once the slide was off. Easy to clean and reach all the parts you need to reach. Biggest thing I disliked was how expensive the magazines were you get 2 with the gun but extras were I think $45-50 a piece.

It's a good enough gun for looking cool and being a decent 22lr tactical pistol.
 
###ydave said:
Great thread! Lots of info here.


I'm also looking for something to plink away with, and -stupid as it may sound- I don't like the look of the Rugers etc, not sure I'd want to buy one.
Has anyone used both the PPQ M2 22lr and the P22Q?

Just like the looks of those, and the GSG Firefly and/or 1911's don't look too bad either.
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I know a couple of guys who shoot the PPQ M2 in speed steel and they are very nice and very dependable.
The other two “ replica” semi autos I would look at are the M&P .22 and the Glock 44(.22) if you like the look, I’m with you on finding the Buckmark/Ruger .22’s unappealing at all even though I know they work very well. With the right ammo the M&p and the Glock are very reliable
 
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