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Which .22 Semi Handgun?

KYbulldog

KYbulldog

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Aug 7, 2013
221
4
Kentucky
Want to purchase a .22 semi shooter for my boy. What's the best value out there? I get the feeling that some of these newer polymer full size look alike (or sized down) are more finicky with the type of ammo they'll shoot. Leaning towards a Ruger Mark 3 4" bull barrel or the Browning. (don't like the 22/45 due to the grip and mag extraction)
 
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Get the Ruger you're looking at. I've had them all. The copies can be pretty reliable, but accuracy usually sucks. Ruger gives you the best of both.
 
Can't go wrong with either one that you have mentioned. I bought the browning based on the grips it had, really felt great. BTW my browning eats any type of round you feed it. I have shot my brother's S&W model and it also shoots great. Was able to hit steel at 100 yds easily also, like I do with my browning. Rugers shoot just as accurate and eat everything up. STAY AWAY FROM THE MOSQUITO, very finicky pistol. My friends mosquito likes only CCI but not mini mags or standard velocity, it has to be the one labeled varmint. This is all my actual first hand experience I have with 22 handguns.
 
I bought a Browning Camper last Christmas. It shoots everything, but especially accurate with Remington Vipers. The holster and extra mags purchased on the Browning website were decidedly pricy, but all in all, very pleased with it. BB
 
I've had a Buckmark Bullseye for about 18 years now, has around 10k rounds through it, and it keeps eating anything I feed it. I pulled the original barrel off and replaced it with a Tacsol barrel to lighten it up a bit for backpacking, and I really like the new feel to it set up that way. Mags are plentiful and inexpensive, and I'm picking up another shorter barrel for it. Swapping barrels is about a five minute job. The trigger itself is near perfect, but mine is an adjustable version. I have a red dot on top of mine right now, and it makes 6" steel at 25yds feel like you're cheating. For GP or target shooting, I don't think you can beat the Buckmark.

The reason I'm not a Ruger fan is their barrels are the serialized portion of the handgun, so if you want to replace it you have to do another transfer.
 
Stick with Ruger---lots of aftermarket just like the 10/22 ! That being said I have the Hammerli/SIG, old High Standard Military Citation, and Smith 41. All will shoot perfect scores as will a tuned Ruger if the shooter is able. The Ruger is the least expensive option in my opinion.


For women and kids I rec the "Lite" model with a red-dot sight. Everyone loves em and it is more fun for them to get hits without so much practice---more new shooters! Building another one right now as others have "insisted" on buying the one for their wife or kids after trying it
 
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Can't really go wrong with Ruger Mk II/III, Browning Buckmark, GSG or SIG 1911-22. Also consider that many centerfire pistols come with 22 conversion kits, costs more but you get 2 for 1 this way.
 
Somewhat pricey and discontinued but available is the CZ Kadet. Reliable and fun.

Ruger MKIII 22/45 with MK II bushing and VZ grips. Bushing is easy install and makes mag changes and takedown less complicated. One of my favorites.


I suspect both will last for a couple of generations.
 
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Go with the Ruger. As Chard stated, mag drop can be improved. That being said, my favorite 22 pistol is my 1956 Colt Match Target. I have two grown sons and we have put 1,000's upon 1,000's of rounds through that pistol. It has always been very accurate.
 
That's a cool looking 22/45. What type finish on the lower/upper? Nice to know you can correct the mag extraction, that was a big detractor. Now I like the .22 conversion idea. Since it's the wife's idea to get my son a .22 pistol, well then that's pretty much a nod ok to get a 1911 to put a conversion on for the young man, wouldn't y'all agree?
So now I have to decide which 1911 and conversion kit…do I need to start a whole new thread? ;)
 
KYbulldog said:
That's a cool looking 22/45. What type finish on the lower/upper? Nice to know you can correct the mag extraction, that was a big detractor. Now I like the .22 conversion idea. Since it's the wife's idea to get my son a .22 pistol, well then that's pretty much a nod ok to get a 1911 to put a conversion on for the young man, wouldn't y'all agree?
So now I have to decide which 1911 and conversion kit…do I need to start a whole new thread? ;)
Click to expand...

I went with 2 separate guns - a RIA GI style 1911 in 45 and a GSG 1911-22. Couldn't find consistent reviews of a good 1911 conversion kit that had mags available...

