Which automatic .22 do you like best? - Page 3

bbqncigars · April 25, 2015, 09:04 PM

You would have to get lucky to find one, but a good used S&W 2206 is a sweet handling pistol. I've got one with the four inch barrel, and always looking for a six. The 2206 is almost as accurate as my sixties model 41, but not as picky. The only downside is your index finger will get dirty next to your knuckle if you have big hands (barrel is below the recoil spring).

Pilot · April 26, 2015, 06:39 AM

Find a five inch, bull barrel Mark II Target model, and call it a day. If you want, throw in some Volquartsen parts (trigger, sear) and you will be amazed.

8MM Mauser · April 26, 2015, 07:40 AM

I love my Ruger MKII target model. Shoots like a champ, easy to handle. Recoil is simply not a word that applies to it. I usually shoot the same group as my Glock 19... and 4X the distance. I'm serious too, what I can do with a G19 at 10 yards I can replicate with the Ruger at 40.

I did a review of my Mark II about a year after getting it (which was a few years ago). You may find it helpful; i was really coming at it then from complete inexperience.

veamon · April 26, 2015, 08:32 AM

If you up your budget another 150, you can buy an EAA witness for 300 shipped, and then drop in a 200 conversion kit and have 2 pistols.

pete2 · April 26, 2015, 09:15 AM

If you want a .22 handgun to hunt with why not a revolver, a single six is a better holster gun than any auto. You can even shoot shorts or shot loads in the revolver.

Stevie-Ray · April 26, 2015, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Find a five inch, bull barrel Mark II Target model, and call it a day. If you want, throw in some Volquartsen parts (trigger, sear) and you will be amazed.

Couldn't agree more! Though I have yet to add anything more than simple grips, even after nearly 30 years.

jmstr · April 26, 2015, 07:37 PM

S&W 22 was too fat for my medium-smallish hands.

No Neos experience.

Ruger MKII vs 22/45: a toss up. I like the grip angle of the 22/45 better, but they are about equally reliable. Whichever fits your hand better and points more accurately is what I would get.

BUCKMARKs are underrated!

Trigger out of box on Buckmark puts the Rugers to shame. I had to throw in a Volquartsen Sear and a Clark hammer bushing to get the Ruger as smooth as the Buckmark was out of the box.

I have a buckmark with a spring modification and a Browning adjustable trigger [$35 in parts] and it is decidedly crisper, lighter and smoother than any of my Rugers. HOWEVER, it now requires so little trigger motion that I wouldn't holster-carry it. This is now one for the shooting range only, and people more experienced with firearms.

For field use, don't change the trigger on the Browning Buckmark Camper, just change out the spring, and you will have a gun that is on a par with the Rugers accuracy and reliability, but with a better trigger. Plus, the basic cleaning is simpler, as it has a slide that locks back and allows a nylon brush across the face of the chamber and bolt, with gasses and debris escaping on both sides, instead of the single opening on the Ruger. Also, the trigger bar that activates the sear runs outside the frame [like High Standards, Walther P-38, Beretta 92, and (I think) colt woodsman]. This means the Buckmarks trigger doesn't 'gunk up' like my Rugers do.

I am NOT saying that the Buckmark is a completely superior pistol to the Ruger. I like the Ruger enough that I have more of them than Buckmarks. However, The buckmark has some great characteristics that deserve your attention.

I wouldn't turn my nose up at another Buckmark [or Ruger MK II].

MK III basically is a MK II with takedown complications and potential jamming points due to LCI and mag disconnect [the last two of which can be bypassed].

Stick to bull-barrels.

Good luck!

doctor j · April 26, 2015, 09:05 PM

I'll throw in a vote for the Ruger "Mark x" series. Mine is so old that it predates the "Mark" nomenclature. I think it was called the Ruger "Standard", but don't hold me to that. When I do my part, it groups well. I bought it used around 40 to 45 years ago, and it still does the job.

Stevie-Ray · April 27, 2015, 12:37 PM

Quote:

I'll throw in a vote for the Ruger "Mark x" series. Mine is so old that it predates the "Mark" nomenclature. I think it was called the Ruger "Standard", but don't hold me to that. When I do my part, it groups well. I bought it used around 40 to 45 years ago, and it still does the job.

