I started out with a 229 .22 conversion for the reasons stated in the op. I found the SIG conversion to be accurate, but it only took mine about 200 rounds before it needed to be cleaned. The slide had problems picking up the next round.

I bought a S&W Victory because it felt good in my hand and it is accurate. I have put hundreds of rounds through it in a range session, put it away until the following week, then a few hundred more rounds. I have not had it fail to function like the SIG conversion kit.

I use the Victory to work on my basic skills, of sight alignment, sight picture, trigger press. This allows me to see my results on paper.

I use my carry pistol with snap caps for additional training of the above and for the remainder of my training, drawing, presentation, dry firing, scanning and holstering.

Most of my training is dry firing my carry pistol and shooting the Victory.

The cliche, 'variety is the spice of life'...not a bad thing.

I would vote to keep the P226 22LR and save for the Trailside. They are not mutually exclusive firearms.

Besides, I think the whole keeping to the same manual of arms thingy is vastly oversold. If you shoot enough you will be good enough. And although 22LR is cheap shooting, it doesn't bring all of the characteristics of your actual carry ammo into play in your training. For instance, how more likely are you to flinch when you KNOW that you're shooting 22LR vs your typical 9mm, or better yet, 40S&W? When I shoot one of my 22LR handguns it's for the pleasure of that pistol, and to get good with that specific pistol. Any mutual benefit that it spawns towards my EDC is more coincidental in my way of thinking.

I carry a 40S&W handgun. I train with 40S&W ammo. It's been this way for the last eight years since I started carrying this particular gun. For me shooting 200 rounds of 40gr Mini-Mags doesn't come anywhere close to cutting it or mimicking 200 rounds of 165gr and 180gr. Maybe I would derive some benefit from working on clearing a stopped gun if I had to regularly deal with those wretchedly unreliable Advantage Arms or TacSol conversions for a Glock, but that's about it. If my carry caliber were 9mm I'd still feel the same way. Unless someone is a complete noob and really needs to develop their basic skills with a firearm, I believe that a person would get good better and faster, and maintain those skills more effectively when training with the caliber that they actually will use in their carry gun. Perhaps YMMV, but that's how I see it.

I own a Sig Trailside Competition, its a great gun but......I recently bought a Ruger MK4 22/45 Lite. Disliked it right out of the box but after installing the full Volquartsen kit plus the Tandemkross Victory flat trigger...... favorite 22 pistol I have ever owned by far.

quote:

I'm not a huge fan or dedicated .22 pistols like a Buckmark

When you rule out the best choice in your OP, you make it hard to help.

I voted trailside. I own the 6" model and it has been flawless for me. It's stock from the box, I have not added anything like front weight, etc.

the new Ruger mark 4, gets my vote

quote:

Originally posted by bionic218:

quote:

I'm not a huge fan or dedicated .22 pistols like a Buckmark

When you rule out the best choice in your OP, you make it hard to help.

I agree, my browning buckmark standard with URX grips is my favorite .22. Awesome trigger, I have a truglo front site on it that took 20 seconds to install, perfect balance, accurate, and eats anything you put into it.

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:

quote:

Originally posted by bionic218:

quote:

I'm not a huge fan or dedicated .22 pistols like a Buckmark

When you rule out the best choice in your OP, you make it hard to help.

I agree, my browning buckmark standard with URX grips is my favorite .22. Awesome trigger, I have a truglo front site on it that took 20 seconds to install, perfect balance, accurate, and eats anything you put into it.

It is hard to spend less than $700 and get more bang for the buck than a Buckmark.

This is the one .22lr auto I recommend to friends who don't want to fiddle around with a gun- but want accuracy and a good trigger right away.

And, it only cost me $35 [for the Browning OEM adjustable trigger- overtravel adjustment only] and a flip of the sear spring to make my Buckmark as light/crisp/quick as any of my other triggers. [and better than most]

So much so that it is only for myself, and people I believe really understand triggers: not for newbies.

However, out of the box, the Browning trigger was MUCH better than the Ruger MK Series. And I can't wring any accuracy improvements out of my other semi-autos that can't be dismissed as shooter error.


Yet, it doesn't look like a variation on a modern 'tactical' handgun [like the Ruger SR22, or S&W M&P22, or Walther P22, or...], so some don't like it.


I don't know if the Buckmark is the 'last' .22lr semi that I would part with [and I hope not to find out], but it would be one of the last.

I'd go with the Ruger Mark IV and a Volquartson accurizing kit.
Which model that you pick is dependent on your wants.
The Target model is heavy.
The competition model is heavy.
The Lite Models are lite.
The Hunter has good sights, and is heavy.
The 22/45 gives you a different feel and grip angle.
Threaded barrels are offered in some of the Mark IV's
There is no end or limit in the after market for goodies.
Head to a local gun store and pick what feels best.