Questions about .22 semi auto

[hackercat13]

Hello all!
My wife wants to start shooting with me, and I have always wanted a .22 semi-auto pistol. I was thinking Ruger, I really like the MkIII or the 22/45 with the bull barrel, or even a lightly used MK II...but....

I have heard they are difficult to clean and reassemble. There are a number of other choices out there that seem interesting as well, and are in my price point. Browning Buck Mark, walther P22, S&W model 22, and the Beretta that looks like a ray gun!

So...I am looking for some opinions, experiences, recommendations.
Thanks a ton!
Chris

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[rufus]

I've owned a few of the pistols you mentioned, and the only one I still have is a buckmark. Since your wife will be shooting the gun, I recommend you take a look at a UDX model buckmark. The grip with the built-in scallops works great for small and large hands alike. The perfect his & hers .22 IMO.

 

[45 for me]

I have the Buckmark and the Ruger MKIII. I would guess I am in the minority in preferring the Buckmark. The trigger is better, and in my hands, it more accurate. I have heard the MKII has a better trigger than the MKIII because it didn't have the magazine safety to kluge it up. The Buckmark is a little easier to dissasemble, although it requires an allen wrench. The MKIII requires a rubber mallet and a lot of f'ing around. I have heard they loosen up and become easier over time, but mine has shot several thousand rounds and still needs a mallet.

In my case the Buckmark is a little more reliable, although 22's, with dirty and cheap ammo, are never that reliable and both guns are still pretty good. I have heard horror stories about the Sig Mosquito's not cycling anything, but have no first hand experience with them. I don't own one, but I kind of like the Walther. The Browning is a little more like a target pistol, very accurate. The Walther is probably better training for a regular centerfire handgun.

 

[coupeowner]

Another vote for the Buckmark. I have had mine since the late 80's and love it. A ruger mkII has come and gone, I have shot a friends p22 extensively (when we finally found an ammo it liked), but I have no experience w/ the S&W or Beretta. In fact a co-worker just traded his Ruger for a Buckmark after shooting mine - so there's another vote for the Buckmark.

 

[G1GRANDEUR]

GSG 1911 .22LR

M&P .22LR (expensive)

Ruger MK II or MK III

Beretta U22 Neos (remind me of Nintendo duck game)

 

[FMJ 911]

I have an old Ruger Mark I from 1958. Bought it 5 years ago, and fired at least 1,000 rounds through it so far. It's a good gun, and they can be tricky to field strip so make sure to read a "Gun Disassembly Guide" first. And make sure to have at least 3 good working mags too!

 

[yskippy]

+1 on the Buckmark..love mine

 

[hackercat13]

Wow, really seems to be a landslide for the Buckmark so far! I like the 'practical' version with the fiber optic front sight and adjustable rear. I did like/am interested in the Walther exactly for the training purposes as 45 for me mentioned, but reliability is a big deal for me, and if it's ammo-picky, it's not a gun I want.

Skang, yeah, it does look like that, but I bet it's comfy to shoot!

Any more advice/opinions?
Chris

 

[hackercat13]

Oh, what about the Whitney Wolverine pistols? I have heard both love and horror stories about them.

 

[FMJ 911]

 

[hackercat13]

@FMJ 911- That's pretty sexy! Mk I or II?

 

[Aero Denezol]

I'll 'buck' the trend and vote for the Mark III. I bought myself a 22/45 for Christmas last year and I've put a few thousand rounds through it... no complaints whatsover. One or two FTF and a couple of misfires. I shoot it out to 20 or so yards and it's more accurate than I am. I've taught two different people to shoot on it, and they mastered it no problem.

I've only taken it down completely once, and admittedly, that is a pain, but IMO you shouldn't have to take down a 22 after every range session... I certainly don't my 22 rifles. A toothpick, a tweezer, and a patch soaked in Hoppe's has been enough to get the 22/45 chamber clean. Although for the record, it will loosen up a lot after repeated use.

