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Suggestions for .22 Pistol

fpdsniper

Sergeant
Commercial Supporter
Full Member
Minuteman
I will soon be teaching NRA Basic Pistol classes, and need to pick up a .22 for new shooters to try out. Looking for suggestions. Right now, I'm considering the Ruger MkII series, Browning Buckmarks, and Sig Mosquito. Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks!


Donnie
 
Re: Suggestions for .22 Pistol

It is a little more expensive but my ruger MKIII hunter can bust clay pigeons at 100yards all day long with no malfunctions.

I also own a walther p22 but it is real finnicky on operation.

You might want to throw a .22 revolver like the single six in with your purchases so you have more options to instruct.
 
Re: Suggestions for .22 Pistol

New model buck marks have a magazine disconnect and a plastic buffer to prevent firing pin strikes against the breech face. They are accurate and reliable. In my opinion, its the best .22 pistol in its price range.
 
Re: Suggestions for .22 Pistol

S&W 622
MVC-013S-6.jpg
 
Re: Suggestions for .22 Pistol

Ruger. I have many 1000's of rounds through 3 and they are durable, good shooters and have the best aftermarket upgrades/accessories available. Brownings are nice, too, but I prefer the Ruger over them.
 
Re: Suggestions for .22 Pistol

Any of the Browning Buckmarks or the Ruger MkII or MkIII pistols will do nicely for semi-auto "learner" or "trainer" pistols.

Another thing to consider is whether you want to go the semi-auto route at all...particularly if the new shooters you will be training plan on using wheel guns instead of pistols for PP/HD. If you want to consider some good .22LR wheel guns, take a look at the Smith 317/617 .22LR revolvers.
 
Re: Suggestions for .22 Pistol

I recently picked up a Beretta NEOS. It has been a great little shooter. It is very good for me as I have small/medium sized hands. A lot of people don't care for the way it looks, but it shoots everything and is pretty accurate out of the box. Considering the price and ease of break down, I can't think of a better plinker.
 
Re: Suggestions for .22 Pistol

When it comes to rimfire semi autos I am a Ruger MK series fan. I owned a Buckmark a long time ago and it would be a fine choice too. I'd stay away from a really compact pistol (regardless of make/model). If it's harder to hit with it's easier to get discouraged by. That doesn't help teaching a new shooter.

+1 on a revolver too.

When I got my certification the instructor pointed out that it's good to have examples for students to try. I already had a MKII, my dad's MKI, & a conversion for my 1911 but didn't have a revolver. I bought a 4" SP101 .22 here to fill that spot.

Basic Pistol is just that. It's designed for people with very little or in many cases zero experience. Having as many examples as possible can make it easier for some folks to catch on. As opposed to just explaining the difference they can get hands/eyes on.
 
Re: Suggestions for .22 Pistol

I love my Ruger Mk series pistols.. I own a Mk 1, Mk II, and a Mk III. That being said I think for beginners to pistol shooting, the weight of the Ruger might be too heavy? I'm not saying that it won't work, but for the beginner it's hard enough to shoot a pistol well. You don't want to add in the extra fatigue of a heavier pistol...
 
Re: Suggestions for .22 Pistol

New shooters? The kind who drop guns in the dirt or slap them down on the tailgate? I'd buy a Ruger 22/45. They're cheap, durable, and pretty dang accurate. I have one for exactly that purpose.
 
Re: Suggestions for .22 Pistol

I put a tac-sol Pac-Lite barrel on a 22/45 frame for my kids...it is very light.
 
Re: Suggestions for .22 Pistol

If you're teaching a firearms course, I'd get firearms that mimic what people shoot. GSG 1911, mosquito, p22, issc 22 (glock look alike), etc.

The problem with many advocated so far is that they aren't even close to their centerfire counterparts you're training for. The buckmark/Ruger/neos doesn't operate, point, feel, or even cycle like a typical centerfire handgun.

Teaching reassembly, magazine changes, clearing jams, safety engagement, etc will not transfer cleanly to any current centerfire. This especially gets compounded when the typical firearms course student has handled *maybe* 2 guns in their whole lives.

You might as well teach people to drive automatic, and test them on their ability to drive stick.
 
Re: Suggestions for .22 Pistol

A basic pistol class doesn't mean you are now locked into having to shoot a certain type of pistol......or mean that it is a defensive pistol course. An NRA basic pistol course is just that...basic and an introduction. The Ruger 22/45 is designed just for simulating grip and controls of a 1911 and any auto 22 will teach mag changes, jams and clears. A basic handgun course needs simple and easy to shoot handguns to provide an introduction to new shooters.
 
Re: Suggestions for .22 Pistol

If you can find the ruger mkii that you mention in your original post, they still have metal frames, the mkiii are plastic. I have a mkiii 22/45. I am a much bigger fan of that grip angle then the standard mkiii (or mkii) grip angle. The rugers are cheap reliable and accurate, but a bitch to take apart the first time. After the first few times they are easier. Can't comment on the buckmark, but I have heard really good things about them. The mosquito is to small for me to hold properly, but may be good for smaller handed people.
 
Re: Suggestions for .22 Pistol

I will be teaching both semi-auto and revolver at the class. I've owned the Ruger MkII's and MkIII's before, just wasn't sure if I wanted to go that route. Checked out a few yesterday. The Mosquito felt pretty good in the hand, but some of the reviews leave a bit to be desired. I really liked the Buckmark Stainless Camper with the fiber optic sights and the "untra-grip". I haven't looked at the S&W 22A yet. I'll give that one a look too. I'm not too concerned with whether the gun has a common type slide as we will be focusing on safety, sight alignment, and trigger pull the most. I just want a pistol that is close to full size, accurate, and RELIABLE. I don't want to spend a bunch of time clearing jams. Thanks for all the suggestions.

Donnie
 
Re: Suggestions for .22 Pistol

In my experience, I would recommend the Ruger Mark II or Browning Buckmark depending which one fits your hand the best. Both can shoot better than an offhand user and are very reliable, so go with comfort. The Browning tends to have a cleaner trigger. I have no experience with the Mark III....
 
Re: Suggestions for .22 Pistol

as noted in the many posts above, as far as a dedicated semi:

the rugers are super accurate, but are sometimes finicky with different ammos. also they are a bit pricey to outfit many shooters.

buckmarks are nice also, but much like the rugers, the controls don't mimic centerfire pistols.

S&W 22A are more affordable, are pretty accurate for the money, will probably be the best choice for outfitting many shooters, but again like the ruger and buckmark, the controls are less than duplicating the centerfire pistols. i have not had any issues with mine, pretty accurate, eats / shoots all sorts of ammo well.

if just concentrating on trigger control, sight picture, grip, etc., the controls may not be a factor.

i don't know how the SIG shoots accuraccy wise, but obviously is a "duplicate" of a centerfire pistol and will help with getting familiar with using the controls in the traditional places (slide locks, mag releases / mag changes, safeties, etc).

maybe look into a walther p22 for a semi also.

revolvers- nothing like a S&W when revolvers are concerned, but taurus offers more affordable solutions

i don't know if you have any pistols on hand that you use for your intruction, but perhaps pricing out / getting conversion units would serve you better. they have them for glocks, 1911, sig, CZ, etc. you would have a decent amount of accuraccy for static marksmanship drills - coupled with the same operational controls, using the same holsters, and the ability to practice draw / double taps / reloads / assess the threat drills more economically and more muscle memory that can be applied to the centerfire big brothers.


 
Re: Suggestions for .22 Pistol

22A
It is cheap, durable, accurate and has a life time warranty.
Also, it has a weaver style base built in and is easy to scope/dot if you ever want to.