Questions on the aspects of certain 22 pistols

[L_Killkenny]

Kilkenny, perhaps that last comment is true and I shouldn't be anywhere near a firearm. It is also true that women, especially single women without the support and encouragement of husbands, boyfriends or fathers, stay away from shooting ranges in droves. Your sentiments are not often expressed aloud but many women are aware of them. Fortunately, my range is trying to stay alive and growing and encourages women to join and to shoot no matter the skill or comfort level.

Note: I read the OP and responding never once noticing or reading the name and had no idea a women was the OP. My response was completely uni-sex. So to be clear, man or woman, if you can't figure out how to easily disassemble/assemble a MKIII than slowly back way and stick with something less complicated like watchin TV.

[zincwarrior]

Nonsense. While I have no pretense of being mechanically inclined, my father was a mechanical engineer and built motorcycles on the side. He also thought the takedown procedure was complex, difficult, and frankly stupid.

If a person used to designing parts for the space shuttle and deep sea drilling equipment, who cut his teeth working on corsair engines in the Marines thinks its difficult, I'd proffer its difficult.

Your views on the takedown being simple may vary. Thats fine. Calling those who disagree with you "lazy" or unable to handle simple tasks are as misplaced as they are obnoxious.

Rugers are more complex to takedown than a NEO. Fact.
Some people might find this an issue. Some people might not. Its a factor for the OP and others to consider.

[Mr_Jumper]

Pro:

1. Accurate, feels like full sized higher caliber, but shoots like .22
2. Can eat through cheap ammo (federal and wwb bulk) - On mine, I have 1500+ through it and 1-2 hiccups (from ammo not the gun, where it would fail to fire. Second try worked.)
3. Easy to field clean, easy take down and assembly. Only 4 parts (slide, frame, recoil spring and guide).
4. Comes standard with threaded barrel if it matters to you.
5. Lot of fun at the range w/o dealing with hassles/problems.

Con:

1. Comes with only 1 mag and to buy more, it's costly (~$40)

Hope this helps.

[L_Killkenny]

While I have no pretense of being mechanically inclined, my father was a mechanical engineer and built motorcycles on the side. He also thought the takedown procedure was complex, difficult, and frankly stupid.

If a person used to designing parts for the space shuttle and deep sea drilling equipment, who cut his teeth working on corsair engines in the Marines thinks its difficult, I'd proffer its difficult.

Obviously I've never met your father but it's not all that rare to have an engineer that couldn't use a screwdriver even with the aid of a 10 min video. Not a diss on your father just an observation from working with "professionals" over the last couple decades.

It's a tool-less procedure and the only thing you really have to do is make sure the hammer strut goes in the right spot on the mainspring on assembly. How is that complex, difficult or stupid?

[zincwarrior]

You must have missed the part where I said he built motorcycles for fun and worked on aircraft engines.

Tooless except the part where you need a rubber hammer to knock the action off the frame right? I've never ever heard of needing a hammer to field strip a gun. Show me another .22 that requires that. You also need some sort of device to pull the initial rod down.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCtsV8WXDmo

A NEO doesn't need any of that. A Browning comes with an allen wrench to loosen the two screws and thats all you need. I don't think the S&W .22s require anything either. As noted, I have Rugers as well. But if dissassembly issues are a factor for a buyer then thats an item to consider.

