Classic Rimfire Handgun Shootout!

[Spitpatch]

Silver Lake, Oregon, 40 years ago: A roommate and I "bailed out" of town for a three day weekend in the winter desert. Datsun station wagon (with chains), nylon tent, and guns.
The second afternoon there, exploring in the little car, I saw a stretch of rimrock about 3/4 of a mile long and suggested we walk it for Cottontails with our "new" pistols. Six inches of snow on the ground, 20 degrees outside and no wind, with evening approaching. Made to order for bunny huntin'!

Actually, only my buddy's pistol was new. A Ruger Standard MKII, with the 5" bull barrel. He bought it on my suggestion and it shot well when we tested it and sighted it in. The rimrock was crawling with rabbits, and in about 45 minutes, I had 4 flopping against my legs, their heads pulled up through my leather belt for carry. I missed just as many. Greg missed a lot, and almost whined, "Why doesn't my pistol do as good as yours?"

My pistol (new to me) was a well-worn High Standard HD military, 6.75" barrel. Greg's pistol should have kept pace: He'd handicapped it by shooting different ammo than it was sighted with. Not knowing that made a big difference, he blamed the gun.

But that HD WAS a real shooter. My first auto pistol, it whipped a Browning Medalist on one occasion. I kept it until a month ago. Sold only because I found it's twin, but near-mint condition, at a "friend" price. (Oh, yeah: I sold the old one to another friend, so I can still shoot it if I want.)

A fascination sparked by that gun has led to other target .22's "gravitating" to me in a fair number: Enough so that I decided I'd put 'em up against each other. This is that report.

This is not represented as any sort of scientific evaluation of accuracy. I fed every gun my preferred hunting ammo (since these guns were acquired for that purpose): CCI Mini Mag 36gr HP.
There is no doubt that some of these guns would shoot other ammo better (or worse) if tested for such. That's not happening here. They danced with the one I brung 'em. I have found this ammo to be VERY accurate for High Velocity HP, reliable function in ALL guns, clean, and delivers reliable expansion on game. (Some HP's do NOT.)

To be sure, there were some Pleasant Surprises, and a few Disappointments.

THE GUNS:



Clockwise from upper right:
Colt's Woodsman Match Target 3rd Series, Smith and Wesson Model 17-4, Ruger Standard MKII, Browning Nomad, Kimber Classic Gold Match (Kimber .22lr Conversion installed), Hi-Standard Model HD Military.

...To be Continued....

Read More

 

[flydipper]

Awesome story, I think High Standards are great pistols and the prices of HD Military's are going up and up. Here's a pic of my High Standard Olympic Display at the Colorado Gun Collectors show last Sept. I am adding another display this year for Kansas City which will have an example of every High Standard exposed hammer production model that was made.

 

[Spitpatch]

Sorry about the delay (prolonged intermission?). Running a chainsaw most of last week, snowstorm cleanup.

METHODOLOGY:

Sounds scientific, doesn't it? Well, its not. None of this is. Remember?

Each pistol (after a "fouling magazine") was allowed 4 groups of five shots at a laser-measured 25yd (two groups each in the course of two different days).

Ammunition was, as stated earlier, CCI Mini Mag HP 36gr. Fed to ALL guns.

No aftermarket enhancements were employed (the Ruger's Crimson Trace grip was not utilized). All guns wore "block and slot" target sights as furnished stock. No trigger kits.

Hold was what I call, "Wrist Rest": Two- hand hold at the bench, with the hands only resting on an ear bag. (No barrel portion contact to bags.)

Target was an Official 50ft Slow Fire Pistol Target (in this case unscientifically used at 25yds). The black bull measures 3". Being a bit undersized for this range ( I feel) made it easier to achieve a slightly more precise sight picture over the block-and-slot sights on all these guns.

From the outset, I believed measured (with calipers) groups would be necessary in this horse race, and that was seemingly supported by the first group out of the first gun out of the gate: Also the cheapest most economically manufactured gun in the stable tried.

