Given the recent discussion here about ammo stockpiles and after reading the book “One Second After” which I highly recommend, I would like to get a .22 pistol.

A little back story. My first Sig was actually the infamous “Mosquito” and while I love the size and versatility of it as we all know it has its issues with ftf etc. If anyone has any idea of someone who could actually fix the Mosquito’s issues I would appreciate knowing who to send it to.

Baring that, and in keeping in the Sig family I see that Sig offers the 322 in .22 caliber. I was wondering if anyone has any experience with that platform or could recommend another pistol to replace my little Mosquito.

Thanks.

If you are looking for something to suppress, I had a beretta bobcat that worked great. Quite small. I have both an NAA Pug and Black widow that are 5th pocket jeans small but not suppressor hosts. After playing with many hosts I've settled on the 22/45 for quiet 22 fun but we're all different.

Glock 44. I purchased one this year and it is my primary plinker and training aid. Same size as the Glock 19. The mags are the same size, but are 10 rounds. Fits all Glock 19 holsters. The Glock allows me to shoot better than I really am. Father time is taking it's toll on my eyes, and hands, and nerves, and this Glock really makes me look good when I am shooting. I can't praise it enough. It eats any ammo, I use the good stuff, and it cleans up in a few minutes.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ltbarber,

The "right" 22 pistol is a true holy grail. But there are many dangers in the market. Some basic guidelines:

Avoid anything that the company subtly markets as a "training aid" for the company's "real guns." Go for a design the company clearly takes seriously, with quality.

Avoid anything of Zinc alloy construction (unless you want a semi-disposable pistol) -- you'll have to research this as some companies don't disclose its use.

Avoid anything made by Umarex (the airsoft company). This includes some big-name 22 pistols that would like the Umarex connection to be downplayed as much as possible.

Decide how important concealability is to you. If you don't mind a full-size, full-weight gun, it's easier to find something nice in the current market. Examples: S&W 41, S&W Victory, Browning Buckmark, Ruger MK-series. But a reliable and concealable 22 can be a joy.

There is a new breed of purpose-designed, mid-size, high-cap 22's that are very interesting. E.g. Kel-Tec P17, Taurus TX22, Sig P322. I have worked with several KT's and they can be fussy. But they do offer a potentially neat capability. Pay attention to the trigger -- in 22, there are big advantages in precision and speed, and a good crisp SA trigger will allow you to leverage that. But a scrunchy "combat trigger" will be an unnecessary compromise. Just be sure that you like the trigger (thinking speed and precision) before you buy.

For my personal use, I have found the Beretta 71 and 70s to be far and away my favorite -- my personal grail 22 (do not confuse with the 21A which is very different). They are the most consistently reliable 22 semi-autos I have ever encountered, with the broadest spectrum of ammo. Great SA trigger, and it's a small, concealable package (mine also does CC duty at times). Consistently surprises me outdoors, shooting at all ranges out to 100 yards. Great for opportunistically bagging small game, e.g. rabbits and snakes.

Also a great history, including numerous Israeli anti-terrorist missions in the 1960's and 70's that are almost unbelievable to read about now. It's basically the "real" spy pistol of the 1960's, where the PPK was the fictional one.

Out of production since the 1980's, these were a bargain 6 years ago (when a surplus wave came in from Israel) -- unfortunately, the price has gone up.

IMO, 2nd place would go to the 1st gen (pre ww2) Colt Woodsman with the 4" barrel. Also very reliable, accurate, with a size optimized for 22. Downside is that these are getting to be museum pieces (I feel guilty shooting them), and although they are slim and size efficient, they aren't really an ideal shape for concealed carry. Still, they scream quality, work extremely well, and just feel right.

If I had to stick to the new market, it would probably be between some version of the Browning Buckmark and the Ruger MKIV. But I would also take a long, hard look at the Sig 322.

I have a Ruger MKIII that has never failed to function with any brand of ammo... I love it so much I have 10 magazines for it.... but I will have to say you need to take an extended course in gunsmithing if you want too disassemble it and get it back together....I have not done this is years and have put thousands of rounds through it....

I have a few .22LR pistols. My Mosquito will never be repaired because I use it in classes for FTE/FTF drills.
Ruger makes some fine .22s. I have a Ruger MKIV 22/45 with a red dot. It is very accurate. Also have a Browning Buckmark Target; another tack driver..... My wife has a Walther PPQ22 that she adores and is very accurate with.
Hopefully, you can find a range to try out some pistols.

walther ppk/s love mine looks good shoots good.

I have a Walther P22 for Mrs. Lee, but she doesn't like it (too many controls). So I'm thinking of getting a Glock 44 for her. I shot a co-worker's 44 and it was excellent. Never gonna be anything other than a range gun, but I like having her come shoot with me. She really got a shock yesterday when she tried one of my P365s. She thought it'd be the same kick as the P22 because it was similar in size. LOL.

Have a bunch.
The Browning Buckmark is by far my favorite.
Great ergos, trigger, and an ABSOLUTE tack driver.

