Any .22 Pistols actually work as designed?

[Alexx1401]

I have 5 boxes of the Federal Blue Box Value Pack ammo, I run it through the Sig 522 and have zero issues. Even the Ruger 10/22 I have, stainless barrel with the polymer stock to shoot in the rain of Oregon, it will eat it flawless. That is why the Mosquito drives me crazy. My two .22 rifles will eat anything, the Mosquito now doesn't even accept CCI mini mags.
I will be writing a nice letter to Sig corporate tomorrow about my one Sig underperformer. I would like them to take it from me since I know it is a dog and I can't sell a crappy gun to another person, that is not my style. Not a buy back or credit, just want them to know it does not function.
Not that I expect anything from an old .22 that this one is, but as time goes on, this gun just gets worse and worse. I clean it more than any of my other hand guns, I over clean this dog. But no love for me. Sad, I enjoy all my other guns, this one is now going to sit in my safe until I decide what to do with it.
Found an old picture of it, it's the one in the middle of the handguns. It shames the picture, the P226 next to it is an amazing hand gun.

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Sadly anything mass manufactured is going to let out a dud from time to time. Good chance its something simple as to why it will not work but, unless a Smith looks it over its often hit and miss finding it. Be nice if Sig will send you and RMA to return it at their cost. If not only other real option would be to pay a Smith to look it over and see if its some simple part swap.

 

[Yarome]

I know it is a dog and I can't sell a crappy gun to another person, that is not my style.

I think it's still resellable without guilt. There are plenty of folks that appreciate a good deal and like to tinker. As long as you are upfront about it being a problem child and they're up for it.... that's on them. Full disclosure.

If it was in an unsafe condition, that's a bit different. IE., A cracked barrel. I would dispose of the barrel and sell it "parts only".

 

[P7M13]

I have one. Worked great for a few range trips, then started jamming, badly.
It wasn't because it was dirty.
Completely disassembled it. Polished the feed ramp, swapped out the recoil spring they supply with it (made it worse).
For testing, dry cycled full mags with rounds, had a >50% FTE rate - stove pipes, wouldn't even pull the round out of the chamber, etc.
Complete POS. Examined it more closely.
Seems the extractor spring lost its tempering - must have been devils lettuce in the 22 smoke.
Also noted, it's very finicky about the length of the 22LR round. Took all the rounds that jammed on feeding and noted they were longer than the ones that fed properly.
It sits in the safe with my TNW SR rifle as reminders to not buy POS guns.
I bought a High Standard Field King and have never looked back.

Edit to add, I won't sell it to anyone, not my style. It will sit until I no longer have any projects, then I'll fix it and shoot it. when it does shoot, its a fun gun.

 

[ron]

As many others have stated the Ruger MK series just run. I have owned MK 1,2 and 3 's. All very reliable
with most types of ammo. Also consider the sizable amount of upgrade aftermarket parts for the Ruger.
My Mark 3 has a Volquartsen trigger parts and sights. I also have a S&W Victory model. I like the grip angle
of the Smith. The Smith is a little finnicky about ammo. I have found one brand it does not like.

 

[Jay Walk]

Beretta M9 .22 is very reliable. Hurry though... 15 round magazines.

Beretta M9 22 Long Rifle 4.9in FDE Pistol - 15+1 Rounds

Beretta M9 FDE 22LR Semi-Auto Pistol - The M9 22 is an exact replica of the M9 in .22 caliber and features the same operation, controls and takedown as the venerable Beretta M9. Featuring a 15 round .22LR magazine, removable sights, interchangeable grip panels that fit 9mm Berettas, The M9 22...

www.sportsmans.com

 

[Joe13]

Redundant but Ruger MK. I have a 1 and 3. The 1 started getting shot when I was 4 years old and became a safe queen for sentimental reasons when I got the 3 a couple years ago and did the upgrade it thing, but there is no telling how many boxes of every ammo out there it went thru before simi-retirement. The 3 is a tack driver and tons of fun to shoot with any ammo.