Ruger MKII 5.5 bull barrel. 25yds, Wrist Rest, CCI Mini Mag HP . Group measures .527".

This group floored me. I just could not wait for the wonderful things that guns of greater style, grace and reputation would do.

Next: Verify Results! (Sounds scientific, doesn't it?)

 

[Spitpatch]

Well, the MKII was certainly an eye-opener, and I immediately wrote the group off as a fluke, despite 5-shot groups normally being a check on that possibility.

It's second group (shot very carefully, in order to give it a good chance) was more "normal", in the range just over an inch. Still pretty good for a "cheap" pistol (they're over $550 now retail). This pretty well convinced me the first group was indeed an anomaly.

Second gun shot was the Kimber Conversion. I had rough-sighted it when I bought the conversion kit a year or so ago, so this was also an opportunity to refine the sight settings. Switching from .45ACP to .22lr is as fast as removing the upper section including slide, barrel, guide rod, spring, etc., and replacing it with the Kit group. (About 30 seconds for anyone who knows their way around a Model 11.)

Now, this gun perhaps enjoyed a slight advantage, in that Kimber practically insists that CCI Mini Mags are employed for proper function. Most likely a mechanical recommendation rather than for accuracy, but still, this is the ammo the Kit was designed for.

And it did very well, perhaps in part aided by a wonderful trigger (previously adjusted for .45ACP shooting), and a very beefy barrel with a finely rebated crown:


Kimber Classic Gold Match (Kimber .22lr conversion installed)


The crown on the Kimber Conversion Unit is beautifully rebated and may have contributed significantly to accuracy. The silver slide in contrast with the blued frame allows fast visual confirmation regarding present caliber of this gun.

Next: Who was Francis Gary Powers?

 

[flydipper]

Well, the MKII was certainly an eye-opener, and I immediately wrote the group off as a fluke, despite 5-shot groups normally being a check on that possibility.

It's second group (shot very carefully, in order to give it a good chance) was more "normal", in the range just over an inch. Still pretty good for a "cheap" pistol (they're over $550 now retail). This pretty well convinced me the first group was indeed an anomaly.

Second gun shot was the Kimber Conversion. I had rough-sighted it when I bought the conversion kit a year or so ago, so this was also an opportunity to refine the sight settings. Switching from .45ACP to .22lr is as fast as removing the upper section including slide, barrel, guide rod, spring, etc., and replacing it with the Kit group. (About 30 seconds for anyone who knows their way around a Model 11.)

Now, this gun perhaps enjoyed a slight advantage, in that Kimber practically insists that CCI Mini Mags are employed for proper function. Most likely a mechanical recommendation rather than for accuracy, but still, this is the ammo the Kit was designed for.

And it did very well, perhaps in part aided by a wonderful trigger (previously adjusted for .45ACP shooting), and a very beefy barrel with a finely rebated crown:

View attachment 1182266
Kimber Classic Gold Match (Kimber .22lr conversion installed)

View attachment 1182284
The crown on the Kimber Conversion Unit is beautifully rebated and may have contributed significantly to accuracy. The silver slide in contrast with the blued frame allows fast visual confirmation regarding present caliber of this gun.

Next: Who was Francis Gary Powers?

U2 pilot shot down over Russia who subsequently liberated a High Standard HDMS from him which sits on display in the Kremlin building. A friend tried to repatriate the pistol from them to no avail.

 

[TNThomas]

You have to love an accurate 22 handgun, too much fun. Last year I bought a Soviet TOZ-35m olymic "free" pistol. They are made specifically for the 50m one handed shooting competitions. It came with wood blank "chunks" that were for the shooter to hand carve to their hand. I kept with the tradition and spent 38 hours with a dremil carving them to my hand. Literally fits like a glove. 15 gram trigger weight. Martini action single shot 22lr.

 

[Member 52301]

Good thread and thank you for sharing.

