School me on semi 22lr please

Remmy700

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So I finally took the plunge and have started to acquire a few handguns. I would love to put more rounds down range but with the cost of 9mm/45 it's easily a $100 worth of ammo for a short range trip so I figure if I buy a 22lr semi I can practice more and help bring down the cost of shooting. I still plan on bringing the 9 and 45 with me each time but the 22 would allow me to stay longer, shoot more and hopefully improve on my accuracy.

I've done a little price checking on the EE and have read a few reviews but was looking for some insight with people that actually have experience with them.

I'm leaning toward a sig mosquito.... Opinions?

Also curious of the GSG 22. Any others I should look into?
 
If you want to shoot semi, quality ammunition is a must(imo). Most semi's won't cycle on super cheap bulk rounds. I personally stick to cci mini mag for the 22lr and federal champion in my 22mag(seems to like it better than the cci).
Generally it will cost about 1/3 to run good 22 as opposed to bulk 9mm.
 
Unless you are really set on a semi you may want to consider a .22lr revolver as well. Better reliability with all brands of .22 ammo. I have found the ruger single six to be very accurate, and S&W has some great DA revolver offerings as well.

My experience with semi auto .22 pistols is that they are very fussy with ammo.
 
I don't mind having to buy good quality 22 ammo as it is a lot cheaper than 9mm or 45. My reasoning for a semi instead of a wheel gun is both my handguns are semi so that's what I would like to practice with.

I guess in short what I'm asking is which ones are more reliable? I know the GSG have some mag safety that many remove and their mag quality isn't that great as in don't drop them unless you want to reassemble them.

Also throwing around the idea of getting a glock with a 22 conversion kit.
 
Rumour i hear is that sig mosquito can be fussy, similarly the Swiss arms I've herd good things about.

Reloading 9mm has been my saviour! A Dillon square deal and i make 1000 reds for under $200 + my time
The start up is steep, but my math was after 6000 rounds the savings paid for the machine!

Regardless, enjoy your shooting!
 
I have a friend with a gsg and it feeds reliably most of the time with premium ammo. Jams constantly with cheaper ammo. Accuracy is ok and he seems reasonably happy with it.
 
i have a gsg and i use cci mini mag... 300 rds for $38 at cabelas cant go wrong... i havent tried any other ammo but why would i when it works so well with the cci, any bulk ammo i buy goes in the 10/22... ive put about 700 rounds threw it and have never had a issue with the gun or the mags... now ive never used the sig but i know you cant go wrong with the gsg imo... works flawlessly for me
 
The SIG mosquito Is a terrible POS, very renown for for slide failure, and very finnicky with ammo, a lot of people seem to like the GSG 1911 but also hear it is finnicky with ammo until its broken in, my experices is as follows, I have or had these pistols.
Ruger MK 1, very reliable and will shoot almost any ammo you feed it, no need to only buy expensive 22.
Ruger mk 3 same as above, the ruger mk series is a proven platform, so is the browning buckmark
I have had two browning 1911-22's they are a very small pistol, 80% the size of a actual 1911, sold one to my brother and still have the other, they will also eat any ammo and I've never had an issues yet,
Also have a Beretta 71, small again but no issues with any ammo, mags are difficult to find sometimes and can be hard to load.
Regularly shoot my friends M&P 22, I find it finnicky even though he doesn't seem to think misfeeds are an issue,
Used to have a SIG mosquito until it pretty much kaboomed in my hand, slide broke completely in half, was told I would receive a new slide, that was 3 years ago
 
The Browning Challenger/Buckmark line don't seem to be as fussy with ammo.

The older ones never wear out and you can get a very good used one at reasonable price. Worth checking out.

You are right in your thinking with respect to revolvers and autos. Different grip makes switching from one to the other problematic unless you are somewhat experienced.
 
GSG 1911-22 seems to be the better choice when it comes to after sales support. Not the best in the market but offers the best value for money. One of the best complete .22 semi-auto seems to be the CZ75 Kadet, if you can find one. Even their conversion kit is very reliable. Just don't go cheap using the cheaper bulk ammo. I cannot comment on other third party conversion kits like Advantage Arms and the rest. You can also try the Browning Buckmark series. I have a Contour model and it is very reliable. Ruger pistols are also great. With the Mark IV getting a solid attention already in the market, I am pretty sure you will find plenty of Mark I-III in the used market. Just be ready for a quite fussy disassembly/cleaning. There is also a Sig 226 that is .22 cal. The advantage of a CZ75 Kadet and a Sig 226, these uses the same frames as their bigger caliber counterparts. You can drop-in 9mm kits on top of both CZ75 Kadet and Sig 226 without any gunsmith need. Don't get me wrong, some minor manufacturing differences might still require fitting by a competent gunsmith. Some of them, even a DIY shooter can do safely. I have no experience with a Glock conversion kit, but a lot of forums suggests that it is also goo, similarly ammo picky as any .22 semi-auto. My take: CZ 75 Kadet and Sig 226 for a complete semi-auto. GSG 1911 - value for money and customer service. Although Browning Buckmark and Ruger Mark IV does not look as good as CZ and Sig, where reliability and accuracy is required, these will fill your need. Don't forget the futuristic looking Beretta Neos, very reliable and easy to clean.

I don't mind having to buy good quality 22 ammo as it is a lot cheaper than 9mm or 45. My reasoning for a semi instead of a wheel gun is both my handguns are semi so that's what I would like to practice with.

I guess in short what I'm asking is which ones are more reliable? I know the GSG have some mag safety that many remove and their mag quality isn't that great as in don't drop them unless you want to reassemble them.

Also throwing around the idea of getting a glock with a 22 conversion kit.
 
I'd echo the Ruger and Browning suggestions. In terms of reliability and ability to eat most kinds of .22 ammo I don't think any of the other suggestions are even close to those two. I have both a Buck Mark pistol and a Buck Mark Sporter (carbine). 1,000's of rounds through them and I can't remember the last time I had a failure to load or eject.
 
Far a semi auto I'd take the gsg/sig...yes you do have to break them in with cci minimags...but after that I've run nothing but federal bulk...zero issues....the mosquito has a very poor reputation on this and many other forums...for better target performance the ruger or browning have it on accuracy...personally I like my gsg..
 
OP, what pistols do you already own? If a 22lr conversion is possible it would allow you to maintain the same or similar ergonomics and muscle memory. My sig p226 switches between 22lr and 9mm in about 10 seconds.
 
OP, what pistols do you already own? If a 22lr conversion is possible it would allow you to maintain the same or similar ergonomics and muscle memory. My sig p226 switches between 22lr and 9mm in about 10 seconds.

This. If your 45 is a 1911 there are a number of 22LR conversion kits on the market. I had the Kimber kit and it functioned reliably using cheap Federal 525 round bulk packs of 22LR ammo.
 
OP, what pistols do you already own? If a 22lr conversion is possible it would allow you to maintain the same or similar ergonomics and muscle memory. My sig p226 switches between 22lr and 9mm in about 10 seconds.

Good point

Norinco 1911 in 45
Ruger SR9 in 9mm

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But it's also my way of justifying a new gun to myself :cool:
 
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A slight derail but still close to topic. I too am looking for a reliable 22 semi but it needs to be ambidextrous. I see the Ruger SR22, S&W M&P22 and a Walther PPQ. Of these which is the most reliable or shows the least number of issues, feeds most ammo reliably?
 
not sure if the sig is full size but thats why i got a gsg the switch between it and my 45 is pretty much unnoticeable
 
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