Best .22LR semi-auto for new shooters?

[STONER_63]

Hey all,

I have a Ruger Mk IV that is great for plinking and range fun, but want to find a good .22 pistol for teaching new shooters. I was excited about the Glock 44, but saw a lot of negative reviews and was advised to steer clear.

Have also been looking at the Browning Buckmark.

Any suggestions from the group, based on your knowledge and experience?

Read More

 

[Finnthedog]

G44 runs fine with 40g federal bulk pack or cci I have 2

 

[peteNW503]

Taurus TX22 is pretty great I had a Glock 44 sold it. Tx22 feels great and 16 round magazines eats up every type of ammo I've fed it and trigger feels great! G44 is picky with ammo likes CCI/higher quality stuff. Also the TX22 comes with a threaded barrel adapter so you can put a suppressor on it right out the box. I think it is $150 for a threaded barrel on the G44 so we are looking at $350-400 for the gun plus that $150 for that threaded barrel; or a TX22 with higher capacity, better ammo selection with threaded barrel for $250-300

 

[Member 34319]

Taurus TX22 10,000 round review.

I’ve rolled over on 10 thousand recently, and I’ve been wanting to post a review on this pistol for a bit. With the help of 8 more mags added to the fleet, I can get 150 rounds through it before needing to reload now! I usually only load 15 though they do hold 16 each. I do this all by hand...

www.northwestfirearms.com

 

[Hueco]

Teaching new shooters ... what exactly?

Proper grip, trigger control, aiming? Nothing wrong with the MKIV...

Holster Draws and concealed carry? Gotta love the Taurus. (Most of their stuff may be suspect, but credit where credit is due).

There's also a .22LR version of the Baretta 72fs that may be good for this purpose.

I know you want a semi, but the Ruger Wrangler is a darn fine revolver for the money.

 

[Member 34319]

Ruger Wrangler is a darn fine revolver for the money.

+1000

Ruger Wrangler

I know I said I made it through 2020 without a gun purchase. I kind of lied. Wife “gifted” me a Wrangler for Christmas. By “gifted” I mean I bought it as her Christmas gift to me! So yes, almost the entire year without buying a single gun! Wanted to get this one for some time, just never did...

www.northwestfirearms.com

 

[Kruel J]

Smith and Wesson M&P .22 (full size or compact)
Ruger MK series
Taurus TX-22
Glock 44

In that order. Only reason the Smith tops the Ruger MK for me is the ergos and the more "standard" type grip and controls. Teaching new shooters with a Ruger MK series is great but being a bolt driven SA pistol it doesn't transfer much to most other larger caliber offerings.

 

[dangerranger60]

For teaching new shooters I am looking at guns that have enough grip to get all fingers on. Big easy to see sights, and enough barrel length to be able to shoot it well. The OP's Ruger should be just fine. In my family we have a Ruger MK1, and a Buckmark. both do just fine for that job. One of my daughter inlaws also shoots a Ruger SR22, It does that job fine too! DR

 

[STONER_63]

Great feedback, thanks to all. PewPew Tactical recommended the Buckmark, but it looks like the Taurus is a real bargain - and a reliable one at that. I am just looking to teach the wife and kids fundamentals of pistol marksmanship that can be transferred to standard 9mm semis down the road. Again, thanks for the great guidance!

 

[2ndtimer]

Smith and Wesson M&P .22 (full size or compact)
Ruger MK series
Taurus TX-22
Glock 44

In that order. Only reason the Smith tops the Ruger MK for me is the ergos and the more "standard" type grip and controls. Teaching new shooters with a Ruger MK series is great but being a bolt driven SA pistol it doesn't transfer much to most other larger caliber offerings.

My wife prefers the S&W M&P 22 Compact to the 22/45 MK III. In my case, the M&P eats everything while the Ruger has a tendency to choke on some hollow point ammo, like CCI MiniMag and Winchester. The MK III runs the hollow point Federal and Aguila okay, but chokes on the more blunt nosedHP's.

 

[User 1234]

Teaching new shooters is much easier with a suppressed gun. No recoil, no noise, and you can give verbal instructions without electronic muffs. Smith and Wesson 422 and similar are easy to suppress with a simple nut change. No need for a new barrel or high sights.

 

[jackrv]

Anything that doesn't start with Glock

 

[K-22]

Hey all,

I have a Ruger Mk IV that is great for plinking and range fun, but want to find a good .22 pistol for teaching new shooters. I was excited about the Glock 44, but saw a lot of negative reviews and was advised to steer clear.

Have also been looking at the Browning Buckmark.

Any suggestions from the group, based on your knowledge and experience?

I have a Buckmark in the forum classifieds.
Got it for one of the grandkids, but it did not have "the look" they thought their image required.
Best,

Gary

 

[ELIMINATOR]

Ruger SR22 is a great .22!!!

 

[ilikegunspdx]

One I can recommend is the Walther p22Q. Great trigger, good sights, easy to rack slide, reliable and u can increase mag capacity to 15 rounds via the tandemkross $26 spring and follower kit. Plus it has a threaded barrel so u can put a suppressor on it if u want. U can also buy a longer barrel (5") for about $120 if so inclined which makes it the same gun as the p22q target model (which is more expensive). Pre panic the cheapest I saw these was about $245 ($219 on one sale was actually the cheapest) for the standard 3.4" barrel version.

For shear fun I would get a 6.5" heritage rough rider or shorter barrel version if you think that is too heavy. They r pretty heavy for a very small child though I suppose. They are $119 at cheapest to about $145. 4 click single action like a colt single action army makes you want to work the action all the time just for fun. U can add a 22 magnum cylinder for $26 or add fancy grips or engraved fancy cylinders for about $30 each. These guns are a blast to shoot cuz you can play cowboy ha ha.

 

[JohnnyMac]

Paul Harrell (youtube) has a great video on the Taurus and compares it to a couple mentioned here.

 

[Lotsatiques]

S&W Victory - why nobody mentioned it? It's a great 22 semi. The MK4's are great too and of course you can never go wrong with the TX22 or SR22 (altho the grip is on the small side). I own all of them. My favorite is the TX22 Competition but the problem with a Taurus is their customer service is horrible. Actually it's worse than horrible. it's non existent.

David

 

[wollzy]

I think the negatives of the Glock 44 get overstated just because thats how the gun crowd gets. After the Sig drop fire issue people acted like every Sig ever made was going to go off if you looked at it funny. That being said the main issue I found with the G44 is the mags which can usually be remedied by loading the mag, pulling the tabs on the side, then turning it over and shaking it so the rounds align at a steeper angle. Stupid workaround but it works. Overall it's not a bad gun IMO and it's what I've taught my kids on. I could be bias though since I own one.

 

[PNW Partisan]

S&W M&P22c, Ruger SR22, TX22

 

[GrayGoose]

G44 runs fine with 40g federal bulk pack or cci I have 2

Glock 44, haha yeah, no. Not until they pull their head out of their Diane Feinstein and come out with 15+ round magazines for it.