I also have a Walther P22 (the newish version) that eats all ammo, never jams if clean and has one of the easiest slides to run on any handgun I own. I bring it to the range often and shoot it occasionally to verify my mechanics are good and I'm not yanking the trigger or whatever. I've shot so many rounds thru it that it also runs double duty as my summer cargo shorts gun with good ammo in the mags cuz a .22 is better then nothing and I didn't buy an M&P Shield when the rest of the world did at dirt cheap prices and I'm to underfunded to buy random guns lol.


As far as a trainer goes, idk…. If I only had one .22 pistol it would be a Ruger MK#. It's nice to hit what you're aiming at.

Just my 2¢

 

[arrowshooter]

I'm another MkIV 22/45 fan boy, but I also have a Buckmark that is a touch more accurate. The Buckmark is tougher to maintain tho.

 

[Asavage270]

I would argue that the Taurus TX22 is the best .22lr pistol on the market right now.

16 to 22 round capacity, extremely reliable, sub 250$, great ergonomics as a trainer for full size handguns, threaded from the factory, eats any ammo I have thrown through it, and decent aftermarket options.

 

[thorborg]

"]Any .22 Pistols actually work as designed?"
I finally gave up and sold my rugers, Frankly though, I really blame the crappy and cheap fodder I was using rather than the guns. I had a Keltek 22mag did not jam. I dumped the auto feed pistols, of my 22's I now have, three that shoot spot on and refuse to jam regardless of fodder. one is a 9 shot! They just seem to feel and point better too.

 

[SurlyJohn]

PZM13, I am glad to find someone else with the exact same issues and experience with this gun. Now I don't feel so bad about all the problems it has. I am writing Sig Corporate today to see what they have to say, if anything, or what they do for a design flaw such as this one.
The gun was great for the first few trips to the range, then the jamming, light primer strikes, Failure to feed and eject, you name it, I've had at this point.
Great way to ruin a range day, at least the P226, P365, Glock model 19, Ruger SP101, and the Colt Python can be counted on and made the day fun.
I'll be buying a newer technology .22 pistol that has 10 round mags available since Oregon will probably pass that obnoxious ban this November. Rebuilding this lemon into a decent firing gun could be a good project. It was fun other than the trigger, when it worked.

 

[The Heretic]

Browning Buckmark
Beretta 21A
S&W 622

These have worked for me when using decent ammo

I've heard good things about the S&W Victory

The Mosquito is well known to be crap, which is probably why it was discontinued.

 

[WEE]

I have no problems with my S&W Victory, over 2,000 rounds fired, mostly CCI Mini Mags.

I also have nearly 1,000 rounds through my KelTec PMR 30 with no issues - no feed or extraction issues. Lucky I guess as I know many others have problems with this pistol. I only shoot CCI or Fiocchi 40 gr. CPRN, and load the mag to only 25 instead of 30.

Looking for a S&W model 63 ….

 

[Knobgoblin]

I'm sure no one will probably mention them (), but yeah.... Ruger MK series (don't matter which) flat out just run and eat just about anything. Easy to shoot, accurate, highly durable.... the only real drawback, if you can call it that, is the breakdown is "unique" and might take a few run throughs to master.

I have one that went through a house fire. Other than having to replace the handle grips and mucking up the finish... it's still running reliably on orginal parts.

Not that it's recommended, but it does say a bit about the engineering and construction.

I don't think there's anything particularly wrong with a mosquito, but there really does seem to be some reliability variations from one to the next. It may be outdated thinking, but I still kind of hold to.... if it won't operate reliably with mini-mags, it's a dud in my book. Not that it may not be correctable, but somethings definately not right.

Can't argue with the trigger suckage though.