If you like the Kadet posted above, EAA sells teh Witness which is a CZ97b clone, and has conversion kits available in many calibers including 22.
 
KYbulldog said:
That's a cool looking 22/45. What type finish on the lower/upper? Nice to know you can correct the mag extraction, that was a big detractor. Now I like the .22 conversion idea. Since it's the wife's idea to get my son a .22 pistol, well then that's pretty much a nod ok to get a 1911 to put a conversion on for the young man, wouldn't y'all agree?
So now I have to decide which 1911 and conversion kit…do I need to start a whole new thread? ;)
Click to expand...

Factory matte finish.
 
S&W makes a good 22, and you may find a good used, 422/622 which uses the same magazine as the Model 41, making it a good intro to that exquisite target gun.

Greg
 
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Of the Ruger / Buckmark, I'm a fan of the earlier Ruger MK II. I don't like the newer MKIIIs.

If you'll be adding a suppressor, the Buckmark gets the edge.
The barrel is easy to remove for threading.
It doesn't have the receiver attached which eliminates additional costs /problems if you have to send it off.
The open design doesn't trap / catch trash like the Ruger. Stays much cleaner.
While I've got the routine down for cleaning the Rugers, I still don't like taking them apart.

The Advantage Arms conversion is nice if you think you'd be happy with something like that.
I liked mine so much, I got a dedicated Glock 17 frame for it.
 
I bought a S&W 422 20 years & thousands of rounds ago & it will out shoot my rugers & is lighter also. It's my go to gun if I really need to hit something. Last year I headshot a squirl at 30 yards w/open sights. Lucky shot!
 
I just had a Ruger SR22 and got rid of it for a MKII. The MKII is so much fun I wonder why I didn't do it sooner. The gun has been 100% reliable (in around 300 rounds), while the SR jammed, FTE'd or had other problems at least 5 times in as many rounds. I got the long barrel on the MKII and love it!
 
If your looking at something to train with or run a can on don't over look the S&W MP22 handgun. Has all the same controls as the M&P handguns and you can just bye a barrel adapter and your ready to run a can. So for mine as ate any thing I run thru it. I have had a few FTE with my can and sub's but I havn't got more than 200 rounds down it yet. Hoping it breaks on in. I may need to run some HV stuff to work the spring in some.
 
I have been shooting a buckmark for a few years now and they are very accurate.
The bad is:
Your wife wont be able to cock it.
After about 100 shots or so they have FTF and FTE issues.
The only after market you can do to them is a hagus flip of the trigger spring, and a tac-sol barrel.
 
Quinc said:
I have been shooting a buckmark for a few years now and they are very accurate.
The bad is:
Your wife wont be able to cock it.
After about 100 shots or so they have FTF and FTE issues.
The only after market you can do to them is a hagus flip of the trigger spring, and a tac-sol barrel.
Click to expand...

I've always thought that an abundance of aftermarket stuff for something meant that there was something not right about initial design
 
ivanthesane said:
I've always thought that an abundance of aftermarket stuff for something meant that there was something not right about initial design
Click to expand...

627b3a6c3432d8d34663d6c7b05f47aa6c8b660d4907339cab8b4d998f3cbb27.jpg
 
My vote or advice is for the Ruger

A year ago I was on the same quest and I can't remember where I saw the .22 auto shootout, online or in one of my magazines. They very thoroughly compared, tested and evaluated all or most of the guns mentioned here. The Ruger Mark III was the winner followed by the Browning Buckmark. I bought the Ruger and have been very pleased. I owned a Mark II years ago and it was great two. A buddy of mine has the Ruger 22/45 and it's nice also but has more plastic and is lighter, I prefer the heavier and sturdier feel of the Mark III.

Mine is a bull barreled Target model, the only issue I have had was when a buddy's daughter inserted the magazine backwards and got it stuck. This requires a $25 tool or a trip back to Ruger to remedy. She will never again load a gun with the bullets pointing towards her, she felt pretty dumb when we pointed that fact out.
 
Look for a Ruger MKII, the MKIII has the chamber indicator which tends to get dirty. The Buckmark is another excellent firearm. I also had good luck with the S&W 22 but the trigger was a little heavy on that.
 
