Recommended 22LR pistol

[chauncey]

Please provide recommendations for a 22LR pistol or conversion kit that operates reliably, has reasonable accuracy and at least provides some degree of familiarity with modern handgun types. Something suitable for use as an IDPA-style shooting training aid.

I mainly shoot Sigs but I'm reluctant to go with the Mosquito based upon reputation and the Sig 22LR conversion slide based upon my experiences with one in the past.

I'd like something with a decent DA/SA trigger. Along the lines of an 8-10 lb DA pull and a 4-6 lb SA pull

at or under $300 would be nice too

I would prefer responses based upon something you use or own (or have used or have owned)

[smoke-wagon]

My .22 is a ruger mkiii 22/45 which I picked up when my main interest was a 1911. The 1911 is long gone but the mkIII is still very much a part of my training gear and I haven't been to the range without it in many years. I dropped in the volquartsen upgraded ssar and trigger which brought the trigger to around 2-3lbs which doesn't help in training for my glock 19 but man, I could never get rid of this thing.

[ianb1116]

You're looking for a unicorn my friend.

But in all seriousness, .22lr is a tough cartridge to run 100% in semiauto pistols for some reason.

I've heard the Ruger SR22 does well. The mosquito is picky with ammo. IIRC, there were two brands it liked most (both names escape me but a quick googling should provide the answer).

The Walther p22 is also a decent choice.

I have no knowledge of the M&P 22 but am interested in acquiring one.

[smoke-wagon]

I should mention some .22s are so cheap they can be unreliable and remington has been the worst for light primer strikes. My colt m4 .22 won't run them at all but my ruger mkIII 22/45 will run them 90% of the time and usually I'll run I to a light primer strike.

[sprrdhawk44]

Walther P22 fits the bill, for what you're specifically after. I have many thousands of rounds through mine. I'd put reliability around the 97% mark with bulk ammunition.

That said, I enjoy shooting the M&P 22 more, and feel like I get more out of my time training with it.

[chauncey]

You're looking for a unicorn my friend.

But in all seriousness, .22lr is a tough cartridge to run 100% in semiauto pistols for some reason.

I've heard the Ruger SR22 does well. The mosquito is picky with ammo. IIRC, there were two brands it liked most (both names escape me but a quick googling should provide the answer).

The Walther p22 is also a decent choice.

I have no knowledge of the M&P 22 but am interested in acquiring one.

yeah I hear you. there is no 10/10 for this category. that said, I would rather get input and get a pistol that is an 8/10 as opposed to 4/10

[solrac7]

You mentioned a conversion...

Do you have something that would accept one? I have 2, an American Arms kit for my Glock 17, it runs well with high powered .22 (not so much with low powered bulk) and a Kimber conversion for my 1911 which also works very well with high powered ammo. Both give me range time with platforms that I use. I enjoy shooting them WHEN I can find .22 as it is still not as easy to come by as it once was. I am not aware of a Sig conversion, as I don't own one.

Good luck, Cb

[MrGlock45]

I can highly recommend the Ruger SR 22. I own 2 of them and they have not been finicky with any ammo.
Very accurate, and have both windage and elevation adjustable rear sight.
I put a fiber optic front sight on mine, and left the other one stock for my daughters to use.
We all love the ease of use. You can get them on sale for right around the $300 price range you requested.

As always, stay safe.

[jaseman]

Don't dismiss the Mosquito so quickly. It gets a bit of a bad rap from people who are either unwilling to learn how to run it correctly, or just perpetuate secondhand bias.

If you primarily shoot Sig's anyway, it'll feel very familiar in your hands. Which means it's a good training pistol that's cheap to shoot.

At 25 to 35 ft. it'll group as well as any other "duty-frame" .22 pistol.

What everyone neglects
- keep the extractor oiled (a drop or two every 100 rounds)
- lube the feed ramp (again, every 100 rounds)
- no blunt nosed ammo
- high velocity ammo
Once I figured these out, I haven't had any reliability issues with the Mosquito.

I will admit, the trigger sucks. DA is too long and heavy for my liking (1911 guy). SA has a lot of take-up before you get to the actual pull, and it's gritty, and seems inconsistent. But it is smoothing out some after about 1000 rounds.

It's actually become one of my favorite range toys. Even if ours is pink

[300zx_tt]

I have a sig 1911 .22 and I love it, great accuracy out of the box and pretty damn reliable I've put aprox. 9500 rounds through mine and i think I've had less than 100 jams/FTE's that weren't caused by shitty ammo. That's damn good in my eyes for a .22