It was. Actual designation was RST-4 and RST-6, for Ruger Standard 4 and 6 inch barrel. I liked my RST-6, which was my first pistol ever, so much that I bought the Mark II (KMK-512) many years later. The Marks were the target models, (adjustable sights) of the standards.

FlySubCompact · April 29, 2015, 01:44 AM

Sold Beretta Bobcat years ago. Wanted another .22 plinker later for a replacement. LGS had a cheap little Phoenix .22. Bought one of the long barreled target versions because Beretta did not offer the Bobcat with a long barrel. (A shame,BTW)

I have no complaints. It was my only .22 plinker for like 15 years until I noticed the slide cracked during a rare cleaning.

. It came with a lifetime warranty, so I called Phoenix. They said "No problem." Sent me a shipping label in a few days. I sent it in. A brand new one arrived in about ten days. That was last year. It runs like the first one on a toxic diet of Thunderbolts.

I like it. It is small, more accurate than I am, is made in the US and that company is a thorn in the side of gun grabbers.

SgtGunner · April 29, 2015, 09:31 AM

My favorite .22 is a MkII from the early 80s. Its the heavy barrel 3.5" variant.
I also have a 1952 MkI target, both are amazing shooters and have been passed on to my son. The MkII has the Volquarsten competition kit installed.

Both are extremely well built, reliable and accurate.

Never had any luck with the S&W or Beretta rimfires. Absolute worst Ive ever handled was the Walther P22....yuck.

gwpercle · April 29, 2015, 12:31 PM

My favorite was a model 41 S&W, I say was , because I purchased a Ruger MKII standard barrel model , third hand, that had a Millet SP-1 Red Dot mounted on it. Never shot one before and detached retina left me unable to see open iron sights. Had given up shooting. Dealer said put the dot on target and shoot, no sighting required...so I bought it.
Turns out the previous owner, unbeknown to the dealer, had sent it to Clark Custom Guns for dot sight mounting and trigger job..... As nice as the factory model 41 Smith is, the Clark Ruger shoots rings around it, I would have never believed a semi-auto Ruger trigger could be so sweet...it's like you put the dot on something and as you think about squeezing the shot...it goes bang and target is hit.
My advice is get any Ruger you like and then let Clark Custom work their magic on it...everybody owes themselves one really good , accurate sweet shooting 22
Gary

Sevens · April 29, 2015, 08:23 PM

SgtGunner, I am having a hard time getting a mental picture of a 3.5" heavy barreled Ruger Mark II. Is that a typo, did you mean to say 5.5" barrel?

stubbicatt · April 30, 2015, 07:00 AM

I know it isn't on your list, and sometimes they get a bit pricy, but I really like the High Standard Military models. Sweet triggers, reasonably reliable, accurate and pleasant to shoot, as is, with no modifications necessary.

Just a thought.

jmstr · April 30, 2015, 09:36 AM

Stubbicatt, do you mean the military [grip] High Standards, that came out after 1965?

Or do you mean handguns like the High Standard HD Military, which they made in the 1940s, but had a slant grip?

I don't suppose you mean the High Standard HD or HD-USA, which were made for the US Military during WWII?

SgtGunner · April 30, 2015, 09:49 AM

that was supposed to be 4 inch I was dismantling my 3.5 inch 1911 when I typed that.

tranders · April 30, 2015, 10:03 AM

I have the Mark2 Target Model and love it. Shoots great and is reliable.

My only complaint is it's kind of a pain to take apart for cleaning.

kutz · April 30, 2015, 10:28 AM

MK II

Clark · April 30, 2015, 11:08 PM

I made my own scope mount for this 1953 Colt match target woodsman.

stubbicatt · May 1, 2015, 05:15 AM

Quote:

Said jmstr: Stubbicatt, do you mean the military [grip] High Standards, that came out after 1965?

Or do you mean handguns like the High Standard HD Military, which they made in the 1940s, but had a slant grip?

I don't suppose you mean the High Standard HD or HD-USA, which were made for the US Military during WWII?

