Ruger SR22 range review

asm3686 · August 18, 2012, 08:46 PM

Well today I got the chance to take my brand new ruger sr22 to the range. I have a safe full of ruger rimfire pistols so I had to buy the sr22 and give it a spin. What a mistake... worst 22 pistol I have ever bought. First the function. It did a fairly decent job cycling the premium 22lr ammo wouldn't cycle anything but mini mags or velocitors and even those were not 100% reliable. I tried some federal 40g hv and that didn't work. As well as blazer 40g hv. And Winchester m-22 no go as well. Now accuracy. It is not why I expected with all of the ammo I tested the best group was 3 inches at 7 yards. I also shot a Beretta bobcat 21a 22lr today with shorter barrel and it printed much better groups at 7 yards. Ergonomics the ruger feels good in the hand with larger grip sleeve installed and mag extensions as well it points great and is super easy to handle. The safety and slide release r very nice and hammer was easy to cock for single action first shot. The trigger pull in DA was terrible not smooth with heavy stacking before the breaking point my gauge measure 9.1lbs. In contrast the SA pull was very crisp and clean and seemed very pleasant my gauge measure 4.8lbs.
To conclude I would not recommend this gun to anyone who wants a reliable semi accurate plinker. I bought it for my wife and daughters to shoot when they get older but it won't be in my safe for any longer than Monday when gun store opens and it gets traded in.

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3rdDragoon · August 18, 2012, 08:54 PM

Such a shame.

it is never a good feeling when you put down hard earned money on a dud. To me the SR22 looks just like the Walther P22

I think I'll then stick with my trusty 22/45

asm3686 · August 18, 2012, 09:10 PM

Me too I labsolutely love all my mark series pistols especially the mark 2 22/45 target I have

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amd6547 · August 18, 2012, 11:33 PM

That is not my experience with the SR22, nor does it seem to be over on rimfirecentral.
Mine has been 100% with Blazer bulk, some old Federal bulk, Aguila SuperMax, and anything CCI.
I have about 1000rds through it.
Accuracy has been great.
A week ago, an old guy was next to me at my club shooting a six inch revolver which looked like a Python. He was shooting single action.
I was literally chewing the X out of the bullseye, while his groups were about three inches. This was at 12yds, while I was testing a P3AT.
I also have a Beretta Bobcat in 22lr which I was shooting at the same time. Groups were good for the little Beretta, but twice as big...most likely due to the sights.
My club has a metal bowling pin silhouette set. I was shooting them with the SR22. It was so easy, that after a while, I started shooting the golf ball-sized top of the bowling pin...no problem.
While I have owned a Ruger MkI for a few decades and love it, my SR22 I consider to be one of my best buys, and one of my most useful 22's.

I will add that I hope you cleaned your SR22 before you shot it.
Mine was loaded with a thick preservative grease when I bought mine.
Also, some SR22's early on had an issue with the barrel screw loosening. This might account for poor accuracy if yours is loose. Some users loctite this screw.
I have not messed with mine, but is do check that the barrel is tight on mine periodically.

nyc71 · August 19, 2012, 12:55 AM

I'm on the fence with this model, I have a Mark III but I want something smaller for my family to shoot. It seems most people are happy with their SR22.

asm3686 · August 19, 2012, 02:06 AM

I did clean it before I took it to the range as with all new guns I give them a complete disassembling degreasing and lube it all back up. First "impulse" buy gun and it turned out to be a pile of poo sorry to those of you that have good luck with yours I must have gotten a lemon and ruger customer service will be getting a phone call Monday morning BC the gun you described is nothing close to what I have

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SW40F · August 19, 2012, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by asm3686

....it turned out to be a pile of poo

...it won't be in my safe for any longer than Monday when gun store opens and it gets traded in

...Ruger customer service will be getting a phone call Monday morning BC the gun you described is nothing close to what I have

It makes no sense to buy a gun, shoot the gun, be disappointed with the gun, immediately trade it in and then call Ruger to complain.