Of the 22lr handguns in my collection, there are only 2 that I can't be tempted to sell.
My 1995 Buckmark Varmint, and my new model Ruger single six stainless convertible.
The trigger and accuracy of the Buckmark is still the best of the semi-auto's I've tried,
and the fixed sights of the single six make it just plain fun to shoot. The kids prefer
the single six over the rest of the handguns, and would prefer to wait to shoot it,
than be side tracked by the semi-auto's available to be used.

Buckmark_Varmint.JPG


ruger-single-six.jpg
 
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browngbuckmk.jpg
I appreciate all the pics and info. I decided to "pull the trigger" on a basic buckmark (camper). The only thing I may add is a rail/rear sight to put a red dot on top, and a hi-viz front sight.
 
A fan of the Buckmark. Great little shooter. I also have a Mosquito. A nice plinker, but hard to take serious. Also if you plan or are thinking of putting a can on your new .22, note that the Buckmark barrels are easy to remove to have threaded. On the Ruger, the 'slide' is the registered part for ATF purposes.


As for the Mosquito, I wish I knew Sig was going to do their P22x .22 classic series, so I could get a 220 frame, and get the .45 slide for it later. But the Mosquito runs well on Mini-Mags, and was an inexpensive companion to my P226 and P229R 9mms.
 
How bad is the slide to rack? My wife fell in love with the Buckmark Lite on one of those TV shows, but she couldn't rack the slide on my dad's Browning BDA when we could have had it for a song. She has carpal tunnel and elbow tendinitis, fixed on her left, surgery pending on her right. I was going to with the Ruger 22/45 Lite until CT made it illegal, still looking around.
Quinc said:
I have been shooting a buckmark for a few years now and they are very accurate.
The bad is:
Your wife wont be able to cock it.
After about 100 shots or so they have FTF and FTE issues.
The only after market you can do to them is a hagus flip of the trigger spring, and a tac-sol barrel.
Click to expand...
 
I have tried polishing and using a ton of lube on the slide and she still can't get it. Shes pretty tough too. I think it has more to do with there is nothing to really grab on the slide so you have to pinch it and pull it back. If you rigged something up that would give her a better grip she might be able to do it. I found it easier just to get myself I mean the wife a .357 revolver. :)
 
Thanks! Passed the info on to her. I think a LGS might have a rental Buckmark and others, but we'll keep looking. Revolver might be how we go as well.
 
I have tried polishing and using a ton of lube on the slide and she still can't get it. Shes pretty tough too. I think it has more to do with there is nothing to really grab on the slide so you have to pinch it and pull it back.
Click to expand...

Shouldn't be that hard to cycle. I aquired my Buckmark due to the previous owner having the same problem.
What I found was two things had happened...the recoil buffer had been installed incorrectly,
and the top rear screw had been over torqued, both of which will cause the slide to bind.
Possible that your's may be suffering from the same conditions.
 
I have the ruger 22/45 - I know you said you do not like the handling and the extractor, and I get that.. Even more frustrating is breaking it down.. That being said it is the most accurate .22 I have ever fired, and I am happy I have it still... But breaking it down - especially since I bought mine new, makes you want to claw your own face off. S&W makes a funky looking .22, browning, sig - looks very promising as well.
 
I went with the Ruger 22/45 stainless target / hunter. You just have to remove the Loaded Chamber Indicator to make it a really good little pistol.
 
Michael Victor said:
Love the Ruger MKII. I've been running a MKIII (since I can't find a good MKII) and it's not bad.. except the crappy loaded chamber indicator and won't fire without the mag inserted. Boo.
Click to expand...
All the things you don't like about it can be easily corrected and its not expensive. Most of the parts are here Quality Aftermarket Ruger, Kel-Tec Parts & Accessories - TANDEMKROSS . I would also recommend the Volquartsen Mark II trigger as it eliminates the mag disconnect bullshit. Volquartsen Accurizing Kit Ruger Mark II 22/45 Black . What you can do to the Mark III is basically up to your imagination as there are so many aftermarket parts for it. It's like an AR15 in what you can do to it.
 
I own a Browning Buckmark with a Tac Sol threaded barrel & a Beretta 87. You can't go wrong with a Ruger Mark II or Buckmark.
 
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