The one on top in this photo is what I am referring to. As I understand it, they were designed to mimic the grip angle of the 1911 so they called them Military models. This one is 1968 production.

Very high quality pistols which seem to point and shoot instinctively for me. As a man once said, "the quality of an item is remembered long after price is forgotten."

IKE · May 1, 2015, 06:01 AM

I'm fond of the Ruger MKI's and currently have three.

1. 4" std. blue barrel with factory fixed sights.

2. 5 1/2" blue bull barrel with factory adjustable sights.

3. 6 7/8" blue tapered bull barrel with factory adjustable sights.

I bought the 4" new in 1976 and have fired it quite a bit with never a problem.

The 5 1/2" and 6 7/8" I picked up used (but minty) in the last fifteen years or so and have not yet fired them......now that I'm recently retired I need to.

Trooper Joe · May 4, 2015, 06:30 PM

My new (to me) Beretta Model 71. The same gun the Israeli Massad used in the 70's.

Or, this nice Beretta 87 which I think is the best made auto loading pistol in 22 LR, ever made.

My eyes are pretty old but that 87 has taken a number of squirrels in Michigan.

Trooper Joe

Scorpion8 · May 4, 2015, 06:33 PM

None of those listed. I used Browning Buckmarks almost exclusively. Trust me, I have almost all of them, but the wife and I shoot Buckmarks in our rimfire league. Even over the Ruger 22/45 Mark III. There are a lot of good plinkers out there, but for serious work get a Buckmark.

April 25, 2015, 09:04 PM	#51
bbqncigars Senior Member Join Date: February 1, 2009 Location: Iowa Posts: 525	You would have to get lucky to find one, but a good used S&W 2206 is a sweet handling pistol. I've got one with the four inch barrel, and always looking for a six. The 2206 is almost as accurate as my sixties model 41, but not as picky. The only downside is your index finger will get dirty next to your knuckle if you have big hands (barrel is below the recoil spring). __________________ "Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most." A. Brilliant

April 26, 2015, 06:39 AM	#52
Pilot Senior Member Join Date: December 21, 2000 Posts: 4,193	Find a five inch, bull barrel Mark II Target model, and call it a day. If you want, throw in some Volquartsen parts (trigger, sear) and you will be amazed. __________________ Pilot

April 29, 2015, 01:44 AM	#60
FlySubCompact Senior Member Join Date: February 16, 2012 Posts: 306	Sold Beretta Bobcat years ago. Wanted another .22 plinker later for a replacement. LGS had a cheap little Phoenix .22. Bought one of the long barreled target versions because Beretta did not offer the Bobcat with a long barrel. (A shame,BTW) I have no complaints. It was my only .22 plinker for like 15 years until I noticed the slide cracked during a rare cleaning. . It came with a lifetime warranty, so I called Phoenix. They said "No problem." Sent me a shipping label in a few days. I sent it in. A brand new one arrived in about ten days. That was last year. It runs like the first one on a toxic diet of Thunderbolts. I like it. It is small, more accurate than I am, is made in the US and that company is a thorn in the side of gun grabbers. Last edited by FlySubCompact; April 29, 2015 at 05:15 AM.

April 29, 2015, 09:31 AM	#61
SgtGunner Senior Member Join Date: March 20, 2000 Location: SW Florida.....land of the snowbirds! Posts: 279	My favorite .22 is a MkII from the early 80s. Its the heavy barrel 3.5" variant. I also have a 1952 MkI target, both are amazing shooters and have been passed on to my son. The MkII has the Volquarsten competition kit installed. Both are extremely well built, reliable and accurate. Never had any luck with the S&W or Beretta rimfires. Absolute worst Ive ever handled was the Walther P22....yuck. __________________ Compromise is not an option "Semper Fidelis" "Life is too short to carry a little pop gun...Make mine .45ACP"

April 29, 2015, 08:23 PM	#63
Sevens Senior Member Join Date: July 28, 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 11,756	SgtGunner, I am having a hard time getting a mental picture of a 3.5" heavy barreled Ruger Mark II. Is that a typo, did you mean to say 5.5" barrel? __________________ *Attention Brass rats and other reloaders:* I really need .327 Federal Magnum brass, no lot size too small. Tell me what caliber you need and I'll see what I have to swap. PM me and we'll discuss.

