Low maintenance pistol?

[pacrat]

Which .22 pistols are semi-lazy-owner friendly? I've got several different ammo brands, mostly bulk stuff. If the gun is picky, that's ok if it'll run longer in between cleanings. Are revolvers better in this regard?

Maybe I need to use cleaner ammo? (Oxymoron = clean .22)

https://www.sportsmansoutdoorsuperstore.com/category.cfm/sportsman/firearms/brand/butler/of3/22-short

Nuff Said

[MARKFP]

OK, I'm not bragging here, but I trapped for 9 years, in the mud and snow, carried my Ruger single six in stainless for all those years and didn't touch it. Still have it, gets special attention on a regular routine these days. About 37 years old, still shoots great and is very accurate.

[eatmoredonuts]

I got a Sig P322 yesterday

I had no idea these existed until I saw one in the classifieds....for $1850 YIKES. Read some mixed reviews on it seeing how it is pretty new.

Kinda leaning towards the Walter P22 still, because they're pretty easy to come by, and I haven't heard anything bad about them in a long time, I assume they've improved over the years?

[Cowboy T]

We have a Glock 44 as a rental gun. I've field-stripped it and cleaned it when it started binding up a bit. It's just as easy to field-strip and clean as any other Glock, which is a major appeal. Size is just like a Glock 19.

The other low-maintenance option is, of course, a revolver in .22LR, like a Ruger SP101 or GP100, a S&W K-frame (the model 17 or 617?) and a Taurus Tracker (yes, Taurus revolvers are actually pretty good).

Note that any .22LR firearm will need cleaning a bit more often than with most common centrefire cartridges, because most .22LR ammunition that I see being used regularly is kinda dirty.

[eatmoredonuts]

One of these...

Browning 1911-22

Is that the shrunk down / compact one or full size? I liked my Sig/GSG 1911 when it ran right, but I was getting FTE's and stovepipes way too often, even with changing out some parts.... no fun to take down/clean either. Probably needed a gunsmith's help.

[9Cal_OC]

Kinda leaning towards the Walter P22 still, because they're pretty easy to come by, and I haven't heard anything bad about them in a long time, I assume they've improved over the years?

[stormvet]

I had no idea these existed until I saw one in the classifieds....for $1850 YIKES. Read some mixed reviews on it seeing how it is pretty new.

Kinda leaning towards the Walter P22 still, because they're pretty easy to come by, and I haven't heard anything bad about them in a long time, I assume they've improved over the years?

[Xplosiv3]

Just shot my brand new P22 today I purchased 2 months ago. Nothing but failure to feeds. (Yes, I stripped the factory grease, cleaned it, and oiled it with my own oil.) When you shoot it, the first shot is fine, but it randomly decides not to take a bullet from the magazine and chamber it so when you press the trigger, nothing happens and you just dry-fire it. The slide also got hung up a couple times and there was a delay before it returned to battery.

I want to love the gun but it's really hard to. It is the most ergonomic handgun I've ever held in my entire life and I like the trigger. The rear sight came slightly crooked from the factory. To fix it, I would have to remove it, and file it down by hand (it's plastic) and re-fit it. There are lots of machining/casting imperfections on it, the barrel screw needs to be re-tightened each time you clean it (you don't want it to randomly come loose and cause the slide to lock up), and you need to clean it each time you shoot it.

It's really not an ammo issue either. I shot both CCI mini mags out of it and Aguila Super Extra and it had less malfunctions with the cheaper crappier Aguila ammo but still more than it should have.

The recoil spring actually doesn't bother me to be honest. But if you don't have the tool to install the recoil spring, you're screwed.

Will probably try some DIY polishing/gunsmithing, if that doesn't work, I'll send it back to Walther, if they can't fix it/replace it, I'll trade it in at Turners for store credit probably or sell it to a police gun buyback.

[Xplosiv3]

If I had to do it all over again, I would rather try to find an off roster Ruger SR22.

If you do get a P22, don't buy a used one (the warranty is only a year) and whoever is selling one is probably selling it for a reason. Wait til Turners or your local gun shop has them on sale for $299 and don't pay any more than that.

PS: Spare mags are pretty damn expensive for them too, $45-50 after tax for each mag.

[G-forceJunkie]

I've been pretty unimpressed with the SR22. The thing leads the barrel up badly with most ammo, only the bulk plated ammo is fine. But the reliability with that is not great.

If I had to do it all over again, I would rather try to find an off roster Ruger SR22.

[bigbossman]

Is that the shrunk down / compact one or full size? I liked my Sig/GSG 1911 when it ran right, but I was getting FTE's and stovepipes way too often, even with changing out some parts.... no fun to take down/clean either. Probably needed a gunsmith's help.

I used to have similar issues with my GSG. Polishing all the black finish over-spray from the rails fixed the issue, and now it runs very reliably. I also but a set of Dawson fiber optic sights on it, and it is my grouse gun when I go deer hunting.

[Xplosiv3]

I've been pretty unimpressed with the SR22. The thing leads the barrel up badly with most ammo, only the bulk plated ammo is fine. But the reliability with that is not great.

What issues have you had with yours reliability wise?

[CSACANNONEER]

I had no idea these existed until I saw one in the classifieds....for $1850 YIKES. Read some mixed reviews on it seeing how it is pretty new.

Kinda leaning towards the Walter P22 still, because they're pretty easy to come by, and I haven't heard anything bad about them in a long time, I assume they've improved over the years?

Well, I guess the P22 is low maintenance since, you won't have to clean it often because, it won't let you shoot it enough to get dirty. I've knew one shooter who would have to replace his P22 before 20K rounds. He did that two or three times before giving up on them all together. If you're really looking for maximum low maintenance and reliability, stay away from ANY semi auto. If you're looking for a semi auto, get a Buckmark or Ruger MK series. After you have one of those two makes, you can look at other semis as novelty or specialty guns.

[Garv]

I have not had any reliability issues with my SR-22 using CCI minimags.

Fun to shoot.

I clean it regularly though.

Consider a Single Ten or Single Six.
Boresnaking the barrel and cylinder is easy enough to last quite a while.
Eventually, some buildup will need to be scrubbed.
Using copper plated ammo will slow that down a bit (no facts or data, JMO).

[G-forceJunkie]

What issues have you had with yours reliability wise?