[Old Grump]

- S&W M+P 22
- Ruger Mk III- Target/ Competition or Hunter
- Ruger SR22
- Browning Buckmark Camper
- Baretta Neos

Any will work and to my mind you listed them in the order I would want them. Just between you me and the neighbors dog I would try really hard to get the S&W. If you can get the Buckmark you will find it's not a match gun but usually way more accurate than most shooters, reliable and fun to shoot. All you could want for in a plinker

[TailGator]

I own a Neos and have shot the Ruger. Accuracy is similar and excellent. Recoil is negligible in both, but may be a bit lighter in the Neos. (What is lighter, a feather or a piece of tissue paper?) The grip of the Neos feels a bit smaller to me, but that might vary with the shape of your hand as well as the size. Regardless of what anyone might think about the Ruger field strip procedure, the Beretta is really easy. Sharp edges? The only one I can think of on the Neos is the edge of the feed ramp when the barrel is off. I suppose you could get a nick from that if you don't pay attention when you are running a cleaning rod through it. If you get a Neos, be sure to pay attention to the extractor claw in cleaning; when it gets soiled it can cause some extraction failures, but that is the only problem I have had with mine in thousands of rounds, and I can look in any mirror to find the cause.

[L_Killkenny]

I've had extensive experience with two MKII's and one MKIII. Never needed a mallet or anything more than a fingernail with any of them. Once I pop the mainspring mine almost disassemble themselves.

[AH.74]

You can easily do all the cleaning necessary on the Rugers without needing to take them apart.

I would not discourage anyone from getting one based upon this one factor. It's not enough to put them off of an excellent gun. The pluses far outweigh the minuses.

[Kalamity Kate]

Thank you all for your information. It was very helpful. I went to three gun shops to look at four pistols and went back to the second to buy the "One".

I thought the choice would be between the S&W M+P 22 or the Browning Buckmark Camper. The S&W fit very much like my Glock and might have been a good choice for practice and transition to the larger caliber pistol. The Glock grip is not comfortable and I just deal with it. I didn't want two guns that I had to "deal" with so that was ruled out. That is why I don't spend much time at the range. Shooting the Glock is a chore and not fun.

I checked out the Neos in the same store and liked it. It was a bit of a worrry that the clerk could not get the pistol apart. I went on to the third shop to look at the Browning with the recommended "soft and easy grip". The Browning was a disappointment to hold after the Neos which I could still memory feel in my hand.

Back to the second shop where the Neos and I hooked up in a "love at first touch" situation. It was as if Beretta had taken a mold of my hand and formed a grip to fit it perfectly. I have never had the experience of perfectly fitting a gun grip before. We are going to spend quite a bit of time together at the firing range- as soon as the ammo is available. I really love the way this pistol feels and it makes coming target practice something I eagerly look forward to getting started.

The Neos finally came apart in the store and was easier to dismantle a second time so it should not pose a problem. It seems pretty simple and straightforward. What a sweet little pistol.

Once again, thank you all for your input.

[Old Grump]

Thats one of my main considerations fitting out new women shooters. Never mind what hubby or boy friend or daddy wants them to have, Does it fit their hand, If it doesn't they won't want to shoot it. Good thinking on getting one that fits your hand.

[Venom1956]

HA! NEOS FTW! I called it!

[alex0535]

Something you might consider getting later on if you continue to love the neos is the Neos Carbine Kit. It turns your .22 pistol into a little .22 rifle.

If you love the grip of the neos it will give you a rifle with a pistol grip that you already know you love, assuming the grip is about the same and it probably is.

http://www.berettausa.com/products/u...e-kit/ju22ck1/

[Tickling]

Congratulations!

EDIT TO ADD: Pictures please!

[steveNChunter]

+1 on the carbine kit. That would be a fun little setup. Not sure what barrel length you ended up getting but they also sell barrels for them on Beretta's site for like $100. You could have a scope/red dot mounted on the 6" for the range, and use factory sights on the 4.5" when you wanted to carry it.

[CajunBass]

Well, I'm one who's had trouble dis/reassembling a Ruger MK III. I've locked them up so tight I thought I was going to have to send them back to Ruger to get them back apart.

BUT! It was because I thought I knew more than the guy who designed it, built it, and literally wrote the book on it. Once I figured out they probably knew what they were talking about and followed the directions I didn't have much trouble.