April 26, 2015, 07:40 AM	#53
8MM Mauser Senior Member Join Date: October 16, 2011 Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan Posts: 647	I love my Ruger MKII target model. Shoots like a champ, easy to handle. Recoil is simply not a word that applies to it. I usually shoot the same group as my Glock 19... and 4X the distance. I'm serious too, what I can do with a G19 at 10 yards I can replicate with the Ruger at 40. I did a review of my Mark II about a year after getting it (which was a few years ago). You may find it helpful; i was really coming at it then from complete inexperience.

April 26, 2015, 08:32 AM	#54
veamon Senior Member Join Date: July 11, 2013 Posts: 186	If you up your budget another 150, you can buy an EAA witness for 300 shipped, and then drop in a 200 conversion kit and have 2 pistols.

April 26, 2015, 09:15 AM	#55
pete2 Senior Member Join Date: May 15, 2012 Location: Texas Posts: 2,566	If you want a .22 handgun to hunt with why not a revolver, a single six is a better holster gun than any auto. You can even shoot shorts or shot loads in the revolver.

April 26, 2015, 07:37 PM	#57
jmstr Senior Member Join Date: February 24, 2001 Location: San Joaquin Valley, CA Posts: 1,281	S&W 22 was too fat for my medium-smallish hands. No Neos experience. Ruger MKII vs 22/45: a toss up. I like the grip angle of the 22/45 better, but they are about equally reliable. Whichever fits your hand better and points more accurately is what I would get. BUCKMARKs are underrated! Trigger out of box on Buckmark puts the Rugers to shame. I had to throw in a Volquartsen Sear and a Clark hammer bushing to get the Ruger as smooth as the Buckmark was out of the box. I have a buckmark with a spring modification and a Browning adjustable trigger [$35 in parts] and it is decidedly crisper, lighter and smoother than any of my Rugers. HOWEVER, it now requires so little trigger motion that I wouldn't holster-carry it. This is now one for the shooting range only, and people more experienced with firearms. For field use, don't change the trigger on the Browning Buckmark Camper, just change out the spring, and you will have a gun that is on a par with the Rugers accuracy and reliability, but with a better trigger. Plus, the basic cleaning is simpler, as it has a slide that locks back and allows a nylon brush across the face of the chamber and bolt, with gasses and debris escaping on both sides, instead of the single opening on the Ruger. Also, the trigger bar that activates the sear runs outside the frame [like High Standards, Walther P-38, Beretta 92, and (I think) colt woodsman]. This means the Buckmarks trigger doesn't 'gunk up' like my Rugers do. I am NOT saying that the Buckmark is a completely superior pistol to the Ruger. I like the Ruger enough that I have more of them than Buckmarks. However, The buckmark has some great characteristics that deserve your attention. I wouldn't turn my nose up at another Buckmark [or Ruger MK II]. MK III basically is a MK II with takedown complications and potential jamming points due to LCI and mag disconnect [the last two of which can be bypassed]. Stick to bull-barrels. Good luck!

April 26, 2015, 09:05 PM	#58
doctor j Member Join Date: March 13, 2000 Posts: 79	I'll throw in a vote for the Ruger "Mark x" series. Mine is so old that it predates the "Mark" nomenclature. I think it was called the Ruger "Standard", but don't hold me to that. When I do my part, it groups well. I bought it used around 40 to 45 years ago, and it still does the job.

