Best .22 for plinking???

[barronbw]

My brother is looking for a good .22 just for plinking at the range. Does anyone have pics or suggestions?
All opinions welcome!

 

[jhearne]

Depends on which grip he likes between the 22/45 and the standard metal framed MKIII's. And now the 22/45's can come with replaceable grip panels. I want to get another .22 sometime and might trade in my MKIII on one of the new 22/45s.

After you decide on a frame, then choose the barrel and finish. Stainless looks good always and is a bit easier to maintain. MKIII's offer bull and taper barrels, for plinking in general, either is fine. Some like the balance the bull barrel brings with the additional weight. Also, it's worth noting that the standard barrels don't come with adjustable sights. The MKIII 22/45 models all do I believe.

I have a plain 6 7/8" Tapered MKIII, blued. Countless rounds through it, but it's a bit finicky on ammo sometimes, but most are to an extent.

Noticed your from Nac, nice seeing fellow East Texans on here.

Josh

 

[T.A. WORKMAN]

MK I or Mark II, hands down IMHO.
Have him go to a gunshow and handle the various pistols, see what feels
good to him, then he can make up his own mind.
Terry

 

[john16443]

If you're desire is to stay with a Ruger, Josh has got you covered. If you're at all interested in other options, the S&W 22A models are excellent plinkers, fully adjustable rear sights, pic/weaver rail, choice of barrel lengths. I absolutely love mine, and what I like about it compared to the Rugers is:

1) Simple breakdown for cleaning, only need your thumb
2) Less expensive to purchase comparing new for new.
3) Shoots any 22LR standard or HV ammo, don't recommend the hyper velocity stuff.

Another option is the Beretta U22 NEOS. Has a little Star Wars look to it, not quite as simple breakdown (but better than MKII or III IMHO), and only slightly more expensive than the 22A. Would have loved to get a MK II or III for range plinking, but can't find used at a decent price here, and I'm not a fan of what I consider the Rube Goldberg breakdown process of the Ruger compared to the others.

 

[jhearne]

I forgot about the Browning Buckmark pistols, they're good shooters but I don't know much about them except they only come with one magazine and those are hard to come by to get a spare or 3. My father has a matte stainless one and loves it. Really accurate and really reliable in comparison to my own MKIII.

When it comes to .22's you really have some options.

Josh

 

[Yosemite Sam]

I forgot about the Browning Buckmark pistols, they're good shooters but I don't know much about them except they only come with one magazine and those are hard to come by to get a spare or 3. My father has a matte stainless one and loves it. Really accurate and really reliable in comparison to my own MKIII.

When it comes to .22's you really have some options.

Josh

My BM Hunter came with 2 mags, but that was a year or so ago.

Don't rule out the Single Six if you don't mind revolvers. Yes, I know this is the semi auto room.

Agreed, there are a lot of good .22 choices out there today. Notably the Sig and Walther offerings both seem to have a large number of reported issues on the forums, but (as usual) there are also plenty of people with trouble free Sigs and Walthers. (And note, I am a Sig fan, too.) It's mostly the Sig Mosquito that seems to have issues, not the down caliber conversions of the larger guns (eg, a P226 with a .22 top end). In fact, that's a pretty good deal if you want a 9mm Sig; Get the P226 or P229 with a discount coupon for the .22 slide.

This being the Ruger forum and semi auto section, it's probably safe to stick with a Mark II/III or a 22/45...

-- Sam

 

[gb6491]

This being the Ruger forum and semi auto section, it's probably safe to stick with a Mark II/III or a 22/45...

-- Sam

I own .22s from a variety of makers. That said, I would never have a problem recommending Ruger's Single Six and MARK I, II or 22/45 pistols to someone looking for a quality /22 pistol. I've even had good fortune with clones of their designs (AMT Lightning). I've no first hand experience (outside handling them) to comment on the current MARK III semi autos.

Regards,
Greg

 

[PAVTXER]

A Ruger Charger with (or without) an Archangel kit.... loads of fun....