Why not call them first and give them a chance to make it work for you with ammo you want to use?

asm3686 · August 19, 2012, 02:08 PM

I will call and If don't like the answer they give me its gone and I will cut my loses and move on.

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Pilot · August 19, 2012, 03:27 PM

Everyone builds a lemon once in a while. Most, if not all the reports I have read about this pistol have been excellent. Get a pre-paid shipping label from Ruger, and send it back. They usually make stuff right or replace the gun.

Marquezj16 · August 19, 2012, 09:33 PM

Quote:

sorry to those of you that have good luck with yours

No need to apologize to us that have good ones. Your review is just one of many on here. Most of us had positive experiences, so we should be feeling bad that you received a bad one.

asm3686 · August 19, 2012, 09:57 PM

I took gun to the shop that I bought it in tonight and the salesman looked it over took it apart then he went and got the gunvwho does all the repair work and he looked it over as well. Then he went to the used counter grabbed the used one they had. Swapped the used guns slide and recoil spring onto my gun as well as the magazine and took it into the range and fired a few mags worth of mini mags then came out and said yea something's holding it up had two failures to feed. Then he put my slide and recoil spring and mag on used guns frame and took it and shot it a few mags and came back and said no failures and it was shooting to point of aim at 7 yards. He said he thinks that the barrel on my frame is bad and possibly not parallel to the frame which would cause the feeding issues. He said call ruger in morning tell them to send ya a shipping label and get this thing fixed. He then let me shoot about 50 rounds thru the used gun and it worked flawlessly with fed bulk ammo and was pretty accurate. Its just very frustrating to be in my shoes with a new gun that is a lemon and have to send it back. I just have to remember we are all human and people do make mistakes but he assured me that ruger would make it right.

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ritepath · August 20, 2012, 03:48 PM

Why would anyone shoot this pistol in DA mode? Other than pulling the trigger at the gun store I still haven't.

In other news it's eat 6 different types od ammo without a problem. However.com I've only run 6-700 rounds thrum it so far.

Of course I've only shot my 229 twice in DA.

Hope things work out for you....my wife claims the sr is the most fun gun we have to shoot. But she still loves the accuracy she gets out of the mk2 better. It's also the first pistol my 10yo daughter has wanted to shoot.

No one likes a broke gun...

asm3686 · August 20, 2012, 09:08 PM

Well I spoke with ruger today on the phone and was pleasantly surprised with how they dealt with the issue. The gentleman on the phone was very knowledgeable and said he had dealt with similar issues with other sr22 pistols. He sent me a return label and said they will diagnosis the issue but sounds to him like a replacement gun is in order. He told me to keep everything including the grips and mags just to send in the gun itself. We will see in about a week what comes of this.

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9mm · August 20, 2012, 09:53 PM

Cheap poly pistols, these guns arn't ment to last. The Mark 1,2,3 are ment to last and are Rugers best work IMO. Any of these light weight, "ziny aolly" metals 22 pistols wont be around 30-50 years..

danez71 · August 20, 2012, 11:20 PM

Quote:

Any of these light weight, "ziny aolly" metals 22 pistols wont be around 30-50 years..

The Ruger SR22 is NOT zinc alloy. Its aluminum.

9mm · August 20, 2012, 11:38 PM

My mistake, did not know. Most 22lrs frames are this zinc stuff now days. Walther 22, GSG 1911, Sig 1911 etc..

Marquezj16 · August 20, 2012, 11:40 PM

lol, it's amazing how much is put out here without hands on knowledge or the facts.

Venom1956 · August 21, 2012, 04:19 AM

Quote:

Cheap poly pistols, these guns arn't ment to last. The Mark 1,2,3 are ment to last and are Rugers best work IMO. Any of these light weight, "ziny aolly" metals 22 pistols wont be around 30-50 years..

Facepalm.

Lol.

AH.74 · August 21, 2012, 09:07 AM

Quote:

Why would anyone shoot this pistol in DA mode? Other than pulling the trigger at the gun store I still haven't.

Why would you NOT shoot it in DA?

