I have a Ruger Standard and Buckmark Camper and love them both but if I could have only one it would be the Buckmark because I like the UFX grip size of the Camper as it fits my hands better. They are both terrific pistols and choice boils down to what works best for the shooter.

The Ruger Mark II is close to my long time favorite, I have a few. I have a 4” SP-101, nice, a little heavy.

A recent new potential favorite is a Ruger LCRx 3” barrel, 8 shot. It’s light & fun. At times I shoot the quieter loads that don’t cycle in a semi-auto.

A few also mentions are the Browning 1911-22, and the Buckmark. Everyone should have options with the 22 handgun.

I haven't seen any mention of the Ruger SR 22 which I have had my eye on for a couple of years now. Threaded barrel model. Does anyone have any experience with one of these?

Bought my G44 on a whim, it came in to the shop as a used gun. While it functioned ok the trigger was far from smooth, in fact gritty, this despite being cleaned and lubed.

I’ve slightly improved it using a Ghost Link and some polishing of the trigger bar and the side of the trigger itself that showed radial scuffing to the frame. Not sure how much that helped if any.

Next up is probably a trigger, most likely a Timney.

I’d look at a Ruger. Particularly the MKIV 22/45 Lite.

1911 grip frame, safety and mag release, light weight poly frame and 4.4” shrouded barrel. Threaded and with a Picatinny rail for a sight. https://ruger.com/products/mar...pecSheets/43927.html

If you want smaller to use with a suppressor, they make a Silencer Shop model in the Tactical line with a 3” barrel. https://ruger.com/products/mar...pecSheets/40179.html

quote:

Originally posted by kho:
I haven't seen any mention of the Ruger SR 22 which I have had my eye on for a couple of years now. Threaded barrel model. Does anyone have any experience with one of these?

I had one. I no longer do. It was reasonably reliable but had a few issues:

1. It had a horrific trigger. The reason I bought the gun was so that my kids could practice on a small pistol with low recoil, but they quickly moved past it to other guns because trigger control was so difficult on the SR22 that they could get better accuracy, and thus more satisfaction, from shooting other guns.

2. It felt like a toy. I personally like my .22s to feel like a "real" gun...solid and well built. The plastic frame and aluminum slide of the SR22 just felt cheap.

3. It had some extraction issues. It ran fine in live fire, I think mainly just because the case would come out of the chamber on its own under recoil. When trying to extract a live round, the extractor wouldn't reliably engage the rim, and it would leave the round in the chamber. Annoying for me, a huge safety concern with my kids, especially when 90% of the purpose of owning that gun was to teach them shooting and proper gun handling.

4. It had a magazine disconnect, and those are stupid.

I got rid of it right around the time I acquired my MkII, and haven't missed it one bit.

quote:

Originally posted by Riley:
I’d look at a Ruger. Particularly the MKIV 22/45 Lite.

+1

I recommended a stainless Buckmark above, but this one would also be on the short list for consideration (if I couldn't get my first choice from the used market) -- in fact it might be the way to go. Still a full size frame with adjustable sights, but also light and short enough that carrying IWB is a theoretical possibility. Will still be plenty useful for small game, and materials are not prone to rust.

quote:

Originally posted by smlsig:
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.

Hi since no one has actually answered this I will give you my take as a first time hand gun owner. I have small hands and most pistols do not fit well. I hit the gun show and handled every 22LR I could find that fell in the price range I was looking to spend (around $400). The P322 fit me like it was grown from my hands.
I knew it had issues but it seemed all of them could be corrected if the were to arise. FTL and jamming seemed to be all mag loading issue with the 20 round double stack. There is an issue with light strikes, failure to lock back when empty and barrel leading. The rear sight is adjustable and they really cheeped out on it. no detent on the elevations, just a contiguous cam with drop to bottom once top is hit. (fairly good list of issues) but man it felt good in my hands. First night at the range as spent playing with sights, I had 3d printed some shims to use under the rear sight so the cam could be left at the lowest point. After 80 rounds the guns had worked flawlessly. Came home and cleaned .. new to guns so maybe I did not do it correctly.. back to the range 2 weeks later and second mag failed to lock back when empty. Third did buy not well and when next mag inserted slammed shut on it's own. After that no more lock back for the rest of the night. Gun is sitting with FedEx to be delivered on Monday for repair. I am so far not unhappy with the purchase and have an optic waiting to be installed when it returns. Would love to have one of the really nice 22s listed by others but they seem to have much lager grips as I have tried several of them at the range and they were not comfortable.

We should also keep in mind that most real-world SHTF scenarios are less like an EMP event and more like ferfal's Argentina in the early 2000's.