Pretty firearms too!

I will show this thread to my husband. He likes to read posts like this too.

Take care!

Cate

 

[orygun]

This will be a fun thread and I'm following along, but "know" the best one was tested first.
Some might call me biased. I've been shooting the one on the right for over 50 years.

 

[dangerranger60]

I enjoy accurate 22 cal pistols. We have a Ruger MK1, Buckmark, a Ruger SR22, a single six, and a woodsman.
My own favorite is the Ruger MK1. on different days I can shoot any of them well enough to put a smile on my face but the MK1 is just a favorite! DR

 

[Spitpatch]

Kewpie Doll to @flydipper.

In a glass museum display case in the Kremlin is a label identifying an artifact of grave historical significance. The label reads similar to this:

"Evidence of the United States' armed aggression against the people of the Soviet Union, May 1st, 1960."

The artifact described is a High Standard HD Military (a modified model perhaps CIA designed).
If you are an American Citizen (and certainly if you were alive in 1960), any good Russian citizen holds you responsible for this armed aggression.

The short story is that Powers was the pilot of a U2 (that's a spy plane and maybe source material for Bono's band title). Got caught at it (a significant part of which was being shot down). He was in possession of the gun. By some agreement...and we all know how Russia has recognized rules of war...it is understood that reconnaissance aircraft be unarmed. All sides know that survival weapons (or suicide weapons...to avoid torture) are regularly carried. But it gave the USSR a huge bargaining chip besides the life of Francis Gary Powers.

But this is about shooting target pistols.

The HD Military shot precisely as expected (since I'd had one before), and gave the next contender Colt's Woodsman a hot run for its money.



Next: A five year-old in the basement jail facility at the Humboldt County Courthouse.

 

[flydipper]

Kewpie Doll to @flydipper.

In a glass museum display case in the Kremlin is a label identifying an artifact of grave historical significance. The label reads similar to this:

"Evidence of the United States' armed aggression against the people of the Soviet Union, May 1st, 1960."

The artifact described is a High Standard HD Military (a modified model perhaps CIA designed).
If you are an American Citizen (and certainly if you were alive in 1960), any good Russian citizen holds you responsible for this armed aggression.

The short story is that Powers was the pilot of a U2 (that's a spy plane and maybe source material for Bono's band title). Got caught at it (a significant part of which was being shot down). He was in possession of the gun. By some agreement...and we all know how Russia has recognized rules of war...it is understood that reconnaissance aircraft be unarmed. All sides know that survival weapons (or suicide weapons...to avoid torture) are regularly carried. But it gave the USSR a huge bargaining chip besides the life of Francis Gary Powers.

But this is about shooting target pistols.

The HD Military shot precisely as expected (since I'd had one before), and gave the next contender Colt's Woodsman a hot run for its money.

View attachment 1186199

Next: A five year-old in the basement jail facility at the Humboldt County Courthouse.

The Powers HD was indeed a CIA (OSS) designed pistol that was integrally suppressed from the factory. Most of them utilized a USA-HD model but there were a number of them built using the HD Military rollmarked slide. It is most likely the latter when the mission wanted no tie to the US. Speculation has it they are still active. Most of the ones in civilian hands came from Europe. The piece is also replicated quite often.

 

[Spitpatch]

Winnemucca, Nevada. Probably around the same time Francis Gary Powers got shot down:

Dad was shooting indoor smallbore pistol competition once a week at the Police range in the basement of the Courthouse (where the jail was also located). As a G.I. who labored under the illusion he could afford 4 dependents and 5 horses, he moonlighted as a cab driver and got to know all the cops as a result, became best friends with the Sheriff himself.

Dad's gun was a Colt's Woodsman Match Target. He would take me along, and I would sit behind him while on the line and load the next magazine for him, my fingers becoming raw. When we got home, he'd take out his little cleaning kit, scrub the Colt and let me do the final wipe-down of the gun. I never forgot how it looked and felt in my hand.

