What is a good target .22 pistol?

[FatJackDurham]

I am trying to decide what to buy for a target .22 pistol. I've been looking into several options. I've seen and shot a couple of Browning Buckmarks, and they seem very nice. I also just saw a new Rugar Mark III that is made of a very light alloy. Finally, I also saw a very nice Sig 1911-22.

So, I wanted to solicite some opinions from people who have owned one or all three. What are the pro's and cons of these guns?

[RIHMFIRE]

I have a cheap S&W model 22a, 7" barrel...tons of fun...and pretty accurate...
it all depends how much cash you want to spend..........

[jeepnik]

The Rugers are very good. Lots of options, the 22/45 seems pretty popular, but I prefer the more "traditional" regular Mark 3.

[wecsoger]

You may need to define your needs a little better. A good "target pistol" with excellent accuracy or a good solid .22 semi?

The Brownings are very good, ditto for the Smiths. I'm still personally fond of the Rugers. Just my cheap opinion (you get what you pay for) the Ruger Mark III's came about to fix problems the Ruger Mark II's didn't have. Sort of like re-releasing a movie in special edition to get you to buy another copy.

I have a Mark I with custom grips and a bull barrel, it's more accurate than I am, even for me on a good day. Got one of the basic Mark II's, plastic grips and the 4 inch or so barrel that tapers down. It's still an excellent plinker. AS far as the last, I just wait till it gets so dirty inside that it has feeding rounds and I'll hose it down with a spray can of WD-40 and one of the those little spray tubes. Speaks well for Mr. Ruger's design.

Buy a brick or two of ammo, cultivate friends, shoot a couple different brands and flavors. When you buy the one you like, buy several boxes of ammo and find out the brand it likes best.

[2ndovc]

I have two. A Colt Match Target and a 1959 vintage S&W Model 17.
Both are tack drivers.

Had an S&W Model 41 that was a super shooter. Should have kept that one.

When I was in the OSU Pistol Club we had a lot of High Standard autos. All excellent pistols.


jb

[williamranks]

Baikal IZH35M. It was the Russian Olympic Team choice. Got mine a few years ago for $350. I see them used fairly often.
You can even adjust sear engagement. It shoots much better than I do. I made a set of flat grips for squirrel hunting.
To use the stock grips you hold it the left hand and fit the right hand into the grips, solid for targets but slow for hunting.


http://www.starreloaders.com/izh/pickle/izh35m.htm

[jhrosier]

You can't go wrong with a Ruger MK.
The earlier MKII is preferable to the current MKIII.
The new ones have magazine safties and LCI .

I call my MKII 678 my "pocket rifle"

Jack

[jdad]

S&W 41 or if on a budget Browning Buckmark Target.

[damienph]

It really depends on how serious of a target pistol you need. I have a Ruger Government Model Target that is very accurate. I have a good friend with a Browning Buckmark that I have a difficult time competing with. A S&W model 41 would be a very competitive pistol. The Sig 1911 is a fun, good looking pistol but really just a plinker, as are most .22 semi-autos. As for revolvers, I have a late '40s K22 and an early '30s Colt officers model target ( both 6" revolvers) that can hit anything if you are capable. If you are really just looking for a reasonably accurate .22 most of the Ruger Mk2 and Mk3 bull barrels or the Brownings are worth looking at.

[Blaine]

If I was going to bet money that I could hit a coke can @ 100yds with a .22 pistol, I'd use my MKII Government Model Target.....When I had a scope on it, it was one hole at 25yds and nearly so at 50....

[Rusty]

I'm partial to the Rugers myself, but we all have our favorites. As far as the magazine safety that most people don't like, it can be done away with. You can also find lots of aftermarket parts to change what doesn't suit you.
Check out rimfirecentral.com and you can find the pros and cons of everything out there.

[Mescalero]

My heavy barrel Ruger has an aftermarket trigger, it shoots better than I do.

[olyinaz]

Browning Medalist.

Oly

[Mac in Mo]

I have the Ruger MKII with the 5 1/2" bull barrel. It is very,very accurate. I don't have any formal target shooting experience, but this gun can get it done. Like someone else said, it has rifle like accuracy, in a pistol.

Kevin

[Nicknack]

I have an old High Standard Citation with an aftermarket 7'' barrel as well as the 5'' barrel, a great old pistol will shoot better than I'm capable of.Great takdown ,press the underneath button pull off the barrel and off comes the slide ,you can't beat simplicity.and i love the grip angle
I also have a 6 shot S&W Model 17 with a 6'' under lugged barrel, what a beautiful and accurate pistol.

[TedH]

I bought a heavy barrel Ruger 22-45 a while back for my girlfriend to shoot. It's very accurate, but I don't care much for the trigger.

