School me on semi 22lr please

Sig 1911-22 and GSG 1911-22 are the exact same gun, Sig is a rebranded GSG, and they are great guns for the money imho, work very well with high velocity ammo, just a whole lot of fun for little money
 
The Zamac HGs aren't going to last. The slide stop notch on my Sig 1911-22 started getting "round" with less than 1/2 a brick of ammo thru it.
Sold it quick & cheap and bought a Ruger MKIII. Not ammo sensitive and will outlast me.....ymmv.
 
I have nearly 2200 rounds down the pipe on my S&W M&P 22 and it eats virtually everything from CCI Mini-Mags to Blazer lead. Not one misfire and the only ammo with any issues was Federal Target Match lead, Failure To Feed due to the blunt nose, under 3%. CCI Mini-Mag Hollow Points fed with no problem.

Field strips in under 10 seconds and a great shooter. I like that it is a full size and is a great platform for practise with a larger calibre. If you like a duty size pistol, this is a winner, for another opinion check out this:
 
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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


^^^ My experiences exactly and fully agree other than SIG left me hanging with a broken slide that I had to pay for myself.
 
I like the CZ Kadet kit on my Shadow the best as it feels like the same weight as my 9mm Shadow. Unfortunately, I have only been able to shoot CCI mini mags thru it without any issues. it also cost around 4 times the price of the GSG 1911 I have. I also have a SIG P226 conversion kit which work great on Federal 38gr copper platted rounds but prefer the GSG 1911 as it weighs more than the SIG p226 .22 which tends to make me shoot a little off when I switch between all 3 of the guns. All 3 guns shoot fine but shooting CCIs will end up costing at least 25-30% more than Federal. I am also getting some slide wear on the Slide Lock notch on the GSG 1911 which concerns me and makes me wonder how durable the GSGs actually are.
 
I'll go a different route here... if you want to shoot cheap buy an air gun or Airsoft blow back 1911 it will give you the same amount of "training" you will get from .22 at a fraction of the ammo and propellant cost.

If you want to get good with your 9mm shoot your 9mm with Blazer ammo and if you want to tighten groups in competition go with match ammo (unless you are making the top 10-20% you don't need match ammo to help scores).

Shooting .22 and expecting it to translate to 9mm will just delvelop bad habits... also you never see a baseball player practice with a lighter bat before he swings at the real thing. This is because you want harsher conditions to make the ideal conditions easier. Some of the best shooters in the world use AR10's or stupidly rough running guns to train with and don't pick up the or complete gun till their in the ring. That way when things run smoothly and you hit a snag they can deal with it fast and smooth with their ideal conditions.

If you want to shoot .22 for any other reason please proceed but if you want it for training use Airsoft for motion training and use cheap 9mm ammo to train the rest 2000 Blazer rounds on a deep discount is not much more than high grade .22 these days.

All the best these are just my opinions happy shooting.
 
If you want a GOOD 22 semi, spend the money and get a S&W model 41, for revolver go S&W model 17. None of the others mentioned are even in the same league
 
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.

This is exactly my strategy for range shooting. 100 rounds of .22 to warm up, then 100 rounds or so of centerfire.

You cannot go wrong with the Ruger Mark pistols. They are incredibly durable and very shootable and accurate. Currently I am liking the M&P22, although I am having a little trouble getting the sights the way I want them.

Reliability in .22LR handguns depend first on the ammunition and secondly on the way an individual gun handles the ammunition you choose. Clean-burning ammo like CCI Minimags usually work just fine but a lot depends on your gun too. The Ruger MkII I had would start to jam up after 2-300 rounds of average 'dirty' ammo...but it was the work of a moment to brush out the breech area with a toothbrush and keep shooting. The tiniest burr or roughness in the breech will collect powder residue of minute lead scrapings...often a gun will wear in as these disappear with use.
 
I have nearly 2200 rounds down the pipe on my S&W M&P 22 and it eats virtually everything from CCI Mini-Mags to Blazer lead. Not one misfire and the only ammo with any issues was Federal Target Match lead, Failure To Feed due to the blunt nose, under 3%. CCI Mini-Mag Hollow Points fed with no problem.

