22lr pistols? - Page 2

gmoney · February 11, 2017, 06:45 PM

M&P 22 compact

rodfac · February 12, 2017, 08:50 AM

Depends on what you mean by, "really well". If you mean, press the trigger and it'll go bang, then any one of the available revolvers will do but not the automatics. If you're looking for accuracy as well as reliability, then maybe. My Smith M41 will function with anything that's in the magazine, but really perks with the target grade .22's. Accuracy with iron sights is down around an inch or less at 25 yds...I've always wondered what it was capable of with a scope of some sort mounted.

For revolvers, I've got a Colt Diamondback from the late 70's that'll do less than 2" at 25 with several of the bulk .22's available. And a Ruger Single-Six Convertible for the early 70's did as well until some dirt-bag SOB stole it during a break in. Our current Single-Six Convertible (a new model 2-screw) does as well with either the magnum or long rifle cylinder in place. The trigger, however, doesn't have that beautiful let off that the old 3-screw had achieved over the 10,000 rounds or so that had been fired with it.

Here's a pic of the old war horse Single-Six with a 5-shot target (an inch and a quarter with Remington Golden solids) from the 25 yd line in happier times. Gone but not forgotten. And the 2nd is of one of my Ruger .45's with a Marvel .22 upper on it...not bad from the 10 yd line and a two-handed Weaver Stance.

HTH's Rod

Chris_B · February 12, 2017, 09:04 AM

True but OP has clarified and he is not asking about revolvers

black mamba · February 12, 2017, 11:21 AM

I have an old Buckmark 10" that works beautifully and accurately with everything I've fed it. 10 shots sandbagged at 25 yards into less than an inch with great regularity. It even likes the hyper velocity stuff. I've had it for decades, so not sure if the newer stuff is as good, but mine is a peach.

rt11002003 · February 12, 2017, 12:01 PM

rodfac, I have a couple of S&W Models 41 that I've shot with the iron sights, Simmons (Prohunter) scopes and red dot sights (Burris and Ultradot 6). My eyes are the limiting factor. Red dot sights give me 1/2 to 3/4 inch groupings at 25 yards. When things are going well, I can put a round, or two, in a black dot less than a half inch in diameter. Just a few minutes of shooting results in my red dot sights blurring vertically, resulting in the group spreading. I shoot C-Mark red dots on other pistols with a minimum of blur. C-Mark sights won't fit the rail on my M41's; so far I've resisted buying other rails for the M41's.

As to scopes, I get slightly better groupings, 1/2 inch. If the scope cross hairs were smaller and I were a better shot, sub-half inch groups are likely possible with those two pistols.

I need to mention my age, 79; and, the fact I shoot from rest on a sand bag.

My Hammerli Xesse Sport is slightly more accurate, primarily due to the two-stage trigger. It forces me to be gentle so I can really feel the stages and not wiggle the gun.

Metric · February 12, 2017, 04:56 PM

Some of my experience -- YMMV:

The Good:
Beretta 71
Older Colts (Woodsman, Huntsman) and High-Standards (Model B)
Browning Buckmark

The above have all had broad-spectrum ammo reliability. The Beretta 71's in particular, are reliable from standard velocity up through hyper velocity. The Colts and High-Standards are also very close -- possibly a little more picky on the low-velocity end. The Buckmark is not quite as excellent, but close -- one can still find a wide range of reliable loads, with ease.