It's not a starvation die-off of 80% of the population -- it's just that everyone is suddenly much poorer and crime explodes in vicious way. But, most people are still trying to be productive and get by with a much-reduced standard of living (you vill eat za bugs!).

In a world like that, concealed carry is still a factor. Arguably even more important than now, since everyone will be on edge. But, you'll likely be stuck for an extended period with the guns/ammo you already have.

quote:

Originally posted by kho:
I haven't seen any mention of the Ruger SR 22 which I have had my eye on for a couple of years now. Threaded barrel model. Does anyone have any experience with one of these?

Yes, I mentioned them in my post. My buddy in NC does CCW classes and has used the Ruger SR22 for years. He used to use the Walther P22 but had the same issue I had (cracked slide) and ditched them.

I know for a fact he has one (Ruger SR)that has 5000 rounds thru it. They work. He uses them with suppressors on them to help with beginner shooters.

quote:

Originally posted by metric:
We should also keep in mind that most real-world SHTF scenarios are less like an EMP event and more like ferfal's Argentina in the early 2000's.

It's not a starvation die-off of 80% of the population -- it's just that everyone is suddenly much poorer and crime explodes in vicious way. But, most people are still trying to be productive and get by with a much-reduced standard of living (you vill eat za bugs!).

In a world like that, concealed carry is still a factor. Arguably even more important than now, since everyone will be on edge. But, you'll likely be stuck for an extended period with the guns/ammo you already have.

The truth is no one knows what’s coming down the pike and it’s best to be prepared as best as possible.

I agree that in a situation you outlined concealed carry is probably best but in that case I would be carrying my 365 not a .22 cal pistol. The .22 I’m looking for would be to practice with and if necessary use for small game hunting. I have several thousand .22 rounds so I’m just adding to my capabilities.

I have been shooting same High Standard Victor since 1977. It has been a remarkable gun. About 15 years ago I bought a Ruger MkIII Hunter. I shot it a lot and liked many of the things about it. What I did not particularly like was the grip angle (the Victor is the same as a 1911 with which I also competed) and the take down process (I've learned to love my boresnake). For a number of years, I searched for a .22lr pistol that would put together the attributes of both. Well last year I found it -- a Volquartsen Black Mamba. It is built on a Ruger MKIV 22/45 Chassis with everything else Volquartsen. After shooting it a bunch, it seems as accurate as my High Standard (it has a great trigger), but with the MkIV frame take down is easy. The Black Mamba is not particularly inexpensive, but it was exactly what I had been looking for for years.

quote:

Originally posted by KevH:
Ruger Mk or Browning Buckmark

It isn't worth considering anything else.

As far as use/enjoy everyday, I agree with this. The Smith 41 is also nice, but a step up in price. As Beuller would say, 'If you have the coin". The classic High Standards ( Victor, Trophy, etc) are nice but pricey, and parts will eventually be a problem.

quote:

Originally posted by smlsig:
If anyone has any idea of someone who could actually fix the Mosquito’s issues I would appreciate knowing who to send it to.

FWIW, I have an GSG Firefly (Mosquito clone). I don't shoot it that often, but suppressed or unsuppressed it has been as reliable as any other rimfire handgun I've shot. If I recall, they provide 2 different weight recoil springs in the box, and I think the consensus is one of those is the answer if you have issues. So, GSG somehow figured it out (or I just got lucky with one that works well).

quote:

Originally posted by smlsig:
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.

I don't have the 322 because I already had the TX22 when it came out, and I'm quite pleased with the Taurus. If you don't go with the 322, I think the TX22 would make sense as an "upgrade" to your Mosquito.

Sorry Mike, I missed that part of your earlier post.

I think I am now shifting towards the Buckmark Camper. The 22/45 models also look really good but I don't need or want rails, mostly I like the looks of the Camper better and they both seem to be well regarded, and both more substantial than the SR 22. This would never be a CC gun anyway.

^^the rails are removable on the Ruger.

quote:

Originally posted by MikeinNC:
^^the rails are removable on the Ruger.

This. Ruger even sells the plug screws. They came off my MkIV Tactical on day 1. When I mounted the dot I opted for a mount from Lobos Industries because it was much lower and trimmer than the factory rails.

Yes, I replaced the upper rail on mine with an Alchin mount for the C-More red dot.

My 1955 Colt Match Target and Ruger MK2 bull barrel.

quote:

Originally posted by Anubismp:
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.

This! I also have the NAA Pug in .22 mag and LR. The Beretta Bobcat Ghost is pretty cool.