Field strips in under 10 seconds and a great shooter. I like that it is a full size and is a great platform for practise with a larger calibre. If you like a duty size pistol, this is a winner, for another opinion check out this:


I've been looking into this myself. Glad to hear it performs as advertised. Hoping to run this and possibly the new M&p 2.0.
 
Rumour i hear is that sig mosquito can be fussy, similarly the Swiss arms I've heard good things about.

I actually own a Mosquito and the Swiss Arms SA22.
When I got the Sig I actually had to do a minor bit of stoning on the hammer face as there was a bit of a hump which kept hanging up the slide but nothing 20 minutes and a fine stone didn't fix.
Now they are both working properly they will chew through anything I feed them.
I have heard stories about the Sigs developing cracked slides.
If my Googling is any good from what I have found they are the same gun just SA is the red headed step child of Sig.
 
I will throw in my 2 cents. I will speak from personal experience of 1000's of rounds as I own or have owned the Browning Buckmark, Ruger Mark IV, Beretta U22, GSG 1911, Sig Mosquito, Smith and Wesson M&P22 and the Grand Power K22 X-Trim.

As for reliability of cycling I would rate them as follows:
1) toss up between the Mark IV and the Buckmark. They both eat ANY ammo. Rem gold, fed blue box, wildcat, blazer, etc. Some guns are very ammo sensitive. Of my experience, these 2 boggle my mind wrt as to how reliable they are.
2) S&W MandP22 and the Beretta U22 - almost as reliable as the buckmark and ruger mark iv with the same garbage ammo. Both just cycle. Period.
3) Grand Power K22 - very reliable but not quite as reliable as the others on the garbage ammo. Might get 1 or 2 FTF or FTE every 100 rounds.
4) GSG 1911 - runs great with mini mags and cci blazer. Will run on the cheaper high velocity stuff but expect to be dealing with jams on a more regular basis. Great gun for the $.
5) Sig Mosquito - avoid.


As far as what one I would buy, I would recommend the following ranked highest first:

Buckmark - This is my favorite pistol for just straight up fun and accurate plinking. It fits my hand (UFX Camper model..cheapest one they make) like a glove and it just overall feels like quality. Nice adjustable sights. One of the best deals going as far as target style 22's imho. I picked mine up for 360$ last year but they have gone up a bit since. The trigger is phenomenal..right up there with the K22 trigger. I will never sell mine. 1000's of rounds and it still runs like a champ.

Ruger Mark IV - Very solid and accurate pistol. Hands down the easiest to service with a tool less 5 second field strip. The trigger is a bit heavy for my liking but it is very solid and predictable with very little to no creep. Like the buckmark, it is heavy which i really like in a target pistol. Not as comfy in my hand when compared to the buckmark but different pistols fit everybody differently. Nice adjustable sights (target version) and the mags are very nice aswell. Cleaning is the easiest of the lot.

Beretta U22 - This is one of the more under rated target 22's imho. I sold mine to finance another project but it was a fantastic gun with the nicest mags of all of them. Runs on any ammo. Very accurate 6 inch barrel with nice adjustable sights. The grip was a bit on the small side for me (i have large hands) but it fit me well. My only real complaint would be the trigger as it was a bit stiff and somewhat gritty with a noticeable bit of creep. Other than that, it is a great pistol but for the $, I prefer the buckmark or mark IV.

SW M&P22 - Kind of hard to compare this to the above pistols as it is was not designed as a heavy target style gun....but as far as function and form, it is a fantastic little gun. I agree with the NutnFancy review as I have had the same positive experiences with mine. Eats any ammo, all day long. I actually ran 350 rounds of CCI Blazer through it tonight with 3 FTF's on the first round of the mag. Very minor issue. If you are more looking for a service style gun that more matches your SR9, this would be my pick. Adjustable sights with a nice trigger but it is a little bit creepy...but still very predictable and not too stiff. Very easy tear down. Great value.