The Bad:
Wilkinson Sherry (an out-of-production pocket pistol) -- could not find a single reliable load
S&W M&P -- constant jamming with everything I tried (my experience was a single-time outing, so it's possible it was reliable with a load I didn't try)

The Frustrating:
Beretta 21A -- narrow spectrum of loads it liked, and was never quite 100% with any of them
Browning 1911-22 -- 100% reliable with mini-mag and nothing else. Close with others, but would fail just often enough to crush one's confidence. Okay for low-priority plinking operations.

rodfac · February 12, 2017, 07:49 PM

Thanks rt11...that answers a few questions. I'm coming up on 71 pretty soon but have held back on putting glass on any of my short guns. And this deer season was the first for glass on my lever guns....oh to have those 20 yo eyes again...and still know what I've garnered about our sport over the years....alas, youth, like beauty, is wasted on the young! Rod

rodfac · February 12, 2017, 07:51 PM

Chris B...yep, the OP did nix revolvers, but I'm at heart, an optimist, and never give up on those who've strayed from the path!

YMMV, Rod

IMTHDUKE · February 12, 2017, 10:56 PM

This one will not only shoot them well, but quietly.

Hal · February 13, 2017, 04:23 AM

Quote:

Is there at least one 22lr pistol that will shoot the cheapest 22lr ammo really well?

Older High Standards will.

My S&W 22/s is unworldly accurate - 50 shots into a hole about the size of a dime from a rested position - indoors @ 25 yards using a 4X scope....isn't impossible for just about anyone to accomplish.
This gun makes people much better shots than they ever thought they were/are.

Ibmikey · February 13, 2017, 10:43 AM

Ok I give up, "i have a S & W .22 Compact that is great and Bersa Thunderer that has yet to fire a full mag of ammo ( slight exaggeration but only slightly), and a Walther PPK that is very hit and miss when it comes to reliability. My llama XV is a minature .1911 in steel, feed it any Hi-speed and it will sing too you. I have another that Llama that is not picky, it hates everything. So conclusive evidence that you need to fire anything you wish to purchase prior to the commitment. Its the only way.

FITASC · February 13, 2017, 11:01 AM

Another vote for MKII; mine has the 5.5" bull barrel - works great, even with the cheap Winchester and Remington ammo everyone complains about.

Metric · February 13, 2017, 12:10 PM

Quote:

So conclusive evidence that you need to fire anything you wish to purchase prior to the commitment. Its the only way.

Indeed it's the only completely certain way. However, it's very difficult to do it that way, unless you have the luxury of a long wait for the perfect buying opportunity. And if you tend to do most of your shooting alone, it may never happen at all.

If I was forced to bet my life on the reliability of my next Gunbroker .22 pistol purchase, I would head straight for the 50+ year old Colts (being careful to check for dry-fire damage of the chamber), or the Beretta 71's. In both cases, I've purchased multiple examples with excellent broad-spectrum reliability, and seen zero frustrating cases. Online reputation seems to square well with my own experience, so that's where I'd make my stand.

SGW Gunsmith · February 13, 2017, 12:46 PM

Over the years I've been mostly specializing on Ruger Mark pistols, but I am captivated with all firearms in .22 caliber. I've had the chance to shoot quite a few .22 caliber semi-automatic pistols before (if they worked OK) and then after any work was done. This array of pistols involved all of the domestically made .22 caliber pistols in one form or another, and even a bunch of foreign pistols I had never even heard of. Like this one:

Some, came along with prices I just couldn't refuse:

But those that I like the BEST, shoot the BEST!

Metric · February 13, 2017, 12:56 PM

Quote:

Over the years I've been mostly specializing on Ruger Mark pistols, but I am captivated with all firearms in .22 caliber. I've had the chance to shoot quite a few .22 caliber semi-automatic pistols before (if they worked OK) and then after any work was done. This array of pistols involved all of the domestically made .22 caliber pistols in one form or another, and even a bunch of foreign pistols I had never even heard of...

What did you find to have the least reliability problems, statistically speaking? Both in new manufacture and older?

osbornk · February 13, 2017, 09:31 PM

My Ruger Mk III 22/45 shoots all kinds of junk really well. However, surprisingly, I had a cheap Phoenix HP-22A that shot very reliably and accurately. I sold it to my brother for his wife as she didn't like the recoil of his 38 Special. I don't remember ever getting a FTF with it.