[stretch]

I have a Ruger Mk II with the 5" (?) bull barrel. I put
a Volquartsen target trigger kit in it, Hogue grips on it,
and later Volquartsen target grips on it. It is superbly
accurate.

The Hogue grips are decent for target shooting and VERY
good for hunting or plinking.

I've heard good things about that Baikal gun, too. One of the
fellas at the club was very competitive with one of them. Of
course, he's the sort of guy who would be competitive with
anything, but still!

-Stretch

[RIHMFIRE]

check this out....
and then check out their high dollar 22 target pistols
http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/ ... rrorView_Y

[wolfdog]

Can't go wrong with the Ruger.

[JB]

The Ruger is my pick of the "affordable" 22LR's. I didn't care for the cheaper S&W's I've owned, but have several S&W 41's that are great guns.

[FatJackDurham]

I am very intrigued with the S&W 41. I believe I know where to get a used one for less than $600, but I need to make sure.

What is all this about after market triggers and barrels and such. Would it be cheaper to get a standard Ruger or Browning, and then upgrade the barrel and trigger to get a near match grade gun? Or is it better to spend the money on a match grade pistol?

The lightweight Ruger Mark III I saw looks an aweful lot like the Pac-Lite model I saw reviewed on Gun Blast. And I do enjoy tinkering. Maybe that's how I should go. Get a cheap but customizable gun.

[AJMD429]

Unquestionably the most accurate .22 LR handgun I've EVER fired is a Thompson Contender.

Contenders.jpg

Mine is definitely more accurate than most of the .22 LR rifles I've owned. If you don't mind the single-shot 'handicap' (if you hit what you're shooting at, you won't need a second shot), it is way fun and humbling to shoot, because if you miss, you know it isn't the gun's fault. That makes it great for honing your shooting skills. You can use the stock open sights, several varieties of 'peeps', and of course scopes and holosights. You can shoot them offhand, rested, or even from a bipod. You can get extra barrels chambered in just about anything. My favorites are .22 Hornet and .357 Maximum; I have a .223 Rem but mostly shoot .22 pellets out of it with a Convert-a-Pell.

If you haven't shot a Contender (whatever the chambering/barrel), you should try one; the triggers on them are awesome - as close to a 'double-set' trigger as you can get.

[Pete44ru]

Rimfire target pistol accuracy is commensurate with quality, and ergo, cost - so it's best if you first define your needs, whether they be for formal target shooting (where you'll need the best), casual target shooting ( any "target" model will do), or hunting/plinking.

I've found the three choices you listed in your OP to be less than optimal for formal competition - the best being the S&W M41, the HS-Victor, & the Ruger MKII, in that order.

For informal target shooting, any of your choices will do (except the SIG plinker) - It's more of which feels better to YOU.

.

[Charles]

I am partial to Ruger MK IIs. I have one that is stock except for a Volquartsen trigger kit and another that was put together by Clark Custom. The Clark has a Douglas barrel and match chamber, plus Clark's job on the action and trigger.

If you put the two on paper side by side, the Clark will shoot groups half the size of the factory Ruger. The difference is the barrel. The Clark costs double the price of the factory job and Volquartsen trigger. So you do get what you pay for, and you have to decide what you need and want.

The guys and gals I shot with in our Saturday 22 falling plate match use mostly Rugers, some Buckmarks and a Smith 42. Ours is a speed match with seven targets, so sixguns just won't cut it. We all use optical sights of one kind or another. Iron sights are just too slow.

[damienph]

I am very intrigued with the S&W 41. I believe I know where to get a used one for less than $600, but I need to make sure.

What is all this about after market triggers and barrels and such. Would it be cheaper to get a standard Ruger or Browning, and then upgrade the barrel and trigger to get a near match grade gun? Or is it better to spend the money on a match grade pistol?

If you can get a model 41 for $600 you ought to seriously consider getting that. Buying an inexpensive gun with the intent to upgrade it to " match grade" will end up costing you more than the $600. Once you own a really accurate pistol the plinkers aren't as much fun as they were before.

[66GTO]

My Browning Buckmark is not a "target" pistol in the Olympic competition sense of the word, but for plinking, hunting, and casual range use, I love it. Mine is a Camper with the bull barrel and Firesight front sight. It loves the Winchester 333/555 bulk ammo. It will run all day long on it and is more accurate than I am with it.

I have replaced the one weak link of the Camper (not found on the higher grade Buckmarks), the rear sight mount. In the Camper it is plastic and will eventually break. I replaced mine with an aluminum aftermarket one that also doubles as a tactical Weaver rail. I tried it with a red dot scope, but went back to the open sights.

To me the Buckmark fits my hand perfectly and has balances just right. It also has an excellent trigger right out of the box.

I know Browning has made some high end competition target pistols that are highly sought after, but the Buckmark suites my needs.