Lately, the only semis I seem to be interested in are 22s. I'm fond of the Rugers, mostly because it keeps me from looking for a S&W model 41. And especially when I can score a good deal. I'm fairly confident the 22lr round will be around for awhile and the firearms will have some value for at least a couple generations to come. Which others should I be interested in? I already have a Beretta Neos

My Browning Buckmark stainless bull barrel is a pleasant and trouble free shooter.

to do what, for what, with what focus? There are a million great .22 pistols.

Hard to go wrong with a Ruger. I dabbled in the service auto conversions for a bit and never really found anything I was happy with. They felt cheap and were unreliable. Same with the dedicated designs like the SR22 and P322. I finally lucked into a MkII stainless target for a steal at the LGS, and liked it so much that when I started looking for a suppressor host I paid almost full retail for a MkIV Tactical. That one had issues out of the box, but nothing that couldn't be solved with some polishing and a lot of money in Volquartsen parts. It was kind of a happy disaster, because it's now excellent, I have 3 uppers for it, and am in the process of assembling the parts to mount a dot on it. I can put an entire box of bulk-pack .22 through either one of them with the only stoppages being rounds with faulty primers.

I've shot Buckmarks and they're fine guns. I don't think you can go wrong with one, but I also don't see them offering anything that the Ruger doesn't. The Model 41 is a beauty, but it's expensive, and my targets don't look any better with it than they do with my MkIV. Even knowing that, I'd still be hard pressed to pass one up if the right deal came along.

What I'm really jonesing for is a Beretta 87. Not the target, the standard model. I have an 81, and mags and a .380 barrel for it (which converts it to basically an 84), but a .22 version would be amazing. I like that it feels like a real gun, not some cheap pot metal copy of one, and everything I've read says they're reliable. I think it's about as close as you can get to a .22 version of a "real" gun and have it be truly reliable. Unfortunately, they're S&W 41 money if you can find one. I'm not sure why Beretta hasn't opted to continue importing them, or even make them in TN. I'm positive they'd sell.

Definitely a standard model Beretta 87. I have one, threaded the barrel internally for an adaptor to shoot suppressed. It's very cool.

I also have a Walther PP in .32 and will get another in .22, although the trigger is VERY heavy. Maybe also a PPK/S in .22.

Bersa Thunder is also on my list.

My tastes tend toward old classics, so I appreciate blue steel and wood revolvers and autos
S&W 17&34
Colt officer model targets
Colt woodsman
Beretta Jaguar series
Old walther
Among others.
In current production guns I needed a can host, and have been very impressed with my S&W victory
Near bullseye match accurate, not at all ammo sensitive ( very reliable with and without can)
Great sights, trigger. Inexpensive ( I was surprised when looking at current production guns, the least expensive compared to browning and ruger)

quote:

Originally posted by captain127:
<<snip>>
In current production guns I needed a can host, and have been very impressed with my S&W victory
Near bullseye match accurate, not at all ammo sensitive ( very reliable with and without can)
Great sights, trigger. Inexpensive ( I was surprised when looking at current production guns, the least expensive compared to browning and ruger)

I currently have a Victory on layaway at my LGS that I'm hoping to pick up next week. For $350.00 it was really hard to say "no", even though I already have a MK-II Target in stainless with wooden target stocks!

I can't seem to walk away from a decent deal on any .22, and currently own more of them than any other caliber!

Of course the answer is a Beretta 87. It’s the best 22 I have ever owned, shot, or handled. There is always a 22 with a better trigger, or more capacity, better sights, more accurate. What I’ve never found is one that is more reliable (Kadet is reliable too), less ammo finicky, or just plain fun.

22’s can seem like toy guns. They can operate and look and feel NOT like centerfires. The 87 looks and feels like a “real” gun just smaller.

Best 22 ever. Go straight there, do not stop at GO.

quote:

Originally posted by hrcjon:
to do what, for what, with what focus? There are a million great .22 pistols.

Mostly to keep up with inflation and maybe a little more perhaps. For the price I picked up my 70s, and then later, the 6" barrel, it has to be my favorite 22. Of course having all the original ephemera would be a plus but it's still a gem I can appreciate as it appreciates. Yes, there are lots of great 22s like the Woodsman, but there are also the crappy ones, like the Lorcin. I'm somewhere in the middle.

Was able to get a few custom guns through Volquartsen.

They were offering .17 components at the time. If you ordered every piece for a pistol, they would arrive fitted and fully assembled.

Beretta 87 and 21A, Ruger MKIV lite with suppressor.

I've got plenty of .22lr pistols. A few favorites:

S&W Model 18 - a 4" K-frame (mine is actually an older pre-18), the Model 17 (6" barrel) is just about a tie along with the 617 Stainless steel versions.