P-35HP · February 13, 2017, 10:34 PM

S&W M&P 22 does it very well, about 98% reliable with cheap ammo.

darkgael · February 15, 2017, 06:36 AM

Cheapest ammo? Hmmm.
I have a Ruger Mk.II Gov't that has been extremely reliable with many brands of ammo...as long as I take the time to clean the crud that accumulates on the breech face after a lot of shooting. That being said...I have a few bricks left of some steel cased Russian .22s that I picked up a long time ago (how about $100/case?). That will not work dependably in the Ruger....fails to extract.
Pete

mdcmn7 · February 15, 2017, 07:10 AM

Agree with the buckmark

Mine is a fairly basic Camper and it shoots well with virtually any ammo

It has been accurate and reliable

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Lavan · February 15, 2017, 08:25 AM

The best chance will be the pistol that has the least metal around the workin' parts.
IOW, like an old High Standard or Woodsman type.
Then you can deal with a mag alignment and eliminate the rounds that will scrunch on the receiver.

FITASC · February 15, 2017, 09:27 AM

Quote:

I have a few bricks left of some steel cased Russian .22s that I picked up a long time ago (how about $100/case?).

I still have some 525 round boxes of Remington I bought. The "case" was 6250 rounds; the cost was $95 OTD at a gun show.......best....deal.....ever.....

February 12, 2017, 08:50 AM	#27
rodfac Senior Member Join Date: January 22, 2005 Location: Kentucky Posts: 3,623	Depends on what you mean by, "really well". If you mean, press the trigger and it'll go bang, then any one of the available revolvers will do but not the automatics. If you're looking for accuracy as well as reliability, then maybe. My Smith M41 will function with anything that's in the magazine, but really perks with the target grade .22's. Accuracy with iron sights is down around an inch or less at 25 yds...I've always wondered what it was capable of with a scope of some sort mounted. For revolvers, I've got a Colt Diamondback from the late 70's that'll do less than 2" at 25 with several of the bulk .22's available. And a Ruger Single-Six Convertible for the early 70's did as well until some dirt-bag SOB stole it during a break in. Our current Single-Six Convertible (a new model 2-screw) does as well with either the magnum or long rifle cylinder in place. The trigger, however, doesn't have that beautiful let off that the old 3-screw had achieved over the 10,000 rounds or so that had been fired with it. Here's a pic of the old war horse Single-Six with a 5-shot target (an inch and a quarter with Remington Golden solids) from the 25 yd line in happier times. Gone but not forgotten. And the 2nd is of one of my Ruger .45's with a Marvel .22 upper on it...not bad from the 10 yd line and a two-handed Weaver Stance. HTH's Rod __________________ Cherish our flag, honor it, defend it in word and deed, or get the hell out. Our Bill of Rights has been paid for by heros in uniform and shall not be diluted by misguided governmental social experiments. We owe this to our children, anything less is cowardice. USAF FAC, 5th Spl Forces, Vietnam Vet '69-'73.

February 12, 2017, 07:49 PM	#32
rodfac Senior Member Join Date: January 22, 2005 Location: Kentucky Posts: 3,623	Thanks rt11...that answers a few questions. I'm coming up on 71 pretty soon but have held back on putting glass on any of my short guns. And this deer season was the first for glass on my lever guns....oh to have those 20 yo eyes again...and still know what I've garnered about our sport over the years....alas, youth, like beauty, is wasted on the young! Rod __________________ Cherish our flag, honor it, defend it in word and deed, or get the hell out. Our Bill of Rights has been paid for by heros in uniform and shall not be diluted by misguided governmental social experiments. We owe this to our children, anything less is cowardice. USAF FAC, 5th Spl Forces, Vietnam Vet '69-'73.