Grand Power K22 X-Trim - If value is your main concern I would pick something else as it is somewhat pricey but if you want a kick ass service style gun, this thing is awesome. Many of the same great qualities as the MandP 22 but the trigger is way way better and the fiber optic front/adjustable rear sights are the best of all of the lot. The slide is buttery smooth and it looks fantastic. Runs very well on the majority of high velocity ammo but it does have a bit of a tendency for FTF's with some of the junky ammo. Not a huge fan of the plastic mags but they work well. Wickedly accurate. I can shoot is almost as good as my Buckmark but it is not a target style 22 like the buckmark. Reliability does start to suffer around the 350 to 400 round mark but run a snake through the bore and wipe the chamber its good to go.

GSG 1911 - for 400$ is has to be one of the best values of the lot. Runs well on mini mags and other decent high velocity ammo but mine doesn't like the junky stuff at all. The weight is up there but nowhere near as heavy as the Norinco 1911 in 45. My only beef with the gun is the non adjustable sights. (yes they are technically adjustable) Swapping out the front sight and moving it around is a pain. I am spoiled from having true adjustable rear sights on my other pistols. Heavy trigger but fine once you get used to it. Mags are very solid.

Sig Mosquito - If you want a finicky gun that needs high quality high velocity ammo and has a very heavy single action trigger, get the mosquito. I could not shoot it very accurately at all. It looks cool and seems to be built solid but I would not recommend it at all...unless you are looking for a P226 style trainer or a project tinker type gun. I only put about 500 rounds through mine and sold it.

I too was in the same situation as you are now...love to shoot the 9mm from my 92FS (first pistol) but its hard on the bank account and if you are like me, I like to shoot alot (300 rounds plus) when I hit the range. For 6 cents a round versus 30 cents a round, I always end up shooting my 22's 95% of the time. Whatever you do I would recommend getting something with adjustable sights and something that fits your hand well.
 
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If you want a GOOD 22 semi, spend the money and get a S&W model 41, for revolver go S&W model 17. None of the others mentioned are even in the same league

Always wanted to try a 41 and I will have one some day. I have only heard great things about them. For the price I would hope they perform. :)
 
I will throw in my 2 cents. I will speak from personal experience of 1000's of rounds as I own or have owned the Browning Buckmark, Ruger Mark IV, Beretta U22, GSG 1911, Sig Mosquito, Smith and Wesson M&P22 and the Grand Power K22 X-Trim.

As for reliability of cycling I would rate them as follows:
1) toss up between the Mark IV and the Buckmark. They both eat ANY ammo. Rem gold, fed blue box, wildcat, blazer, etc. Some guns are very ammo sensitive. Of my experience, these 2 boggle my mind wrt as to how reliable they are.
2) S&W MandP22 and the Beretta U22 - almost as reliable as the buckmark and ruger mark iv with the same garbage ammo. Both just cycle. Period.
3) Grand Power K22 - very reliable but not quite as reliable as the others on the garbage ammo. Might get 1 or 2 FTF or FTE every 100 rounds.
4) GSG 1911 - runs great with mini mags and cci blazer. Will run on the cheaper high velocity stuff but expect to be dealing with jams on a more regular basis. Great gun for the $.
5) Sig Mosquito - avoid.


As far as what one I would buy, I would recommend the following ranked highest first:

Buckmark - This is my favorite pistol for just straight up fun and accurate plinking. It fits my hand (UFX Camper model..cheapest one they make) like a glove and it just overall feels like quality. Nice adjustable sights. One of the best deals going as far as target style 22's imho. I picked mine up for 360$ last year but they have gone up a bit since. The trigger is phenomenal..right up there with the K22 trigger. I will never sell mine. 1000's of rounds and it still runs like a champ.

Ruger Mark IV - Very solid and accurate pistol. Hands down the easiest to service with a tool less 5 second field strip. The trigger is a bit heavy for my liking but it is very solid and predictable with very little to no creep. Like the buckmark, it is heavy which i really like in a target pistol. Not as comfy in my hand when compared to the buckmark but different pistols fit everybody differently. Nice adjustable sights (target version) and the mags are very nice aswell. Cleaning is the easiest of the lot.