Recently and sadly, a dear friend passed. The family was kind enough to contact me when beginning to liquidate some guns, and I ended up with one I've wanted all my life, but would give a thousand of them away to have my friend back: a Woodsman Match Target. Just like Dad's.

And, just like Dad's, it shot VERY well, with a characteristic "clustering" of three or more in nearly every group of five.



Next: High hopes for the "Cadillac".

 

[orygun]

"Just like Dad's."
If I may ask, what happened to Dad's?

Grandpa sold the Colt Woodsman he had to do something like pay rent or feed the family. He told Dad he bought a cheap Ruger to replace it many years later, which is the Ruger I have now.
The Woodsman Target is about the finest 22 handgun I've ever handled.

 

[FALshot]

This will be a fun thread and I'm following along, but "know" the best one was tested first.
Some might call me biased. I've been shooting the one on the right for over 50 years.

View attachment 1184162

Very impressive display!

 

[RX-79G]

Sorry about the delay (prolonged intermission?). Running a chainsaw most of last week, snowstorm cleanup.

METHODOLOGY:

Sounds scientific, doesn't it? Well, its not. None of this is. Remember?

Each pistol (after a "fouling magazine") was allowed 4 groups of five shots at a laser-measured 25yd (two groups each in the course of two different days).

Ammunition was, as stated earlier, CCI Mini Mag HP 36gr. Fed to ALL guns.

No aftermarket enhancements were employed (the Ruger's Crimson Trace grip was not utilized). All guns wore "block and slot" target sights as furnished stock. No trigger kits.

Hold was what I call, "Wrist Rest": Two- hand hold at the bench, with the hands only resting on an ear bag. (No barrel portion contact to bags.)

Target was an Official 50ft Slow Fire Pistol Target (in this case unscientifically used at 25yds). The black bull measures 3". Being a bit undersized for this range ( I feel) made it easier to achieve a slightly more precise sight picture over the block-and-slot sights on all these guns.

From the outset, I believed measured (with calipers) groups would be necessary in this horse race, and that was seemingly supported by the first group out of the first gun out of the gate: Also the cheapest most economically manufactured gun in the stable tried.
View attachment 1181643
Ruger MKII 5.5 bull barrel. 25yds, Wrist Rest, CCI Mini Mag HP . Group measures .527".

This group floored me. I just could not wait for the wonderful things that guns of greater style, grace and reputation would do.

Next: Verify Results! (Sounds scientific, doesn't it?)

I don't think this is an anomaly. My brother and I shared a similar MKII, and with CCI Mini Mag and a 2x scope we could hit a .308 case at 25 yards every shot, and do the same at 50 yards to shotgun hulls. They are accurate because they are simple.

 

[DLS]

I don't think this is an anomaly....

This ...

The Mk series of Ruger .22s are overall very accurate when paired with the proper ammo. I've seen many fired over the years in Bullseye competition (and I used a MKII myself), and they all could easily hold the ten-ring without any difficulty.

 

[Spitpatch]

@orygun's unfinished business first

Dad's Woodsman I never saw again after we left Winnemucca. My guess is he sold it to pay bills, or...more optimistically... he did buy his first new high power bolt action (Winchester M70 .264) in Winnemucca, and maybe the Woodsman went for trade.

Sometimes etiquette pays off:

At a gun show some years ago, the guy behind the table said, "Your Daddy took you to gun shows, didn't he?" I was taken aback by the question, so he clarified that he noticed I was walking around with my hands clasped behind my back. We both shared a laugh and traded anecdotes about being taught Gun Show Etiquette by our Dads. (Mine would pop me in the back of the head with his knuckle if I reached out to touch anything without asking: even a dish of candy.)

Clasping my hands behind my back became my "Fail Safe" to avoid a knot on my head. To this day I catch myself doing it, but more importantly I am abhorred by those who handle ANY gun that is not theirs without asking permission first. In ANY setting other than a safety measure.

