.22 cal hand gun

by **newbytargeter** » Sun Jan 16, 2011 9:26 pm

Hi my wife and I are interested in getting into target shooting and I'm wondering what would be a good economical choice of .22 hand gun to purchase. Any and all suggestions are welcome as to type, mfgr,and source. Thanks, Newbytargeter

by **BrianB** » Sun Jan 16, 2011 11:06 pm

From what I have found looking at reviews of .22 semi-auto pistols, most of them do not work well for whatever reason. The exceptions to this seem to be the Ruger 22/45 and Mark III. Also, the Browning Buckmark has a great reputation. The Rugers though I have heard are very hard to tear down and clean whereas the Browning is supposedly much simpler. The ones listed above seem to be more expensive than most others out there but in this case you really do get what you pay for.

Apparently though, .22 revolvers do not have the same problems and you can get one from many brands of manufacturers that will be much more dependable. S&W, Ruger and many other manufacturers could be good sources.

by **robalan** » Mon Jan 17, 2011 12:40 pm

BrianB gave some good information on target. Crimson makes a laser for the Mark III, while the Mark III 22/45 laser is not available. Lasers are a good learning device. They help you see the movement in your hand as you shoot. You can replace the factory trigger with a lighter quicker pull for target too. A lot of the target shooter put a red dot scope on them. They are really nice. If you decide to go more toward the tactical shooting the Walther P22 is nice even though you see some complaints on them. I have three of them and all work great if you are gentle with them. They jam often if you put the magazine in fast and hard. The P22 is a nice practice gun if you plan to carry something larger.

by **neverenough** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 12:54 pm

Hey, newbytargeter....I'm in agreement with these guys on the Ruger Mark III, if you inclination is toward a semi-auto. If however, you have a preference for a revolver, the Smith & Wesson Model 617 would be an excellent pick.....

Now if you were to pick up a Colt Woodsman (out of production...Why? Eigth wonder of the world...) you would have one of the best target .22's possible. Of course the price tag may end this consideration!!

And yes, a laser setup would be worth every cent.....

neverenough

by **ulgydog56** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 10:04 pm

colt woodsman nice.........start looking thru cats,and revues and go to all local gun shops to get a feel ,theres tons of .22 handguns that shoot good at beginner level........

by **critical** » Fri Apr 15, 2011 11:27 am

I have had two Rugers and five Brownings. Go with the Browning would be my suggestion. Best of the lot? The old Browning Challenger with the wrap around grip. Scary accurate and like an idiot I sold it. Once I got a 2" group at 50 yards but it usually went about 4" or 5" at fifty with a rest.

by **Will_Carry** » Fri Apr 15, 2011 11:37 am

I have two Ruger Single Sixes, a Mark II and a Mark III. They are all great fun. I have a red dot scope on the Mark III that makes it better for my eyes. BUT. The Browning 22.LR semi-autos are just fantastic. The best for the money in my opinion.

If you go to Volquartsen's web site you can see some outstanding 22 target pistols, made in Iowa. They are the ones who accurized my Mark III and made it a Mark II plus 1.

by **MightyFoFaad** » Sat May 21, 2011 2:01 pm

@newbytargeter ... My favorite .22 was a Hi Standard Citation (made before they stopped making them & then started again). This target model had the fluted long barrel & adjustable trigger. You could set the trigger so it fired with the touch of a heat sensitive elevator button. I used it for club (NRA) competition.

From a rest, at 50' I could totally cut out a circle within the 10 ring. Of course, I couldn't do that off hand, but, the point is, the gun was more accurate than I was ... as is the case with any "good" target pistol.

The point I'm trying to make is, if you think you might want to shoot competition sometime in the future, then spend the extra $$$ on a good target pistol. It will be cheaper than buying an inexpensive "fun" gun ... and then having to buy a better gun too, at a later date. Just saying.

by **ulgydog56** » Sun May 22, 2011 6:50 pm

you bet, many guns shoot better than there owners....that includes meee.........

by **MightyFoFaad** » Fri Jun 03, 2011 10:10 am

@ newbytargeter

Someone already mentioned that a revolver is another way to go here. I concur 100%. Autos jam, they're harder to clean, the cheap ones often aren't as accurate as moderately priced revolvers,, and, (especially for beginners) they're not as safe as revolvers.

Here is the http://www.taurususa.com/product-details.cfm?id=388&category=Revolver&breadcrumbseries=&search= for the Taurus Model 94 which is very much like the S&W model 617, but at 60% of the costs. You could get one for somewhere between $300 & $330.

Check one out. They are a lot of fun, & more accurate than a cheap auto.