You shoot it in DA to practice the DA operation of the gun and become proficient with it.

Quote:

Of course I've only shot my 229 twice in DA.

Do you carry that 229?

You don't carry it cocked. If you ever need to use it, the first shot is in DA. Wouldn't you think that's the MOST important shot? Don't you think that should be practiced?

asm3686 · August 21, 2012, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AH.74

Why would you NOT shoot it in DA?

You shoot it in DA to practice the DA operation of the gun and become proficient with it.

Do you carry that 229?

You don't carry it cocked. If you ever need to use it, the first shot is in DA. Wouldn't you think that's the MOST important shot? Don't you think that should be practiced?

I always practice my draw with safety on and hammer down because in a real world situation the hammer isnt going to be cocked or safety off. And I live in Illinois where we don't have concealed carry my gun stays in center console in a case with loaded mag in case. Not ideal situation but have to live within the laws here

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SW40F · August 21, 2012, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Cheap poly pistols, these guns aren't meant to last. ...Any of these light weight, "zinc alloy" metals 22 pistols wont be around 30-50 years..

As I get older I realize that even the cheapest pistol will outlast me

Is sure does open up a realm of possibilities, though.

asm3686 · August 21, 2012, 06:59 PM

I don't believe that many of the guns manufactured are not going to out last me

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Amsdorf · August 21, 2012, 07:47 PM

Sorry you had such a bad experience.

Mine was entirely the opposite.

Ruger SR22 Review and Shooting Demonstration

ritepath · August 21, 2012, 09:02 PM

Why would you NOT shoot it in DA?

You shoot it in DA to practice the DA operation of the gun and become proficient with it.

Do you carry that 229?

Naw man....my SR is a plinker for the family and I. Though I plan on carrying it this hunting season.

The 229 is my pretty gun it goes to the range with me.

I carry my lcp, 9c, or 642.

asm3686 · August 31, 2012, 12:24 AM

Update... ruger did me right the gun I received back from the service center doesn't act or shoot like what I sent in. And to my their service slip showed new slide new barrel and new recoil spring and guide rod. Basically only thing that remains from the gun I sent them was the frame. It shoots much better good enough that I can live with the improvements. Its still on the chopping block as I may acquire a Kel tec pmr-30

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August 18, 2012, 08:46 PM	#1
asm3686 Senior Member Join Date: February 11, 2012 Location: Carterville IL Posts: 115	Ruger SR22 range review Well today I got the chance to take my brand new ruger sr22 to the range. I have a safe full of ruger rimfire pistols so I had to buy the sr22 and give it a spin. What a mistake... worst 22 pistol I have ever bought. First the function. It did a fairly decent job cycling the premium 22lr ammo wouldn't cycle anything but mini mags or velocitors and even those were not 100% reliable. I tried some federal 40g hv and that didn't work. As well as blazer 40g hv. And Winchester m-22 no go as well. Now accuracy. It is not why I expected with all of the ammo I tested the best group was 3 inches at 7 yards. I also shot a Beretta bobcat 21a 22lr today with shorter barrel and it printed much better groups at 7 yards. Ergonomics the ruger feels good in the hand with larger grip sleeve installed and mag extensions as well it points great and is super easy to handle. The safety and slide release r very nice and hammer was easy to cock for single action first shot. The trigger pull in DA was terrible not smooth with heavy stacking before the breaking point my gauge measure 9.1lbs. In contrast the SA pull was very crisp and clean and seemed very pleasant my gauge measure 4.8lbs. To conclude I would not recommend this gun to anyone who wants a reliable semi accurate plinker. I bought it for my wife and daughters to shoot when they get older but it won't be in my safe for any longer than Monday when gun store opens and it gets traded in. Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

August 18, 2012, 08:54 PM	#2
3rdDragoon Member Join Date: February 21, 2010 Location: Western Victoria Posts: 62	Such a shame. it is never a good feeling when you put down hard earned money on a dud. To me the SR22 looks just like the Walther P22 I think I'll then stick with my trusty 22/45 __________________ You gonna pull those pistols or whistle dixie?