Gun stores are another setting where etiquette should be expected, learned and performed. One should not "hover" around two persons talking business over a gun, and NEVER inject one's self into the conversation unless invited.

At my local gun shop about 4 years ago visiting with the Proprietor (a close friend), we both looked toward the door when a Customer came in with a soft pistol case and approached the counter. I respectfully removed myself to the other side of the store in order for business to commence (certainly I did not remove all my attention). The pistol was a Smith and Wesson Model 17- 4. 8-3/8" barrel, target hammer, trigger, and grips. The whole enchilada. (Some may not be aware these features were not standard, though we all imagine them to be.) For me, it was a gun I wanted "someday". A Model 57 served me well on Deer and Antelope, and this would be a "practice partner" for it.

The two discussed money, store owner could not meet the asking price, gun owner declined an offer, consignment was mentioned as an option and similarly declined. They shook hands and parted amicably, the gun owner went out the door, at which point I quickly asked the store owner if he would mind me "chasing that guy before he gets in his rig"? (I did not want to step on toes if the merchant thought their deal might be closed later.)

"Go for it!" was the answer, and I hit the door, buying the gun for far less than I ever expected to pay. It was in such good shape that I asked about a box, since he also allowed as how he was the original owner. Sadly, he said he thought he'd saved it, but could not locate it when he decided to sell.

Two weeks later I got a call from my gun shop owner. saying the guy had come back in with the box! Advised I was a regular there, he left it at the shop for me. "Making your Manners" (as my Mom called it) paid well.

The gun I thought might sweep all these autos in this test did not do well (or I did not do well with it). Horizontal strings, then vertical strings indicate shooter error (probably in grip or trigger interaction). I DO hate those wooden SW Target Grips. Sharp edge on the bottom and even though my hands are large, the grip feels too fat. On my 57, Pachmayrs went on it almost immediately. That's about all the excuse I can make. The trigger was good, but heavier than I would have liked. Maybe it was the fuel (ammo) it ran on, but the Cadillac (with me behind the wheel) certainly sputtered.



Next: "What's HE doin' in here!"

 

[Spitpatch]

October 2015, Northeast Montana:

I was bowhunting Whitetails in open country (if you laugh, the Ranch Owner beat you to it long ago).

A long walk, and worked my way back to the 4-wheeler. Stored the pack and bow, watered, then started it up toward camp. Late afternoon to evening is critter time, and a huge Jack Rabbit came out of the sage just in front of the machine and ran full speed.

I killed the rig, kept my eye on him, and he stopped near a big Sage and the ears went flat. In my pack was a .22 pistol. I snaked off the bike, hid behind it, groped into my pack and got the gun. Worked the slide, safety on, and began the stalk.

If you've never done this, NEVER look at the rabbit (for very long). NEVER walk right toward the rabbit. Swing wide and come in slower than you started. Having spent a large portion of my formative years in Winnemucca, Nevada was paying off 50 years later. We ate a lot of rabbit then. (Not Jacks).

One pop in the top of the shoulder at 30 yards and he was done.

The gun was a Browning Nomad, 4.5" barrel. My "fanny pack" gun for years. Such duty recalls a certain Skunk in the wall tent just after midnight, with the Nomad as my only companion.

It still delivers Jackrabbit shoulder groups:



I don't believe there's another gun that looks so "Star-Trekkie" cool.

I will also say that during this shooting session, NO other pistol had a better trigger. NO other pistol cycled like closing the door on a '68 Sedan DeVille.
I was reminded of having shot a Medalist (this gun's big brother) with every pull of the trigger. None smoother.

Next: Extra Bonus Feature!

 

[DeanMk]

Spitpatch,

Would you know if the S&W Model 41 is based on the Colt Woodsman Match Target?
They always looked nearly the same to me.
Great stories btw. Thanks for posting them.

 

[Biblethumpncop]

I enjoy these stories as well!