What trouble I had after that, and it seems other people do to, is not wanting to use a rubber mallet when a rubber mallet is called for. When a Ruger is new, it is TIGHT. You may HAVE to wack it with a rubber mallet at times. Like to seperate the upper from the lower, and to get the mainspring pin back out/in. In time they will wear in, but in the meantime, WACK it. (Please, a plastic/rubber/wooden mallet only).

The other alternative, which is the one I follow most of the time is to simply not disassemble it. Take the grip panels off, spray it with gunscrubber, shake it a few times, put a drop or two of oil here and there, wipe it down with an oily rag, put the grips back on, wipe it down again.

Oh, I recomend the Ruger target model. The "Mark" doesn't really matter. The "standard" model, or the 22/45 doesn't make much difference either. Get the one you like.

The others you mentioned aren't bad either. I just like the Rugers.

[Pilot]

To clean and lube a Ruger MKII or MKIII you do NOT need to separate the upper (barrel assembly) from the grip frame. Yes, it is not difficult to do, with a rubber mallet, even when new and tight. However, it is really unnecessary. I don't understand why people make owning, and using these pistols more difficult than it needs to be. Like you said, if you follow the manual it is a breeze.

And, Cajunbass, the OP selected the Beretta NEOS already, which is another good choice, although no Ruger.

[CajunBass]

And, Cajunbass, the OP selected the Beretta NEOS already, which is another good choice, although no Ruger.

Yea. I'm not surprised. I was too far asleep to read all those long replies. Anytime I see a thread that mentions "It's hard to fleld strip a Ruger" I kick into "No it's not" mode. I need to stop that.

And you're right. There is no need to take the upper off, but people seem to want to do it for some reason.

The Beretta should be a good choice. A little too futuristic for my taste, but a good gun I'm sure.

[Kalamity Kate]

I did get the red dot optic to go with the Neos. It really does look like Flash Gordon or Buck Rogers must have just set it down. Since it fits my hand the way it does, I prefer to think of it as "sleek".

The barrel is six inches long and cannot be used for carry unless inside a large purse but it is fine for target practice at the range. My little S&W 642 revolver is good for carry in a waist line holster and, of course, the Glock in a purse. The Glock is too large to be hidden on my person for concealed carry. I live in a hot and humid climate where we wear shorts and tank tops for most of the year.

Nice to know the Neos can be converted into a carbine. I wish I had known that two weeks ago when I was looking for a 22 rifle. I chose the S&W M+P 15-22. It looks too Schwartzenegger macho for me but I like the pistol grip and it has the advantage of not needing special work to shorten the stock. It adjusts to six positions. It is a lot of fun to shoot with no recoil and just a quiet pop to say it shot. I got a chance to use one at the Appleseed course a couple of weeks ago and really liked it.

Thank you all for offering your opinions and information. This forum is a fine opportunity for information gathering from a broad range of knowledgeble people.
Kate

[Rogervzv]

Enjoy the Neos! I went Ruger for .22s myself, but Beretta makes great firearms and I am sure that the Neos will give you good service. Sometimes a certain firearm just "hits" you the right way, as appears was the case as between yourself and the Neos. When that happens, that is the way to go.

Be sure and provide some range reports!

[AH.74]

Pictures or it didn't happen, Kate. Jeez.

[Ralgha]

The Neos is a great gun. I had to whack mine with a hammer (on the takedown knob/screw) to get it apart the first time, but after that it became easy.

There are sharp edges on it. The feed ramp and the end of the rail come to mind. When running a brush through the barrel, I've gouged my hand on the rail a couple times. The slide has some sharp edges too but you don't really use any force around that so it's not a big deal. They're not knife-sharp, just kinda pointy.

[Kalamity Kate]

Okay, here's hoping the attachment works.

[AH.74]

Looks like a George Jetson gun. Cool! Congrats and enjoy.

[JimPage]

AH74: You want to see a Jetson gun, look at a Whitney Wolverine. They were made in the mid to late 1950s and 60s. Oops. showing my age...