August 18, 2012, 11:33 PM	#4
amd6547 Senior Member Join Date: May 27, 2006 Posts: 1,064	That is not my experience with the SR22, nor does it seem to be over on rimfirecentral. Mine has been 100% with Blazer bulk, some old Federal bulk, Aguila SuperMax, and anything CCI. I have about 1000rds through it. Accuracy has been great. A week ago, an old guy was next to me at my club shooting a six inch revolver which looked like a Python. He was shooting single action. I was literally chewing the X out of the bullseye, while his groups were about three inches. This was at 12yds, while I was testing a P3AT. I also have a Beretta Bobcat in 22lr which I was shooting at the same time. Groups were good for the little Beretta, but twice as big...most likely due to the sights. My club has a metal bowling pin silhouette set. I was shooting them with the SR22. It was so easy, that after a while, I started shooting the golf ball-sized top of the bowling pin...no problem. While I have owned a Ruger MkI for a few decades and love it, my SR22 I consider to be one of my best buys, and one of my most useful 22's. I will add that I hope you cleaned your SR22 before you shot it. Mine was loaded with a thick preservative grease when I bought mine. Also, some SR22's early on had an issue with the barrel screw loosening. This might account for poor accuracy if yours is loose. Some users loctite this screw. I have not messed with mine, but is do check that the barrel is tight on mine periodically. __________________ Still waiting for my Flashback...I would like it now, please. Last edited by amd6547; August 18, 2012 at 11:39 PM.

August 19, 2012, 03:27 PM	#9
Pilot Senior Member Join Date: December 21, 2000 Posts: 3,155	Everyone builds a lemon once in a while. Most, if not all the reports I have read about this pistol have been excellent. Get a pre-paid shipping label from Ruger, and send it back. They usually make stuff right or replace the gun. __________________ Pilot

August 20, 2012, 03:48 PM	#12
ritepath Senior Member Join Date: February 22, 2009 Location: Virginia Posts: 652	Why would anyone shoot this pistol in DA mode? Other than pulling the trigger at the gun store I still haven't. In other news it's eat 6 different types od ammo without a problem. However.com I've only run 6-700 rounds thrum it so far. Of course I've only shot my 229 twice in DA. Hope things work out for you....my wife claims the sr is the most fun gun we have to shoot. But she still loves the accuracy she gets out of the mk2 better. It's also the first pistol my 10yo daughter has wanted to shoot. No one likes a broke gun... __________________ There's only one...

August 18, 2012, 09:10 PM	#3
asm3686 Senior Member Join Date: February 11, 2012 Location: Carterville IL Posts: 115	Me too I labsolutely love all my mark series pistols especially the mark 2 22/45 target I have Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

August 19, 2012, 12:55 AM	#5
nyc71 Member Join Date: May 26, 2011 Posts: 50	I'm on the fence with this model, I have a Mark III but I want something smaller for my family to shoot. It seems most people are happy with their SR22.

August 19, 2012, 02:06 AM	#6
asm3686 Senior Member Join Date: February 11, 2012 Location: Carterville IL Posts: 115	I did clean it before I took it to the range as with all new guns I give them a complete disassembling degreasing and lube it all back up. First "impulse" buy gun and it turned out to be a pile of poo sorry to those of you that have good luck with yours I must have gotten a lemon and ruger customer service will be getting a phone call Monday morning BC the gun you described is nothing close to what I have Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

August 19, 2012, 02:08 PM	#8
asm3686 Senior Member Join Date: February 11, 2012 Location: Carterville IL Posts: 115	I will call and If don't like the answer they give me its gone and I will cut my loses and move on. Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

