Fav .22 plinking pistols?

[ruhrho]

Heya, curious if any of yall had any rec's for modern or semi-modern .22 pistols that, you know, you can find in CA...

I currently have a '33 woodsman as my only .22 and i'd like to pick up another small pistol so i'm not putting so many rounds through a 90yr old gun (even though it shoots AWESOME).

So far, i've tried:
Walther P22.... the size, and smaller grip were nice, but lots of issues with feeding when i shot a friends. I don't think I'd want to spend money on one.

Browning Buck Mark: this was a fun pistol, it shot almost as well as the woodsman but the grip was a big on the big side for me.

I'm curious as to what else is out there, thanks.

[M76]

Browning 1911-22, 3/4 size of 1911; pricey, but fun little plinker

[MajorSideburns]

We can't get most of the best modern .22 pistols in California due to unconstitutional restrictions. Did the Buckmark you were using have those big rubber Hogue grips? You might be able to slim it down a bit with some thinner wood or G10 grips. We don't really have many options in California. I don't have personal experience with it but the HP22 is a pretty small pistol. The reputation for quality seems a bit lacking though. If I were you I would enjoy that Woodsman, the .22lr is not a very high pressure cartridge and the Woodsman is built more than tough enough to handle a lifetime of .22. My suggestion would be to enjoy it and scout the auction sights for a spare extractor and recoil spring to have on hand in case you ever wear them out.

[MajorSideburns]

And if you are not dead set on a semi-auto, there are a couple of decent single action revolvers available to us. The Ruger Wrangler and the Heritage Rough Rider are both inexpensive and good quality. But they are not what I would call target pistols. Their sights are the typical Colt style low profile notch and front blade. I don't think you can get them with target sights but maybe they have an offering with decent 3 dot sights.

https://www.sportsmans.com/shooting-gear-gun-supplies/handguns/heritage-rough-rider-liberty-22-long-rifle-65in-synthetic-flag-grip-revolver-6-rounds/p/1701790

[ruhrho]

We can't get most of the best modern .22 pistols in California due to unconstitutional restrictions. Did the Buckmark you were using have those big rubber Hogue grips? You might be able to slim it down a bit with some thinner wood or G10 grips. We don't really have many options in California. I don't have personal experience with it but the HP22 is a pretty small pistol. The reputation for quality seems a bit lacking though. If I were you I would enjoy that Woodsman, the .22lr is not a very high pressure cartridge and the Woodsman is built more than tough enough to handle a lifetime of .22. My suggestion would be to enjoy it and scout the auction sights for a spare extractor and recoil spring to have on hand in case you ever wear them out.

The woodsman has been awesome, once I got it apart enough to do a deep clean on it, anyways. We're planning on keeping it for a long time... once I can get my kid to stand still long enough, we'll be teaching him to shoot on it.

The buck mark was my dads and had the larger, slightly hand molded shaped grip on it, I wasn't a fan, but I think with a thinner grip it could be a winner.

woodsman.jpg

[foothillman]

Limited for a on Roster current production.
I picked up a Smith Wesson 22A-1 still on roster 3 models all 5.5"
Very fun and easy to clean.
Most likely will have to find used or out of state adding +$100 to price.

Smith & Wesson 22A-1 (Bull Barrel) SKU 107431 / Alloy, Stainless Steel Pistol 5.5" .22 LR 01/01/24
Smith & Wesson 22A-1 Gray Frame SKU 107412 / Alloy, Stainless Steel Pistol 5.5" .22 LR 01/01/24
Smith & Wesson 22A-1 SKU 107410 / Alloy; Stainless Steel Pistol 5.5" .22 LR 01/01/24

This is not on Roster #107437

[M76]

Lots of upgrades available for the buck mark; grips, trigger, barrel, etc.

[Mayor McRifle]

i'd like to pick up another small pistol

The Browning 1911-22 is a great gun, and it’s 85% of the scale of a regular Government 1911.

