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In a couple of months, I plan on purchasing a .22LR pistol. I've had my sights set on a Ruger Mk II or Mk III for a while but have more recently been looking at the Beretta U22 Neos. I'm curious as to if anyone here has had much of any experience with the U22 or could offer any advice on the matter.

Any ideas or suggestions?
 
Either one would be an outstanding choice. I have the MKIII 22/45 and love it. In my opinion Ruger .22lr auto loaders will always be the benchmark that others are measured. Also the Beretta is quite fugly and I believe they also recently had a recall.
 
Either one would be an outstanding choice. I have the MKIII 22/45 and love it. In my opinion Ruger .22lr auto loaders will always be the benchmark that others are measured. Also the Beretta is quite fugly and I believe they also recently had a recall.

Thanks for the heads up about the recall.

From Beretta:

Beretta U.S.A. Corp. has discovered a potential condition with Beretta .22 caliber NEOS semiautomatic pistols in which the pistol will fire even if the safety is activated and, in some cases, the pistols may fire if the safety is moved from the OFF to the ON position. Chances of either of these situations occurring is extremely remote and no injuries have occurred because of this condition, however, because of safety concerns relating to this situation, Beretta U.S.A. Corp. is immediately implementing a recall of Beretta .22 caliber NEOS semiautomatic pistols.

If you have a Beretta NEOS pistol, please send it to our Accokeek Maryland Service Center for repair. Instructions on how to send your Neos to Beretta is available at NEOS Service Home or by calling 1-800-BERETTA. Note: Some pistols are not subject to recall. Please visit NEOS Service Home to see if your NEOS has already been repaired.

Though this shouldn't effect my purchase given that, in a few months, the statistical probability that many new defective u22s will still be on the market will be lower than usual. Purchasing a Ruger could, however, save me the extra work of calling Beretta to double check. Then again, I'm not really lazy enough to care.
 
I had a 4.5" Neos for awhile, it behaved well BUT the grip angle and trigger feel just didn't feel so good after I'd tried some other .22 semi-auto pistols. I sold the Neos and bought a GSG 1911 in .22LR and really like it more than the Neos (though I know that wasn't a model you mentioned!)... and now I'm selling the GSG :rolleyes:, but only to cover Christmas and property tax bills!

*edit* the whole family of Beretta .22lr semi-autos have been a whole lotta fun to shoot. If I had to do it again, I'd have bought a used MkII or later... and one of 'em will be the next .22 semi that I buy... eventually...

AH but BTW, the Neos did indeed have a recall; here's a link that shows how to identify ones that've already been fixed:
RECALL NOTICE: Beretta Neos Pistols | The Firearm Blog

...and here's a link to the Beretta site where you can enter a serial number to see if it needs the fix:
Neos Serial Number Input Form
 
Last Edited:
I have a Neos that I bought about a year ago or a little longer. I checked on the recal with Beretta and mine was made after the recal problem.
I have had many and still have many different 22 auto pistols, the Neos is a great plinker, it eats any ammo it is fed, not many 22's will do that without a long break-in and tweaking, and still might be ammo picky.

In my eyes, the Neos is butt ugly, but it points good for me, shoots anything good, is easy to break down for cleaning (big negitive for ruger) and really easy to put optics on and still keep iron sights sighted in. For me the grip angle is perfect, I can bring the gun up to firing position with my eyes closed and when I open my eyes the sights a lined up and pointing at the target, this might not be true for you, but is a good thing to try with several guns you are considering to help make a choice.

All things considered, the Neos is a very good value for the dollar. The Ruger is a great time proven gun also and should be considered as well, it's just a little harder to service and cost a bit more. :s0092:
 
Ruger has been making the .22 auto Mk series for over 60 years. How long has the Neos been around?

I have a Ruger Mark III Hunter with Cocobolo Wood grips. The pistol
is a tack driver. 6" 7/8 barrel with Stainless.

Shoots all ammo. Never jams. Very quick to clean.

Email me if you need more info or would like to shoot my pistol.
We could use the Estacada Rod and Gun Club as I am a member.

Some 22 caliber pistols will only shoot certain ammo. Be careful.
With a Ruger the ammo is not an issue. I am located in Eagle Creek.

Chris Boitano
[email protected]
503-630-3190
 
First choice - Ruger
Second choice - Ruger
Third Choice - you get the picture.

There are loads of aftermarket parts for the Ruger and you can leave it stock, or tune it into a serious and accurate target pistol.

Very few, if any, offer that with the entry level pricing of a Ruger.

Others of a quality to Ruger? Browning Buckmark.
 
In a couple of months, I plan on purchasing a .22LR pistol. I've had my sights set on a Ruger Mk II or Mk III for a while but have more recently been looking at the Beretta U22 Neos. I'm curious as to if anyone here has had much of any experience with the U22 or could offer any advice on the matter.

Any ideas or suggestions?

I have a Ruger Mark III Hunter with Cocobolo Wood grips. The pistol
is a tack driver. 6" 7/8 barrel with Stainless.

Shoots all ammo. Never jams. Very quick to clean.

Email me if you need more info or would like to shoot my pistol.
We could use the Estacada Rod and Gun Club as I am a member.

Some 22 caliber pistols will only shoot certain ammo. Be careful.
With a Ruger the ammo is not an issue. I am located in Eagle Creek.

Chris Boitano
[email protected]
503-630-3190
 
Although the Beretta is about as butt-ugly as it can get...it was surprisingly comfortable for me. MKII's are great, unlike the "Lawyer modified" MKIII's. See if you can try them both from friends before you buy.

Have you considered the Browning Buckmarks? I am partial to those, but just a personal preference....they seem to fit me better than the Ruger's, and sight picture is instant for me with the Buckmark.
 
I have an old Ruger Standard 22. Non adjustable sights, but they never needed to be adjustable. If I didn't hit what I was aiming at, it's MY problem. Very reliable and eats almost anything I can put in the mag. I say almost, because it would choke sometimes on the old Remington truncated cone lead bullets. I couldn't accurately add up how many thousands of rounds I've shot thru that gun.
I had a stainless Ruger Competition Target Model and really liked it. However I don't shoot the .22 too much and I already have the one I'll never get rid of, so I sold it.
If I was looking for another semi-auto .22, it would be a Ruger.
 
Thats a no brainer.......Ruger MK 1 or 2 even if used. I'd never buy a lawyered up Mk3 or the plastic beretta. The only American mass made 22 pistol today I'd part my money with is the Buckmark ($300 Camper model) or if you can get a good price a S&W 41, but expect to pay around $1,000 new.
 

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