February 12, 2017, 07:51 PM	#33
rodfac Senior Member Join Date: January 22, 2005 Location: Kentucky Posts: 3,623	Chris B...yep, the OP did nix revolvers, but I'm at heart, an optimist, and never give up on those who've strayed from the path! YMMV, Rod __________________ Cherish our flag, honor it, defend it in word and deed, or get the hell out. Our Bill of Rights has been paid for by heros in uniform and shall not be diluted by misguided governmental social experiments. We owe this to our children, anything less is cowardice. USAF FAC, 5th Spl Forces, Vietnam Vet '69-'73.

February 12, 2017, 10:56 PM	#34
IMTHDUKE Senior Member Join Date: September 9, 2004 Location: Sweet Home Alabama Posts: 1,475	This one will not only shoot them well, but quietly. __________________ http://www.treasureislandbedandbreakfast.com Ed Brown Alpha Carry\| Sig P238, P938, P232, 1911 C3 \| Colt Defender, Mustang Pocketlite, 1911 \| Rohrbaugh R9 \| Browning, Buckmark 22LR(suppressed) \| Kahr PM9 Black Rose \| S&W\|M&P C.O.R.E RMR Trijicon \| Dan Wesson ECO

February 13, 2017, 11:01 AM	#37
FITASC Senior Member Join Date: December 6, 2014 Posts: 6,441	Another vote for MKII; mine has the 5.5" bull barrel - works great, even with the cheap Winchester and Remington ammo everyone complains about. __________________ "I believe that people have a right to decide their own destinies; people own themselves. I also believe that, in a democracy, government exists because (and only so long as) individual citizens give it a 'temporary license to exist'—in exchange for a promise that it will behave itself. In a democracy, you own the government—it doesn't own you."- Frank Zappa

February 11, 2017, 06:45 PM	#26
gmoney Senior Member Join Date: August 27, 2004 Location: Toulon, IL Posts: 329	M&P 22 compact

February 12, 2017, 09:04 AM	#28
Chris_B Senior Member Join Date: February 9, 2007 Posts: 3,101	True but OP has clarified and he is not asking about revolvers

February 12, 2017, 11:21 AM	#29
black mamba Senior Member Join Date: September 13, 2011 Location: SW Florida Posts: 890	I have an old Buckmark 10" that works beautifully and accurately with everything I've fed it. 10 shots sandbagged at 25 yards into less than an inch with great regularity. It even likes the hyper velocity stuff. I've had it for decades, so not sure if the newer stuff is as good, but mine is a peach.

February 12, 2017, 12:01 PM	#30
rt11002003 Senior Member Join Date: June 25, 2014 Posts: 524	rodfac, I have a couple of S&W Models 41 that I've shot with the iron sights, Simmons (Prohunter) scopes and red dot sights (Burris and Ultradot 6). My eyes are the limiting factor. Red dot sights give me 1/2 to 3/4 inch groupings at 25 yards. When things are going well, I can put a round, or two, in a black dot less than a half inch in diameter. Just a few minutes of shooting results in my red dot sights blurring vertically, resulting in the group spreading. I shoot C-Mark red dots on other pistols with a minimum of blur. C-Mark sights won't fit the rail on my M41's; so far I've resisted buying other rails for the M41's. As to scopes, I get slightly better groupings, 1/2 inch. If the scope cross hairs were smaller and I were a better shot, sub-half inch groups are likely possible with those two pistols. I need to mention my age, 79; and, the fact I shoot from rest on a sand bag. My Hammerli Xesse Sport is slightly more accurate, primarily due to the two-stage trigger. It forces me to be gentle so I can really feel the stages and not wiggle the gun.