There are so many .22 pistols. From great to crap. It really depends on what you want and what you want to spend. The mosquito was one of the crap ones. For new production absolute bulletproof over the long haul hand it down to the next generation and not serious money the Ruger MK IV, the victory and the buckmark are all proven to be THE top choices. And those three have excellent aftermarket support to change anything you don't like. More money and you can get classic things like the S&W41 but basically does the same things.
The next tier down is the things the look like normal semiauto's but are in .22lr. The 322 (seems to be mostly fine with bigger mags, optics and suppressor ready), the Keltec (you never know with Keltec) the Taurus TX22 (has good reputation itself even if Taurus in general might not), the G44 (seems mostly OK, but mine sucked but its a glock in form factor), the Ruger (no experience) and the Walthar.
There are also a zillion conversion kits if you want on the SIG p series, the 1911 the M9 etc. etc.
So would take a bit more info to help on your post, but to the direct answer to the OP the Sig 322 seems fine and has been produced in some volume. Its not another mosquito.

Just my personal opinion,

everyone should own,

a decent High Standard (Citation, Trophy, etc)

Smith 41

Ruger Mk II or Mk I



re the modern stuff,


the Glock, Sig and FN all get good reviews, and from a sales perspective, all sell well,
I had a customer that tried all 3, and found that all did as expected, as in he could not find fault in any of them,


the ruger SR22 and Smiht M&P22 were ok, but not in the same league as the SIG, FN and Glock,

and of course, the High Standard and Smith 41 are not the same either, but in a higher tier so to speak


as far as my personal stuff, I am a Smith 41 and High Standard Fanboi, my fall back is a Colt Conversion unit on a 1911 frame

I’ve been thru them and settled on the Ruger 22/45. I have 2 of them now with the pac-lite barrel, Ruger has since gone to the aluminum upper and changed the disassembly process to make it easier. Both of mine are 4”, threaded. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve used this pistol to train with.

My buddy had a gun shop in nc ns for years he used the walther p22, I had one and cracked the slide around 5000 rounds.

He switched to the Ruger sr22 and never had an issue. He uses the for CCW classes.

One of the instructors at my PD used a Ruger MKii to train with for over 20 years.

My advise, go pick all of the 22s at your LGS and see what feels the best in your hand and has the features you want.

If you are near me, please lemme know and I’ll let you try mine out.

22’s are my most favorite type of pistols and have had and shot dozens of them over the years. They essentially come in two groups:
Traditional all steel guns ( ruger mark series, the old high standards / colt woodsman, buckmark victory)
Or what I call combat trainers ( guns designed to mimic the full size service pistols )

For me the all steel is the way to go, they generally have better triggers, sights, and durability

They tend to be more accurate overall, and in most cases display great reliability as well.

When I needed a more current production gun with threads for a can, my choice was a victory, which has been incredibly reliable and near bullseye competition accurate, and was a good bit cheaper that the next two options from ruger and browning.

I would expect in a survival situation the heavier all steel guns more likely to hold up to abuse also.

Go with a Ruger Mk 2,3,4. they are dependable,accurate,affordable,and there is a wide market of aftermarket parts, and while you're at it get a 10/22 also. Years ago a friend wanted to buy a .22 pistol, i told him Ruger, he went with a S&W 22S, later after two trips back to their warranty service he said he should have went Ruger

I have a Ruger MkII and MkIV that I like very much. The MkII is more reliable, the MkIV is more versatile. For range use, those two are my favorites. The disassembly/reassembly struggles on the MkII and III are overblown, IMO, and not in any way a problem once you understand the way the gun works and the necessary order of operations to re-assemble it.

I don't particularly like the idea of carrying a .22 for self-defense, but were I to do it it would be with my S&W Model 63. The revolver isn't dependent upon the ammo to cycle, and if you do get a dud pulling the trigger again gives you another round. I occasionally carry that gun around the property for dealing with varmints, and the ability to load rat shot gives me a safe means of dispatching small rodents without endangering the neighbors or any structures that might be behind the target.

Thanks for all the comments guys. My initial thought was to get a .22 that was easily concealable like my Mosquito but after reading the comments above and my realization that if the SHTF I won’t need to be worried about that…


I’m narrowing my considerations down to the Mark IV and Buckmark and would be interested in your thoughts on these pistols and which model you’d recommend. My primary use would be plinking and small game hunting if it became necessary.

Thanks!

Mike thanks for the offer but I live in NC currently.

Again, I would also consider the S&W victory. Better out of the box than ruger, cheaper than browning.
While I don’t personally feel tons of aftermarket stuff is necessarily a positive ruger definitely is the winner there.
I find it odd that ruger which for a long time was sort of considered the affordable “ working man’s brand” is now in the threaded barrel options, more expensive than browning or S&W

Buckmark vs MK is a classic debate for the ages -- people have been arguing which is best since the 80's.

As a kind of prepper pistol for a SHTF scenario with hunting and self-defense ability (but also fun plinking in the here and now), they should both do fine.

I guess the SHTF role favors stainless steel (or aluminum), minimal cleaning, and also reliability with a wide spectrum of 22 ammo.

In my own experience, the Buckmark is a little less picky about ammo. But, gun-to-gun variability exists with both makes, and more so in 22 than most calibers.

Even though I have a stainless MKII for exactly this role (with a bunch of custom parts), if I had to do it over again with simplicity, I'd be looking real hard at this one (Buckmark contour stainless 5.5"):



That said, both of these are "very full size" guns and I bet you'll eventually start wondering how nice it would be to tuck away something accurate, concealable, and reliable in 22 that could travel with you whenever you like.

I have Ruger .22 pistols, MK1 to MK4. and a Browning Buckmark. I used the Browning for competition and would go with that over the Ruger if you only had one choice....

Ruger Mk or Browning Buckmark

It isn't worth considering anything else.