31DB04FB-74B4-4EC2-B696-7DD9A554D7D2.jpg

[Zenderfall]

Unfortunately, we're in a state that prevents us from (easily) buying new model .22 semi-auto's.

The answer depends on how much you want to spend:

From $160 (and sometimes less) there's Heritage Rough Rider, a single action revolver that's cheap and works well. I think they're especially good for teaching youngsters as they are slow to load and need to be cocked before every shot. Some models have adjustable sights, nine-shoot capability, and one even has a rail for red-dot optic sights.

Going up in price for $200-300 are Ruger Wranglers and Super Wranglers (new!). Supers Wranglers have adjustable sights and an extra .22 Magnum cylinders like some Rough Rider models.

From about 400-600 are where the Buckmarks sit. Keep in mind, Buckmarks have three different grip frames, and I've found URX to be the smallest, then UDX, and UFX. I don't know which one you handled, but keep that in mind as you look at them, they're not the same.

A little rare, but sometimes seen are the Ruger Single Six, Single Ten, another single-action revolver series by Ruger, but higher quality than their Wranglers. Much better fit & finish. These float around 400-800.

At around this price range is also where you'll find used Ruger Mk 1's, 2's and 3's. Ruger has moved on to the Mk 4, and since taken their semi-auto guns out of CA, but you might spot a few of these in a used gun case. I think these are especially good buys, depending on model/condition.

Any more than $600 and you start getting out of the "plinking" category, that is, I assume "plinking" to be defined as "low cost .22LR ammo gun" and not "trying to place 1st in a match" or "going for qualifications" kind of pricing. That's where you'll find guns like the Smith & Wesson Model 41, 17, perhaps even 617, Walthers, Hammerlis, Pardinis etc.

I'm sure I left a few out here and there, but I'll let others fill in the blanks.

[TKM]

The woodsman has been awesome, once I got it apart enough to do a deep clean on it, anyways. We're planning on keeping it for a long time... once I can get my kid to stand still long enough, we'll be teaching him to shoot on it.

The buck mark was my dads and had the larger, slightly hand molded shaped grip on it, I wasn't a fan, but I think with a thinner grip it could be a winner.

[ATTACH]1157731[/ATTACH]

Whatever you do, never lose that screw in the front sight. I had to replace mine with a piece of threaded nylon.

Buck Marks can use all kinds of cool uppers because the frame is serialized.

Us Ruger MK fans are boned until the recent court actions work all the way through the process.

PS... the Heritage Arms guns are garbage. It's like the Rohm/RG visited upon us back in the day grabbed the Taurus Fairy and said, "Let's do it to the next generation".

[joefrank64k]

There are a ton on the Olympic Exemption list...if you look on GB, you can sometimes score a nice deal.

Just make sure your LGS understands the exemption and agrees that the model you're bidding on is exempt.

I got a nice deal on a nice Benelli MP-95 from a seller in FL that way.

https://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/firearms/forms/op.pdf

[Jimi Jah]

I have a GSG 1911 full size .22LR. Great shooter, accurate, same feel as the .45. Paid about $200 for it a few years back.

GSG service sucks though. My barrel post fell out in the desert and I've not got them to send a replacement in well over a year.

[echo1]

For .22 pistols I have a Ruger MKIT, Beretta Jaguar, Erma EP22, and a High Standard HB. For .22 revolvers, 2 Rough Riders, a Rhom M66 (& mag cylinder) and a H&R Sportsman (the most accurate of the bunch in single action). Only the Heritage are NIB and the pistols all run good except the Erma. If you run up on any of those pistols, you won't go wrong, but they're old. I like C&R stuff. PAX

[Capybara]

If you want something heirloom quality that your kids will teach their grandkids to shoot with, why not get a classic? Smith & Wesson M17 Masterpiece. It's so much fun to shoot.

[gunnlover]

Back when I had it, and I'm kicking myself for selling it...was my M&P22 by Smith/Wesson. I had the 40cal version too, which I sold and regret. That would reach out to a 100yrd gong at least once every mag.