April 29, 2015, 12:31 PM	#62
gwpercle Senior Member Join Date: November 30, 2012 Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana Posts: 1,752	My favorite was a model 41 S&W, I say was , because I purchased a Ruger MKII standard barrel model , third hand, that had a Millet SP-1 Red Dot mounted on it. Never shot one before and detached retina left me unable to see open iron sights. Had given up shooting. Dealer said put the dot on target and shoot, no sighting required...so I bought it. Turns out the previous owner, unbeknown to the dealer, had sent it to Clark Custom Guns for dot sight mounting and trigger job..... As nice as the factory model 41 Smith is, the Clark Ruger shoots rings around it, I would have never believed a semi-auto Ruger trigger could be so sweet...it's like you put the dot on something and as you think about squeezing the shot...it goes bang and target is hit. My advice is get any Ruger you like and then let Clark Custom work their magic on it...everybody owes themselves one really good , accurate sweet shooting 22 Gary

April 30, 2015, 07:00 AM	#64
stubbicatt Senior Member Join Date: September 15, 2007 Posts: 1,707	High Standard? I know it isn't on your list, and sometimes they get a bit pricy, but I really like the High Standard Military models. Sweet triggers, reasonably reliable, accurate and pleasant to shoot, as is, with no modifications necessary. Just a thought.

April 30, 2015, 09:36 AM	#65
jmstr Senior Member Join Date: February 24, 2001 Location: San Joaquin Valley, CA Posts: 1,281	Stubbicatt, do you mean the military [grip] High Standards, that came out after 1965? Or do you mean handguns like the High Standard HD Military, which they made in the 1940s, but had a slant grip? I don't suppose you mean the High Standard HD or HD-USA, which were made for the US Military during WWII?

April 30, 2015, 09:49 AM	#66
SgtGunner Senior Member Join Date: March 20, 2000 Location: SW Florida.....land of the snowbirds! Posts: 279	that was supposed to be 4 inch I was dismantling my 3.5 inch 1911 when I typed that. __________________ Compromise is not an option "Semper Fidelis" "Life is too short to carry a little pop gun...Make mine .45ACP"

April 30, 2015, 10:03 AM	#67
tranders Senior Member Join Date: December 5, 2001 Location: Indiana Posts: 233	I have the Mark2 Target Model and love it. Shoots great and is reliable. My only complaint is it's kind of a pain to take apart for cleaning.

April 30, 2015, 10:28 AM	#68
kutz Senior Member Join Date: September 24, 2012 Location: Arizona Posts: 393	MK II

April 30, 2015, 11:08 PM	#69
Clark Senior Member Join Date: December 4, 1999 Location: WA, the ever blue state Posts: 4,678	I made my own scope mount for this 1953 Colt match target woodsman. __________________ The word 'forum" does not mean "not criticizing books." "Ad hominem fallacy" is not the same as point by point criticism of books. If you bought the book, and believe it all, it may FEEL like an ad hominem attack, but you might strive to accept other points of view may exist. Are we a nation of competing ideas, or a nation of forced conformity of thought?

May 1, 2015, 06:01 AM	#71
IKE Member Join Date: November 21, 1999 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 59	I'm fond of the Ruger MKI's and currently have three. 1. 4" std. blue barrel with factory fixed sights. 2. 5 1/2" blue bull barrel with factory adjustable sights. 3. 6 7/8" blue tapered bull barrel with factory adjustable sights. I bought the 4" new in 1976 and have fired it quite a bit with never a problem. The 5 1/2" and 6 7/8" I picked up used (but minty) in the last fifteen years or so and have not yet fired them......now that I'm recently retired I need to. __________________ NRA Range Safety Officer. Vietnam veteran. IHMSA # 48226.

May 4, 2015, 06:30 PM	#72
Trooper Joe Senior Member Join Date: January 5, 2005 Location: Michigan Posts: 225	My choice for the best 22 LR handguns My new (to me) Beretta Model 71. The same gun the Israeli Massad used in the 70's. Or, this nice Beretta 87 which I think is the best made auto loading pistol in 22 LR, ever made. My eyes are pretty old but that 87 has taken a number of squirrels in Michigan. Trooper Joe

May 4, 2015, 06:33 PM	#73
Scorpion8 Senior Member Join Date: April 3, 2011 Location: SouthEast AK Posts: 117	None of those listed. I used Browning Buckmarks almost exclusively. Trust me, I have almost all of them, but the wife and I shoot Buckmarks in our rimfire league. Even over the Ruger 22/45 Mark III. There are a lot of good plinkers out there, but for serious work get a Buckmark. __________________ Retired USN Pain heals..... chicks dig scars......Glory, lasts forever!