SR22 Pistol as first handgun Yes or No?

The GSG .22 1911's are a great deal. They are dedicated .22 guns that are solid, function well, and have good/cheap metal mags. On top of that they are well priced and work with standard 1911 holsters. As opposed to the Buckmarks/Neons/Ruger MK x's etc, they can be operated like a "regular" handgun.

The Buckmarks/Neons/Rugers/ P22's, etc are great for target shooting and plinking, but the GSG (or other guns like the Sigs) will leave you with a lot more options and will make it easier to transition to a centerfire gun down the road.
 
mtallman said:
The GSG .22 1911's are a great deal. They are dedicated .22 guns that are solid, function well, and have good/cheap metal mags. On top of that they are well priced and work with standard 1911 holsters. As opposed to the Buckmarks/Neons/Ruger MK x's etc, they can be operated like a "regular" handgun.
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I looked them up and they seem pretty good. I do like the look of it significantly better than the ruger and brownings. It doesn't have that .22 target gun look.

Can anyone else provide info on the gsg in terms of its performance and what you think would be a fair price for a used one. FF has them going for $400 new. Id be tempted to spend the extra $50 for a new one if all I could find is them for $350. I would still have to see what regulations and laws I would need to follow when purchasing off the EE due to it being a restricted. I've never bought a firearm online before.

Also what would people lean towards in terms the GSG or the Chiappa 1911
 
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The Ruger Mk III bull barrel was my first handgun. Still got it, shoot it, and will probably never part with it. Since then I've added a Single Six and 2 Buckmarks (1 camper, 1 Splash).
I've bought and sold a few other .22's.
Any of these would be a good "1st".
The Sig Classic is a good suggestion, and with Questar having a sale on them this month, a good time to buy one.
$.02
 
-Doug- said:
....Also what would people lean towards in terms the GSG or the Chiappa 1911
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GSG is the winner. They are very noticably more crisp for the workmanship details. I found on the one example of each that I examined that the GSG had far better frame to slide fit and on top of that all the reviews I've found for the GSG's are good now that they solved the issue with the barrel bushings in the early ones. On the other hand I know of one person who has has a series of issues requireing warranty returns and another who's gun basically exploded in the grandson's hand so badly that it wasn't returnable for any sort of repair. The store sent the pieces back for replacement. Meanwhile since that was the second time back for "issues" he talked the store into a Ruger Mk III as a replacement for the price difference. So yeah, go GSG.

The real winner though is the Ruger in 22/45 or Mk III. They may not look like much with the round reciever. But if you look at the gun from an engineer's viewpoint they are actually a brilliant design. It approaches the challenges of a pure .22 handgun from a very pure approach with an eye to easily producing them to a high degree of accuracy. And for my money they do it right. Yeah, I know they aren't elegant or cool looking. But the point is that they work when new and the same gun you buy now will work when you're old and are taking your grandson or granddaughter out to shoot.

The local Rent-A-Gun range has a number of Ruger Mk III's and 22/45's. The Mk III's have been running with very little trouble for quite a few years now. They've had more ammo put through them during this time than any three of us combined could manage in our whole lifetimes. Yet these guns have kept on performing other than some minor parts being replaced for this many rounds.

They've also had GSG, Chiappa, S&W, Browning Buckmarks, Sig P226-22 and a few others I can't remember during my time there as a member and later on while helping out with some RO'ing during busy times. They all came and went when they got to where they were breaking down too frequently. Meanwhile the Rugers are like those damn Energizer bunnys......

So consider carefully what is more important with your hard gained money. Looks or longevity and reliability.
 
ontgunner said:
The Sig Classic is a good suggestion, and with Questar having a sale on them this month, a good time to buy one.
$.02
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I do like the look of them but even being on sale it is out of my budget. I don't want to drop a bunch on a .22

BCRider said:
GSG is the winner.

The real winner though is the Ruger in 22/45 or Mk III. They may not look like much with the round reciever. But if you look at the gun from an engineer's viewpoint they are actually a brilliant design.

So consider carefully what is more important with your hard gained money. Looks or longevity and reliability.
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That's some good advice to take into consideration.
If I do buy one of them I think I would be more inclined to buy brand new.
I know that I could save a couple bucks buying used or get some free mags with it however there is just something about buying a new gun and knowing that it is in mint condition with no hard use done to it.

I think my best bet would be to go to a store that has both of them and hold them to gain a feel of what I like better.

Right now I am leaning towards the GSG due to its looks and shape. I want to get something that is going to most resemble a 1911 so when I do purchase a "real gun" I will have that feel and familiarity with it. The main reason I want a handgun right now is so I can eventually get the whole IPSC shooting games.
 
-Doug- said:
...Right now I am leaning towards the GSG due to its looks and shape. I want to get something that is going to most resemble a 1911 so when I do purchase a "real gun" I will have that feel and familiarity with it. The main reason I want a handgun right now is so I can eventually get the whole IPSC shooting games.
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The only things you see and feel when holding the gun while shooting is the grips, the trigger and the sights. So if you were to get a Ruger 22/45 with the screwed on grips you'd find that it has much of the same sort of feel as a real .45ACP 1911 where it counts.

Yes the GSG is a nice gun. But the Rugers and Brownings have a very proven long term record. The GSG's are doing good for now but they just haven't been time proven like the other classic choices.

Keep in mind too that once you move on to center fire the whole feel of the gun will change anyway thanks to the greater recoil. That's a big part of why I don't put a lot of stock into a gun which LOOKS like the "big brother" while weighing a fraction of what a real steel 1911 weighs.

But in the end it's your money. And if the GSG tugs at your heart and makes you smile then go for it. It has a good reputation for now. And if you're not too concerned about it surviving for upwards of 100,000 rounds like a Ruger could likely manage then you'll be happy. And keep in mind that it may well manage to last for 100,000 rounds. It's simply just that they have not been around long enough to know yet.
 
OP> As others have mentioned a 22LR no matter what brand will never feel like a 45ACP. Can never learn recoil management from a 22LR with no recoil.
 
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