My Mark III really likes the Walmart 40 gr Federal ammo, which is cheap. It will not reliably cycle the Pete's/Remington variety for some reason, ditto some of the 32 gr Remington types.. 22 autos can be picky about ammo & from what I understand the Buckmark is the same.

I liked that the Mark III came with an extra magazine, which the Buckmark did not. When you are shooting a 22 pistol you'll go through a lot of rounds and it's nice to be able to just pop in the second mag and keep shooting. The controls and the grip angle being somewhat similar to the 1911 improved my 1911 shooting a lot. Overall I'd say it's a very tough little pistol and very well priced. I also chose between Browning and Ruger and I've no regrets with my decision.

 

[FMJ 911]

View attachment 30128

It's a Mark I from 1958, it still works good! but mags are hard to find. Mark II Mags won't work very good.

 

[rufus]

I shoot 1911's a lot, and it is the grip angle of the Ruger that I dislike the most about the gun. Could not get used to it at all. To me, the buckmark's grip angle is much closer to the 1911. Ruger makes a good .22, no doubt about it.

If you do consider a buckmark, be aware that some models include cheap plastic parts that over time cause problems. The camper model comes to mind. The rear sight base was plastic on mine, but I mixed & matched some parts from a few different models.

This was a camper UDX model that now includes a Field 5.5 barrel, sights , and rail. No more plastic and the balance was much improved. The contour model is very good, I just did not care for the rubber grip

 

[fishkisser101]

Purchased a Ruger 22/45 last fall and have put about 4,000 rounds through it. Speedloader and half a dozen mags in a range pouch helped. Used to shoot mostly cheap Federal but get much better groups with CCIs once I move past 20 yds. Have only had maybe half-a-dozen FTEs, and two FTFs, all with Federal rounds. Some of that stuff doesn't even sound right (but it's cheap).

Whichever .22 semi-auto pistol you purchase, make sure the shooter knows proper TRB drill. .22 rimfire is simply not the most reliable round, and FTF and FTE's are relatively common. Really, I think all these pistols are somewhat picky. Nature of the beast (or the round).

Swapped out the rear partridge blade for a notch and mounted an ivory bead on a ramp on the front ("dot the i"). Didn't much care for the stock irons, and didn't much care for available upgrades like FireSights. bead is a bit snaggy in the Uncle Mike's holster but it's not like I'm doing speed draws. Invading zombie soda cans are pretty slow-moving....

Also purchased a set of Dominic's rubberized grips from the 22/45 forum at rimfirecentral.com, because the frame is narrow even for my smallish hands. I do think it's important to hold a few pistols with grip and sight picture in mind, not just the name or the profile. Lots of good info at rimfire.com about .22 pistols but putting flesh on the bluing and lining up the sights can be much more helpful.

Field stripping the 22/45 is really not that much of an issue if you refresh yourself with the instructions beforehand the first few times, or simultaneously watch one of the many youtube how-to videos. I find it a cinch now, but really only break it down every 500 rounds or so now that I'm only shooting cleaner ammo. Mostly just run the boresnake through it a couple times and wipe the exterior after a session.

Either way you go--happy shooting!

 

[shayne]

man oh man im sure ill get a buck mark some day they look good .i was hitting a target at 100 yards standing with the 6.8 inch barrel mark 3 thats one i should have never sold

 

[Key-Hay]

I bought this 10 years ago and it's always the favorite of Kids, Teenagers, and My wife. With the red dot mounted (Solow who made the mounts went out of business) it's scary accurate.

 

[hackercat13]

Wow, that is nice! The scope looks bigger than the pistol. How much does it weigh?

 

[FMJ 911]

My Dad would be all over that!

 

[Key-Hay]

The scope has sun shields front and back. There made of thin spun aluminum so weight is nothing. The Kids like shooting it cause it doesn't weigh that much.