 

[Snake45]

If your friend happens to already own a 1911, Glock, Beretta 92, Taurus 92/99, or Browning P-35, tell him to look into the Ciener .22 kits for those guns. I own three and they function nearly 100%. They're not quite as accurate as my Ruger MK II bull barrel, but they are all WAY more FUN to shoot, for some reason I can't explain.

The Ciener kits run $200 with one mag. It's hard to find even a good USED .22 pistol for that these days.

 

[Fishslayer]

Saw this on another forum. The owner really seemed to like it. I want one!

http://www.midwesthuntersoutlet.com/ite ... DyOLrQE%3D

 

[Yosemite Sam]

The Chiappa 1911-style .22 that's been around the Classifieds for a while looks pretty good, too.

-- Sam

 

[TRanger]

There is no best .22 for plinking. It's whatever the shooter likes best.

 

[hittman]

MKII Target, 6 7/8" tapered barrel or an Old Model Single Six with 6.5" barrel.

I own one of each and they're my favorite plinkers.

 

[elkhunter62]

well guys i know its not a ruger but i have 1951 colt woodsman 6 inch target and it shoots awesome it also looks new great shape i will post pics if you all want to see her its also a ten shot mag.

 

[blume357]

Ruger MKIII for me with the target bull barrel....

 

[Fishslayer]

The Chiappa 1911-style .22 that's been around the Classifieds for a while looks pretty good, too.

-- Sam

Not a Chiappa. It's GSG.

 

[Glupy]

I want to get another .22 sometime and might trade in my MKIII on one of the new 22/45s.

Josh

Do others think the same way? I found a great price ($250) for a NIB 22/45 with the 5.5 in barrel. They sure feel nice in my hand.

Does anyone know if those quiet CCI CB 22's will recycle the Ruger pistols? They are quiet in my Remington 510 but I worry that they have too little energy to cycle an autoloader.

Thanks,
Dave

 

[Yosemite Sam]

The Chiappa 1911-style .22 that's been around the Classifieds for a while looks pretty good, too.

-- Sam

Not a Chiappa. It's GSG.

Chiappa: http://www.gunblast.com/Chiappa1911-22.htm

GSG: http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2009 ... -22-pisol/

Never heard of the GSG, but I don't see any on Gunbroker. There are a bunch of Chiappas, from $230 to $300. Some of our esteemed resident dealers have also offered them for sale through the Classifieds on this board.

-- Sam

 

[toysoldier]

Does anyone know if those quiet CCI CB 22's will recycle the Ruger pistols? They are quiet in my Remington 510 but I worry that they have too little energy to cycle an autoloader.

An H&R 999 will shoot anything, even shot shells and shorts. It holds as many rounds as a Ruger auto, and reloaders are available. My Mk III is fun, but the H&R can do more and looks very good next to my Marlin 39.

 

[ArmedinAZ]

The Chiappa 1911-style .22 that's been around the Classifieds for a while looks pretty good, too.

-- Sam

Seems our own BuckJM53 did a review of the Chiappa and GSG guns here:

http://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=277607

They seem like a good 2nd choice behind a Ruger :wink:

 

[427mach1]

I have a '51 model Colt Woodsman, too, 6-inch barrel, serial number 897xx-S . It belonged to my grandfather and it is an absolute joy to shoot. My grandfather set up a shooting range in their basement and he taught my mom how to shoot the Woodsman.

 

[Snake45]

Does anyone know if those quiet CCI CB 22's will recycle the Ruger pistols? They are quiet in my Remington 510 but I worry that they have too little energy to cycle an autoloader.

An H&R 999 will shoot anything, even shot shells and shorts. It holds as many rounds as a Ruger auto, and reloaders are available. My Mk III is fun, but the H&R can do more and looks very good next to my Marlin 39.

But I'll bet it's not as accurate, nor can be shot accurately as quickly as the MK III. :wink:

 

[toysoldier]

You are correct, Snake, My revolver doesn't empty quite as quickly as my Mk III. I'm not sure of accuracy comparisons. However, loaded with shotshells, it enabled me to take out a squirrel that had made its way into my basement, without harm to anything else.