S&W Model 41 - I have both the 5.5" heavy barrel and 7" barrel versions. Both great shooters.

Beretta Model 70s - For when you want something more compact like a Walther PPK but in .22

Ruger Mk II - mine is the Government Model, but they are all great (along with the other Mk versions).

Browning Challenger - I'm only familiar with the original version.

High Standard Supermatic Citation with Military grip or any of the other target models with the military grip.

If Single Action is your thing, the Ruger Single-Six is hard to beat. You won't blow through ammo real fast either.

Browning BuckMarks…keep an eye out for the older models like a ‘camper’…but remember to check on the buffers (the black ones)…they tend to degrade from cleaning solvents over the years and if you find you need to replace the original black polymer buffers with a latter white version (you ain’t being racist )….I recommend buying several to have in reserve when possibly needed…other than the BuckMark…I’m a big fan of the Ruger MK4 45/22…mine is a 100% pistol…trust me the ease of disassembly being a big plus compared to it’s parents, aunts and uncles…plus it’s a s accurate as hell…MidWestGunworks is my go to source of everything .22 related (they sometimes have factory parts when Brownell’s is out of inventory)…I think I’m gonna have another beer now to take the edge of a retiree’s stressful Monday

Lobos Industries mount finally came back in stock and arrived today. I swapped a 407C from another gun onto it and put it through it's paces at the range today...almost too much fun!

Then my son pointed out that I have about as much money in this thing as a CZ Shadow 2...crazy how stuff can sneak up on you one piece at a time.

There are just so many, but the best (IMHO) have been mentioned —
Beretta 87
Beretta 70s
CZ Kadet
Don’t stop there, though… Enjoy!

I love .22lr firearms, of all types. I shoot it more than any other single cartridge.

On the Ruger MK series vs Buckmark series conversations, I think both handguns are fine for anyone not trying to compete in recognized matchs on a regular basis.

I like both of them.

However, I have yet to pick up a new Ruger MK Series [22/45, MK II/III/IV] that I was content with the trigger- and I have yet to pick up a Buckmark that I was NOT content with the trigger.

I am a bit of a trigger snob though.

I do most of my own gunsmithing, and many friends ask me to tune things [but I don't make theirs lighter than 3.5lbs for 22lr].

I have never felt the need to replace sear/hammer parts in the Buckmarks or High Standards I've touched, and didn't feel a need to do more than adjust overtravel/takeup in those, even if I did flip the buckmark sear spring to change it from 4.5lbs to around 2.25lbs of pressure.

In everything else I've touched, I felt a need to adjust something beyond just a spring.


And I love doing that, as I enjoy the problem solving involved in tweaking it 'just right'.

But I will say that .22lr are addictive- and I keep wanting 'just one more'.

Have the Ruger Mk VI, and also picked up a Glock G44 and added the threaded barrel. It makes a good host for my Spikes 22lr suppressor and is a light fun semi auto.

If you shoot glocks as well it's got the same grip angle so it helps with keeping you up on shooting that platform at a low cost per round.

I was rather late to the Ruger Mk series, but I have to say my Mk4 22/45 I bought a year ago has been one enjoyable pistol, especially when wearing a can.

I've been surprised by the sheer number of .22 pistols that I now have; certainly never woulda thunk this would be the case even just a short decade ago. Particularly after the Charlie Foxtrot disastrous experience of owning that POS SIG Mosquito I once had, which had been my first foray into .22 handgun ownership.

This thread just cost me 52 bucks. Lobos mount for a 507k on its way. It is currently on a Sig 322 which is NOT on this list so it loses its Holosun.

quote:

Originally posted by pedropcola:
This thread just cost me 52 bucks. Lobos mount for a 507k on its way. It is currently on a Sig 322 which is NOT on this list so it loses its Holosun.

I think you'll be happy. Build quality seems good, it's lightweight, and it mounted up solid with the provided screws (there's a shorter one for the side of the optic over the ejection port opening, fyi). While the optic still sits too high for any prayer of a co-witness, it's a lot lower than the factory picatinny rail, and I like how they blended the lines to make it look a little more integral to the gun. The 507K footprint being smaller than my 407, yours ought to be even better.

So far the mounting seems rock solid, but I've only had it out one time. I experienced zero interference with ejection. I like that the optic isn't reciprocating on the slide, and since you're only dealing with .22 recoil you never lose sight of the dot. Having a closed top strap without a breech face/chamber opening right in front of the optic minimizes any carbon or dirt collecting on the glass, too. You can see the filth on the side of the optic above the ejection port in the pic, but there's none on the glass. It's a nice little setup.

My son texted me earlier and said he found a 6" MKII Target at my favorite LGS for $300, so we are probably going to take a trip over there tomorrow and take a look at that. He's wanted one ever since I bought mine.