.22 handgun

I'm thinking about buying a .22 handgun, which uses lr ammo, and I'd welcome any thoughts or suggestions.

These are my preferences, but I'm not glued to this list.

1. model still in production
2. from an established company
3. revolver
4. stainless steel
5. medium size 3" to 5" barrel
6. double action

Thanks !

Raven

I love my Ruger Single Six (but I don't think they make one with a barrel that small), however their "Bearcat" is "SWEET"!! I want one myself, it's rather small - single action.

Ruger Bearcat .22 revolver

Opps that reminds me.

I prefer double action, but for the sake of interesting discussion, I'd love to hear about everyones favorite .22, regardless of make or model.

Raven

Raven. You have me stumped. I can't think of any pistol that meets your spec's.

As to what I use, it is a Colt Match Target. It went out of production in 1977 and mine is much older than that. Semi auto, 10 rounds, blued steel, 6" bull barrel.

Pic added.

smith and wesson (while not my favorite brand - see my handle) makes the model 317 (DA,stainless, 3" barrel, 8 rounds)and model 617 (DA, barrels b/w 4-8", stainless, varying capacity). S&W does make good revolvers so id give them a look.
ruger also has a few models fitting your requirements but i dont know the model numbers.

my favorite .22 is my ruger single six w/ 22lr and 22mag cylinders. it outshoots my 22/45 and has a high fun factor rating. incidentally, my 22/45 has not been the model of reliability (although not too bad) but i expect a new aftermarket extractor will change that.

Sigman, you beat me to it!

heres the extractor in case anyone is wondering. it also works in 10/22s and is supposed to greatly improve reliability. less than $11 delivered.
http://www.ontargetguns.com/veex.html

My one and only .22 is the S&W M41. A fine target pistol...as good as many of the European models without the pricetag.

The Ruger Mark II Bullbarrel is also an outstanding .22, but I try to avoid firearms that require magazines. I checked out the S+W and Ruger web sites, and I'll try the Taurus web site next.

Raven

Check out this Tarus!
http://www.taurususa.com/m94.html

I know you said current production, but you may want to look at a S&W Model 63. Stainless, DA, small, reliable and accurate.

Roy, that's the same gun I was looking at a few hours ago. I'm not sure which barrel size would be best, but since I'm not a big fan of the snubbies, I'd probably get the 4" or 5".

I see everyone seems to prefer auto loaders, but I'd rather not deal with the extra hassle of buying magazines. I'm curious though, just how much .22 magazines cost anyway.

Raven

If you want the pistol for pocket carry, get the shorter barrel. If for target shooting, go for the long barrel. A longer sight radius is easier to aim.

Common mags cost $10-20. It all depends on the gun. Mags for my hi-cap Kimber cost $150.00

I can't help. I just want to gripe that I live in a state where thieves can rely on the law abiding citizens being unarmed.

My favorite peashooter is the Ruger 22/45 because the grip angle matches a .45 1911 Colt. Great for practicing your instinct shooting if you carry a 1911. - Lee

http://www.sightm1911.com/lib/review/2245_p512.htm

what everybodys said except for the taurus. taurus has a little bit of a spotty record so do your homework before you buy.

best thing you can probably do is check out www.rimfirecentral.com for reviews and info.

i can't beleive nobodys mentioned the WALTHER P22!!! i've seen outstanding reviews for this plinker.

You never mentioned price range in your post. I would stick with recognized name brands. I would certainly be partial to S&W, Ruger, and Colt. You also should check out Dan Wesson products. My experience with that company is that their customer service is absolutely outstanding.

I am not big on .22 revolvers, so I can't give much more advice than that. Most major manufacturers have web sites, so you can always go there for model information.

I am an auto fan, and I just happen to have received my January issue of Gun Tests and they tested the Walther P22, Beretta U22 NEOS, and the S&W 22A-1. All got buy recommendations with the Beretta being a "Our Pick" for $225. Of course most of your Autos in .22 are going to be single action because of the "target" nature of the round.

Raven, I am curious to your reasoning about not wanting to use magazines? Is there some personal nightmare experiences you have had with autos vs. revolvers? Or is it just preference?

Notos&w, you still upset about the Clinton agreements even though they are now null and void and the company is no longer owned by Thompson and there is a new CEO?

Binky, certainly you should move to a place which values a productive citizenry and principals of which this country was founded upon. Its amazing to me that about 50-75% of the issues in the Declaration of Independence now are perpetrated by our own governments, and 25% are not relevant at this time but could be replaced by some much more creative "modern" examples... That document was created at a time when Tax Collectors would be in jeopardy of being tarred and feathered and dragged through town for rates as "low" as 5%.

Its simply amazing what ~100 years of government funded socialized public education can do to a previously liberty oriented society...

Originally posted by Gun Nut:
Notos&w, you still upset about the Clinton agreements even though they are now null and void and the company is no longer owned by Thompson and there is a new CEO?

Click to expand...

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">i bought a smith snubbie last year cause of this reason. they make exc revolvers. the boycott is over, the folks who signed that are long gone.

the backlash from gun owners forced them to lay off people at their factory. at gun shows the only S&W peices you see are their snub line. extremely popular for their quality and this is a chl state(TX).

If you're set on a revolver, and that's fine, I can't help.

For an auto, the S&W 41 is a nice gun. The
Browning Buckmarks are also nice, as well as the Rugers. We have guys at our club using all 3. If price isn't an option, there's also Hamerli. Finally, there's High Standard, which is my pick, but you have to really love them as you may have a problem with feeding of different types of ammo.

I'd have to ask the use to recommend anything. For carry, as in hunting, you're probably right about the revolver. I wouldn't dare carry a .22 target pistol (as all of these autos are) in a holster. Maybe I'm just a weenie. For use in learning how to shoot, or for informal target practice, I'd go with an auto. Not that they're any more accurate than a revolver, but they usually have very good trigger pull right out of the box, are usually very reliable, have nice sights (except some of the Brownings), and you don't have to **** the hammer each time. (Forget using double action if you're doing target shooting, IMHO.)

Some of the guns have optional really long barrel lengths. For accuracy, and sight alignment, about 5" is about right, longer won't help, and most find them harder to use. (Exception being if you're going to shoot with some sort of rest.)

Sorry for the long post...

I have a few .22's, a Taurus 94 4", A S&W Model 17 6", a Browning Buckmark, and a few .22 rifles.

The Taurus was a POS from the start. Brand new out of the box it misfired about 10% of the time with all brands of ammo tried. I sent it back to the factory and they put a heavier spring in it. Now it rarely misfires but has such a heavy trigger pull that I never use the gun, it's no fun. I should probably sell it. I will never buy another Taurus.

The S&W 17 has been a great gun since day one (196?), great accuracy, no malfunctions, smooth action out of the box.

The Browning is the most fun to shoot, also has great accuracy, rarely malfunctions, but the safety lever broke off. It's easily repairable, just haven't sent it in yet.

If you want a stainless revolver - IMHO: for sheer durability I'd get a Ruger, for accuracy, smoothness, attention to detail, and good warranty service, I'd get a Smith.

hth