February 12, 2017, 04:56 PM	#31
Metric Senior Member Join Date: December 4, 2016 Posts: 339	Some of my experience -- YMMV: The Good: Beretta 71 Older Colts (Woodsman, Huntsman) and High-Standards (Model B) Browning Buckmark The above have all had broad-spectrum ammo reliability. The Beretta 71's in particular, are reliable from standard velocity up through hyper velocity. The Colts and High-Standards are also very close -- possibly a little more picky on the low-velocity end. The Buckmark is not quite as excellent, but close -- one can still find a wide range of reliable loads, with ease. The Bad: Wilkinson Sherry (an out-of-production pocket pistol) -- could not find a single reliable load S&W M&P -- constant jamming with everything I tried (my experience was a single-time outing, so it's possible it was reliable with a load I didn't try) The Frustrating: Beretta 21A -- narrow spectrum of loads it liked, and was never quite 100% with any of them Browning 1911-22 -- 100% reliable with mini-mag and nothing else. Close with others, but would fail just often enough to crush one's confidence. Okay for low-priority plinking operations.

February 13, 2017, 10:43 AM	#36
Ibmikey Senior Member Join Date: June 1, 2013 Location: Now relocated to Texas Posts: 2,943	Ok I give up, "i have a S & W .22 Compact that is great and Bersa Thunderer that has yet to fire a full mag of ammo ( slight exaggeration but only slightly), and a Walther PPK that is very hit and miss when it comes to reliability. My llama XV is a minature .1911 in steel, feed it any Hi-speed and it will sing too you. I have another that Llama that is not picky, it hates everything. So conclusive evidence that you need to fire anything you wish to purchase prior to the commitment. Its the only way.

February 13, 2017, 12:46 PM	#39
SGW Gunsmith Junior member Join Date: December 31, 2014 Location: Northwest Wisconsin Posts: 285	Over the years I've been mostly specializing on Ruger Mark pistols, but I am captivated with all firearms in .22 caliber. I've had the chance to shoot quite a few .22 caliber semi-automatic pistols before (if they worked OK) and then after any work was done. This array of pistols involved all of the domestically made .22 caliber pistols in one form or another, and even a bunch of foreign pistols I had never even heard of. Like this one: Some, came along with prices I just couldn't refuse: But those that I like the BEST, shoot the BEST!

February 13, 2017, 09:31 PM	#41
osbornk Senior Member Join Date: August 11, 2012 Location: Mountains of Appalachia Posts: 1,598	My Ruger Mk III 22/45 shoots all kinds of junk really well. However, surprisingly, I had a cheap Phoenix HP-22A that shot very reliably and accurately. I sold it to my brother for his wife as she didn't like the recoil of his 38 Special. I don't remember ever getting a FTF with it.

February 13, 2017, 10:34 PM	#42
P-35HP Member Join Date: March 31, 2008 Location: NH Posts: 83	S&W M&P 22 does it very well, about 98% reliable with cheap ammo.

February 15, 2017, 06:36 AM	#43
darkgael Senior Member Join Date: February 9, 2006 Location: Homes in Brooklyn, NY and in Pennsylvania. Posts: 5,473	.22s Cheapest ammo? Hmmm. I have a Ruger Mk.II Gov't that has been extremely reliable with many brands of ammo...as long as I take the time to clean the crud that accumulates on the breech face after a lot of shooting. That being said...I have a few bricks left of some steel cased Russian .22s that I picked up a long time ago (how about $100/case?). That will not work dependably in the Ruger....fails to extract. Pete __________________ “Auto racing, bull fighting, and mountain climbing are the only real sports ... all others are games.” Ernest Hemingway ... NRA Life Member

February 15, 2017, 07:10 AM	#44
mdcmn7 Member Join Date: January 19, 2013 Posts: 46	Agree with the buckmark Mine is a fairly basic Camper and it shoots well with virtually any ammo It has been accurate and reliable Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

February 15, 2017, 08:25 AM	#45
Lavan Senior Member Join Date: December 10, 1999 Location: California Posts: 2,716	The best chance will be the pistol that has the least metal around the workin' parts. IOW, like an old High Standard or Woodsman type. Then you can deal with a mag alignment and eliminate the rounds that will scrunch on the receiver.