The 1 big problem I have with my older Ruger pistols is that heel clip mag release. It works just fine, but has left me with a " training scar". Every time I enjoy a few hundred rounds through a mkI , my reflex correct magazine changes ( 1911 , glock, etc.) falls apart.

 

[jbett98]

My advise is to seek out a nice condition Colt Woodsman, preferably a second or third series model. Not cheap but well worth it in quality and accuracy.
A friend of mine has a 1st series Woodsman target model that has so many rounds through it there's hardly any grooves left inside the barrel.

 

[DirectDrive]

I have a Sig Sauer .22 Mosquito. Damn thing jams more than it shoots, use only quality CCI mini mag ammo as recommended by Sig, but it is a jam machine. Had a stovepipe jam at the range and the round discharged when trying to unjam it. I treat all guns as death bringers, so it was aimed safe down range and the round went into soil, but it still scared and stunned me at what a low quality hand gun this is. I know the Mosquito is not really a Sig, but does anyone know of a .22 pistol that doesn't jam and actually will shoot more than just certain high quality .22 ammo? I have two .22 rifles, a Sig 522 and a Ruger 10/22 and they eat any ammo I feed them, never jam, never misfire.

I've never owned a Mosquito, but from all the reviews on that pistol, it was a failed design.
SIG P322 seems to be quite different.

22 Plinkster evaluates P322

 

[ma96782]

Always been curious how the same Co can make ammo that's so good and so bad at the same time.

BUT, But, but......
I've HEARD THAT.......
Certain lots of ammo because they are good enough to pass muster will be regulated to the "better lines" of their ammo. While the "rejected lots" will be passed off to be sold as "bulk ammo".

If that is TRUE......do other companies do it too?

Yeah.......what do I know about how anything works. But, it's not like I see the various companies selling off their "rejects/2nds".

Aloha, Mark

 

[ktgee]

Funny enough, the most reliable .22 pistol I've ever owned is my Taurus TX22 Competition, which has not generally been my experience with guns from that brand. It has happily eaten everything I've given it, from the cheapest ammo up to Eley and Lapua, suppressed and unsuppresse

Have Ruger Mk 2 for 30 years, works great after countless of rounds. Recently getting more into 22lr shooting so I got a Taurus TX22 Comp. So far, over 500 rds of different ammo, work flawless and accurate with red dot mounted on the barrel instead of the slide. I'm looking into the new Sig Sauer P322 22lr 20rd magazine. Price is comparable to the TX22 comp. or cheaper about 400.00. It also has option to remove rear sight to add a red dot on the slide.

 

[bpyycpyy]

+1 for the Taurus TX22 (not competition model). I wanted the Walther P22 as it's very similar to the PK380 (to use as trainer pistol for the wife's gun due to it's similarity) but too many reviews about how picky it was with ammo selection. Decided on the Taurus TX22 due to pretty much every review commenting on how it ate every brand fed through it without any issues. TandemKross makes a bunch of aftermarket parts (at very reasonable prices) for upgrades, including some plus mag extensions for added rounds. Has lots of features that are standard, like threaded barrel. Good luck with your selection of a more reliable selection!

TandemKross TX22 upgrades page link (new is an option for $143 to add goodies to convert to a race gun):

TaurusTX™ 22 Standard Parts & Accessories | TANDEMKROSS

 

[Member 34319]

Taurus tx22 is extremely reliable. At least in my experiences.

 

[bpyycpyy]

While looking at TandemKross upgrade stuff I found this tool that can purchased for pretty cheap ($30). I was unaware of this and maybe it's not a thing but might be worth a try on your Sig. According to the page, dry firing a rimfire can cause firing pin impacts to the chamber and this hand swaging tool will remove them. Lots of reviews indicating that it worked for them to fix feed/ejection issues...or maybe the Sig is just a POS.

ChamberMade Chamber Ironing Swage Gunsmith Tool for .22lr, .22long, .22short | TANDEMKROSS

www.tandemkross.com