August 19, 2012, 09:57 PM	#11
asm3686 Senior Member Join Date: February 11, 2012 Location: Carterville IL Posts: 115	I took gun to the shop that I bought it in tonight and the salesman looked it over took it apart then he went and got the gunvwho does all the repair work and he looked it over as well. Then he went to the used counter grabbed the used one they had. Swapped the used guns slide and recoil spring onto my gun as well as the magazine and took it into the range and fired a few mags worth of mini mags then came out and said yea something's holding it up had two failures to feed. Then he put my slide and recoil spring and mag on used guns frame and took it and shot it a few mags and came back and said no failures and it was shooting to point of aim at 7 yards. He said he thinks that the barrel on my frame is bad and possibly not parallel to the frame which would cause the feeding issues. He said call ruger in morning tell them to send ya a shipping label and get this thing fixed. He then let me shoot about 50 rounds thru the used gun and it worked flawlessly with fed bulk ammo and was pretty accurate. Its just very frustrating to be in my shoes with a new gun that is a lemon and have to send it back. I just have to remember we are all human and people do make mistakes but he assured me that ruger would make it right. Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

August 20, 2012, 09:08 PM	#13
asm3686 Senior Member Join Date: February 11, 2012 Location: Carterville IL Posts: 115	Well I spoke with ruger today on the phone and was pleasantly surprised with how they dealt with the issue. The gentleman on the phone was very knowledgeable and said he had dealt with similar issues with other sr22 pistols. He sent me a return label and said they will diagnosis the issue but sounds to him like a replacement gun is in order. He told me to keep everything including the grips and mags just to send in the gun itself. We will see in about a week what comes of this. Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

August 20, 2012, 09:53 PM	#14
9mm Senior Member Join Date: January 9, 2011 Location: Land of the Free Posts: 2,645	Cheap poly pistols, these guns arn't ment to last. The Mark 1,2,3 are ment to last and are Rugers best work IMO. Any of these light weight, "ziny aolly" metals 22 pistols wont be around 30-50 years.. __________________ SHTF vs TEOTWAWKI you ask? SHTF, just some crap on the ceiling and walls, TEOTWAWKI end of the world as we know it. Orignally made by 9mm/®™©

August 20, 2012, 11:38 PM	#16
9mm Senior Member Join Date: January 9, 2011 Location: Land of the Free Posts: 2,645	My mistake, did not know. Most 22lrs frames are this zinc stuff now days. Walther 22, GSG 1911, Sig 1911 etc.. __________________ SHTF vs TEOTWAWKI you ask? SHTF, just some crap on the ceiling and walls, TEOTWAWKI end of the world as we know it. Orignally made by 9mm/®™©

August 20, 2012, 11:40 PM	#17
Marquezj16 Senior Member Join Date: April 3, 2011 Posts: 2,067	lol, it's amazing how much is put out here without hands on knowledge or the facts.

August 21, 2012, 06:59 PM	#22
asm3686 Senior Member Join Date: February 11, 2012 Location: Carterville IL Posts: 115	I don't believe that many of the guns manufactured are not going to out last me Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

August 21, 2012, 07:47 PM	#23
Amsdorf Junior member Join Date: July 24, 2011 Location: Saint Louis, Missouri Posts: 849	Sorry you had such a bad experience. Mine was entirely the opposite. Ruger SR22 Review and Shooting Demonstration

August 21, 2012, 09:02 PM	#24
ritepath Senior Member Join Date: February 22, 2009 Location: Virginia Posts: 652	Why would you NOT shoot it in DA? You shoot it in DA to practice the DA operation of the gun and become proficient with it. Do you carry that 229? Naw man....my SR is a plinker for the family and I. Though I plan on carrying it this hunting season. The 229 is my pretty gun it goes to the range with me. I carry my lcp, 9c, or 642. __________________ There's only one...

August 31, 2012, 12:24 AM	#25
asm3686 Senior Member Join Date: February 11, 2012 Location: Carterville IL Posts: 115	Update... ruger did me right the gun I received back from the service center doesn't act or shoot like what I sent in. And to my their service slip showed new slide new barrel and new recoil spring and guide rod. Basically only thing that remains from the gun I sent them was the frame. It shoots much better good enough that I can live with the improvements. Its still on the chopping block as I may acquire a Kel tec pmr-30 Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2