Help choosing a .22 pistol

[Caribouriver]

What I would really like is a 1911 and, more than likely, will have one someday. Cost of ammo is a factor in this purchase and the fact that I am teaching my daughters and someday my grandchildren how to have fun shooting safely. So, the .22 for starters. What do you suggest? I hear good things about the reasonably priced Glock like polymer ISSC M22B with 4" and 5-1/2" barrels ($240-270 @ J&G) and like the steel and look of the Ruger Mark III or 45/22 for more than twice the money. Do any of you have these or other candidates and can report in with your impressions? I would really appreciate it. Thanks.

[Swoop]

Get a 1911 that is affordable and plan ahead to get a .22 conversion kit so you get the best of both worlds.

[Quinc]

I have a buckmark and it within the first magazine new shooters are hitting targets with it. Its the most accurate handgun I have had the pleasure of shooting. You could also get a 1911 and buy a .22 conversion kit for it.

Conversion kits:

http://www.palmettostatearmory.com/pistol-accessories.php

[BamBam-31]

I have a few .22lr pistols: The Ruger 22/45 Mk. II and Mk. III, the Browning Buckmark, and the Sig Trailside. Of the three, by far the one I shoot the most is the Browning Buckmark. It has the best out-of-box trigger and overall ergonomics. Mine also has a 7.25" TacSol barrel. The Rugers are far more upgradeable with aftermarket parts, but if that's not your thing, the Browning is best from the get-go. All are more accurate than most will hold, btw.

[XDseb]

As far as 22 pistols go, my research tells me that if you can get past the looks, Rugers are the best. I owned a Sig Mosquito and although it was a very visually pleasing weapon, it only functioned properly with one brand of ammo...CCI mini mags. this was not good enough for me as i wanted something i could rely upon to shoot any brand of ammo since for a long time, mini mags were not available anywhere i looked. after a while i decided the Sig was not for me, so I sold it. If I was to buy a .22 semi-auto pistol again, I will only look at the Ruger line of 22's. hope that helps.

[XDRoX]

Can't really go wrong with any of the classics:

Ruger MkIII
Ruger 22/45
Browning Buckmark


Less popular, but still really good IMO:

Beretta Neos
Walther P22

[Heiko]

As far as 22 pistols go, my research tells me that if you can get past the looks, Rugers are the best. I owned a Sig Mosquito and although it was a very visually pleasing weapon, it only functioned properly with one brand of ammo...CCI mini mags. this was not good enough for me as i wanted something i could rely upon to shoot any brand of ammo since for a long time, mini mags were not available anywhere i looked. after a while i decided the Sig was not for me, so I sold it. If I was to buy a .22 semi-auto pistol again, I will only look at the Ruger line of 22's. hope that helps.

Exactly! The Rugers are not the most tacticool looking pistols. My Ruger 50th Anniversary Mk II looks like it did, well, 50 years ago but it is a great shooter and I've never had a problem with it. The Rugers are one of the benchmark .22 pistols and you can't go wrong with one.

I was also intrigued by the Sig Mosquito because it looks like a P226, only scaled down. They aren't very expensive and the draw of shooting a Sig on the cheap was appealing... until I shot one. I had nothing but problems with the two kinds of ammo I was using. The gun was freshly cleaned and oiled but neither the Federal nor the Winchester ammo I was using worked. Like the post above states, this gun needs Mini Mags. Also, the trigger was awful. I really did not like the Mosquito.

Stick with Ruger or the Browning.

[41M]

I have numerous variants of the older Sturm, Ruger Mark II and 22/45 that I have enjoyed for years and used in introducing others to shooting. Since you are looking towards a 1911 type pistol in the future, you might want to consider the polymer framed 22/45 versions. They have the same approximate grip angle as a 1911 and on some models the grip panels can be replaced to one's liking. If you plan on teaching others, I would consider a .22 revolver. Something with sights that present a good sight picture and a barrel in the 4 to 5 inch range provide a good platform for starting new shooters.

[Can't buy anything here]

Good advice all around...I went through this a few years ago and finally added a Model 17 too my wish list...hard to beat a classic Smith for plinking...on a side note, this was a gift from a few gentlemen I met on the Smith-Wesson forum for my son when he was born 2 years ago.....two of them live in northern Cal and even drove down to give it to him...and one of them is a member here....

[Coded-Dude]

I'm gonna wait for this guy to get released......

[morrcarr67]

Get a 1911 that is affordable and plan ahead to get a .22 conversion kit so you get the best of both worlds.

I was gonna say that.

[morrcarr67]

My favorite "Old School" .22LR is any of the Colt Woodsman's, they are all listed as C&R and are roster exempt. You could find some nice ones for $450 - $600.

[TMC]

I'm gonna wait for this guy to get released......

Where did you see that?

[Spyder]

I like that M&P22!!! When? Where?

[Coded-Dude]

I got the pic from here: http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2...p22-22-pistol/

However, the gun was brought to my attention by someone else on this forum(i think it was this one). I believe the gun comes out sometime early next year. Haven't found it on the official S&W site yet...still looking.