Beretta U22 - This is one of the more under rated target 22's imho. I sold mine to finance another project but it was a fantastic gun with the nicest mags of all of them. Runs on any ammo. Very accurate 6 inch barrel with nice adjustable sights. The grip was a bit on the small side for me (i have large hands) but it fit me well. My only real complaint would be the trigger as it was a bit stiff and somewhat gritty with a noticeable bit of creep. Other than that, it is a great pistol but for the $, I prefer the buckmark or mark IV.

SW M&P22 - Kind of hard to compare this to the above pistols as it is was not designed as a heavy target style gun....but as far as function and form, it is a fantastic little gun. I agree with the NutnFancy review as I have had the same positive experiences with mine. Eats any ammo, all day long. I actually ran 350 rounds of CCI Blazer through it tonight with 3 FTF's on the first round of the mag. Very minor issue. If you are more looking for a service style gun that more matches your SR9, this would be my pick. Adjustable sights with a nice trigger but it is a little bit creepy...but still very predictable and not too stiff. Very easy tear down. Great value.

Grand Power K22 X-Trim - If value is your main concern I would pick something else as it is somewhat pricey but if you want a kick ass service style gun, this thing is awesome. Many of the same great qualities as the MandP 22 but the trigger is way way better and the fiber optic front/adjustable rear sights are the best of all of the lot. The slide is buttery smooth and it looks fantastic. Runs very well on the majority of high velocity ammo but it does have a bit of a tendency for FTF's with some of the junky ammo. Not a huge fan of the plastic mags but they work well. Wickedly accurate. I can shoot is almost as good as my Buckmark but it is not a target style 22 like the buckmark. Reliability does start to suffer around the 350 to 400 round mark but run a snake through the bore and wipe the chamber its good to go.

GSG 1911 - for 400$ is has to be one of the best values of the lot. Runs well on mini mags and other decent high velocity ammo but mine doesn't like the junky stuff at all. The weight is up there but nowhere near as heavy as the Norinco 1911 in 45. My only beef with the gun is the non adjustable sights. (yes they are technically adjustable) Swapping out the front sight and moving it around is a pain. I am spoiled from having true adjustable rear sights on my other pistols. Heavy trigger but fine once you get used to it. Mags are very solid.

Sig Mosquito - If you want a finicky gun that needs high quality high velocity ammo and has a very heavy single action trigger, get the mosquito. I could not shoot it very accurately at all. It looks cool and seems to be built solid but I would not recommend it at all...unless you are looking for a P226 style trainer or a project tinker type gun. I only put about 500 rounds through mine and sold it.

I too was in the same situation as you are now...love to shoot the 9mm from my 92FS (first pistol) but its hard on the bank account and if you are like me, I like to shoot alot (300 rounds plus) when I hit the range. For 6 cents a round versus 30 cents a round, I always end up shooting my 22's 95% of the time. Whatever you do I would recommend getting something with adjustable sights and something that fits your hand well.

Thanks for the very detailed write up. I took the general consensus that the GSG was fairly inexpensive and reliable and I wanted practice with a full size 1911 so the hunt began lol

Didn't take long to find one on the EE. Should be here on the 22nd but will have to wait till the 23rd to pick it up. Man the EE and EMT almost makes it to easy.

Will post pic when I finally get to fondle it :)
 
No comments on the Browning 1911-22?

I was looking at the M&P and the SR22, but wonder about the Browning.
 
I'll limit my remarks to the three semis you can probably come up with: Walther (Colt) 1911 22, has generally been reliable have had one FTE and a few FTF (ammo fault) still relatively new. Browning Buckmark, bought mine the first year they came out so newer guns have better sights, the Buckmark has gone through thousands, probably tens of thousands of rounds with few hick-ups. Ruger MkIIIs, boringly reliable. One of mine is a Gov't Target Model, great trigger, very accurate.
 
No comments on the Browning 1911-22?

I was looking at the M&P and the SR22, but wonder about the Browning.

How large are your hands? It's an 80% sized "replica" of the full size 1911. As such a lot of men will find it tiny and a very poor fit in their hands. It's a gun which is primo for children and a lot of ladies with smaller hands though.

Oh sure, someone that takes L and verges on XL gloves like I do can hold it and shoot it. But it's a piss poor fit and attaining a comfortable and natural hold that provides proper support for good accuracy will be an issue.
 
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